Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"The spine will say 'Horticultural Plagues,'" Edwin said as he gazed up at the bookshelf, a book on demonic plants already in his hand. Edwin was lying across the sofa in the Dead Boy Detectives Agency office while Charles helped him search for some sort of solution to their current problem. Ever since he and Charles had left the Dalakit Forest that morning, he'd been feeling quite ill and he was certain that coming into contact with some plant or other had resulted in him feeling like rubbish. Certainly one of these books could illuminate the cure-all or spell needed to reverse the effects, or at least put him at ease that it was temporary.

Charles reached up for a book on the high shelf, standing on tiptoes--nearly knocking over a glass jar of man-eating spores with his elbow, mind--and that's when Edwin got an unplanned eye full of Charles' hip as his shirt became stretched up along his waist. He nearly clutched his chest from the jolt of electricity he felt surge through him. If he hadn't already been feeling so miserable, this moment could have been delightfully uncomfortable for him. Precious little could derail Edwin as easily as an unexpected showing of Charles' skin usually hidden beneath layers of his clothing. The white vest he sometimes wore was a damn nuisance at the best of times, but when paired with braces, Edwin could swear he felt faint. Perhaps he was a bit silly and romantic but god dammit, Charles' shoulders and the bit of his chest, and now his hip. It was an unfair play, in Edwin's mind, what with the unreciprocated feelings and everything, but that was the toll to be 'best mates' with Charles: sometimes one saw more than enough to fall in love with him despite the protestations of logic and reason. Edwin scolded himself for that one: it was just Charles' hip for god's sake.

Charles at last brought him the book he was after, handing it to him with a kind smile, eyes warm and so big and inviting Edwin thought he might just drown in them. "Feeling any better?"

Edwin made an attempt to answer that came out as fumbled nonsense, as he was still too busy admiring Charles to speak apparently. At least he could pass it off as related to whatever toxin he'd ingested in the forest.

Charles knelt down beside the couch and Edwin stiffened. It was still quite ridiculous that close proximity to the ghost he'd spent three and a half decades with made him weak these days. Charles lifted a hand, hovering it above his forehead. Edwin stared at it, a bit mesmerised. Charles finally laid his palm across Edwin's skin, feeling him for fever.

"Charles, I am not feverish," Edwin insisted, sounding a bit snappy without meaning to. "Ghosts cannot get sick. You know this."

Charles removed his hand and Edwin sighed internally at the loss. "Yeah, well you also told me ghosts can't get nauseous and yet here you are."

"Nauseated," Edwin corrected, sitting himself up to glance over the book Charles had brought him. He recognised several plants that had been in the forest but according to their descriptions, nothing explained why he was feeling so peaky. Charles had been near to all those plants as well and by all accounts, he was feeling fine. Edwin thought back to their morning to try to conjure up any more details that would help him understand what was happening to him. Charles had gotten back to his feet and wandered away to the bookshelf once more.

Edwin was about to give him instructions on another book to fish out of the collection when without warning, he felt a shock go through his body. Edwin gripped the couch with one hand, the other steadying his book as he worked at keeping silent. No need to alarm Charles any more than he already had. Edwin felt himself spasm with another full body shake and gripped the couch a little tighter. The spasms were oddly reminiscent of a pulse, an eerie sensation to have after so many years without it.

Edwin's eyes flicked over to Charles' back, thankfully covered with the entirety of his shirt this time. The last thing he needed right now was more of Charles' skin. "Charles, what about the one on the second shelf to the--" He stopped mid-sentence when he felt another sharp pulse.

Charles, hackles evidently raised by the sudden stop, spun around to watch him. "You okay?" he asked, frowning. Charles was taking stock of him, his hands white-knuckled against the couch and book respectively, the inexplicable sweat beading on his forehead and what was probably a fairly distressed expression.

"Of course," Edwin answered dismissively. "Now if you wouldn't mind staying focussed, I'll need the book on Spectral Trees."

Charles sighed through his nose and went back to searching. While he was distracted, Edwin squeezed his eyes shut. The pulse was becoming faster and louder, no longer a full-body convulsion, but rather an internal sensation and noise. It was like hearing a drum in his head that vibrated through a non-existent bloodstream. Then there was one more bodily convulsion for good measure and it all stopped. The sweat on his forehead dried out rapidly as if it were evaporating. Edwin's nausea was also gone in an instant, and he felt back to himself.

Edwin carefully got up from the couch just in case another wave of some earthly sensation decided to surprise him. "Odd," he commented.

Charles turned back to him. "What's odd? Feeling something else?" The amount of concern Charles could put into his words was a worthwhile study in his depth of emotion. For the longest time, Edwin only ever saw two things from his friend: some designation of happiness or contentment (this was foremost) and then worry. Of course, being Charles, the worry was never for himself. He sprinted into danger and haphazardly fought his way through demons and dragons and on one occasion a very lippy banshee. But when it came to Edwin, Charles worried. He worried about Edwin's safety, yes, but also his feelings, which was a new layer to a relationship with another person that Edwin had never encountered before Charles. Over time and with a lot of trust, more layers were uncovered and Edwin was able to see so many more sides to Charles--the depths of sadness, of anger, of self-indulgence. Seeing all of him was like opening and reading a book that had previously been glued shut, only ever offering the cover as a clue to its contents. He hoped Charles could say the same about him, that seeing more of Edwin's depths only made him feel closer to him.

Edwin smiled faintly. "I'm feeling nothing. Well, that is, back to normal," he said. This seemed to put Charles at ease, his shoulders lowering down slightly. "I suppose we're done with that then. The Case of the Forest Guardian solved."

That's when he heard it. The sound was so abrupt and so shrill that Edwin was immediately taken back to his memories of hell. He had honed his reflexes and instincts after having been tortured and ripped apart by so many otherworldly creatures that he knew each of them by sound. This sounded closest to the cry of a demonic bat, larger than a human and thrice as strong. More than one had grabbed Edwin in its claws in his time in hell to carry him over a fiery pit that burned the bottoms of his feet until he screamed and then sometimes dropped him in to burn "alive". Edwin covered his ears and looked instinctively to Charles. Was something here to hurt him? Would he be taken from Charles? Worse--would Charles be hurt or taken from him?

Charles, bless, was oblivious to Edwin's panic, frowning at something behind him. He crossed the room and passed Edwin to go stand by the couch that Edwin had just vacated.

There was a little scrambling noise followed by a thoughtful sound of surprise. Charles looked around himself and his gaze landed on his jacket, which had been tossed carelessly onto the desk when they'd returned from the forest. Charles stooped down to wrap something up in his jacket carefully then turned around.

With an infant. In his arms.

Edwin lowered his hands from his ears, staring at the baby, still suspicious that it might transform into something horrific. But there it lied in Charles' arms, still shrieking. Still an infant. Its hair was dark and its face was pinched and red  as it cried.

"It's a little human baby," Charles unhelpfully said.

"Well assessed, Charles. What is it doing here?"

"He was just lying over on the sofa," Charles said. He hadn't even looked up from the baby once.

"Yes, I've gathered that," Edwin said, losing patience. "But where did he come from?"

"Don't know, do I?" Charles answered, finally looking away from the baby. "But maybe it had something to do with how you suddenly started feeling better?"

Edwin's forehead creased with exasperation. He loved Charles, he really did. "Are you suggesting that I came into contact with a living child in an enchanted forest, and it--what, stowed away in my pocket without my knowledge making me ill in some unknowable way until it finally found its way out?" His tone was laced with thick sarcasm, pitching higher with each word as if it were climbing up stairs. The baby continued screaming. Edwin rubbed a hand over his face. "Is there any way you could get him to be quiet, Charles, or have you grown quite fond of that noise?"

Charles seemed to realise that he really ought to be soothing the baby so he started to rock his arms side to side, softly speaking to it and staring down at its frustrated face. When that didn't help matters, Charles started to twist his waist back and forth slowly and walk around the desk in a circle, holding the baby close as he did.

Edwin ignored both of them, hoping the problem would just resolve itself somehow, and went to put his books back into place. The sounds of crying soon receded and Edwin turned to see Charles perched on the edge of the desk, holding the bundle in his jacket proudly.

"Right," said Edwin, "time to be finding its mother so it can go and exist somewhere else."

"I don't know where we'd start on that one. Maybe someone will come looking for him?" Charles mused. He seemed to get caught in a gravitational pull each time that he glanced down at the baby, for he locked his gaze there for several seconds whenever it happened. "He's really, really tiny, inn'he?"

"Perhaps the girls can use their internet to find where it belongs," Edwin said. "A lost baby has nothing to do with us."

Charles looked up then, eyebrows knit together as he studied Edwin. He hopped down off the desk with care not to disturb the infant and then held it up close to Edwin's face.

"What are you doing?" Edwin demanded.

"Dunno...it's a bit freaky."

"Sorry, what is? A human infant appearing in our office? It's certainly not the oddest item that has ended up here."

"He is not an item, Edwin. And...he has the same eyes as you." Charles said this with the surety not of someone making a general comparison, but of someone announcing an exact replica.

Edwin wasn't sure what to make of that. Of all the things for Charles to comment on, he had not expected it to be his eyes and their likeness to that of a found baby.

Edwin pulled out his magnifying glass and held it close to the baby's face. The little face wrinkled and the eyes blinked slowly. Edwin frowned as he saw two green eyes that did, in fact, look precisely like his own. Charles was not exactly the most detailed person so the fact that he picked up on this was a bit of a surprise.

"Can he...can he see us?" Edwin asked.

"Looks that way, don't it?"

Edwin snapped the magnifying glass back into its case with a flourish of temper. "This is absurd," he stated frankly.

"Dunno about that," Charles said with a distinct lilt in his voice that suggested he was about to mercilessly tease Edwin. "Are you sure you haven't been off consorting with any ladies I should know about, Edwin? Or can ghosts just get knocked up?"

And because, of course, Edwin needed this moment to be even more mortifying, Niko walked in.

"Aww! You guys adopted a baby?"

--

Bent over in half with her hands resting upon her knees, Crystal peered at the baby now held in Niko's arms. The infant was squinting and taking in his surroundings, a bit frowny.

"This is wild," Crystal remarked. "He just....appeared? On your couch?"

"Yeah, it's brills," said Charles.

Edwin bristled. "It is most certainly not brills."

"It is," Charles insisted. "He could be, like, our little mascot."

"We do not need a mascot and as soon as we find her, he is going back to his mother."

Niko bounced the baby. "He's so, so cute, aren't you?" She cooed at him. "What's his name?"

"He did not come with a name, Niko," Edwin explained trying not to snap at her. He wasn't sure why everyone was playing this so casually. A baby that didn't belong to anyone had no place is their detective agency.

"Can you read him, Crystal?" asked Charles.

"I can try," she said, each word coming out slowly. "But usually babies don't have a lot of information attached to them." Crystal moved forward regardless and placed the tips of her fingers gently on the baby's shoulders. Her eyes flashed white and her head tilted back as she read the baby's psychic energy. She stayed in this position, humming and jerking her head in seemingly random directions for much longer than Edwin was expecting. The baby also seemed to take this in stride, happily nestled into the crook of Niko's elbow.

After several drawn out minutes, she stepped back from Niko and the baby with a slow but heavy exhale. Her eyes, which had gone back to normal, shifted across the room and landed on Edwin.

Edwin took an automatic step back when he saw the intensity of her gaze. Something within him felt tense, almost as if forewarning of a coming storm.

"This baby is you," Crystal said with certainty. "I was reading him like I was reading you. And not in his memories, those aren't there yet. It was more like...in his blood. His DNA maybe? He's...you, Edwin."

Everyone in the room looked over at the baby, as if trying to confirm the impossible truth of the matter. Edwin felt like he was having (ironically) an out of body experience. This thing, wherever it had come from, simply should not exist. So why did it? The detective part of his brain wanted to dive into this headfirst, to research the possibilities, the science, the illogical becoming possible. The part of his brain that was still tentatively tethered to reality wanted to run away from this situation, to grab Charles by the scruff of his shirt and disappear through the wall, let Niko and Crystal manage the living infant, whether it shared Edwin's likeness or not.

Edwin didn't get a chance to flee unfortunately.

"No, no, uh-uh," came Jenny's voice from the doorway, authoritatively blunt. Edwin respected that about her. "First of all, who does that belong to?"

"He's Edwin's and Charles'," Niko spoke up while snuggling the baby before anyone could stop her.

Do. Not. Look at Charles right now, Edwin ordered himself. He had already been prepared to perish of discomfiture before that little sentiment had been put out into the universe.

"He is not--" Edwin started to protest.

Jenny turned on him and he flinched a little under her stare. "Second of all, none of you need to be multiplying! You're all kids!"

"It was hardly intentional, thank you, and we are attempting to resolve this little problem as quickly as is possible," Edwin said, feeling a bit like he was being backed into a corner.

Jenny continued, unconcerned with what Edwin was trying to say, "And finally," she pointed at the baby, "that is a newborn. Has he been fed? Is there a plan to dress him that doesn't involve one of your jackets? Just...what the hell, people?"

Charles took the baby from Niko as if to shield him from Jenny's exasperation. "Gotta get some nappies. Can't let him wee in my jacket, can I?"

"I'll go get him some clothes and toys and formula!" Niko volunteered, her hand raising excitedly.

"You'll need a crib," added Crystal.

Edwin had to stop them. It was all spiraling out of control and he needed everyone to stay grounded. He cleared his throat pointedly. "You're all getting extremely carried away. We don't know where this thing has come from or if it comes with a very angry mother who wants to hunt us down. So, nappies fine. Formula, fine. And you can get a dress for him, but that is all."

Crystal frowned at him. "Let's go, Niko. I know what to get."

Jenny shook her head. "I'm coming too." She swerved on Edwin, which was unfair because he wasn't even holding the baby. "Don't do anything until I get back," she warned.

The three of them left in a frenzied whirlwind, leaving Edwin alone with Charles and a strange baby that somehow shared Edwin's essence. He finally managed to look Charles in the eye. Charles, who was smiling that knowing smile as if to say Isn't this aces? Charles, who was Edwin's stability in the afterlife, the one he depended upon the most. Charles, the boy who went to hell to rescue Edwin from an eternity of torture and suffering.

Charles, who was holding a baby incarnation of Edwin and telling it how handsome it was in a way that made Edwin absolutely ache.

--

While they awaited the girls' return, the baby progressively became fussier and less amused by anything Charles did to try and distract him. Charles was also getting fussier and less amused with the situation.

"What are we supposed to do?" he asked as the baby screamed at the top of his lungs. "Where's the off button on you, mate?" Charles looked at the baby's back and front as if searching for an actual button.

Edwin looked up at him over the top of his book, still trying to find an answer to what was happening. "I'm certain he's just hungry. That or concerned that the only person looking after him is a 16 year old ghost boy."

"Not helping," Charles said, trying to lay the baby onto the couch, perhaps with the hope that it would go to sleep. It immediately screamed louder so he picked it back up and put it onto his shoulder.

Charles suddenly straightened up, as if struck with an epiphany. "Ugh, I'm an idiot!"

"You said that, I didn't," Edwin mumbled.

"I've probably got some milk in the old infinite backpack, don't I?" Charles crossed the room and offered the baby to Edwin.

Edwin stared at them. "Pardon me. Can I help you?"

"I've gotta dig through a few layers to get it. Can't hold a baby and navigate a pocket dimension. Alright?" He thrust the baby again in Edwin's direction.

Edwin let out a put-upon sigh and looked down at the shrieking child in front of him. Reluctantly, he held out his hands to accept the baby and Charles gratefully passed him over the rest of the way. "Get a pair of earplugs for me while you're at it," he instructed Charles. He held the baby at arms' length, following Charles with his eyes.

"What for?" Charles was already shoulder deep in his backpack.

Edwin had to suppress the urge to roll his eyes. "To reduce the noise of his wailing to a minimum."

Charles looked up at him with a smug smile. "What wailing?"

Edwin frowned and turned to look at the baby, which was, incredibly, silent. Edwin regarded him for the first time up close, apart from the magnifying glass earlier. The baby regarded him back, in a half-aware of what's going on-sort of way. "Is something wrong with him?" Edwin asked. Truth be told, Edwin had very little experience when it came to infants. The only ones he'd been witness to had been in their prams or held in their mother's arms at a park. Those had been a little more aware of their surroundings than this one though and he felt a little unruly tug of worry.

Charles left his backpack, holding a pint of milk. "What do you mean?"

"He's a bit..." Edwin tilted his head to one side to try and put his finger on what it was. "Slow?"

Charles' eyes narrowed and he moved his face closer the baby's. "Dunno. Is he?"

Edwin shrugged. "Perhaps he's just hungry."

Charles nodded, satisfied. "Right, there you go," he said, attempting to pass the pint of milk to Edwin.

"I believe you're meant to put that into a bottle first." Edwin finally pulled the baby into his chest. He had to adjust his hold a few times, unsure where against his body he should be holding it and how the baby should be arranged. He finally got it settled into a somewhat comfortable position and its fingers cryptically curled around the fabric of his coat. He rearranged Charles' jacket to be a bit more orderly around the baby.

"Uh, last I checked, this is a bottle." Charles held it up again.

"A feeding bottle, Charles," said Edwin. "This can't be the first time you've seen a baby drink."

Charles shrugged. "I dunno....thought maybe if you just tipped it into his mouth?"

"Then we'd both get drenched with milk."

"What if we covered him with a blanket first?"

"Charles."

"Fine," Charles acceded. "There must be a baby bottle in the backpack somewhere." He wandered back to his bag to search.

"I've no doubt," Edwin said. He found himself gazing down into the baby's tufts of dark hair and suddenly wondered if anyone had ever stared at the top of his own head with curiosity and wonder when he was a baby. If anyone had held him for hours trying to soothe him as Charles had held this one. He scoffed, concluding that certainly no one ever had.

The door swung open. "Charles, please tell me you weren't about to feed regular milk to that baby," Jenny said, walking in with bags of items. Her vision was like a heat-seeking missile that captured mistakes.

Charles looked sheepish. "I suppose so, yeah. Isn't that what you were going to feed him?"

Jenny held up a white can from one of the bags. "No, this is formula. This is safe for babies. Cow's milk can make him sick or mess up his intestines." She left the room, taking the can and a new bottle with her and leaving a chastised Charles. Edwin hadn't thought that feeding him milk had been the wrong idea either.

Niko and Crystal filtered into the room next, holding even more bags and Edwin felt a little aggravated at the sight of it all.

"Aww, Edwin's holding the baby!" Niko chirped, setting down her bags and starting to unpack, bright, colourful plastic items.

"I said we didn't need all of that," Edwin protested. The girls kept unpacking it all anyway, Crystal unboxing a large green container filled with nappies.

"C'mere, little guy," Crystal said in a voice pitched in such a way as Edwin had never heard from her. Thankfully, she took the baby off his hands and went over to the couch, Niko following with a handful of clothing items. Charles was given back his jacket and he slung it over the back of a chair.

Edwin frowned. "I hope you're not all getting attached to that thing," he said but he was ignored as the two girls were only interested in talking to and dressing the baby.

Charles came to stand by his side. "You alright, mate?"

Edwin looked up at him. "Of course," he replied. "I've been better since the morning passed."

"No I mean...with little Eds over there."

Edwin sighed, annoyed that everyone was so focussed about this baby all the time. "The fact that you think the existence of that thing has any effect on me whatsoever shows how little you know me."

Charles didn't take the bait. "I actually know you really well, Edwin. And you seem a bit...worried."

"Yes, Charles, I'm quite worried that you've all gone round the twist playing house with some creature that has likely stolen my DNA."

A burst of excited squeaking erupted from the couch and Edwin and Charles both looked over to see a triumphant Niko holding the baby now dressed in a romper with little rabbits on it.

Charles left Edwin's side to go and inspect the baby now in its new clothing. Edwin bristled but turned back to his reading as Jenny reentered holding a full bottle. Niko took over the feeding from an armchair as the other three watched on.

"Oh, you were hungry, weren't you little guy?" Crystsl said, still using that deplorable pitch that Edwin wasn't used to.

Edwin simply rolled his eyes and kept reading, waiting for it all to be over.

He glanced up again when movement caught his eye in time to see Charles take the baby from Niko and carry him over to the couch.

Edwin stood up, ready to move things along. "Alright, now that he's clothed and fed, we need to take him to Tragic Mick for his opinion."

Charles didn’t even look back at him. "Oh no you don't. He just settled down and had his milk. He's gonna have a sleep now and you can't disturb him."

Edwin huffed out a breath. "Fine," he said, drawing out the word. "Let him sleep and then we'll take him to Tragic Mick's."

Once again, he returned to his reading. Jenny was instructing Charles on making a barrier of pillows around the baby for safety, while informing him that he couldn't put a pillow under the head of the baby.

After things seemed settled, Edwin tried to discreetly pull Jenny to the side. He wanted her opinion on whether something was wrong with the baby since it seemed to be subdued and inattentive.

Jenny shook her head. "He's just a newborn. He can't see well yet and everything is a new sensation for him. In a couple of months, he'll be more aware and interactive."

Edwin nodded in thanks, unsure why this information brought on a sense of relief in him.

--

"A'yup. That's a baby."

Several hours and several waking and napping cycles later, Edwin had convinced Charles to accompany him to the magic shop so that Tragic Mick could make an assessment of the baby. Apparently, the baby needed a closet full of accessories to wear for the occasion--shoes and a bonnet and very tiny mittens.

Charles had held the baby out for Mick to observe only to receive the very obvious assessment.

"Yes," Edwin said, patience tentative, "but where did he come from? Why does he apparently have my eyes and my...DNA?"

"What happened right before he appeared?" Mick asked them.

"Edwin was feeling right ill and I was trying to find him a book on plants," Charles said, snugging the baby up on his shoulder where it began to fall asleep.

"Yes," Edwin agreed. "We had just returned from the Dalakit Forest--"

Mick interrupted him. "Wait, you went into the Dalakit Forest without wearing protection?"

Charles sputtered and Edwin glanced over at him, only to see that he had composed himself and was casually looking at a box of orange sand. "What kind of protection was I meant to wear?" Edwin demanded.

"Talismans," was the answer. "I sell them, FYI."

"What happens when you don't wear a talisman?" Charles asked.

Mick heaved a sigh. "You're more likely to come into contact with Dalaketnon mist." He grabbed an odd brochure from beneath his desk with the words SO YOUVE BEEN REPLICATED! written in excited font.

Edwin took the brochure from him, getting a glance at a drawing of a creature known as the Dalaketnon. It was a dark, spindly figure reminiscent of an elf. It needed to be added to the beastiary post-haste.

"The Dalaketnon mist makes mortal replicate copies of supernatural creatures," Mick explained.

"Right, that's wicked but why is it a baby and not...I dunno? An exact copy of Edwin? This Edwin?" Charles asked, indicating the 16 year old version.

"It works the same way as cloning does. You fellas familiar with Dolly the sheep?" When both ghosts simply stared back, Mick shook his head. "Never mind. Just trust me. This is how it works." He frowned at Charles. "Strange that only one of you was affected." He shrugged it off. "If a replicate hasn't popped up by now, it probably won't."

"How reassuring." Edwin slapped the brochure back on the desk. "Fine, how do we undo it?"

Mick raised a lazy eyebrow at him. "You don't," he said flatly.

The universe was testing him. It really was. He closed his eyes, knowing that this would not be easy. Edwin had really been hoping to avoid this, to have the baby magicked back to wherever it had come from. But alas, against all reason, this was a living baby that happened to share a ghost's DNA. Best to just rip off the bandage.

Edwin turned to Charles. "I'm afraid we'll have to say goodbye."

Charles' shoulders jumped upwards, as if Edwin had just dropped a snake between them. "What are you saying?"

Deep breath. This was the puppy argument all over again. Edwin tried to use his most soothing and careful tone. "I'm saying that we need to have Crystal or Niko turn him over to the living authorities. They'll be able to take him to an orphanage." Edwin suddenly felt his mouth go dry and he couldn't continue his explanation. His chest felt tight.

"No. No, no." Charles shook his head and held the baby closer to his chest, protective of him already. "He can't go to an orphanage. He'd be alone, Edwin. Or what if they give him to some horrible family that treats him badly? They might even send him off to boarding school someday..."

Edwin felt himself go pale with the thought of that but nonetheless he steeled his nerves. "What are you proposing then, Charles?"

"Why can't we look after him?"

"Would you like the list of reasons alphabetically or in ascending order of obviousness?"

Charles stared back at him defiantly even though a glossy shine of tears gathered at the bottoms of his eyes. "He's only a baby," he said plaintively, staring down at the tiny head.

Edwin could feel himself weakening. He hated saying no to Charles. He hated any form of pain he ever caused him and this felt like a big one. Even moreso than that and most concerningly, Edwin felt himself drawn to his replicate, drawn to look after a piece of himself--not even a piece, really. This was his whole self in a small bundle of living human.

Without meaning to, Edwin said, "Alright," and then Charles looked up at him, completely vulnerable, all his battlements stripped away. "We'll see about looking after him ourselves. But there are a lot of questions we need to be able to answer if we're going to do this."

Charles was smiling through tears now, rubbing his cheek against the baby's soft hair.

"This is the stupidest thing we've ever done," Edwin told him.

"Yep. And I voluntarily went into hell."

Chapter Text

Jenny was the height of pragmatism as she taught four minors how to change a nappy, even though Niko had actually been the person who had changed the first one. The baby watched Jenny as she demonstrated the steps and allowed the others to be privy to the process. Once complete, Jenny left the teens and baby alone, heading back down the stairs to her rebuilt butcher shoppe.

“That’s easy,” said Charles, possibly overestimating the simplicity of the nappy change task. He picked up the baby as soon as he was changed. “Right, which romper will it be then, Eddy?” Charles started rifling through a small stack of colourful one-piece outfits.

“At least call him properly,” Edwin said, cringing a bit. “It’s Edwin, never Eddy.”

Charles selected a green romper that had a picture of a rainbow on the front. “Have you considered he might feel a bit differently about it than you do?”

“He’s a day old, I don’t suppose he’ll have much of an opinion,” Edwin responded.

“Yeah but…he’s not gonna be…you exactly, right? Not how it works. I mean, he’s got your DNA but he’s got different parents than you did, doesn’t he?" Charles elegantly explained.

Edwin hadn’t considered that yet. To be fair, he was just wrapping his mind around the fact that he had somehow become a father in the last twenty-four hours. With Charles? He had just used the word ‘parents’ after all, presumably to describe the two of them. He glanced at Charles again, who now had a sleepy clothed baby up against his shoulder, his own eyes closed as he gave him the softest squeeze. Indeed, with Charles.

“Maybe he could be Edwin Jr,” Niko suggested, as Charles laid the baby down for a nap on the sofa. They really needed to invest in a cot and some proper clothes.

“I’m already Edwin Payne III,” Edwin said. “It wouldn’t make much sense.”

“Maybe he’d like to have his own name?” Crystal suggested.

Edwin had to admit that it made sense. Not only for the sake of practicality but because this baby was not Edwin Payne. Not exactly. And from the first minute he was alive, he was having different experiences to the real Edwin Payne. He deserved his own identity.

“Fine,” he agreed. “Charles, what would you like to call him?”

Charles looked a little shocked. “I can’t name him all by myself, can I? He’s our baby.”

Edwin gasped out loud before he could stop himself. It caught him completely off guard. The girls and Charles all stared at him. There was that nagging impulse to escape through the wall again. It was one thing to entertain the fantasy of he and Charles being parents together in his own head. It was quite another to hear Charles confirming it. Edwin fisted and unfisted his hands, trying to collect himself.

“What exactly does that mean?” he asked, trying and failing to keep the quiver out of his voice. “’Our’ baby?”

Charles scratched the back of his neck. “I mean…all of us are taking care of him, yeah? We should all decide what to name him.”

Edwin should have been relieved. He should have been grateful that Charles was referring to all of them, not insinuating that he and Edwin were the only responsible parties for a human life. But instead it felt like Charles had slapped him in the face. That it was a ridiculous notion that he and Charles should be fathers together. To be fair, Charles was likely innocent in all this. It was only Edwin constantly colouring these situations with his unhelpful feelings.

“Right, of course,” he said, voice no longer shaking. A wall of iron slotted into place around his pitiful heart.

“Can we call him Misaki?” Niko said with a bouncing excitement. “He’s my favourite from one of my manga.”

“Maybe we should hang on until we get to know him, yeah?” Charles suggested. “I’m sure he’ll start to feel like whoever he is. Eventually. Meantime, I’m gonna call him Eddy.”

Edwin took an opportunity to disappear, bringing a notebook and seeking out Jenny, since she seemed to have the most knowledge on infants. He quizzed her on many topics related to the baby’s care, writing down notes and letting her consult her phone to find answers she didn’t already have. He wrote down feeding schedules, sleep needs, cleaning and dressing and plenty of other eventualities to prepare for. At the end, Edwin felt a little less like he was underwater and more like he had a plan. Plans and order would help.

--

The girls had all gone to sleep, leaving Edwin alone with Charles and the baby. Edwin could tell that Charles was trying not to hover but he kept glancing over to see what the baby was doing.

“He sure does sleep a lot,” Charles commented.

“Yes, well, newborns are meant to sleep up to 18 hours a day,” Edwin said, proud of himself for being the new expert on the situation.

“I’m gonna teach him mad football skills,” Charles added with a grin, the ball in question being rolled side to side between his feet.

Edwin hummed noncommittaly.

Charles looked over at him. “Right. What’s the matter?”

Edwin frowned. “Nothing. This is just taking some getting used to. I hardly think it’s noteworthy that there is a lot is on my mind.”

“You think too much,” Charles scolded him lightly, coming over and gently placing a hand on his shoulder. Edwin found himself closing his eyes at the soft touch. Even through three layers of clothing, it felt heavenly.

“Edwin?”

He startled and opened his eyes. Charles was looking at him like he’d grown a second head. “Yes, Charles? What is it?”

“Nothing, you just…” He trailed off. “Nothing.” Charles went back over to look at the bookshelves awkwardly, taking his gentle hands with him.

Edwin sighed to himself. He knew he was likely at fault for the tension between them. Confessing his love had been what had needed to be done at the time. Otherwise, he’d have likely imploded like a dying star from the immense pressure of his own feelings. He’d wanted Charles to know. That didn’t mean that things weren’t awkward now though.

Edwin crossed the room to stand beside Charles. His hands hovered around his back and shoulder, not knowing where to land. Ever since his confession of love on the staircase out of hell, Edwin had lost all sense of how to touch Charles without it coming across as a romantic touch. He finally settled on placing a hand carefully on Charles’ arm, hoping it served as platonic but friendly.

“I haven’t had a moment yet but…I wanted to say thank you. Thank you for doing this with me,” Edwin said.

Charles looked surprised. “Mate, I came and got your arse out of hell. Did you really think there was any situation you’d get into that I wouldn’t be here?”

Edwin swallowed an emotional block in his throat. “I…”

“Besides, he’s a cute little mate, inn’he?”

Edwin glanced over at the sleeping baby impassively. No opinion on that. “Well you likely didn’t see your afterlife going in this direction. Being a..." Edwin didn't know how to skirt this situation well enough so he reserved nothing. “…father.”

Charles turned to face him and stroked his shoulder, smiling. “There was a 50/50 shot I was gonna end up a teenage daddy anyway, wasn’t I?”

Edwin looked at him flatly. “Charles, you went to an all-boys school.”

Charles waggled his eyebrows. “Yeah, why do you think they sent me there?”

Edwin smiled as much as he could and then walked away to the desk to do some note taking on the baby’s sleep pattern. The conversation was just an uncomfortable reminder of Charles liking girls. Not boys.

Certainly not Edwin.

--

“We absolutely cannot have him sleeping in a cupboard,” Edwin said for what felt like the tenth time.

“It’s the only piece of furniture in the backpack, mate,” Charles said but continued searching regardless. It had taken the two of them plus Crystal to wrestle the large brown cupboard out of the bag once Charles had a hand on it. Once it was out in the open area of the office, Edwin could see chipped paint and other imperfections he didn’t care for.

It was a few weeks Into having the baby that it seemed appropriate to stop having him sleep on their couch. Charles was constantly worrying he’d be sat on or would somehow manage to roll over the pillows and onto the floor. Jenny had called these concerns “new mother worries” and dismissed them but Edwin had to agree that it would be better for all if the baby was sleeping elsewhere than the sofa. Edwin had approached Crystal and Niko about purchasing a cot for the baby but they confessed that they’d spent all their money on the shopping trip they’d taken earlier to buy all the baby’s clothing and necessities. They’d need to take a new case and ask for money in exchange before they could get the baby a proper cot.

Charles seemingly gave up looking through the backpack and returned to the cupboard. “Look. It’s got this lid thing that lifts up and you can lock it in place.” He demonstrated opening up the top of the cupboard, revealing storage space inside. “He won’t be able to fall out of there and we can put some soft things in there for him to sleep on. I think it’ll work.”

Crystal bounced the baby, determined to stay out of this argument.

“I shudder to think of your childhood when you suggest things like this, Charles,” Edwin said, perhaps a bit mean. The idea of putting his child in a piece of furniture not designed for a baby’s sleep was detestable and raking on his nerves.

“Oh I was a latchkey kid, I slept anywhere,” Charles said, not sounding the least bit offended.

“Well, Henry is not a ‘latchkey kid’,” Edwin responded. “He needs a proper bed.”

Charles looked puzzled. “Sorry…who?”

Edwin froze. He didn’t realise he’d said the name out loud. His grandfather on his mother’s side had been called Henry and was probably the closest person Edwin had growing up. He’d given Edwin his first comic book for his birthday at age 9 and then each year after that up until Edwin’s death. Apart from naming the baby after Charles (a repulsively romantic sentiment that would just make things worse), this seemed the best fit. He grimaced, feeling silly. “Sorry…it’s just…well doesn’t it seem to fit him?" He looked over at the baby that Crystal was holding as she stroked his little back in a grey romper with little bats and pumpkins on it. The baby was much more alert and baby-like now that they were beyond the first week of his life, much to Edwin’s silent relief.

Charles smiled, looking very pleased, a little sparkle of tears in one eye. The sparkle showed Charles understood why Edwin wanted to choose that name. They’d shared talks of Edwin’s kind grandfather before. “I think it’s perfect. Okay, Henry, come here.” Charles always wanted to hold the baby as much as he could but he had been trying to share with the girls of late. He held the little one close and kissed the top of his head. “Henry.”

“For what it’s worth,” Crystal added, “Niko and I will go thrifting to see if we can find a good crib. No promises but maybe we’ll find something.” She left to go across the hall to Niko.

Edwin nodded his thanks just as the baby started to make a little fussy noise. It was about time for a bottle. Edwin prepared the formula at the sink and used a warming spell to heat it up, testing the liquid properly with a chemical thermometer before giving it to Charles.

“Now that he’s been christened, we should really get him registered. He’ll want to go to school in future and he’ll need records for that.”

“Right so, Henry Payne? What about a middle name?” Charles asked, doing an impressive job of feeding the hungry baby while walking around the room.

“Henry….Rowland-Payne,” Edwin said quietly, practically a whisper.

Charles stopped walking but kept his gaze on Henry. Edwin twisted his fingers together, wringing out his hands. This was another of those ‘have I gone too far’ moments.

The silence stretched on for way too long before finally Charles broke it by saying, “That’d be rad.”

From context, Edwin took this to be a good thing.

A sudden scream from the apartment across the hall startled Edward. He and Charles exchanged glances before Charles used one slick movement to hand the baby over to Edwin for safekeeping and marched over to the door. He didn't have the chance to walk straight through the wall because Niko swung open the door with a frighteningly bright grin on her face.

“Henry is such a cute, cute name!” she said, flinging her arms around Charles briefly. Niko crossed the room to Edwin and kissed the baby on the cheek. "Hi Henry, I'm your Auntie Niko!” She took the baby from Edwin and twirled around the room with him like he was a tiny dancing partner.

“Henry Rowland-Payne,” Charles said proudly and Niko looked even more excited by this, smiling at Edwin knowingly.

Edwin gave a weak smile back. At least one version of Edwin Payne was getting to take Charles’ surname.

--

Niko and Crystal managed to find an old bassinet on their thrift outing and started to clean and disinfect it as soon as they dragged it up the stairs. Edwin started to review his notes on sleep safety, a topic he'd been unfamiliar with when Jenny told him of it.

Charles was using the cabinet as a changing table, a happy solution for everyone, getting the baby out of his soiled nappy. “Good job ghosts can’t smell, hey?” Charles said to Henry, discarding the old nappy. Henry had taken to laying his head on Charles’ shoulder while he was being held and carried around, watching things going on behind Charles. He had also started making soft, pleased noises when Charles held him as well as at seeing his bottle. “You know what?” Charles said, still talking to the baby. “We’re gonna go straight for a bath, aren’t we?”

The bathtub they were using for Henry was actually a small storage tub that Jenny had gifted them with after assuring them it had never touched any animal parts or blood. Charles carried the unclothed baby over to the sink and started filling the small tub up with lukewarm water as Edwin had instructed him many times. With care but with more confidence than the first few baths, Charles lowered Henry into the tub and began washing him. Edwin felt a sense of disappointment watching Charles take care of the baby with such ease. Charles had just as little experience with babies as Edwin did, yet he took to it extraordinarily well. Edwin was still struggling to make a connection with Henry as strong as the one Charles and Henry had. The baby seemed amenable enough to anyone that wanted to comfort or feed him but whenever Edwin picked him up, he felt worry and panic start to slow down his brain. He felt incapable of helping the baby feel better when he was upset or to feed him adequately when he was hungry. Besides, if the baby preferred Charles, wasn’t it better for Charles to do most of those things? Edwin had had a nursemaid as a young child who would have done all the tasks for him while his mother slept or embroidered or played bridge with her friends. His relationship with his mother had been decently fine but he remembered when he was small preferring his nanny to be the one to put him to bed or take care of him if he got a scrape.

Edwin was shaken from his thoughts by Charles’ surprised tone saying, “Hey, you can’t go to sleep in the bath, can you? Cmon, just a bit more and we’ll get you into your new bed.” Charles finished up with washing and got Henry out to dry him with a towel. Again, he did all this with such ease, holding the baby and grabbing what he needed and tending to the baby without requiring any assistance. He clothed the baby in a little fuzzy brown onesie outfit that had two small bear-like ears on the attached hood. Charles held up his finished product, smiling. “That’s our little teddy-Eddy, innit?” Charles was still affectionately calling Henry ‘Eddy’ as a pet name.

The girls had finished cleaning the basinet and had placed a small mattress inside it. Charles brought the baby over to inspect everything. “What about a pillow?” he asked.

“No pillows, no blankets and no stuffies,” Edwin said. “Nothing in the bassinet except the mattress and baby. He could suffocate otherwise.”

Charles looked a little wary at the sound of that statement but placed the baby into the bassinet. Henry was already asleep before he was lying down. Edwin went back to his writing as the girls headed off to get something to eat.

Charles stayed sitting next to the bassinet, pulling it up close to the sofa so he could see Henry.

This really was all over-the-top, in Edwin’s opinion. “You know, he will still be in there even if left alone for more than a minute,” he said, hating how bitter he sounded.

Charles looked away from the baby. “Any issue I should know about?” he carefully asked.

Edwin put down his writing pen. “You don’t have to stare at him and hold him and be with him all the time. He’s not ill or fragile. He’ll be fine without constant coddling.”

“What would you like me to be doing?”

“Perhaps your job? Which, if you’ve forgotten is working on cases with me.”

Charles shook his head and let out a good-natured laugh. “This is so typical.”

“What is?” Edwin asked. He detested feeling like there was a joke going on at his expense.

“You. Only you could manage to be jealous of yourself.”

“I am not jealous! And it’s not myself. It’s Henry.”

Charles was crossing the room to stand over the desk next to Edwin, canting his hip into the side to perch there. He leaned in close to Edwin’s face and it felt like Edwin had lost his breath, even though he hadn’t needed to breathe for more than a hundred years.

Charles put a hand overtop Edwin’s. “If you wanted attention from me, you only needed to ask, yeah?”

Edwin’s brain wasn’t functioning. He couldn’t make his mouth create any words. He couldn’t get his face to do anything at all other than stare up into Charles’ pretty eyes.

“Now,” said Charles, “what would you like to do with me?”

As much as it shouldn’t have, that question freed Edwin from his frozen state. Charles couldn’t mean it like that. Not a chance. Edwin knew that. He needed to act casual or he'd just be the pathetic mess sitting there weeping over the gorgeous boy who didn’t love him back.

Edwin cleared his throat. “Shall we play Cleudo?”

Charles looked surprised and pulled back. He was likely expecting Edwin to suggest that they comb through their case files to work on something. Well, Edwin also had a fun side and fun was one way to get Charles to enjoy time with him.

“Cleudo it is,” Charles said finally.

--

There were a lot of discussions the next morning as the group decided on the best way to get Henry registered. A lot of back and forth went on initially in the realm of getting him registered in the states versus once they returned to London. Edwin refused to send Henry to any educational program outside of England but they were likely staying within Port Townsend for at least a couple of years while Henry grew. That debate was finally settled when it was decided they would get him registered in the states to begin and then apply for dual citizenship when they left. It was a likely scenario that they’d want to be able to take him back and forth for visits and any cases that would bring them to the states for extended periods.

Next the debate centered on who would be taking Henry to the court offices to apply for his registration. They didn’t have any hospital documentation so would have to claim a home birth. Charles was of the opinion that he and Edwin should go in disguises and do the process themselves. However, this did leave a few loose ends. They didn’t have official documentation to back up their disguise personas and even if they fabricated some documents, they would tie Henry to false identities. Falsifying documents would also take time and the longer they waited, the more suspicious is was that Henry had yet to be registered.

Reluctantly, Charles agreed that Niko, Crystal and Jenny should take him under the claim that Crystal was his mother. The father would be unlisted. Charles got the baby dressed in warm clothes, giving him lots of cuddles as he did. With apparent difficulty, he handed Henry over to Niko asking her to please be careful and to keep him warm and oh, take a couple of bottles and nappies and if he needed a change of clothes they could take that as well and don’t forget he needs to know he’s coming back to us so just reassure him and…

Niko turned the baby to face Charles. “I’ll be back soon, Daddy,” she said, speaking for him “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Auntie Niko will take care of me. I love you!”

Charles’ chin drew in slightly as he seemed to attempt to keep himself unaffected by this. “Alright, luv. I love you too.” He kissed the baby on the forehead and watched them leave, visibly holding himself back from following.

“Bye other Daddy!” Niko called to Edwin just as she was closing the door.

Edwin came over to him. “It’s alright, Charles. They would never let anything happen to him,” he assured, placing a hand on his elbow and guiding him back toward the desk.

“He’s so tiny, Edwin,” Charles said.

“I know,” he said. Edwin felt eerily lost without Henry’s presence in their office. It surprised him, as he’d still yet to manage a strong enough bond with the baby. But there it was all the same—he was longing for him to come back. “That’s why they’ve left us Niko’s cellular telephone. Hmm? In case we wanted to video time and see Henry.”

Charles smiled through unshed tears. “You mean FaceTime?”

Edwin rolled his eyes playfully. “Don’t act as if you know anything more about it than I do.”

Charles sighed and seemed to relax just a bit. “What should we do now?” he wondered, glancing around at the empty room.

“Well, there have been some things I’ve been meaning to talk to you about,” Edwin said. Actually, this conversation should have occurred the night they decided to keep Henry after visiting Tragic Mick. But everything had been a complete whirlwind since then and Edwin had struggled to find a long enough break in it to have a serious discussion.

Charles nodded, sitting on the edge of the desk. He looked like a bronze statue with the sunlight streaming through the window hitting him at all the right angles. “Okay. Shoot.”

“There are obviously a lot of considerations when it comes to Henry,” Edwin began, delicately. When Charles nodded him on, he continued. “He won’t be able to have a normal life. His…two of his parents are ghosts. He doesn’t really have a mother, despite what’s being recorded. And we’re all quite young to be looking after him, apart from Jenny.” Edwin paused, trying to read from Charles’ expression if he had thought some of these things through before. Charles was keeping careful control over himself, however, likely waiting to hear what Edwin was winding up to. “And he’ll have questions. There will be secrets about us that he won’t be able to tell anyone. And, most practical of all, he’ll age while we won’t. He’ll eventually reach and then exceed the age when we died. He’ll continue aging and we’ll have to watch. We’ll even have to watch him…die, Charles.” Charles set his face into an even harder blank slate at that one. “I’m not saying I don’t want to do this or that I regret it. Not at all. I’m only saying that his life won’t be the most straightforward. And that no matter what, we shall one day lose him.” Edwin couldn’t help but try to imagine what it would be like to see Henry surpass his age and grow into the young adult that Edwin could have been. To take perhaps a path that Edwin would have taken if he had had that chance.

Charles sat there for a long time, just staring out of the window. The sounds of children playing outside filled the silence. Edwin himself had never played so freely as to make sounds that merry but perhaps Charles had. Perhaps his father hadn't hurt him his entire life. Perhaps there had been a bubble of young childhood with a mother who doted on him the way that he deserved before Charles became a rebellious teenager targeted by his father. Edwin liked to think there had been some happiness there even if his own happiness had only ever been Inside books.

Charles finally hopped down from the desk and offered his hand to Edwin, who took it, his heart feeling tight and uncertain.

“Edwin Payne,” Charles began, those enormous caramel eyes like a mirror Edwin could walk through. “You and Henry are the most important two people in my life. I love you both and I’ll be the one protecting you when you get into trouble. Henry’s learning from me so he’s bound to get into some scrapes, yeah?” Edwin laughed softly imagining Henry being a little mischievous. “But no matter what—if the three of us are ever separated by Death or by any other mother fucker, I’ll spend the rest of my eternity getting you back. I’ve done it before, haven’t I. Nothing but a thing.”

Charles really had to stop talking like that. Everytime he so eloquently put into words his love and profound loyalty, it made Edwin’s afterlife with him flash before his eyes. And it was like his 16 years alive and 70 years in hell were just a bad dream. Because all that mattered was the time he got to be with Charles Rowland. It was a bit of a panicked feeling when he thought about how close he’d been to not stumbling across Charles in the attic that night. How close they’d been to not having Henry. How Edwin could have easily ended up with neither of them, just wandering the earth not knowing how incredible his being was with Charles in it. There was something so comforting in the other’s presence, in being able to relax a part of himself and trust.

Edwin let out the breath he’d been holding in. “Alright. Good.”

“Feel better?”

Edwin nodded. “I do.”

--

A few hours passed as he and Charles worked through a bit of clerical work they’d been putting off. Edwin penned out the reports while Charles walked around, bouncing his football on the tops of his feet and knees and dictated the details he remembered about the cases as they worked.

Niko and Crystal returned with the baby triumphantly with an official-looking paper in hand complete with seals and signatures. Niko handed this to Edwin while Charles and Crystal went to see about putting the baby down for a nap.

“They said his social security card will be coming by mail in a few weeks,” Niko explained.

Edwin thanked her and then beamed proudly down at the certificate. His eyes narrowed as something caught him by surprise. “What is this?” he asked Niko, who suddenly seemed to be feigning innocence poorly.

“What is…what?”

Edwin read the name out loud. “Henry…Misaki Rowland-Payne? Really, Niko?”

Niko turned a bit red. “I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “We can get it changed. You just have to fill out an amendment packet and pay sixteen dollars…”

“I’m teasing you,” Edwin said with a genuine smile. “It’s perfect."

Chapter Text

Henry was progressing well according to the developmental chart Jenny had printed for them. Edwin had made notes all over the page, indicating where Henry was completing tasks and where he was excelling at them. His newest accomplishment was being able to grab onto small objects, most commonly Charles’ necklace. He was doing such as Charles came across the hall back from a visit where Henry had watched telly with the girls.

Henry was holding up his head well now and was very aware of his surroundings. “They said he had a bottle twenty minutes ago,” Charles explained. “No nap yet though. Guessing it’ll be soon.”

Edwin nodded. “We can get back to work when he goes down,” he said. “I’ve a case that came through the mail. If you would not mind, I’ll mirror hop to look into it and you can stay with him.”

“What’s the danger level?” Charles asked cautiously as the baby finally noticed the gold dangly earring in his line of vision and grabbed that. Charles simply smiled. “That’d hurt if it was a real piercing and not a ghost earring, hey?” he said to Henry.

“It’s only Level 3,” Edwin assured him. They had come up with a levels system for cases. Anything below a 5, one of them could manage alone. So far there hadn’t been any above a 5 so they hadn’t had to leave Henry with the girls. Edwin was itching for a 5.

“Great,” said Charles. “Henry and me will be fine. Probably won’t throw a party or anything.” The baby gave up on the earring and then grabbed a teeny fistful of Charles’ curls this time. “Okay now that does actually hurt, mate,” he said, prying Henry’s fingers off him carefully and readjusting.

As soon as he’d been denied the freedom to pull at Charles’ hair, Henry began crying loudly, as if he were extremely hurt and offended by this.

“Sorry luv but you can’t pull on people’s hair,” Charles said with a chuckle but Henry wasn’t having any of it, kicking his feet and grabbing the earring again. “I know, mate, we’ve all been there, haven’t we?”

Edwin resisted the urge to cover his ears as the baby shrieked and pulled at Charles.

“Ah. I know what to do,” Charles announced over the cries. “Here, hold him a tick, would you?” He offered the unhappy baby to Edwin.

Edwin grimaced but took him nonetheless, aware that his discomfort in holding Henry would only make things worse. Edwin pulled the fussing baby to his chest, trying to cheer him with soft words and a higher pitch to his voice, imitating what the girls usually did to charm the little one. He had no idea what Charles did to calm Henry; it seemed to be the exact same voice he always had and the same haphazard approach he took to every task. Henry scrunched up his face but paused his cries for a second, seeming to reorient himself to figure out who was holding him and what his options were.

He realised it was Edwin and started leaning away toward Charles, making a little desperate noise in plea to the person who took the best care of him. It was akin to Edwin having his heart kicked into the corner of the room. Charles was up to both elbows in his backpack so Edwin tried walking around the room and distracting the baby with random things on the shelves. “See, Henry, these are the calcified remains of the Welsh Werewolf’s paw…” It was all in vain. Henry looked at Edwin, grasping mutely at his shirt as if searching for a similar golden chain to pull on and finding nothing.

“Charles,” Edwin said desperately.

Charles finally found the item he was after. “Here we are,” he said, bringing the little stuffed wizard that was Henry’s favourite and putting it in the baby’s line of sight. Edwin was ready for Charles to take Henry but Charles did not move to do so. Henry grabbed for the wizard but it was too large for him to hold in his uncoordinated fist and so he continued crying. Edwin stood there holding him, feeling like he was losing his grip on his panic.

“Charles,” he said again, softly this time. It felt like his insides wanted to crawl out of his skin. “Could you take him?”

“Ah, yeah. Course.” Charles took the baby, who made a little grumbling fuss at the whole exercise he had been a part of, but settled happily enough into Charles’ arms, stuffed wizard pressed between them. He looked relieved that he was no longer held by Edwin but still shocked that Charles would do that to him in the first place.

Edwin took a step backward, breathing a long, deep breath. Charles wasn’t even looking at him. “I am…” he started, hoping to get Charles’ attention. The baby was now trying to put his mouth on Charles’ necklace and made a disgusted face at what was likely the taste of metal.

Edwin started again, determined to be unbothered by what an actual mess his afterlife had become. “I am going ahead to take care of the casework,” he announced, going to the mirror and mentally finding the location he needed.

“Yeah, okay,” said Charles from behind him. “When do you think you’ll be back?”

Edwin pivoted his head around to give Charles a passive-aggressive smile. “Soon enough. You will not even notice I’m gone.”

--

It was a marvel that Edwin felt like he could breathe so much better in this damp old basement than he had in the office lately. As much as he enjoyed having Henry (because he did, did he not?), having him there, constantly present and needing attention, needing Charles so much, making so much noise all the time was almost maddening. And Charles seemed so unaffected by it. Charles liked having the baby there, even amongst all its idiosyncratic activity. It was as if Henry had become Charles’ new partner and Edwin was just redundant.

With a disheartened sigh, Edwin vowed to push the baby and Charles from his mind for the time being. Their client had requested that he investigate the basement of an old farmhouse near the coast to determine what was causing all manner of supernatural activity. The client had reported having visions like flashbacks come over her, almost like they were waking dreams. Phantom snails flocked to the garden behind the house and scattered across the front lawn, seemingly drawn to the location. And for the last three months, all the plants throughout the home, long dead from when the client had died and stopped tending them, had turned lush and green again, growing in long vines and greenery all over the house.

Edwin couldn’t find anything particularly noteworthy in the basement, looking through moulded books and knick knacks that had been broken or succumbed to the damp. With a little shudder, he noticed a porcelain doll on the floor, a quarter of its face and one eye missing, limbs and dress askew.

He walked around the mess a bit more, trying to determine if any magical objects were present or if the activity might be the work of a curse. Against a brick wall on the far side from the door, Edwin noticed a reflective green material coating the floor in a puddle. He stooped down to take a bit up with a pair of tweezers, the material viscous and sticky but unrecognisable as any substance Edwin had come into contact with before. It appeared to be coming from beneath the wall. Edwin quickly phased through the wall to see if anything was on the other side but was only met with the outside of the home, a large gathering of snails awaiting him there. He phased back inside getting down on hands and knees and shining a light at the substance. To his surprise, it shied away from the light, seeming to have some kind of sentience about it and gathering itself back closer to the wall. That's when Edwin noticed - it wasn’t coming from the wall, but rather beneath it.

So he phased straight down through the floor instead. It was not at all what he imagined he’d find. The cavern beneath the basement was dark and humid, a sensation Edwin hadn’t been able to feel in his afterlife, not since hell anyway. This place was certainly of a supernatural disposition. It was dark so Edwin shone his light around, trying to see what he kept stepping on and nearly tripping over as he was making his way through the near dark.

Plants. Vines and plants were all around the space, covering the floor, hanging down from the ceiling and piled upon each other without order. As Edwin’s torch shone over them, they seemed to wither a bit, withdraw a bit, just like the sticky green substance from the basement.

Suddenly at the far end of the cavern, a sound like falling rocks erupted and an unearthtly glow appeared in a ring the size of a giant crater. With a frown, Edwin started toward it, but realised that something was caught on his foot. Oh, one of the vines. He quickly kicked it away and kept going but it happened again. Another vine was wrapped halfway up his calf this time and Edwin folded over to pull it off with his hands. Two more vines sprung out of the mess to grab at his right hand and pull it away from the vine on his leg.

“Shit,” Edwin said under his breath. He attempted to stand again, perhaps to try backing out of this trap of a cavern but found that he was getting completely covered in the vines. They circled his waist, held his legs apart, his arms to his sides, even snaking around his shoulders and throat. The more Edwin struggled, the more snug they squeezed themselves around him, completely immobilising him. The glow from the large crater at the far side of the room flickered, something very ominous about it. All the vines seemed to be originating from within that crater. Slowly, they started to pull at him and he struggled in earnest, not sure what was waiting at the bottom of the hole, but certain he didn’t care to find out this way.

Edwin managed to break free from a few of the binds on him but for each one he broke, two more replaced it, holding him stronger. He began to panic, no weapons on him to help, and no spells coming to his unhelpfully blank mind. How would he ever get out of this place and back to Charles?

“That’s enough gardening for one day,” said Edwin’s favourite voice in the world. He would have jerked his head around to see the absolute miracle that was Charles Rowland finding him in this mess but he was rather fastened down tight.

Charles came into view, holding up a blazing ball of fire to illuminate their surroundings. Edwin could feel the vines weakening from being near the light source.

“Charles,” Edwin breathed. “Where is—” He looked around Charles’ person as if Henry would be buckled against his hip.

“Henry’s with Niko,” Charles said, pulling out a hunting knife and starting to cut Edwin free. Both boys froze when the vines started screaming from the slice of Charles' knife. ”Well, whatever that is, let’s go,” Charles said, cutting despite the plant screams.

Edwin scrambled to his feet once free, grabbing up his torch and preparing to run. Something moved out of the corner of his eye and Edwin felt his stomach twist unpleasantly.

“Edwin, look out!” Charles shoved him out of the way of whatever was coming for them and Edwin rolled onto his side, trying to minimise the impact of his fall. When he looked back, his heart sank.

A vine that had roughly the girth of Edwin’s thigh had grabbed Charles around the waist, pulling him away from Edwin. Charles made a noise of surprise and dropped his fireball but stabbed at the thick vine a half second later. “Edwin, go!” he shouted with authority. The vine was undeterred by the knife, wrapping around Charles like a snake, pinning his arms to his sides and tightening around his legs, keeping him from fighting back. His hand holding the knife was sticking out from between the rows of vine binding him.

“Charles!” Edwin cried, even more panicked now. He took a running start to try to help him but the vines that had weakened earlier were back, wrapping around his wrists and ankles, holding him captive to watch the horror of Charles being wrapped up and crushed by the snakelike plants.

Charles made eye contact with Edwin. He opened his mouth but words didn’t come, likely squeezed out of him by the pressure he was held under. The vine finished its winding path around him and the tip end seemed to pause and regard Charles, hovering in front of his face. Before Edwin knew what was happening, the tendril sprayed a green mist in Charles’ face, making the boy cough and gasp and choke around the vapour.

“Charles!!” Edwin screamed. He felt completely useless, held back by thin vines that had unexpectedly tenacious strength.

Charles stopped coughing. He dropped the knife from his hand and Edwin watched in terror as the whole of his eyes turned black. The thick vine unraveled from Charles, freeing him but Charles just stood in place for a moment. Then he turned in the opposite direction and started walking.

Toward the crater.

Edwin renewed his struggle against the vine. The plants had taken over Charles with some kind of mind-controlling mist and were forcing him to go just where they wanted him. "Charles, no!!" he cried. ”Charles, please! I know that you can hear me in there, please, you have to fight it!”

Charles didn’t seem to respond. He just kept slowly walking toward the glowing pit that had opened up in the earth.

Edwin kept yelling after him, trying to jerk himself free from the vines but they held him steadily. One of the vines eventually wrapped itself around his mouth, settling between his teeth, effectively stopping him from shouting any longer. And just like that, he was flashing back to being held down and gagged on a table in a boarding school basement, his classmates taunting him and reciting a demonic curse from on old book. Edwin sagged in his bonds, feeling a supernatural exhaustion overcome him. Tears rolled down his face and he looked at Charles once more, his best friend, his first and only love, however unrequited it may be, about to be swallowed up by the center of a black hole. If neither of them left this awful place again, at least Henry was with people who would take care of him, keep him safe and take him to school and give him a loving home to grow up in.

But Henry would never see Charles again. Henry would never be held and comforted by the person who made him feel the safest. The person who had picked up a little baby he had no connection to and never wanted to put him down again.

And Edwin and Charles would, presumably, be separated, if whatever existed at the bottom of the pit destroyed ghosts. Edwin wasn’t having that. He wasn’t about to stay here, helpless, watching Charles walk to his doom under the power of a magical vine. Their work really did sound like a work of fiction at times.

With a primal scream, Edwin bit through the vine in his mouth and it let out a scream in return. The clarity of not having the ability to exist in any reality that didn’t have Charles in it had brought back the spell he needed: the light spell.

Edwin chanted in Latin, words that brought forth light, “bright as a sun, cleansing as water, chase away all the darkness from this place.”

A rumbling sounded above his head and Edwin had to squeeze his eyes shut against the sudden affront of swelteringly bright light. In an instant, the plants let him go and he stumbled to his feet. Opening his eyes, he saw that the plants were all shriveled up and disintegrating. Edwin didn’t waste any time, taking off in a sprint toward the last location he had seen Charles. It was so viciously bright in the cavern that it reduced the visibility to no more than a few feet ahead of him.

With an inelegant crash, Edwin ran straight into Charles, knocking both of them to the ground. But that was okay; Edwin much preferred the ground to the crater in the floor.

Charles landed on his side, seeming boneless and insensible. With shaking hands, Edwin rolled him over onto his back and tapped his cheeks with both hands. “Charles! Can you hear me?” Charles’ eyes were still covered over with an obsidian film and he didn’t react when Edwin shook him by the shoulders. He’d never seen him before in such bright light, so up close. His skin was a warm sandalwood, stretched across the sharp features of his face, pitted around his normally large, handsome eyes. His lips…but no, there wasn’t enough time in that moment to cascade into words about Charles’ lips. Edwin feared he’d get stuck in an infinite loop.

This could not be happening. Charles just lied there senseless, like he was nothing but a dress form with limbs. Edwin bit his bottom lip so hard it would have bled had he still had that capability.

“Please, please wake up,” Edwin said helplessly. “I…I do not know what to do without you. Please. Please, Charles.” He laid his head against Charles’ chest, shaking with crying. And if he laid there, atop Charles’ chest for eternity like Charles was some kind of anaesthetised sleeping beauty, perhaps he would just accept his fate now.

“Are you being dramatic again?

Edwin’s head shot up straight to see the impossible. “Charles! You’re awake!”

“Crikey that’s bright.” Charles’ eyes were back to normal, a gorgeous honey-cinnamon peeking out between squinted lids. “Hi,” he said, smiling.

“Charles, I could slap the shit out of you! What were you thinking?” Edwin demanded, panic the mountain beneath his iceberg tip of anger.

“I was thinking that you were in a bad mood when you left so you might do something reckless,” Charles said bluntly.

“That is no excuse to be reckless yourself!”

“As nice as this conversation is, you think we could get up?”

Edwin paused. He was lying on Charles’ chest, both his legs curled into him like they were a pair of skeletal lovers that had perished together. And there were those damn lips again; Edwin could honestly write poetry about the bottom one alone, it looked so soft and pillowy and inviting…

Edwin flung himself backwards onto his arse like he’d been scalded. Charles hopped to his feet and offered him a hand up. Which he took. Because of course he did.

--

They walked into Niko and Crystal’s apartment through the side wall to see Henry being fed a bottle by Niko while the pair watched Scooby Doo on Niko’s computer. Crystal was likely in class at that moment if Edwin had gotten her schedule down correctly. Henry was dressed in a romper with a little gentlemanly bowtie sewn onto it.

Niko waved to them with her pinky. “Hi Daddies, we are just having the best time ever!”

Charles didn’t go immediately to pick up Henry this time or fawn over him or inspect him to be sure he was okay. Edwin didn’t know what to make of it.

“He behaved for you then?” Edwin asked.

“Of course,” Charles answered even though they knew the question was obviously for Niko. “That’s my mate, not an ounce of trouble in ‘im.”

“Hmm.”

“How was your case?” asked Niko, bringing the baby up onto her shoulder to wind him, bottle finished out.

“Well the owner of the home simply needs to install some lighting in the cavernous pit below her basement and she’ll have no more trouble,” Edwin explained.

“That’s good,” said Niko, rubbing Henry’s back and situating him to sit upon her lap. “He doesn’t have to go home right now, does he?” she asked. “I promised I’d let him see this whole season and…we’re only like halfway through.”

“That’s fine, Niko, we’ll just be across the hall,” Charles answered, pulling Edwin through the wall and back to their office before Edwin knew what happened.

“Charles, what—” Edwin started but fumbled to a stop when Charles put his hands on Edwin’s biceps to pull him in close. Edwin’s hands reflexively landed on Charles’ elbows. Edwin couldn’t help himself—his eyes disobeyed every directive to look away from Charles’ lips, doing it anyway. Charles’ lips were slightly parted, on the verge of his next words.

“I thought I was about to…lose you,” Charles said quietly. “Are you okay? Did you get hurt at all?”

Edwin blinked, confused. “Charles, I thought I would lose you to those vines and their monstrous pit. I am unharmed but working apart simply…is not working.”

“I agree, mate, I do but…what if something did happen? To both of us? Henry would lose us both in one second, wouldn’t he?”

“That would not be ideal, without question.” Edwin was sure that Henry would barely clock his absence but would certainly feel the full force of Charles’.

“I don’t like it when you go off and I can’t have your back,” Charles admitted. “If you weren’t being a stubborn wanker and I had just stayed behind with the baby like your…” Charles didn’t fill in that particular blank. Edwin had an extra moment to ponder their continued proximity, Charles’ fingers clenching gently at his arms still. “If I hadn’t been there, hadn’t been your partner, who knows what could’ve happened?”

“I’d have remembered the light spell eventually and freed myself,” Edwin said with a feigned confidence. He wasn’t actually sure if that was a true statement.

“You didn’t know it was gonna be dangerous, I get that,” Charles allowed. “And we agreed we’d go together if it was a clear danger one. But maybe if one of us goes without the other…maybe we take one of the girls with us, yeah? Just as backup.”

Edwin thought it was a sensible enough request so he nodded in agreement. “Very well.” He started to turn away but Charles held onto him.

“If I lost you,” he said, his voice as quiet as the hush of a slight breeze, “I would never recover from that, would I. You know that, yeah?”

Edwin gazed into his eyes, enchanted with Charles like the other was casting spells and snaring him in a trap of the best and worst feelings in the world. He could've swooned then and there, clutching onto Charles like they were the cover of an amatory novel.

“I know that, Charles,” and it was his voice betraying him now, the words coming out like a playful giggle. He had no idea why his mouth would ever think to conjure up such an unhelpful noise. Edwin sobered his tone forcefully. "I know that. And I am sorry that I’m rubbish with Henry.”

“Stop,” Charles said, with an incongruent smile. “Don’t say that, you’re aces with him.”

“No I’m not,” Edwin insisted. “Not like you. Not nearly as good as you are with him.”

“Gotta secret for you…” Charles leaned in closer and Edwin’s missing heart skipped a beat. “I’m scared as shit, mate. I’m just making it all up.”

Edwin rolled his eyes. He knew bullshit when he heard it. “One cannot simply ‘make up’ being so good with him. Believe me, if I could, I would do it too.”

“Then why don’t you?” Charles asked, almost a challenge. “I think you’re the only one holding you back. It’s not all gonna be roses and sunsets but…just like anything worth having, it’s worth the work. Right?”

Edwin swallowed on impulse. Surely Charles was not a master of double meanings. Surely Edwin’s pathetic heart was reading into things. “I…that is not very scientific, Charles.”

Charles shrugged. “Maybe that’s your problem then. You can’t make this into science. I mean, you could, yeah? But it wouldn’t be the same. You wouldn’t want your parents treating you like an experiment, would you? You’d just want them to be themselves.”

Edwin breathed out carefully, extricating himself from Charles at last. Edwin could remember his parents, standoffish and proper, not affectionate or all that close to him. But it was the way of things. If anyone in his family had acted the way Charles was with a baby, it would have been seen as odd. Edwin did see it as odd in an endearing sort of way. But the question remained: why were the two of them this involved with Henry? Why wasn’t there a nursemaid tending to him while he and Charles worked and lived their lives?

Because it was the way of things. For Charles. And he had to find a way to be okay with that.

--

Edwin and Crystal were returning from the latest case to come across the Dead Boy Detectives Agency desk, an open and shut haunting in which an enfeebled old ghost was struggling to move on without knowing the closure on his daughter’s murder decades earlier. Crystal was actually most helpful in this case, reading the daughter’s old possessions and putting together information from old newsprint. She was able to discover that the daughter had been poisoned by her lover, who was jealous of her affections for another girl and also likely wanted to steal her inheritance.

It was of great help to the older ghost who was at last able to move on, but fairly easy for the pair of them to resolve.

Crystal went up the stairs to the apartment she shared with Niko and Edwin phased in to the office. Charles and Henry were lying facedown on the floor, although Henry was doing so on a wool blanket that had been folded over for cushioning. Henry was admirably holding his head up in the position while Charles was trying to encourage him to do a roll over.

“What on earth, Charles?” Edwin asked, as the thought of crawling facedown onto the floor with the baby was a bit too much for him.

“Hi Edwin,” Charles greeted. “This is tummy time. Jenny said I needed to be doing this at least once a day so he like gets to be better at upper body strength, I think? Anyway, it’s a good thing for him.”

“Upper body strength,” Edwin repeated, doubtful. His insides twinged painfully at Charles’ words—“I needed to be doing this at least once a day.” The absence of “we” having any part of this was an entity haunting the room. “Charles, you’ll spoil him.”

“Inn’that what you do with babies?”

“Certainly not with this baby. He needs to learn to discipline himself.”

“Mate, he’s only three months old. And what he needs to learn now is to roll over. Watch this!” Charles got Henry’s attention and rolled 360° to the left and then back. Henry watched him skeptically. "Go on, then, Eddy. You know you want to try it.”

Henry put his fist in his mouth contrarily.

Charles shook his head. “Thought that would work,” he said.

“Watching you roll around is hardly an incentive for him to do the same,” Edwin said, going over to the desk to look through a book on something supernatural. It hardly mattered the topic; it was just a diversion.

Niko and Crystal soon came in to visit with Charles and the baby. Crystal sat down on the floor with them, trying to help Henry by rocking him side to side on his stomach, hopeful that he’d catch the hang of it and keep rolling. Charles did a few more rolls and at one point Niko laid down on Charles’ back and rolled off with fantastic momentum, making a couple of rotations until she ran up against a chair. Henry wasn’t impressed with any of it.

Edwin watched the little familial tableau, burning with twin fires of jealousy and self-reproach. No one could be blamed for his distance with Henry except him. And he couldn’t really hide behind the tried and true excuse of not being good with people any more. Not with three, maybe four if Jenny counted, close friends. One of them being his best and most trusted person. A person he would die for, be disintegrated for, turn into dust for, go to hell for.

Edwin watched as Charles finally go to his feet, picking up Henry off the floor and over his head with a playful sound like a rocket taking off before settling him on his hip and looking around for the formula.

“Looks like we’re gonna need a bit more of this soon,” Charles announced, tipping some of the powder into an empty bottle.

“I will get it,” Edwin offered, hopping to his feet. Perhaps he could be involved and helpful in other ways, such as this.

Charles looked surprised but nodded. “Yeah, cheers mate, nappies too?”

“Of course,” Edwin answered, taking a few notes from the desk drawer’s “cash stash” and tucking them into his pocket.

He decided it would do him well to go for a walk to clear his head so Edwin took the long way to the shops, turning everything over in his fuzzy brain.

“Well hey there, Daddy,” said an annoyingly familiar voice.

Edwin pivoted back toward the alley he’d passed by to see the cat king leaning against a skip casually. It was revolting, really.

“Thomas,” Edwin said by way of greeting. “How have you been faring?”

The cat king’s eyes glittered. “Love how you talk, Daddy, so formal it makes me gush a little. Like I’m a princess.”

“Please do not call me that,” Edwin pleaded, a bit tetchy.

“Are you registered anywhere? I would hate to be rude and not send a gift.”

“Is there something specific you wanted or is this all just teasing?” Edwin asked, a little bored and off put if he were being honest.

“You know I like a good tease,” Thomas stated, sauntering in closer. “But I have to admit, I’m a little bit hurt.”

Edwin frowned. “Because…of what?”

“We could’ve had a whole litter if that’s your thing,” Thomas said seriously.

“My ‘thing’,” Edwin repeated, acidic, “is not having infants thrown upon me like it isn’t a big deal. My ‘thing’ is not being pressed into the uncertainty of an afterlife as a parent without my consent. It is certainly not having everything turned upside down and poisoned by regret and insecurity.” Edwin was huffing a bit by the time he finished, but he had to admit, it had felt freeing to be able to say these things out loud.

“Okay, so that’s a lot to unpack,” said Thomas. “So what’s keeping you from walking away from all of it? I’m ready to run tonight if you are.”

“Tempting,” Edwin said sarcastically, but trying to inject softness into it. He knew the pain of having unreturned feelings, after all. “But I could never leave Charles…or Henry. Of course.” He felt the need to defend the last sentiment, as if Thomas had inside information and would try to call him on it.

“Ugh,” Thomas said with a dramatic buckling of his knees. “What’s so great about Charles because I do not get it.”

Edwin felt a fierce streak of protective instinct rear its head. Charles didn’t need defending to this toerag, but Edwin just about couldn’t stop himself. “Charles is my best friend. He is a founding partner in the Dead Boy Detectivies Agency. He is essential to my operations.” He is the man that I would trade eternity for. He is my great love. The most precious thing in my universe.

“Well why don’t you just marry him then?” the cat king spat, transforming back into his cat form and dashing away.

Why indeed. 

Chapter Text

Edwin in his disguise walked through the aisles of the large shop called Target that Crystal frequented. There was an enormous section for infants where he found formula and nappies that were recommended for three month olds. He found himself doing a bit more browsing than he normally might, intrigued by just how many items existed for the care of an infant. Edwin tried to put himself in the mindset of, well, himself for perhaps the first time since Henry had arrived to join them. What would he like? What would he have liked in his very young childhood? He spent a good hour browsing the aisles and labeling the exercise as a research mission. There were so many things available at market for a young child.

At last, Edwin found what he’d been looking for. Knowing he needed to get back or risk that the others would start to worry, he completed his purchases and got himself back to the office.

--

Edwin was expecting to have an opportunity to explain the gift he’d bought but he’d scarcely placed his items down when Charles came up to him, energy high.

“We had a client,” Charles said before Edwin had a chance to settle in. “She was…well, she fucking vomited all over the front door.” Edwin took a glance back to see the state of their office door. It looked recently cleaned. On instinct, his eyes went to Henry, lying quietly in his bassinet.

“Where is she now?” Edwin asked.

“She disappeared but she definitely needed our help,” Crystal said. “She said something about needing to find someone. The only clue she left behind was an address for a bar in town.” Crystal held up the business card to illustrate.

“We were waiting for you to come back,” Charles said. “Figured you’d want to handle this one.” He looked edgy, as if he was itching to help but was deferring to Edwin.

Edwin made a snap decision. “You and Crystal go on this one. I’ll stay and keep Henry.”

He was expecting surprise and perhaps even protests. Someone to jump up and insist that he wouldn’t be able to handle it or that he’d end up traumatising the baby or even hurting him. But somehow, Charles only said, “Okay! You’ve got this mate.”

And then they left. Edwin peeked in to check that Henry was still sleeping and decided to go ahead and put together the gift he’d brought back from the shopping trip. It was fairly straightforward to construct and by the time he had it finished, Henry was beginning to stir.

Edwin stood over the bassinet. “Hello there,” he said, going for his most authentic greeting. Henry looked up at him with grey-green eyes, curious. “Would you like to get out of there for a bit, hmm?”

Henry of course withheld his answer so Edwin reached in to lift him up. He cradled the baby to his chest a bit awkwardly but found that Henry allowed it. With a quick glance at his pocket watch, Edwin determined that it was time for a feeding. No problem there; he’d just picked up two new tins of formula. Sorted. But unlike Charles, he found it nigh impossible to mix up and heat a bottle while holding Henry.

“Apologies,” he said softly, but Henry at least seemed to be giving him the benefit of the doubt for now. Glancing around, he realised awkwardly that he’d have to set Henry right back into the bassinet to get the bottle ready. When he did, Henry made a whimpering noise that nearly shattered his missing heart. On instinct, he picked him up again, cradling his head. "It's alright, my darling, I’m not going anywhere at all.”

With some expert manoeuvering that made Edwin feel part rock-climber, part octopus, he managed to make up the bottle by setting Henry upon the changing table and hurriedly going back and forth to mix the powder and water as well as go back to check that Henry was alright, lying there with his stuffed wizard for comfort. That “new mother” syndrome that had latched onto Charles was catching.

Finally with bottle ready, he sat upon the couch with Henry against his arm. He’d made dozens of bottles every week since Henry arrived, but this was the first time he’d actually been the one to feed him. And that felt….not good. Of course there was always someone else around more than willing to do this part but Edwin hadn’t exactly volunteered either.

Henry made his pleased noise at seeing his bottle and reached for it. The next bit was easy: he lifted the bottle to Henry’s mouth and the baby did the rest himself. Henry held onto the bottle with both hands, weak little grip determined not to let Edwin take the bottle away from him.

“Spirited, aren’t we?” Edwin mused. Gazing down into Henry’s inquisitive eyes, he felt a tug, like a string being tied between them had just tightened.

That’s when everything started going really badly. Edwin was simply trying to readjust his hold on the baby which disturbed Henry’s eating and made him start to fuss, kicking his feet about. “No, no, it’s alright, I’m sorry,” Edwin said trying to placate him and place him back in the original hold. But Henry wouldn’t have it. He refused the bottle, turning his head away when Edwin tried to continue feeding him. The attempts only made him more distressed, starting to really kick up a fuss now. Edwin gritted his teeth. This was exactly what he was always afraid of. What would Charles do? Or Crystal or Niko? What would anyone besides Edwin do in this situation?

The cries were getting monstrously loud and Edwin felt the urge to get out of here and away from the noise and the tension of a screaming baby like a demon clawing its way through his skin. He tried rocking him, he tried talking to him softly, winding him, walking around the room with him. But everything was going to shit, all because Edwin had moved his arm slightly.

“Henry, it is alright,” he insisted. “Please try to calm down. I can’t…I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to help you.”

Edwin felt helpless, watching his child, this infant-sized version of himself, crying as if in a sadness too profound for his age. It was frightening and overwhelming and heart breaking all at once.

Edwin did the only thing he could think of: he lifted Henry to his shoulder and started stroking his back. He petted the babe in a predictable pattern—four long, gentle strokes and two short pats, over and over the same exact way. Henry didn’t stop crying at once; he was actually screaming quite close to Edwin’s ear. But Edwin kept going, stroking and patting in the same cadence again and again.

And then the crying stopped. Edwin was baffled that something he tried had actually worked. He glanced down at Henry, who was gnawing on Edwin’s bowtie and hiccupping every now and then from the aftershocks of his sobbing. It had worked.

Charles normally distracted Henry from his pain and fear; Edwin had just stumbled across the ability to comfort him through it.

“Alright now?” he rhetorically asked. Henry kept up his self-soothing gnaw at Edwin’s clothing.

Edwin nodded. “Good. Glad you’re sorted.”

--

As soon as Edwin let his guard down is when things decided to get delightfully worse again. He’d gently placed Henry down for a sleep because that was Henry’s routine. Someone would typically feed Henry his bottle, wind him, make sure he was clean, change him if needed and then he’d be ready for a nice, long sleep. Which was, not coincidentally, when Edwin was able to get all of his work done. He had managed to feed Henry a second bottle after he’d fitted and refused the last half of the first one earlier. All the steps had been followed well and by this point it had been hours since Charles and the girls left to work on the case.

Henry clearly needed sleep.

Henry was refusing sleep.

Parenthood was intensifying.

Edwin tried talking to him, reading to him, disappearing so that Henry wouldn’t focus on him, but everything just made him upset. He was back to the awful screeching and wailing noise that he’d come up with between his second and third months. Edwin couldn’t help but wonder if he had been this difficult as a baby.

He'd seen Charles dealing with this before—but having seen Charles give in and pick him up, he knew that only seemed to make things worse. Jenny had even commented once that Henry was cranky for needing sleep in these situations.

Edwin was not made of stone. Henry could sleep just as easily on his shoulder. Right? He picked the baby up gently, bouncing him as he fussed.

“It is alright, I am here, I’ve got you, my darling,” he said softly, cradling the small head. He tried appeasing him with stroking and pats but even that didn’t seem to reach him now.

Henry wouldn’t stop crying. Everything Edwin was doing was wrong. Or not enough. He couldn’t decide which was worse.

Henry couldn’t possibly be hungry again, he was dry and clean, he didn’t appear to be in any pain…Edwin was at the absolute bottom of his list of ways to soothe the baby. That only left sleep. Or maybe Henry wanted Charles. Edwin studied the baby’s face to try to glean some sort of meaning from the beastly cries. Inconclusive.

“Alright, I am sure you will sleep, won’t you Henry?” he said, laying him back in his cot. He then made sure that the mattress cover was well secured and unwrinkled.

Henry just continued to scream.

That’s where Charles found him thirty minutes later, near to a nervous breakdown. He phased through the mirror to see Edwin completely failing at this. At taking care of their (?) baby.

Charles had the decency to look surprised. “Bad night?”

“Charles, you have got to do something. He clearly wants you. He can’t….I can’t…” Edwin was ready to tear out his own hair if that wouldn’t have been overly dramatic.

“Sounds like it’s time for a nap over there,” Charles mused. “That’s his ‘god I need some sleep’ cry.”

Charles even knew what all the cries meant. Did Edwin know anything?

And that’s when things took an interesting turn.

Charles wordlessly took him by the wrist, pulled him over to the couch and sat them down.

“Charles, what are you—urm…the baby?” Edwin tried to implore him.

Charles lied down on his side, scrunched up against the back of the sofa and then beckoned Edwin to lie down in front of him. And Edwin, lovesick fool that he was, did as he was directed, without stopping to ask why they were doing this in the first place. As Edwin lied down, fitted up against Charles’ body, they slotted together so magnificently that it was like their bodies were a perfect match. Like their function had always been to make this shape. Like the fact that they had been born into two separate bodies had been a mistake. Lord he was glad no one was able to hear that embarrassing thought. At least the background noise of the shrill crying created enough dissonance that he could claim (to himself and no one else because dear God, to confess such a thing would be…) that he wasn’t thinking clearly.

After what felt like eternities spent in fleeting seconds, Edwin said in a high voice, “What are we trying to do here?”

“Shhh,” Charles hushed him. “I reckon he won’t go to sleep if he thinks he’s missing out. So we’re pretending to sleep so he does it too.”

That was uncharacteristically brilliant. Why hadn’t Edwin thought of that? Oh, of course: because of the screaming child breaking his concentration.

So Edwin settled in. Charles frustratingly kept his top arm at his own side instead of doing a delicious drape across Edwin’s waist but beggars weren’t alloted the privilege of choice. He closed his eyes (to keep up the ruse for Henry’s benefit of course) and tried not to imagine sharing a space with Charles each night like this. If he let himself go too far into the illusion, he’d overplay his own hand against himself and wind up penniless in his own fantasy. He let himself go as far as the image of lying this way and sharing camaraderie about each day they spent together but went no further than that train of thought.

Henry kept crying but neither of them moved a muscle. It was as if Charles was just as acutely aware of the physical tension this position created and not simply indifferent to the feel of Edwin's body against his. How nice the latter must be for him.

“Charles, I fear we may be the worst parents in recorded time.”

“Think those prizes have already been claimed, mate.”

Edwin frowned even though Charles couldn’t see his face. “Meaning what?”

“Meaning we’re trying,” Charles answered, constantly full of mystifying wisdom on the subject. “Meaning we love him and we’re doing our best, aren’t we.”

Normally the tags at the ends of Charles’ sentences were stylistic in nature, requesting no reply. But Edwin chose to answer this one with, “Yes.”

--

“We could hear him crying all the way from downstairs on the street!” Crystal exclaimed as she and Niko finally made it back from their casework. They were, thankfully, too late to see Edwin and Charles in an awkward non-cuddle on the sofa but in time to see Charles attempting to read a book to a still screaming baby and Edwin throwing his notes around the desk like a man possessed trying to determine where this had all gone so terribly wrong. He couldn’t even consult Jenny, as she had left for the night to see some friends.

“He just won’t stop,” Charles explained, sounding frazzled. “We’ve tried everything. He won’t sleep, won’t stop crying…” Edwin thought he was probably imagining the rings of exhaustion under Charles’ eyes.

Crystal only needed five seconds to observe the baby before she reached for something underneath his back. “Did you realise he was lying on his pacifier?” she asked, holding up the small object that had evidently been lodged under Henry.

Neither boy spoke for such a long stretch of time that Crystal merely rolled her eyes and placed the dummy in Henry’s mouth. “There, much better, isn’t it?” she said to him softly, placing a hand over his belly and rubbing it in circular motions.

Upon walking further into the room, Niko happened upon the gift Edwin had put together hours and hours earlier. “What a cute mobile!” she said, taking the time to look at each of the mythical creatures strung onto the cot accessory—a dragon, a unicorn, a mermaid, a fairy. Niko took the initiative to position the mobile in place on Henry’s bassinet. Once wound up, the mobile spun in a lazy circle, playing a slightly out of tune tinkling piano version of Hush a Bye Baby.

Edwin left his desk to take note of how Henry experienced his gift. The baby was blinking up at it slowly, sucking gently at his dummy, his little fists opening and closing as he finally settled down.

Edwin stiffened slightly as he felt Charles sidle up next to him and put an arm around his shoulders. “You did it, mate,” he said in a whisper.

“Did what?” Edwin asked with an arched eyebrow. Crystal had been the one to realise the embarrassingly simple reason Henry couldn’t sleep.

“Took care of our kit,” Charles answered. Edwin felt his hopes lurch forward like a demented frog, hearing Charles once again called Henry “ours”.

“Oh,” Edwin hummed. “Well, about time, wasn’t it?”

“Knew you’d be great at it. He loves you.”

“He loves you,” Edwin couldn’t help but correct. “Of course he does; he’s me.”

Charles glanced at him with an unreadable expression then back at Henry. Edwin saw the pleased smile cross his face. “Think he just loves all of us.”

--

Henry slept well through the night, leaving Charles and Edwin precious time to spend working on old cases and leafing through new ones. There was no mention of the Couch Incident, as Edwin had taken to referring it, and thankfully Charles didn’t comment on the fact that the baby had been screaming for hours because Edwin had lain him down on a dummy.

Niko arrived early the next morning, bringing the boys a jar of sparkly dust from the previous night’s case, and then went to pick Henry up without explaining said sparkly dust.

“What is this?” Edwin asked, examining the jar and its contents with his magnifying glasses.

“That’s what our client decided to pay us with,” Charles explained. “She said if you brew it in hot water like tea and then toss it over some dirt, it’ll make a garden of sparkly flowers.”

Niko brought Henry over to the window to look outside. “Don’t they look interesting, Henry?” she cooed at him. “See the lady with the umbrella?” She turned back to Edwin. “I thought it could be a little garden that grows with him. I mean, it’ll be three months behind but still.”

Edwin nodded, considering the idea. “I like that, Niko. We shall plant these later today.”

Charles took the baby over from Niko, already set up with an outfit for the day. Charles’ hands were big and steady, taking the baby with such care and gentleness each time. Whenever those hands were offered up to Henry, he would all but throw himself into them, canting to the side, complete trust that Charles would catch him. Take that, Erikson’s stages of development: stage one was resolved in scarcely three months and the world was a safe place.

Today’s outfit was a bright romper with the words “Two dads are better than one” written in a rainbow of colours. He didn’t have to be a detective to figure out who was likely responsible for purchasing that one. Edwin was going to have to upgrade these outfits soon, especially if Henry was ever going to be seen out in public. He needed sensible baby clothes, not ridiculous slogan onesies that may as well have been tshirts.

Edwin watched, a bit ennamoured with Charles as the latter spoke to Henry, telling him this and that about the adventures he would one day have while feeding him his bottle. Henry stared up at Charles, attention rapt. Edwin reasoned that if Henry was allowed to stare, so was he. However, he was also determined to secure himself in the role of equal parent. Henry was technically 100% of his responsibility, but he’d gladly take Charles and Niko and Crystal helping. The least he could do was match Charles’ devotion and energy spent caring for him.

“I will take him, if you would not mind,” he said, once the bottle was finished, going over to Charles and taking the baby into his arms. He tried to ignore the silly romper. “Come on then, my darling, we need to learn more about the garden we’ll be planting later.” Henry was happily babbling this morning, fist in his mouth, but trying to make sounds around it. This unfortunately caused drool to spill down his chubby wrist.

No matter. Edwin had it covered. He took a handkerchief from the desk drawer and cleaned off Henry’s wrist for him. Edwin selected a book on phantasmal gardening and sat with Henry in his lap at the desk so he could read it aloud to him.

“Of all the times to not be able to show up in a photograph,” Charles mused sadly, leaving with Niko to presumably visit with her and Crystal.

Henry had little interest in the book aside from wanting to grab at the pages and try tearing them. Edwin gently tried to redirect him to look at the pictures drawn within the text, glowing fungi and flower gardens that were suspended in midair, but he either couldn’t see them that well or simply wasn’t interested in any books that didn’t feature very hungry caterpillars or curious monkeys.

“Well never mind all that,” Edwin said, closing the frankly enormous book. “Let’s start to work on your garden, hmm?”

With Henry placed carefully and seatbelted into the bouncy chair that Niko had picked out for him, Edwin began to brew the plant seeds in hot water. They had a fairly substantial store of graveyard dirt so he generously filled a plastic container with that and then spread the seeded water across the surface. Finally, he placed the container onto the windowsill, assuming light would be necessary for the growth of the “sparkly flowers”.

Henry was bouncing himself, seeming to enjoy the trial and error of what each of his limbs could do at this point, so Edwin returned to his reading, this time a baby book that he had snaffled from the library.

Crystal let herself into the office, smiling and giving a pinky wave to Henry. “Hi Peanut,” she said. Edwin counted himself lucky that her baby voice had gone away. “So, just to do a temp check, how are we feeling?” she asked Edwin.

“Well, today he seems fairly benign despite last night’s fiasco,” Edwin began.

Crystal jumped in. “I mean you,” she corrected. “How are you adjusting to being…a parent?”

“Oh,” Edwin said thoughtfully. “It has been…fine. I am quite certain I did not see this coming but all the same, I am trying to view it as a stage of life. Or afterlife, rather.”

“That sounds very…diplomatic.” Edwin could see a change come over her face as she apparently changed tactics. “Charles seems to be taking it all in stride.”

“If you could work your way around to the point, that would be much appreciated,” Edwin said with a sigh. He could feel her winding up to something and he was sure he wouldn’t enjoy it.

“It must be hard…being in love with someone you’re raising a baby with.”

And there it was. He’d felt it coming but it had managed to sucker punch him all the same.

“Don’t most people tend to do that?” he said evasively, eyes fixed upon the book in front of him, but the words just a blur.

“I think there’s usually a mutual being in love, for most people,” Crystal said gently. “All I’m saying is I’m worried about you. And Charles, and the baby. This setup could end badly if you’re not careful.”

“Charles would never leave Henry,” Edwin argued, at least able to assure himself of that fact.

“I know he wouldn’t, and he wouldn’t leave you either,” Crystal said, in what were possibly the most reassuring words he’d ever heard from her. "But that doesn't mean it won’t suck if he falls in love with someone else.”

Edwin allowed himself to sit with that one. Charles did have a tendency to get involved in passing fancies and for the most part, Edwin could forgive him for those. But if he ever fell in love with someone else, the way that Edwin had fallen for him…He wanted to believe he would be happy for Charles, that he would support him and encourage him and play the role of the best friend perfectly. But he suspected that that eventuality would also break him.

Crystal broke the silence at last. “I could try to talk to him…”

“No!” Edwin said, the word popping out of him like a button pulled too tightly. “Just…I can handle it. Thank you…I shall be mindful of your concerns.”

Crystal nodded. She playfully ruffled Henry’s hair and then sat on the floor in front of him, helping him in his mission to bounce in his chair.

Charles returned a few minutes after, just as Edwin was reading about when it would be safe to introduce solid foods. “Got his flowers planted, did you?” he said, observing the container full of dirt.

“Oh, yes,” Edwin replied. He tried joking, “Henry did most of the work actually…”

It must have worked because Charles chuckled a little. Edwin loved the little moments like this, being able to make Charles laugh and see his nose scrunched up, eyes slanted.

Why did everything have to be so bleeding complicated?

--

Edwin was sat down at his desk, having invited Crystal and Niko in to share their observations of Henry. Charles was keeping the baby occupied across the hall. Crystal came in and sat down on the sofa; Niko was close behind, flopping beside her in such a way that her skirt puffed up for a moment and then settled.

“So, I’ve a few questions in order to have everyone on the same page,” he began. “We are agreed, I believe, that we should be encouraging floor time on his stomach. Yes?”

“Tummy time,” Niko said with a nod. “He’s really getting good at holding his head up.”

Edwin made a note of that. “I would also like to be clear that he should not have access to anyone’s portable telephone as a distraction. He needs to learn to self-occupy.”

Crystal shrugged. “He might as well learn how to use it. He’ll have one of his own someday.”

“I actually agree with Edwin,” Niko said carefully. “Maybe we could give him a book or a stuffed animal instead if he’s bored.”

“Fair enough,” said Crystal. “What else?”

Edwin braced himself for the fallout of his next request. “I know that everyone is well-meaning, but picking him up and holding him all the time is not doing him any favours. Again, he needs to learn to self-soothe and self-occupy.”

The girls both agreed far more readily than he had expected. But then, they weren’t really the ones that needed convincing; it was the boy across the hall who likely was holding Henry while they spoke that was the main offender of this particular grievance. He set that conversation to the side for later.

“Alright, finally, I would like to know what you’ve observed about Henry. What are his developing traits and interests?”

With plenty of information now in his notes, everything from Henry’s dislike for rough objects or fabrics to his new ability to return smiles, Edwin felt a bit more confident as these had all mostly reinforced the observations he'd already made. There were a few new pieces of information as well, such as Niko’s observation that Henry enjoyed listening to someone sing and also liked when she danced with him, as evidenced by smiling. Crystal had noted that Henry had a newfound ability to focus on her face when she spoke and to look up when his name was called.

Edwin thanked the girls and followed them across the hall to where Charles was sat on the floor in front of the bed, watching telly on Crystal’s tablet.

He looked penitent when he saw Edwin’s expression. “We’re just watching a bit of Sesame Street,” he explained. “It’s educational, innit?”

Henry’s torso was pressed against Charles’ folded and upright legs, hands grasping at his knees. Charles was letting him attempt to balance there but had his hands mere inches away in case he toppled over.

“Of course,” said Edwin. He really found it hard to believe that any television programme could be the slightest bit educational but he didn’t argue. “Ready to put him to bed?”

The pair of them took Henry through his routine and settled him in, this time making certain nothing was trapped beneath him.

“What do you think he’ll be like?” Charles asked, looking down at the sleepy baby in the cot.

“I am not sure entirely,” Edwin admitted. He looked at the familiar face, knew that he would turn out to have the same bone structure, same height, same intelligence. But there were so many mysteries to the whole process that it was fascinating. “What would you like him to be?” It was a simple enough question but Charles took his time to think it through.

“Hope he’s as clever as you,” he answered after a while. “Kind like you. Brave and determined and y’know. Kinda fierce.”

Edwin nodded. “And…what traits would you like him to get from you?”

“Hey, cmon, don’t be wishing any of me on him.”

It was meant as a joke, a sidestep away from the conversation but Edwin didn’t let him brush it off that easily. He looked Charles in the eye pointedly, hoping for a real answer.

“I mean…maybe he’ll like people, like I do? Maybe…he’ll make a lot of friends?” Charles grimaced a little as soon as he said it and Edwin now understood his hesitance. For Charles to name any trait of his own for the baby to take on was to say that Edwin didn’t have that trait himself.

“I would like that for him too,” Edwin admitted. “And I would like him to have your confidence and your charm.” He chuckled a bit to himself, imagining if he had grown up with Charles' charisma and ease about him. What an interesting creature they’d make if they combined their personalities and qualities.

“I’m hoping he’ll be happy, more than anything,” Charles added.

Edwin answered without second thought. “If he can find a friend half as good as the one I found, he will be.”

Chapter Text

Astonishingly enough, the days and weeks kept bleeding into months. Henry kept them constantly amazed with his fast learning and resilience to small setbacks, like getting his fingers caught in the rails of his bassinet one night. This incident had caused Charles to panic but Edwin nonchalantly freed the baby’s fingers and gave them a gentle kiss when Henry held them out to him. He informed Charles that getting fingers caught in a bassinet was trivial compared to some of the injuries he’d sustained in his own nursery in the early 1900s. Henry had also mastered the art of the rollover with encouragement from everyone and was continuing to experiment with his balance.

Charles looked up from Henry in his bouncy chair, big grin on his face, as Edwin returned from the magic shoppe on a foggy morning. Charles was torturing Edwin wearing that vest again with the braces up, which is why Edwin had felt the need to go to the shoppe in the first place. And his gold necklace. Edwin liked that as well but the whole ensemble was a menace. That oh-so-convincing smile was certainly not helping.

“Edwin! You won’t believe what he can do now!”

Edwin sighed. “If you’ve been teaching him to bounce that football off his head when his head is still so soft…”

“Wait. Just watch.” Charles held up his hands as if to create a forcefield to keep Edwin in place. Then he disappeared into the mirror, leaving the baby in his bouncy chair and Edwin staring after him. Edwin frowned, unsure where this was going. The baby stared at the mirror, eyes wide, hands in little fists as if anticipating something.

Suddenly, Charles’ upper body came back through the mirror and he said, “Peek-a-boo!”

And then Henry was laughing. It was against no competition whatsoever the most precious sound Edwin had ever heard. Charles only had to do it the one time and Henry was laughing like he’d just seen the most amusing thing in the history of the world. Edwin gripped his chest with one hand, watching Henry laugh and giggle and he realised that it sounded just like Charles' laugh.

Edwin tried to play it off casually, as if this hadn’t exploded him from the inside. “Well done, Charles,” he said, but his voice was cracking and high all over the place. “I shall write down this achievement in Henry’s journal.”

Charles walked back through the mirror and into their office, looking pleased with himself. Henry seemed to still find him very humorous, as he still let go of the infrequent chuckle, little eyes watching Charles’ every move. 

Edwin was perfectly happy using their time to write about Henry’s achievements and then dig through the mail for new cases. However, it was Crystal coming in with Niko that threw a spanner into the works. 

“So, we’ve decided that Henry should get to go to the farmer’s market with us on Saturday,” Crystal announced. 

“The farmer’s market,” Edwin repeated. “Is that like the Target?”

“No, it’s really fun though!” Niko said with excitement. “There’s all these farmers and vendors with vegetables and homemade soap and kombucha…it’ll be great! We can push Henry around in a stroller and he’ll get to see everything.”

“Also, no one calls it ‘the Target’,” Crystal unhelpfully added. 

Despite not knowing what kombucha was, Edwin was keen to agree. It would be good for Henry to start making appearances out and about and certainly seeing a bit more of the town would help his growing brain expand a bit more. 

“Very well, but he can’t go this Saturday, I’m afraid,” Edwin said, unapologetic. “He needs to get vaccinations and can’t be exposed to other people until that’s sorted. He will then need two weeks before he’s immune.”

“Thank God,” Crystal breathed out a sigh. “I didn’t want to bring it up because I was worried you guys might be anti-vaxxers…”

“And,” Edwin continued, a bit snippily, “we will need time to order and receive new clothes for him. I will not have him taken into public wearing something like that.”

He indicated Henry, who was bouncing in his chair with a onesie with skeletons all over it.

“Why did you assume we would be against vaccinations?” Edwin asked. “Many of the diseases that he can be inoculated against were veritable killers when I was alive.”

Crystal blinked at them. “Uh…because he’s overdue for a bunch of them?”

Edwin frowned, pulling out his children’s medical volume. “According to this, his schedule for vaccinations will begin by month…”

Crystal tore the book from his hands to look at the spine, as Edwin muttered something about her being rude. “This book is from 1992,” she said. “There have been a few changes since then, guys.” 

Edwin frowned. “Such as?”



With the help of the girls’ internet, Edwin discovered that quite a lot had changed since his book had been printed. Henry was extremely behind on his jabs and would need to get sorted right away. He shuddered to think what could happen if Henry were exposed to the wrong person. 

Crystal rang off her telephone. “Okay, the pediatrician in town is Dr. Tolbert. He can see Henry this Thursday to do a well visit and his shots.”

Edwin nodded. “Thank you. Now get out.”

Crystal glared at him. “What are you talking about?”

Edwin held up his hands in a gesture of meaning no offence. “Apologies, but you and Niko could expose Henry to something nasty so you’ll have to quarantine away from him until Thursday. As I believe I’ve said before, the living are messy.”

Charles was holding Henry by this point and thankfully decided to defend Edwin. “I’m afraid he’s right. Can’t be too careful with the kit.”

Niko started to give Henry a hug and kiss goodbye but visibly stopped herself, covering her mouth. “Oh sorry! Better not breathe on him.”

With a sad look on each of their faces, the girls left them alone, just two ghosts and a baby for three days.

Things went swimmingly for nearly all of it. Edwin and Charles entertained Henry and themselves, working on (very) cold cases and playing the occasional board game. Charles and Edwin took turns attending to Henry’s needs, coming into a good click of a routine where one took up where the other left off.

Wednesday night was different. Charles was reading a book to Henry, the baby sat happily in his lap, making pleased babbles. 

“You’re my little baby boo, you never need to fear. Whatever fright comes in the night, I’ll always be right here,” Charles read, letting Henry enjoy the colourful illustrations. Edwin was organising their paperwork in the background, half listening to the relaxing cadence of Charles’ voice. That’s the reason that when Charles spoke the line, “You’re my little spooky owl…” and then went silent that it took a moment for Edwin to notice. 

“Charles?” he said, looking up. His back was to Edwin but Edwin could see Henry leaning to one side, evidently restless that his story had ceased. 

Edwin went across to stand in front of them. Charles had a blank look on his face and with a jolt, Edwin realised that it was the same look he’d worn when he was stuck in the loop at the Devlin House. 

“Charles?” Edwin said a bit louder but still not raising his voice, not wanting Henry to become alarmed. Charles just sat there, book resting in both hands. 

Edwin reached over to pick up Henry, needing to get him out of the way but when he did, Charles grabbed onto his wrist reflexively.

“Hey,” he said, sounding groggy. “Did I fall asleep or something?”

Edwin raised an eyebrow and extricated himself from Charles. “You know that is not possible. Have you no memory of the last few minutes?”

Charles shook his head as if to clear it. “No, not really…feel like I’ve got a headache too.”

This was all very strange. Edwin had no precedent for this particular ghostly malady and would need to research it. However, that would have to wait as Charles asked him to take Henry for a while so he could collect himself. 

They spent the rest of the evening quietly. Charles lied on the sofa and didn’t seem to feel like talking and although Edwin had a hundred questions, he didn’t press him. He fed Henry his bottle and put him down for the night. 

“Charles?” Edwin said eventually, trying to broach the subject again. Charles was sitting on their couch, slumped into it. “Are you feeling quite alright?”

Charles sat himself up. “Yeah of course, I’m aces,” he said. 

Edwin watched him carefully, could see that he was lying. “Are there any other symptoms that I should be made aware of?”

“Nah, mate. I’m brills.” Charles stood up and went to check on Henry briefly before he went back to sorting through the cold cases they’d been working on. 

Edwin followed him. “Charles, I need you to be honest with me. Else I won’t be able to help.”

Charles laughed it off. “It’s nothing. Just spaced out, didn’t I.”

“And…your headache?”

“It’s gone now. Just felt like a little pressure in my forehead. But I was probably sitting in that position too long or something.”

“But that should not affect you, Charles,” Edwin pressed. “I have seen you sit in the same position for hours and it made no difference.”

“Maybe it’s leftover from my life, yeah? Sometimes my dad would make me stand in the same spot all night if I missed curfew or I snuck out or…”

Charles abruptly stopped, probably because of the horrified expression on Edwin’s face. Charles hadn’t spoken about his father in months. It had never been his favourite topic of conversation to begin with but he seemed particularly tight-lipped about it since Henry came into the picture. Whenever Charles let slip one of the painful and dreadful memories he held about his father, Edwin felt a sharp tug of anguish snatch at him, like it was removing something from his chest. He was always left wishing he knew how to talk to Charles about these things, how to help him. But of course, any attempt to pin down a conversation about it ended with Charles being evasive and even outright defensive. 

“Anyways,” Charles finally continued, “doesn’t hurt now, I’m not spacing out any more. So…let’s just get back to work, yeah?”

Edwin agreed but used his time to look up different ailments that were known to affect ghosts as well as their causes. He was able to identify a few that fit Charles’ symptoms but none of the causes matched. 

Henry woke up late into the night/early morning, fussy and difficult. Charles tended to him and seemed well enough so Edwin didn’t bring it up again. 

--

Crystal pushed Henry’s pram the few streets to Dr Tolbert’s office the next morning. Niko agreed to stay behind to minimise Henry’s exposure to humans while he was unvaccinated. 

“He’s getting heavy,” Crystal remarked, pushing the pram uphill. “I mean, that’s a good thing. Were you chunky as a baby, Edwin?”

Edwin flicked an eyebrow upwards. “How on earth would I know something like that?” He looked at Henry in his pram, sitting up against the back and patting his hands across the guard rail. “Besides, I think someone may be over-feeding him a bit so his growth may be significantly different than my own.”

“Oi,” Charles said, defencive but smiling, “I feed him as much as he wants to eat. You lot told me I should do that.”

“Hey, I never said it was a bad thing,” said Crystal. “Just an observation.”

Edwin took the liberty of phasing through the walls of the doctor’s clinic just to be sure that operations were on the up and up before returning to Crystal and Charles in the waiting room. Edwin had a sharp eye trained on Charles, just to see if he was trying to hide any new or lingering symptoms from the night before. He seemed fine, entertaining Henry with some interesting faces while Crystal moved the pram back and forth in place to content the baby. 

Charles didn’t seem to be anything outside his normal self and Edwin had spent more than enough time with him to know the other intimately. For example, he was able to tell if something was on Charles’ mind by the way he held his shoulders and could tell any peculiarities in the other’s posture and form. Edwin could draw Charles’ anatomy from memory if needed. He would not be doing that, of course. 

Perhaps it was just a passing malady, he finally decided as Henry was called back into the examinations room. 

Crystal played the part of mother well, gathering Henry out of his pram and setting him on the table. Henry was able to sit up on his own, provided that Crystal kept her hands nearby in the event that he toppled over. Henry was curious, looking around the room and reaching for Charles with a chubby, grabby hand. Charles smiled but had to hang back as it would not be good for the baby to be seen floating in midair when the doctor mace his entrance. He waved at the baby and Crystal distracted Henry with his wizard. 

The doctor arrived, wearing cotton trousers and a tshirt of all things, as Edwin noticed with an upturned nose. 

“Miss….Palace,” said Dr Tolbert, reading from his chart, “you’ve written here that this is Henry’s first well visit and his first visit for vaccinations. Why did you wait so long?” There was a tone of judgment in his voice that grated on Edwin’s nerves. 

Crystal shot Edwin a panicked look. “Uhhh…I believe in homeopathic medicine. …for the most part. Or I did believe in it, now I believe in doctors and shots and lots and lots of check-ups.”

Edwin looked over the doctor’s shoulder as he wrote the words “social worker” in very untidy penmanship. 

“What is a social worker?” Edwin asked Crystal, causing her eyes to go wide.

She turned her attention back to the doctor. “But as you can see, Henry is a healthy baby. Or…I mean, I guess you’re here to tell us—tell me if that’s the case.”

Charles was looking around at the doctor’s framed degrees. “He’s a bit of a quack if you ask me,” he said with a shrug. 

Edwin bristled as he watched the doctor unceremoniously slip the romper down to Henry’s waist and then listen to his heart with a stethoscope. His bedside matter was a bit lacking and Henry was definitely picking up on it, whining softly, arms reaching out for Charles who waved at him but was otherwise helpless to soothe him. 

The doctor followed the baby's gaze and outstretched arms. “We need to do a vision exam,” he announced. “Is he able to grab things in front of him or has he been having trouble?”

“Uh. No. No trouble.” Crystal made a subtle gesture at Charles for him to stop. Charles simply leaned against the wall, head titled toward the ceiling. 

The doctor did a few more tests, weighed Henry and measured him, all very business like and not seeming to take into consideration that this was a baby and not a prop. 

“Ask him about Henry’s weight,” Edwin insisted, which Crystal did.

“He’s a little over 17 pounds, which puts him into the 80th percentile,” the doctor explained. “You may be feeding him too much. Try to pay attention when he refuses the bottle. Overfeeding could lead to lots of health issues.”

Charles rolled his eyes. “Yep, proper quack.”

After finishing his exam, the doctor left the room to prepare the inoculations.

Edwin went straight to Crystal. “Let’s take him home. We’ll find another doctor. Henry isn’t pleased with this one.”

“We’re already here,” Crystal said, “and Henry needs his shots. Plus if we back out now, that’s going to seem odd and he’s already not a fan of me as a mother. I don't have time to explain to you what a social worker is, but trust me: you don’t want to meet one in this context.”

Edwin looked to Charles to see what he wanted to do. “He needs these jabs, mate,” Charles said resignedly. “There’s really not any other doctors who see babies around, according to what Crystal saw on the internet. May as well get it over with.”

Edwin sighed. “Fine. But Henry deserves the best care, which this is not.” But they were both right: there weren’t a lot of options right now and Henry needed immunizations. Without them, he could become very ill.

The doctor returned with a tray full of horrifying needles and syringes. Edwin had seen similar trays of torture while he was in hell. Crystal hopped up onto the table to hold Henry in her lap while Charles went for distraction again, making the wizard float around behind the doctor’s back. 

Edwin began to feel peculiar. It was as if his nonexistent heart was racing in his chest; he felt lightheaded and panicky when he hadn’t before. He realised that he was suddenly very afraid of seeing Henry hurt or scared and he anticipated that this situation was about to cause him to be.

Henry, oblivious, tried to reach for the stuffie and Charles gave it to him while the doctor was occupied making notes in his chart. Henry was in a particularly good mood despite the doctor prodding at him and generally pestering him. He seemed to enjoy being in a location different than the two flats in which he’d lived his entire life thus far. That’s what made this so much more difficult, as Edwin knew that Henry’s excitement and curiosity were about to be spoiled. 

Edwin didn’t know what to do. Crystal and Charles were the picture of perfect parents (other than the fact that one of them was a ghost) and Edwin felt as if he had no idea how to help, how to distract or soothe or comfort Henry. 

The first vaccination was the stuff of nightmares. Edwin watched helplessly as Henry observed the needle ominously and then felt the sharp pain. Trying his best to stay out of the way, Charles rubbed Henry’s arms when he started screaming, soothing him and telling him that it would be okay, that he’d get an extra story at bedtime and plenty of hugs. Henry kicked and tried to disappear into Crystal’s bosom but the doctor gave him the next one regardless, making Henry scream louder. 

Edwin wasn’t even sure what happened. One moment, he was frozen in horror and the next, he had phased through the wall into the hallway where he paced, fists pressed together, trying not to panic over hearing Henry’s screams. It was the first time he could remember feeling like he could throw up since the night he died. 

One thing was certain: he would be haunting this doctor later.

--

Edwin followed behind Charles and Crystal mutely, Charles doing his best to comfort Henry without being able to hold him, as they were still in public, and Crystal, jaw set into a frown, pushing the pram. 

Edwin had plenty of time on the walk to berate himself, frustrated that he’d not only been no help in soothing Henry, but had, in fact, abandoned him to the vaccination process. All because he couldn’t bear to watch. He wasn’t a father; he was a coward. Charles and Niko and even Crystal always knew just what to do. Edwin shared DNA with Henry and was completely clueless. Edwin had never felt so out of his depth in his afterlife. Even studying wasn’t helping, as evidently his materials were all terribly outdated. 

Every time he thought he was getting the hang of this, every time he thought he was making progress, some new part of it shoved him right off his feet again. 

Charles carried the pram up the stairs while Crystal carried Henry, still hiccupping and sobbing every now and then, looking terribly betrayed. 

Crystal handed the baby to Charles, saying her goodbyes as Edwin had been very clear that Henry needed a two week quarantine after getting his vaccinations.

Charles attempted to get him into a new outfit, as his current romper, covered in depictions of not cartoon hearts but actual anatomically correct hearts, needed a change. Not only had Henry worn it outside today but also it had two small drops of blood near the hem from the inoculations. Henry, however, would not cooperate. Edwin had never seen him this way before, not with Charles. He was fussy and stubborn, twisting away from Charles and if Edwin didn’t know any better, he could swear the face Henry gave him was saying I’m punishing you. 

Charles set him down in his bouncy chair, conceivably to ready a bottle, but Henry cried loudly at this until Charles picked him back up again. Then he started to twist and whine in earnest, making his little superior how-dare-you-disappoint-me face again. 

Charles, a little downtrodden, admitted, “Think he’s mad that I made him get jabs today. You wanna try?”

Edwin took a steadying breath. Even though he didn’t need to breathe, the mechanics of it were grounding. He offered his hands to Henry, not taking him without permission, just giving the choice. And then PLUNK, Henry fell into his arms. He’d never done that before, not with Edwin. Surprised, Edwin felt the familiar weight and tucked him up against his shoulder. It took his breath away: Henry still trusted him. Henry still wanted his comfort even though he’d failed him.

“Now, my darling, what is the matter, hmm?” he said softly as the babe studied him, seeming to try to decide if he was going to start crying again. “It is over and done with. It is just a part of your development. I know it was dreadful but you have survived it.”

Henry, with a clear decisiveness, laid his head down on Edwin’s shoulder and made a soft, frustrated sigh. 

“I know, my darling,” Edwin said. He rubbed Henry’s back in the same familiar pattern he had formulated for him, walking him around the room. Charles watched them from the sofa. 

Henry pulled back from Edwin’s shoulder, studying his face with curiosity and vulnerability. It was never more clear to Edwin how desperately the baby depended on him, on Charles, on everyone in his life to make the right choices for him, to take care of him and treat him well. He reflected on his own parents, what little he’d experienced of them. Their choices for him seemed to simply be extensions of the choices they made for themselves. Placing him with his nanny, convenience. Hiring him a tutor, education. Sending him off to boarding school, tradition and, again, convenience. He felt that not once had they ever made a decision on the basis of what he actually needed or wanted from them, apart from not allowing him to perish as an infant. They certainly wouldn’t have done anything that put them into any discomfort or disruption. 

Edwin smiled down at Henry and touched their noses together, giving him a little rub with his nose. Henry reacted immediately. He started to laugh again, that brilliant, gorgeous sound and pressed his hands on Edwin's face. Edwin let him, smiling back at him. "My very good boy,” he praised. 

Finally, it seemed that Henry would accept sleep. Edwin took the opportunity to redress Henry in a clean romper, this one with a cat’s face down the front, and laid him gently in his bed. 

“There we are, my darling,” he said softly, rubbing Henry’s belly as he fell asleep. “It is alright.”

“Edwin?”

“Yes, my darling?”

Edwin was shocked back into clarity when he realised what he’d said and to whom he’d just said it. He jerked his head around to look at Charles, who was looking at him, eyes wide and face red. Once they locked eyes, it was like they couldn’t stop staring at each other, even though Edwin desperately wanted to leave this indiscretion behind and get back to the nice, soft moment he’d been having with Henry. 

Charles finally pulled himself from the sofa and went to stare out of the window, as if whatever was going on out there needed his full attention. This was all Edwin’s fault; before confessing his feelings, a slip-up like that wouldn’t have meant much. Now it all felt coded under Edwin’s feelings. Edwin tried going the opposite direction and tripped over the leg of the bassinet, which was particularly humiliating because he could have easily phased through it. 

It was a good thing no one was here to see this. If anyone happened to walk in, he could just sit down and try to disintegrate. Maybe bring Charles with him.

Thankfully tripping on the cot hadn’t disturbed Henry, as the babe was likely exhausted from his day and ordeal. Edwin shoved his nose into a book near the bookshelf and tried to will himself to die a second time.

--

Two full weeks alone with Charles and Henry leant itself to a considerable amount of reflection. 

Edwin had been waiting quite patiently for Charles to give him an update on his feelings ever since he’d confessed his own. He really hoped Charles figured this out before “forever” occurred. He really needed to either be with Charles or, heartbreakingly, to get over him. This waiting really was purgatory, just an endless lobby of stillness but with desperate longing. Had Charles forgotten? Charles could be a bit absent-minded, given, but surely he couldn’t forget a declaration of love on the steps of hell.

Maybe Edwin was giving him too much credit. 

Edwin didn’t want to press him for an answer or even a sense of where his head was with things. At the same time, Edwin was inadvertently making little tales for himself inside his own head, especially now that Henry was with them—he and Charles devoted and sensible fathers, watching their child and his first steps, first words, seeing the world through Henry’s eyes as he grew and growing closer with him and each other as a result, sneaking away to do…whatever it is two lads did together. He had himself so wrapped up in this alternate reality that he had convinced himself at times that Charles’ lingering looks were confirming that he felt the same way but perhaps did not know how to speak of it. That Charles touching him meant more than it had in the past. So Edwin continued to wait it out. If it literally took “forever” for Charles to fall in love with him, then it would certainly have been worth the wait. And if he never did, Edwin would always have his best friend. 

One good thing to come out of their two week quarantine was getting to utilise Niko’s tablet to find proper clothes for Henry. Edwin searched for what he wanted, with help from Charles to navigate it all, but mostly thanks to Niko shouting instructions through the door, and had them all shipped to the apartment, paying Niko and Crystal back with notes from the cash stash slipped under their door. The items arrived and Edwin fastidiously steamed them all into perfectly pristine and unwrinkled, even as Charles warned him that the clothing was impractical for an infant. 

But, come farmer’s market outing day, Henry was dressed to the nines with a grey jacket on top of a white button-up shirt and grey trousers. Charles insisted that he looked uncomfortable but Henry made no fuss, seemingly excited to go somewhere in his pram. 

Crystal and Niko had drowned the baby in kisses and cuddles when they were permitted to see him again and had dressed themselves in very casual outfits for the outing. Charles and Edwin tagged along with them, walking the distance from the butcher shoppe to the harbour where a few dozen white tents were set up. Initially, they had wanted to go in disguises so that they could take turns holding Henry. However, Henry was a bit leery of their disguises. It was as if he could tell something was off or not quite right. So they accompanied in their traditional ghost forms.

Each tent at the farmer’s market had different wares to sell, from tea leaves to some kind of sparsely dyed clothing to fruits and vegetables to freshly cut flowers. Henry banged his hands on the hold bar of his pram, bouncing excitedly, perhaps at seeing all the people or perhaps at seeing so many new things all at once. He frequently tossed his wizard by accident in his excitement and Charles had to resist the urge to pick it up for him, letting Crystal or Niko do it. Charles proudly commented that Henry had a good batting arm.

The girls stopped at a purveyor of patisserie, the owner remarking on how dapper Henry was. Edwin beamed at Charles as Charles rolled his eyes back at him. A few purchases were made and they continued to wind their way through the market. Edwin was really starting to appreciate the farmer’s market’s appeal. 

They were stopped by a young woman and some type of shepherd on a leash. “He is the cutest!”

Crystal smiled. “Thank you. This is Henry.”

“Hi Henry,” the woman said, stooping down and waving at him. The baby tried grabbing the woman’s sparkly sunglasses but wasn’t close enough. “Is he yours?”

“Oh, he’s…uh. He’s my friend’s,” Crystal stammered, apparently forgetting the cover story of being his mother. 

“Well your friend must be very proud. Bye cutie!”

Charles tried to get Henry to say hello to the dog while Edwin’s attention got pulled elsewhere. He saw a tent with tables filled with colourful creatures on display, dragons and little people and plants and everything imaginable. The tent proudly proclaimed to be selling “3-D printing.” Edwin knew what printing was but 3-D was tripping him up a bit. 

“Niko,” he said, reaching behind himself to try and get her attention. 

Niko came over. “Hey, oh these are all so cute!”

“Niko, could you buy this one for me? I shall pay you back when we return.”

Smiling, Niko asked for the item and paid for it, giving it to Edwin. He proudly put it into the pocket of his coat with plans for later. 

--

It was a successful outing, the girls going home with a couple of cakes as treats as well as a knitted hat with rabbit ears that Niko wore the entire way home. They had bought a little ice cream for Henry that, with Edwin’s permission, they fed to him on a park bench. Henry banged happily, trying to take the spoon from Crystal in his excitement.

On the trek home, the baby was definitely wilting, beginning to get fussy and pulling at his pram as if he wanted out. Charles desperately wanted to carry him home but as a compromise, Niko carried him, and Charles let Henry grab his finger with his little fist when he wasn’t trying to grab one of Niko’s rabbit ears. 

Edwin immediately went to his desk, excited to work on the item he’d purchased from the farmer’s market. He looked through one of his spell books, enjoying the research into finding the perfect spell to enchant the item. Charles put the baby down for a nap while the girls enjoyed their cakes. Henry made soft babbles, looking up at his mobile that Charles had turned on for him.

Edwin spoke his spell in Latin, “Imbue this vessel with conscious light, may it ever provide illumination when needed.”

Charles came over to see what he was working on. “Nice lantern,” he said as it lit up from the inside, thanks to the spell.

“Yes,” Edwin agreed, “it is a gift for Henry. It’s a protective light that will brighten when needed and disappear when it’s not. It’ll also help us find him if he ever gets lost.”

Charles rubbed at his forehead, but sounded like his normal self when he said, “That’s brills, mate.”

Edwin furrowed his brow. “Charles, is your head hurting you again?”

Charles immediately dropped his hand. “Nah, mate, think I just had a smudge there or something.” He smiled his very convincing smile. 

Edwin stared back at him, giving a look that conveyed I know you think you’re very sneaky, but I’m watching you. 

Charles touched Edwin’s shoulder briefly before going to make sure that Henry was settling down. Edwin brought the lantern over and hung it carefully from the rails of Henry’s cot. As the baby slowly blinked his eyes closed, the lantern dimmed itself automatically, helping him rest.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Everything was in a complete upheaval--or perhaps that was just Edwin's insides. Henry was shrieking--not just crying, but actually shrieking as Edwin tried his best to hold onto his flailing limbs and cradle his head. Seeing Charles faint (had he fainted? Ghosts could not faint but this strange affliction of Charles' had already broken many well-established ghost rules) had set both versions of Edwin Payne into alarm. The little version simply did not have the ability to hold his panic inside. The lantern light on Henry's cot was pulsating, as if it too could not determine the right response for this calamity.

Charles had yet to stir from this particular fit. Crystal had pulled his shoulders and head into her lap and was gently trying to rouse him by patting his cheeks and brushing the curls off his forehead. Niko knelt at Charles' side, alternating rubbing the palm of his hand and tickling it with her fingertips. With Crystal still in her gown and Niko in pyjamas, it looked to Edwin like a tableau of a deathbed scene from a play; he tucked that horrible notion away in a locked trunk inside his psyche to never be seen again. Edwin could not hear what the girls were softly saying to Charles or to each other. He could just hear Henry's cries.

"It is alright, Henry," Edwin assured the baby, trying his best to soothe, doing the familiar four stroke, two pat method that normally worked to calm him. He felt utterly useless and cursed the bad timing of holding the baby at the time Charles needed him. How long would Charles stay this way? Why did this keep happening?

"Edwin!" Crystal snapped. Edwin looked over at her, a bit startled. By her tone and the look on her face, he gathered that it was not the first time she had said his name. She managed to soften her voice before saying, "He doesn't need to see this, it's scaring him. You need to take him out into the hall until we make sure Charles is gonna be okay."

Edwin didn't answer, just nodded in agreement and made for the door. He was so out of composure that he nearly forgot he couldn't phase straight through the door while holding Henry, remembering to open the door at the very last moment.

Once in the hall, Henry continued to yell but it was instantly softer than before and less frequent. Edwin bounced the baby on his shoulder, pacing the floor as he waited for the baby to calm, for Charles to wake, for the girls to come fetch him, for this nightmare to be finished. Edwin wanted to scream for being unable to go to Charles, to be the one he saw when he came out of this episode. It hurt, knowing that Charles needed him and he could not be right there, tending to him. But he had a greater responsibility to keep Henry calm and away from the awful sight of seeing Charles hurt and ill.

Henry's infrequent wailing eventually attracted Jenny's attention, making her way up the stairs to see what was happening. Edwin saw his opportunity and pounced upon it. Before she had a chance to ask too many questions, he asserted, "Jenny, please take Henry downstairs. Charles has fallen very ill and I've to look after him."

Jenny, looking half-awake nodded, taking the baby. "It's alright, buddy, let's go downstairs and I'll turn on my neon signs for you." Just like Edwin, Henry was quite enchanted by the brilliant light that was a good neon sign. Hopefully it would be enough to calm and distract him.

Edwin quickly said a thank you to her and phased through the wall back into the office urgently. He came back to much the same scene as he had left, Charles still on the floor and the girls hovering.

"He's coming around," Crystal informed him. Indeed, Charles' eyes were slowly blinking open and restless movement was coming back into his hands.

Edwin dropped to his knees at Charles' side, relief a palpable trickle down his face. He took the hand that Niko was not currently occupying and gently rubbed it between his palms. "Charles. Can you hear me? You are safe, just come back to me. Come back to us." Edwin was still so used to it just being himself that cared for Charles, Charles that cared for him, that in a moment of stress he forgot that the girls loved them too. He was always quick to correct himself.

Charles made a low rumbling sound in his throat and blinked his eyes open in confusion.

Edwin sighed with relief. "There you are; good boy."

With Crystal and Edwin's help, Charles was able to sit up. He shook his head slightly as if to clear it. "Wh'happened?" he said, slurring his words. "I have an episode?"

Edwin swallowed. "Yes. Quite a bad one, I'm afraid. You were out for nearly ten minutes."

Charles' eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Shit..." He suddenly looked around, frantic. "Where's--" Crystal had to grab onto his arms to keep him from standing up too quickly in panic.

"Jenny has him," Edwin assured, taking a softer approach to halting him with a simple raised hand. "He is alright, just upset."

Charles let go of a breath, sinking back against Crystal. "Sorry...sorry everyone. I'm fine."

Niko frowned. "You're not fine," she said quietly. "You need a doctor."

Edwin pinched his mouth tighter. "There is no known ghost doctor that we've ever heard of. The need simply does not exist."

"Cmon," Crystal said, patting Charles on the shoulder. "We're getting you into our bed. Not taking no for an answer."

Charles, of course, tried to present his case that he was well and did not need to lie in bed, that he felt fine after these fits and would not benefit from everyone treating him like an invalid. He was quickly outnumbered, Edwin helping him out of his jacket and then his shoes when he consented to sitting down on the bed. Charles laid his head on Niko's bright, silky pillowcase and allowed Crystal to pull their blanket over him, despite it not having any warming effect on a ghost.

Crystal and Niko pulled back to speak to Edwin, three drawn faces bathed in the soft glow of the room's only lamp.

"I know you've been to Tragic Mick about these symptoms before," Crystal began, "but this is getting worse. Maybe there's something else." She gave a look to Niko and nodded. "We're gonna go talk to him, at least try to get some info. Maybe he knows of a ghost doctor."

"Right," Niko added, "and if not, maybe he has some new ideas or some new magical enchanted things in his shop."

As hopeless as it seemed, Edwin nodded in agreement. He knew well the looks on Crystal and Niko's faces. They wanted to do something, something to help Charles. He couldn't deny them getting to try.

"You stay here with Charles," Crystal added as if Edwin would be anywhere else.

He stopped short of seeing them out. "Wait--Henry--I..."

"We'll bring his crib over so you can put him to bed," Niko said.

"I'll go relieve Jenny of midnight Hallowe'en babysitting," Crystal said. They both left Edwin alone with his thoughts momentarily. Supernatural activity tended to increase over the days close to Hallowe'en. Perhaps that is why this episode had been so severe for Charles. Edwin had been so preoccupied with the danger they might face with Henry out on Hallowe'en night that he had forgotten to consider how the increased psychic energy could affect Charles. He glanced over at Charles, who was courteous enough to have his eyes closed and fake being at rest while everyone talked about him.

A screeching noise from the hall gathered Edwin's attention and he opened the door to help Niko bring the bassinet inside. She brought a nappy changing bag with formula, nappies, small towels and Henry's stuffed wizard. Skelly the skeleton dog was already happily nestled into the corner of the bassinet underneath Henry's lantern, which was back to a steady, soft glow.

Crystal brought the baby up next, who was rubbing his eyes but valiantly trying to keep them open. "Jenny warmed up a bottle for him," Crystal said as she handed Henry over to Edwin. "She said he might need a change before bed but otherwise, he's ready to go down."

Edwin stroked Henry's back, feeling the quakes that remained after his earlier sobbing had finally died down. Henry looked over Edwin's shoulder at Charles, curiosity and concern on his face. Edwin carried him over and sat Henry in the middle of the bed so he could see Charles.

Charles immediately sat up halfway. "Hey little mate," he said, sounding like a close approximation of himself. "They're putting me down for a nap now. Can you believe that?"

Henry's eyes studied Charles and then he pressed his hand into Charles' face. Charles tapped Henry's nose with one finger in return. Henry made a noise that was begrudgingly pleased, seeming to say You're forgiven for scaring me but don't ever let it happen again. Edwin allowed the two of them a few minutes to reconnect. The girls quickly changed out of their costumes in their bathroom and into clothes they could go out in. Edwin took off his jacket, rolling up his sleeves out of habit.

"Alright, enough excitement for one evening," Edwin said, picking up Henry once the baby seemed satisfied that Charles was alright. "I need both of you to rest." Henry continued rubbing his eyes as Edwin carried him across the hall for a quick nappy change and to redress him for bed while the girls left for Mick's. "You've stayed up quite past bedtime, my darling. You must be absolutely knackered."

He brought Henry back to Niko and Crystal's apartment and laid him in his bassinet. Henry started to fall asleep right away, little head falling to one side, completely drained from the busy evening. The lantern gently dimmed above him, helping ease him to sleep. Edwin went to the bed to check on Charles, only to find that Charles was already watching him.

"Yes?" Edwin said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"As I keep saying: I'm aces. Crystal and Niko bullied me into this bed; don't tell me you're gonna make me stay here, mate."

"Afraid so. Else they'll bully me too when they return."

Charles shrugged. "Worth a go." He scuttled back toward the edge of the bed. "You might as well get comfortable."

Edwin's brow furrowed. 'Get comfortable.' He rolled that one over in his brain for a moment. Edwin did not have a manual for this situation but if he did, it would probably be called something like The Dos and Donts of an Unexpected Romantic Invitation by Your Oblivious, Infirm and Devastatingly Handsome Best Friend. With a carefully quiet inhale and no other guidelines for this, Edwin went hammer and tongs and climbed into bed beneath the blankets, his body facing Charles. He laid his head on Crystal's pillow and managed to look at Charles in the eye, but only just. Charles smiled roguishly back at him. "Just a matter of time before I got you into bed, wasn't it?"

Edwin laughed, a sound like a distressed budgie. So funny, Charles. I might strangle you. He cleared his throat. "You ought to be resting."

Charles' smile dimmed. "I'll be alright, yeah? No need for all the fuss."

"Was there a vision this time?" Edwin asked before he could tactfully shove that curious question aside.

Charles looked down, his gaze landing somewhere at Edwin's chest. "There was," he admitted. Charles closed his eyes, his face drawing in slightly as he concentrated. "A flash of words, maybe?" He shook his head, face pinching even more. "Vessel? It makes no sense, mate...but when I was in the middle of the vision, it made perfect sense somehow." Charles opened his eyes with a smile that was anything but modest. "Always been lucky. Maybe it's a good thing. Just wish I'd stop fucking keeling over all the time."

Edwin swallowed. "I don't know what to do," he admitted. "I don't know how to help you." Every helplessness he felt with Henry was blurring and mixing with the helplessness he felt for Charles. He couldn't even determine what the bloody hell was happening to Charles, leaving him with a fraction of a chance to actually fix him. Edwin swiped angrily at the wetness under his eyes. He couldn't break down when Charles needed him to stay strong.

Charles' face softened and he nudged closer. "Flip over."

"What?"

"Face that way." He indicated the far wall. Edwin obeyed, sniffling a little but trying to be quiet about it as he rolled away from Charles. He froze when he felt Charles shift closer until they were in the same position they'd been on the couch all those months ago, when Henry was only a wee thing. When Charles didn't move, didn't ask anything of him, Edwin relaxed, letting their bodies fit together in that perfect, made for each other way that he now thought about constantly.

Charles lifted a hand and began stroking Edwin's back: four long, smooth strokes and two soft pats. The same pattern that worked to soothe Henry. Apparently, Charles had observed Edwin doing it and had deduced that the same ministration could comfort Edwin. Edwin laughed through his tears. "I am supposed to be the one attending to you, Charles."

Charles kept stroking and patting. The feeling it gave Edwin was indescribable. "I know. But it makes me feel better to make you feel better."

Edwin couldn't help but smile. Couldn't help but love Charles. Couldn't help but wonder if Charles was the universe's way of making up for the horrors of experiencing hell. With a brief look over at the sleeping baby in his cot, Edwin certainly couldn't conceive of a heaven better than this one.

--

Eventually Charles became restless and moved himself over to one of Niko and Crystal's chairs in their kitchenette. This is not what Edwin preferred he do for several reasons but he didn't argue. Charles did, after all, seem to be back to himself, just as he always did, and that included a fair amount of fidgeting and movement. Edwin joined him at the table, playing one of the girls' board games, Snakes and Ladders, trying to be quiet and not disturb Henry.

Since it was still the early hours when the girls finally returned, the group convened in the Dead Boy Detectives office across the hall with both doors open so they could hear Henry if he woke.

Edwin was ready to hear what they had found out right away so skipped the pleasantries. "Any updates?"

Crystal took a breath, handing Edwin a card which read tiffany lightfoot, special medical services rendered. "So Mick told us about this witch doctor..."

"But she prefers not to be called that," Niko piped in.

"Right, right. She's a witch and a doctor," Crystsl amended. "Mick said she was a bit of a strange case, but she has been known to use magic and enchantments to help cure supernatural sicknesses before."

"That's brills, right Edwin?" Charles said, poking Edwin with his elbow.

Edwin turned the card over in his hand. "What is the catch?"

Crystal shrugged. "Her house is in the forest and really, really difficult to find. Supposedly, most people can only find it once they've been invited."

"So how do we go about getting an invite?" Charles asked.

"That's the good news," Niko said, pointing at the card. "Mick was already invited so you can use that card to find her."

Edwin nodded appreciatively. "And the bad news?"

--

The bad news, as it turned out, was that the witch doctor, or Dr Tiffany, as was her preference, was notoriously cryptic. Often the beings who approached her for help were given a method of treating symptoms, a method of transforming their malady into something else, or simply a riddle that may or may not have to do with their problem, rather than an outright cure. Apparently, she only gave a true cure to those she favoured. Of course, this knowledge only caused Charles to state that he was well-known for being likable and could charm anyone onto his side. As facetious as that was, Edwin couldn't help but bore down to the nugget of truth in it: that, as Charles liked to say, everyone liked him eventually. He only hoped they would have enough time with Dr Tiffany for her to warm up to Charles, if by chance she did not take to him immediately.

The girls needed sleep after a long night of Hallowe'en festivities and information seeking so Edwin and Charles carefully rolled the bassinet back to their office to keep an eye on Henry. It was decided that once the girls had gotten a chance to rest, they would watch Henry while Edwin and Charles ventured off in search of the doctor.

Charles put a finger to his lips and tiptoed away from the bassinet so that he wouldn't disturb the baby. Edwin followed suit and joined him on the sofa. Edwin's eyes naturally went to Henry's sparkle flowers sitting on the windowsill, a bit of street light reflecting off the glitter. They were proper flowers now, petals spreading out so wide that soon all four that had sprung up would need a transplant into their own containers.

Charles eventually followed his gaze. "Brills that those don't need any watering. They just grow no matter what."

Edwin agreed. "Very easy to care for. And quite lovely."

"You know you're doing like, totally amazing, right?"

"Hmm?"

"At being a dad. Henry's ten times better off than he would be with anyone else, isn't he."

Edwin scoffed a little. He didn't know what Charles' game was but he suspected it was distraction from his illness, so Edwin was happy to play along. "I think you are forgetting the elephant in the room."

Charles grinned. "Which one?"

Edwin forced himself to laugh. Best not pull at that thread. "That you are the better father of the two of us. Henry adores you."

"Ah, he likes me because I'm fun. Of course he does. But when he needs someone, he reaches for you. You're the one who knows how to take care of him the best. You're the one who does all the research and figures out what to do for each month--each week, really. You're the one keeping all those diaries of his progress. You make a big difference, mate."

Edwin wanted to focus on what Charles was saying, truly he did. But sadly it only reminded him of his failings in trying to help Charles. All the research he could get his hands on didn't change that Charles' condition was getting worse and that all Edwin could do was watch and feel powerless to reverse things. That's why this witch doctor, this Dr Tiffany had to help them. Edwin was willing to do whatever was necessary to get a cure from her hands.

Feeling the courage given him by his newfound hope, Edwin placed his hand atop his best friend's. "Thank you, Charles. You make a big difference, as well. Much more than you realise."

--

Armed with only Charles' backpack--given that if Charles remembered everything, it would have any number of items they might require on this quest--Edwin and Charles set off late the next morning for the doctor. They both gave Henry their goodbyes and left him with the girls and his Skelly to occupy him long enough for them to slip through the mirror. The calling card from Tragic Mick worked astoundingly well. With it in one hand, and another hand on the mirror, Edwin felt a firm tug that pointed him where to go. Charles placed a hand on his shoulder and they stepped through.

They arrived in a heavily wooded area, reminiscent of a jungle Edwin had once read about in an adventure book from his childhood. Thick vines draped across the canopy above them and trees as tall as Edwin could see towered over them. A single mirror propped against one of those trees, their entrance to this strange place, was the only object that didn't quite fit. Just to be on the safe side, Edwin placed an enchanted homing stone next to the mirror so they'd be able to find their way back.

Holding the calling card in his palm once again, Edwin felt that inexplicable tug urging him forward. With a single glance at Charles, he lead the way.

It was a surprisingly long trek through the jungle, stepping over large rocks and fallen logs in their path. Charles walked just behind Edwin, a habit of his to be sure he had Edwin's back at all times. Edwin didn't necessarily mind it most of the time, but it was a nuisance when he was trying to monitor Charles' condition. So they compromised by keeping up a conversation.

"Reckon we're in the rain forest?" Charles asked.

"I would not think so," Edwin answered, stepping around another pile of rocks. "It is not quite as humid as it should be, so my assumption is that we are not in an actual forest or jungle, but rather, a plane that exists to mimic one."

"Aces. How'd you figure it out?"

Edwin paused to turn over one of the rocks he'd just stepped past. "Because some of these 'rocks'," he nodded at the one he'd rolled over, "are made of plastic."

"Bloody hell," Charles said with surprise. He immediately stooped down to turn over more rocks and then to inspect some flowers and then started pulling at one of the vines to find its end.

"Charles, you're missing the point."

Charles dusted off his hands and stood back up. "What's that, mate?"

"That we are likely being watched." Edwin nodded to a bluebird nestled into a tree that had its gaze unwaveringly fixed upon them, and had been that way since Edwin had stopped to show Charles the rocks.

"Crikey," Charles remarked. "Right then. Just keep moving, you think?"

Edwin nodded, leading the way again. They continued walking for over an hour, if Edwin's pocket watch was keeping accurate time here. They passed several more watchful bluebirds on their path, each one seeming to be just a little more hidden than the last. Edwin was beginning to think that this was a great waste of time, some witch's idea of a joke to have them aimlessly walk through a false jungle. He was just about to turn to Charles and suggest that they turn back when he saw something ahead that stood out from all the trees and greenery. It was a strange single-story brown brick building with a chimney blowing out puffs of smoke. If anything, Edwin had been expecting that they would find the witch doctor in some sort of cottage or tree house in this setting. He glanced down at the card in his hand only to watch it melt and drip off his glove to the floor below.

"This must be it," Edwin said. "The calling card has dissolved. She must be in that building."

"Brills. Getting tired of walking." Edwin looked at him with worry and started to ask Charles about it but Charles quickly amended, "Bored of walking. Not tired. Let's go."

Edwin let that one pass as they were, spirits willing, about to finally get some answers. He and Charles made their way through the fake rocks and trees all the way up to the small brick dwelling. Edwin knocked sharply to announce their arrival.

No sooner had his knuckles left the door that it swung open and a woman was greeting them. "Hello, Edwin and Charles," she said. Her accent was American, a particular dialect that Edwin could not quite place. She had a very warm and welcoming face, a dark complexion and hair twisted back into a tight bun. She wore a flowered dress that clung tightly to her with a low neckline. "I have been expecting you. Please come in." The woman stood aside to allow them to pass. "And yes, I was watching you. Great observation, Edwin. I watch everything that goes on here. I'm Dr Tiffany Lightfoot." Her gentle manner instantly put Edwin at ease so he stepped through the door with Charles close behind. Dr Tiffany closed the door behind them. "Now, I know you're ghosts but I still have to ask: would either of you like something to drink?"

"Very kind of you," Edwin said, "but we will have to decline."

"Are you sure? What about a snack? I just made fresh bread."

Charles smiled pleasantly. "No thanks, we're aces, doc."

Dr Tiffany lead the two of them to a sofa set up with a chair on either side and a third chair facing it. She took the third chair and beckoned them to sit down. Edwin and Charles sat together on the sofa and faced the doctor. She settled out the skirt of her dress to lie flat upon her knees.

"So tell me what brings you here," the doctor said, full attention on them. It felt to Edwin as if she had no other priorities but their visit. He tried to keep his guard up, as they had never met this person before, and for all intents and purposes had just wandered up to her home uninvited. But something about her pleasant eyes and the friendly way that she spoke kept him at ease. 

Charles began to speak, presumably to answer her question but Edwin halted him with a raised hand. "Before we go any further, we have a few questions about your qualifications." The doctor nodded graciously. "So...you are a witch."

She smiled. "I am. But a good witch like Glenda."

Edwin frowned, turning to Charles to see if he had any idea who Glenda was. Charles said, "It's a Wizard of Oz reference, mate. A film."

Edwin nodded. Despite not believing in 'good witches', he continued his questioning. "You have medicinal training, I gather?"

"Yes of course," was her simple answer.

Edwin quirked his lip slightly. That hadn't gotten him very far. "What did your training consist of?"

Tiffany smiled, bright white teeth on display. "Every skill I learned was a trial by fire." She unfolded her arms from her lap, exposing the undersides. They were covered in colourful and depictive scars. "Treat a yeti monster's bad bile?" She pointed to a blue scar in the shape of a drop of blood. "Splint a sprite's cracked wing?" Here she indicated a green scar shaped like a leaf. "I could go on but your energy is nervous. I sense that you would like your friend's cure right away." Edwin didn't respond; there was no reason to deny her assessment. Dr Tiffany crossed her legs, turning toward Charles. "Tell me what's been going on, Charles," she said, in such a soft and thoughtful voice that Edwin was put at ease once more.

Charles moved forward to the edge of the sofa, hands folded across his knees. "I started having these...episodes, we're calling them. I would get a little bit dizzy, sometimes get a headache but...didn't think much of them, did I." Charles looked down at his folded hands. "Then it started getting worse. I totally space out, don't even feel like I'm in my own body. Well, like more than I normally do anyway. The headaches have gotten, like, really bad. And I've had these visions, visions of losing Edwin, visions of this black abyss, blue or purple colours, the word 'vessel'..." He looked back up at the doctor. "I dunno what to do."

Dr Tiffany rose to standing carefully and crossed the room in her bare feet to stand beside Charles. "May I touch?" she asked, her body language open and relaxed, not moving to do anything without permission. Charles nodded and she placed a hand on his forehead. Edwin watched her closely, trying to determine if she was going to try to cast a spell or read his mind or some other nefarious act. He was ready to respond in kind if need be.

The doctor's eyes fluttered beneath her eyelids and Edwin heard her mumble, "So much power..." The few strands of her hair not tucked into the bun were flowing about her face as if she were underwater.

After a few moments concentrating, Dr Tiffany pulled back, completely composed once again. "I need a little more information," she said, her tone giving Edwin a sense of serenity, calm. "Charles, is it alright if I use my magic to induce an episode?"

Charles furrowed his brow but looked at Edwin. Edwin immediately wanted to argue. "Is that safe? He was completely unresponsive for nearly ten minutes at his last episode, which, by the way, was less than 24 hours ago."

Dr Tiffany smiled without her teeth this time. "It does sound scary, I know. But it will help me treat him the best I can. I'll make absolutely sure that I take every precaution."

Charles nodded immediately. "I trust her, Edwin. I don't mind letting her use magic on me."

Edwin fisted his hands and pressed them together. His logic kept nagging at him that this was all ill-conceived, dangerous, foolish. But something about the doctor continued to make him feel that he could trust her. "I suppose, if that will help your diagnostic process," he said finally.

Tiffany nodded with a patient smile. "Charles lie down on the sofa. You can even put your head in Edwin's lap if you would like." She left the two of them briefly to retrieve what looked like a spell book.

With a flicker of a smile, Charles turned sideways and laid his head in Edwin's lap. Edwin had to forcefully control his own fingers lest they make their mutinous way into Charles' dark, pretty curls. "Are you alright?" Edwin asked. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"It's brills," Charles replied, moving his shoulders to get more comfortable. "She sounds like she can help me."

"If you change your mind..."

Dr Tiffany joined them again, kneeling beside Charles. "Are you ready?" She raised both hands, her scars glowing and pulsating with energy. Charles looked up at Edwin and then nodded.

Edwin began to get a painful sinking feeling inside him as the doctor reached over Charles. The feeling got stronger and more insistent until he finally shouted, "No, stop!" and batted her hands away.

The doctor simply smiled at him, her scars no longer glowing. "Did I do something to offend you?"

Edwin placed a hand to Charles' shoulder, rubbing absently. "No, no. Apologies. We would..." He looked at Charles regretfully. "I would just prefer we did not induce an episode here. Is there something else you can do to help him?"

Dr Tiffany rose again to her feet. "I believe I know what is going on with you, Charles." She padded away to the door on bare feet. "All I can do is wish you well and give you a bit of amethyst to protect you from any negative or evil spirit that might try to take advantage of you during an episode." She opened the door, Charles and Edwin taking their cue to leave. "Here," the witch doctor said gently, placing a small item in Charles' hand. Edwin looked over his friend's shoulder to see that it was a gold banded ring with purple amethyst stones inlaid into it. He wanted to throw it across the room for all the good it would do.

Edwin paused in the doctor's doorway. "Please, is there nothing else you can do for him? What did you mean when you said 'so much power'?"

Dr Tiffany gave him a sympathetic look. "There are some conditions that I do not treat." She turned to Charles. "Pay attention to your visions. Goodbye now." And with that, she closed the door in their faces. As the door shut, Edwin thought he saw a flicker of rage in the doctor's face, but he could not be certain.

Edwin felt a slow sensation creep over him. It was as if he was sliding down into his bones after having been removed from them. Charles made a noise and Edwin looked over to see him looking confused.

"That was...she was so nice but..." Charles muttered. He shrugged his backpack over his shoulder, choosing to place the amethyst ring into his coat pocket rather than into the backpack like his other amethyst charm.

Edwin swallowed. "I think we were under her magic from the moment we stepped inside. Charles, you're--" Edwin rushed to put a hand on Charles, who was phasing in and out. "Charles. Stay with me. Alright?"

Charles looked down at his hands then squeezed his eyes shut. "Was she...zapping our energy or something? While being nice to our faces?"

"It appears that way. It looks to have affected you more significantly, perhaps because you were already in a weakened state when we arrived." Edwin kept his hands on Charles firmly, determined to keep him tethered to this plane. He glanced at the dwelling they had just left and it had suddenly changed--it was falling in on itself, dilapidated and collapsing. Instead of a bluebird, now a single vulture sat upon the smokeless chimney, watching them with narrowed eyes. Edwin focused his attention back on Charles, letting him compose himself. As soon as he was certain Charles would no longer phase out, Edwin asked, "Can you continue, Charles?"

"Yeah, mate. No worries."

Edwin nodded. "Come on. We need to get out of here."

--

The walk through the fake jungle was just as tedious as before but with every step away from the brick building where they'd found the witch doctor, Edwin started to feel a little better and Charles confirmed that he did as well. It was a good thing Edwin used an incantation to show them the way back to the mirror. He was glad he'd left it there because everything he passed seemed unfamiliar now. He continued to dutifully follow the tug of his spell, trusting it would guide them. By his estimate, they were about halfway there when Charles tugged lightly on the sleeve of Edwin's coat. Edwin turned to see what the matter was and immediately felt a thrill of panic.

Charles looked ghastly. He was doubled over, hands resting upon his knees and panting. "Sorry, mate, sorry...need to...take a break."

"Christ, Charles, you might've told me sooner," Edwin scolded. When Charles did not immediately respond, just gasping with his eyes closed, Edwin moved closer to him, hands out at the ready to stablise him if needed. "Alright, easy. Slow and steady, yes?" Charles nodded, slowing his breaths with some difficulty. "Good lad, yes. Good boy. Let me help you walk the rest of the way. Or I could carry you if you would like."

"Nah, nah," Charles waved him off. "I'll be right as rain in just a tick."

Edwin was not having it. He was absolutely sick of Charles downplaying what he was going through. Being told by the witch doctor that there was nothing they could do was just the final nail in the coffin. "Charles, look at yourself!" Edwin said, gesturing at him wildly. "You cannot keep this up. You are unwell with an unknown malady and you're getting much worse. Lying to me about it is only pushing me away. I cannot fix you and I fear that is the greatest transgression I have ever committed against you, but I can at least try to ease your suffering in some ways. But you must tell me what your suffering is."

Charles squared up against him, glaring at Edwin. Despite how awful that image was when turned on him, Edwin could read the fear and the hurt in Charles' eyes underlining the anger, just like the makeup lines drawn beneath his eyelashes emphasised how soft and big and warm his eyes were. "I know you're scared, mate," Charles began, visibly taking his words out carefully. "But this? This is awful for me. I hate being ill, Edwin. It's shite. I don't want this to be me. Only thing good about being dead was...well being with you and the fact that this sort of thing couldn't happen. So if I wanna cope with it by not worrying you, that's what I'm gonna do, aren't I." Charles dropped to one knee, collapsing like he had by the lighthouse all those months ago after encountering the night nurse.

Edwin sank to his knees in front of Charles, taking his hand slowly, ready to give it back if Charles snatched it away. But he didn't; Charles let him hold onto his hand, so Edwin stroked the back of it gently. "Okay," Edwin murmured with a soft smile. "If that is what you need, I will respect your wish. But know that ever since the day we met, a day has not passed where I have not worried about you." Charles looked up at Edwin with watery eyes. "It is my privilege, Charles, to be concerned about your well-being. And that has been the case long before you became ill."

Charles managed a laugh, wet sounding from his tears. "That figures," he said. "Worrying about your arse keeps me pretty well-occupied, doesn't it."

Edwin chuckled. "Quite a pair, aren't we?" He kept rubbing Charles' hand, enjoying the intimacy of it. "I suppose we are destined to look after each other. One of the nice little treats the universe threw at us."

Charles nodded in agreement. "Also, just by the way, could you keep calling me 'good boy'? Like...like all the fucking time?"

Edwin sighed. "Liked that one, did you? Charles Rowland, whatever will I do with you?"

"Well..." Charles began, reaching into his coat pocket. "What would you do if I did...this?" He pulled out the amethyst ring and smooth as silk, he slid it onto Edwin's ring finger.

Edwin playfully rolled his eyes, moving to give the ring straight back. "Charles, do not be absurd. That is meant to help you--" Edwin stopped short. He stared down at his hand. Charles had put the ring on Edwin's ring finger. On Edwin's wedding ring finger. Edwin's mouth dropped open in shock and his eyes flew up to meet Charles'. Confident brown eyes looked back at him, unwavering. And then, before his brain could be consulted on the matter, Edwin thrust himself forward and kissed Charles. Their teeth bumped together from the momentum but he didn't let that discourage him. His hands went to Charles' face, soft skin beneath his fingertips. Edwin could feel Charles' lips so distinctly. It was nothing like kissing Monty or the cat king. He had felt nothing on those occasions whether physically or emotionally. But kissing Charles felt like everything. It was as if the other two kisses he'd experienced were weak imitations of the real thing. If Edwin had had a million years to imagine the feel of pressing his lips to Charles', his poor imagination could never have come up with anything close to this sensation. He realised moments into the kiss that there was a taste to Charles' lips. Dead for over a hundred years, and Charles was the first thing he'd ever tasted. It was salty, sweet, bitter, warm and electric.

And then, with a burst of pure dazzling joy, Edwin realised that Charles was kissing him back. Edwin pressed even more fervently toward him, a hand going to his hair as Charles wrapped both arms around Edwin and pulled him in. Charles' lips were smiling against his and Edwin chased that feeling, chased the flavour of him.

When they finally parted, Edwin's head was spinning. He watched Charles' face, trying to read how the other felt about their kiss. For a moment, Edwin swore he saw Charles looking pleased. But that expression, if it had ever really been there in the first place, faded into confusion.

"Edwin...I can't believe you just did that," Charles remarked with a little laugh.

Edwin's insides curdled and then froze over. It was wrong, he had forced himself on Charles, when Charles wasn't ready or maybe did not want...but Charles had kissed him back. Was that simply an involuntary response on Charles' part? Charles did not like lads, Edwin reminded himself. He liked girls. He did not return Edwin's feelings. Edwin had read the situation incorrectly. He was always doing that, trying so hard to pick apart and organise the emotions and actions of others and he was often unsuccessful. Edwin had to retreat, withdraw,backpedal immediately. Again without his brain getting a chance to intervene, he blurted, "Charles, I am so sorry. That was a mistake."

Charles' mirthful expression dropped like he had been slapped. "Oh...a mistake? Really?" he said quietly.

Edwin moved to extricate himself from Charles, feeling the need to move their bodies apart, to cut and run. He unintentionally pushed too hard too quickly and knocked Charles over. "Dammit, Charles, I..." Edwin stood up and presented his hand to help Charles back up. Everything was spiraling out of control faster than he could keep up. “I am sorry.”

Charles ignored Edwin's offered hand, slowly picking himself up from the dirt. "Nah, it's alright, innit. Just an accident. A mistake. Can we go?" Without waiting for Edwin to react, Charles hefted his backpack up once again and began walking in the general direction they had been going before.

Edwin followed him, having to rush to keep up. Charles seemed in quite the hurry to get back and Edwin did not blame him. Edwin wanted to slice open his own skull and observe his brain to try to figure out what the bloody hell was wrong with him. Charles was clearly hurt and Edwin could not tell whether that was because Edwin coerced a kiss out of him or because Edwin had immediately tried to take it back.

However, Edwin did know that calling their first kiss a 'mistake' had been an absolutely rancid response. Here was the perfect opportunity laid at his feet and he'd called it a mistake. It went beyond stupid. There wasn't even a word for what he had done.

Still wearing the amethyst ring, Edwin followed Charles back to the out of place mirror, in the most uncomfortable silence he and Charles had ever shared.

Chapter Text

In the most general and vague terms possible, things were...okay. Every childish schoolboy fear that Edwin had ever cultivated, fears that Charles would immediately go back to Crystal and Niko and tell them of the hopelessly shameful Kiss, of how Edwin had slyly gotten a kiss out of him whilst his guard was down, turned out to be unfounded. Charles was graciously silent on the matter, which was somehow even worse. Living in the liminal state between knowing the Kiss happened and pretending it did not because Charles and he did not talk about it was disagreeable. It was a bit of an affront to Edwin's pride, knowing that, at least for himself, the kiss was good. Spectacular, even. But, without knowing how Charles felt about it, he was sadly unable to get any enjoyment out of replaying the memory. It honestly felt like it belonged up there with his milder horror reels.

Soon after trying to get a cure from the witch doctor, the dynamics of the Dead Boy Detectives Agency changed significantly. Without any hope of fixing Charles' illness, Crystal had made the executive decision to officially place Charles on desk/babysitting duty. "No buts," Crystal had said, decisively, even though Charles had given no protest. "You have been outvoted. It's dangerous for you to be out on cases when you could collapse at any time and be down for the count. So, you can do detective work from the office, and someone will stay with you to take care of Henry when we have to leave for a case."

Charles had taken it remarkably well, telling Crystal that he certainly understood and that it was for the best. He even smiled his most reassuring smile, telling Henry excitedly that they would be able to spend more time together. But Edwin knew the telltale signs: the slight tremor in Charles' jaw, the way his eyes seemed a little too crinkled, the way he moved almost too casually. Charles was absolutely devastated.

As a result, Edwin grew far pickier over what cases they would accept, choosing few and far between that would create long hours away from the office, away from Charles. The cases that he did take, where Niko or Crystal would accompany him, took far longer to solve without Charles to bounce things off of, and without Charles' quick thinking.

Meanwhile, Charles used the extra office hours to throw himself into researching alternative ways of treating his illness, trying to find answers that would make the condition easier, for lack of the ability to erase it completely. His studies eventually centered on Eastern practises, meditation mostly, and he took it quite seriously. Edwin took the liberty of following up behind him and found that, indeed, according to his readings, centering one's mind and body could, in fact be of benefit to managing symptoms of all kinds of illnesses. Charles also told him that doing a meditative practise made him feel closer to his mother, who had at times taken Charles to sit beneath a big tree in their garden and taught him how to breathe. So Edwin fully supported Charles in his endeavours, giving him some advising here or there but mostly letting him set his own steps. Just as Henry had a feeding and sleep schedule, Charles had daily meditation regiments that he was diligent in keeping to. As the weeks progressed on, incredibly, Charles found himself having fewer and shorter fits, headaches lessened and dizziness manageable. Charles was even able to experience his visions during his meditation, rather than having them surprise him during a fit. The first full week he went without a single episode with a collapse was two weeks before Christmas.

Henry was standing propped against Charles' chest, small feet planted on either of Charles' thighs, making small bounces, as he was wont to do these days. Without even needing to do much speculation, Edwin knew that this was a natural technique for Henry to strengthen his legs so that he may eventually stand and then walk unassisted. Charles had has hands close to the baby's middle in case his bounces sent him careening too far in any direction.

"That's fun, innit Henry?" Charles said as the baby laughed. "You love a good bounce."

Edwin came to take Henry, as he knew it was nearing Charles' afternoon meditation. "Hopefully you have not jostled your stomach too much to be able to eat, hmm?" he said as Henry babbled, looking back at Charles.

"See you in a little bit, little mate," Charles said, folding his legs underneath him to get into Padmasana, lotus position, for his meditation.

Without as much time devoted to the detective agency, Edwin found himself partnering with Charles more and more as a co-parent, taking lots of care to teach Henry new skills as well as spending time playing with him. Although, play was probably a poor term compared to Charles' mastery of the activity. What Edwin did was more of leisurely learning than anything.

As he set Henry in his high chair to eat, Henry made a distinctively curious noise, reaching for the ring on Edwin's left hand. Edwin smiled, letting him see it closer.

Edwin had dithered on the matter of the amethyst ring. Should he give it back? Would that make things worse? What if Charles had actually meant something in giving it to him? Or what if wearing it just reminded Charles of the moment when Edwin lost control and threw himself at him like a fawning maiden? Edwin had fiddled with the blasted thing for days and weeks, spinning it round and round his finger until it actually grew shiny on the inside. In the end, he decided to keep it. Unless Charles were to ask for it back, of course. He reasoned that the ring was meant to help protect Charles and therefore, Edwin wearing it would be the next best thing to having Charles wear it. Edwin would be around him most of the time, after all, and he could insure that it was not lost to Charles' pockets or pocket universe. Regardless, Edwin continued wearing it and tried his utmost to not think too much about the implications.

Henry quickly lost interest in the ring as the appeal of mushed carrots came into play. He reached for the spoon in Edwin's hand and Edwin let him take it, helping to guide his hand up to his mouth. "Well done, Henry," he praised. Evidently praise was very valuable in encouraging positive behaviour and the persistence of new skills, at least according to the up to date readings Edwin had gotten hold of. They played out this scene until Henry grew tired of reaching for the spoon and distracted himself with smearing orange-coloured puree around his tray table. "I think perhaps you're done," Edwin ascertained aloud. "Shall we go and see what's become of the snow outside?"

With a quick wash of Henry's chin and hands, Edwin hoisted the baby against his hip and took him to look out of the window. The snow was melting from a few days ago. Niko and Crystal had enjoyed playing in it a bit, but Charles had seemed unsettled by it. He had placed towels near to the fireplace to warm them while they had gone to have their snowball fights. The girls continued to enjoy their winter wonderland adventure until what was essentially a miniature snowdrift that had collected on the windowsill fell on top of their heads from one storey above. They had returned cold, wet and shivering. Charles had given out the heated towels while he instructed them to get out of their wet clothes. Edwin hadn't read too much into it, other than the fact that Charles had died cold and shivering and likely associated that fear with the snowy conditions.

Edwin made a stop by the other window so Henry could take a look at his sparkling garden's progress. Henry reached for one of the flowers, apparently cultivating an affinity for all things shiny.

"Edwin," Charles mumbled. Edwin turned around to look but Charles still had his eyes serenely closed. He sometimes said a word or two during his meditations so Edwin went back to entertaining Henry. A few minutes later, with more urgency, Charles said, "Edwin...not safe." This time, Edwin went to him and tried to engage with him.

"Charles, I am here. Can you hear me?" He shifted Henry onto his shoulder as he reached to carefully tap Charles but stopped himself short. Physical contact with Charles had been...different since the Kiss. Edwin had been more reticent to show affection this way, and Charles had definitely picked up on it. What a mess. "Charles," he said again, trying to get his muddled feelings out of the way.

Charles eyes snapped open and he startled. "Uh...uh, bad," he said ineloquently. "Sorry, no. It's not safe here, mate. Take Henry across the hall."

Edwin paused. "Did you have a vision, Charles? What's unsafe?'

Charles was on his feet by this point, grabbing up his backpack. In lieu of waiting for Edwin to heed his words, Charles flipped him around to turn in the direction of the door and pushed him forward, making sure that Edwin had a good hold on Henry as he did. "Go," Charles told him bluntly, following him out the door and to the girls' apartment. The girls were out at the moment, Crystal at school and Niko running errands. As Edwin stood there holding Henry, who badly wanted to get down by the sound of his frustrated noises and the squirming, Charles withdrew his cricket bat from the backpack. "Stay here. Stay quiet," he asserted, heading back to the office.

Edwin sat down at the far side of the kitchenette table, at least wanting to put an object between himself with the baby and whatever danger to which Charles was referring. He waited, holding his breath and listening for Charles, for the sound of a demon, a crashing noise, any sound whatsoever. Here he was, yet again, holding the baby while Charles might need him.

But nothing ever happened. Charles came back, looking rather self-conscious. "Sorry, I thought..." He assiduously tucked the cricket bat back into his pack.

"Did you have a vision that something was going to happen, Charles?" Edwin asked, finally allowing Henry to sit upon the floor where he pulled on one of the table legs.

Charles shook his head and sighed. "No, not a vision. I just had this feeling that something bad was gonna happen there. I've got no idea where it fucking came from, mate."

Edwin bit the inside of his lip. He, of course, did not want for there to be any danger going on that Charles would have faced alone, but he felt a pang of empathy at the look on Charles' face. He just seemed so downtrodden these days and a false alarm was definitely a hit to his ego.

Decidedly, Edwin got to his feet. "We ought to go for a bit of a walk later when the girls return," he said. "I've been eager to see how the snow drifts have settled throughout Port Townsend."

Charles smiled sadly. "I get it. You feel sorry for me. It's fine. I'm a mental case, aren't I."

Edwin felt another snap of empathy. "Charles, that is not it at all. You are not a mental case. You are ill, but with all your hard work, you are getting better each day. I'm extremely proud of you. Please know that."

Charles smiled at him, seeming to want to move on from Edwin's compliments. "Okay. Yeah, a walk sounds nice."

--

Edwin was talking through Henry's day so far in order to prepare Niko for an hour taking care of him. "Don't worry!" she said, taking the baby with enthusiasm. "We're gonna watch our favourite show, right Henry?" She sat with him on the bed and turned on Scooby Doo for him to watch. Henry put one of Skelly's feet in his mouth. Edwin made a note for later that he was likely teething.

"Thank you, Niko," he said, "we shall be back shortly."

Niko encouraged Henry to wave goodbye, something that she and Charles both tried regularly to teach him. He did not seem to get the point of it so had thus far declined participating. 

Edwin phased through to collect Charles and found him talking to Crystal. "Are we ready to go?" he asked, buttoning his coat.

"Yeah, Crystal's gonna join us," Charles said. "That cool?" Crystal held onto one of her wrists with the opposite hand, clearly uncomfortable.

So, this was the place they had sunk to: Charles was too apprehensive to spend time alone with him. What was that he had once told himself firmly--that romantic feelings could do nothing to disrupt their deeply rooted friendship? Poppycock.

"Indeed, she is welcome to come along," Edwin said, turning on his heel to go below-stairs.

--

They made an odd sort of parade--or they would have done if people could actually see all three of them. Edwin and Charles walked sort-of in step with one another, with Crystal bringing up the rear from a few steps behind. Edwin couldn't make heads nor tails of it, trying to speak to Charles but also awkwardly include Crystal.

After the conversation clumsily petered out, Edwin switched to admiring the scenery. The snow-capped rooftops, disrupted by chimneys blowing out smoke and steam, frosted window displays, lights and garland decorating the streets in preparation for the holidays. Charles, with his dusky skin, dazzling wide eyes, incredibly deficient posture. Edwin loved him for everything he was as well as everything he could not be. His savoury and unsavoury qualities alike, Edwin wanted every bit of the boy as his own. He shuddered to think of the unhappy relationship he would have faced, had he stayed a living person on earth: a stodgy deal made between stodgier sets of parents; a reluctant woman made all the more so when Edwin could not fully love her; a life made quiet, not in the way he would have liked, with books and gentle music played on a gramophone, but in the enforced silence of a home with no warmth or happiness. The boy next to him was not one his parents would have paired him with in a thousand lifetimes, in their wildest nightmares. Never mind that their births would have held them apart by a century. But as sure as the sunrise, Charles Rowland was the only love he'd ever known. And now, tragically, all that had gone awry somehow. The thought that he may have to give up being in love with Charles slowly rappped its bony knuckles against his chest and demanded to be let in. Not yet, he begged the thought. Please not yet.

Charles surprised him from his thoughts by sitting down on a bench facing the park, gesturing for Edwin to join him. Edwin watched as Crystal took a seat on a bench across the sidewalk from them and started looking at her portable telephone. This was all very weird and he honestly couldn't wrap his head around any of it but he sat with Charles nonetheless.

"This is nice, innit?" Charles said after a time. "Getting nippy so we can't bring Henry out in the pram, but it's rad to get a walk in together anyways."

Edwin smiled tightly at him. "It is lovely weather as long as one is a ghost. I imagine Crystal will need to warm up soon, however."

"Oh, yeah. It's cool. She said she'd signal me when she's had enough."

"Hmm."

"Or whatever."

Edwin decided to forfeit asking why Crystal had joined them. She was their friend, after all. They were all just friends, no reason to demand that only two of them get to go out on a walk together. Although, Edwin recalled with a pang of sorrow, these walks were just the sort of thing he and Charles had done together before they'd even met Crystal or Niko, before they'd had Henry. Perhaps those had been surrendered the moment Edwin had decided to kiss Charles, or even earlier, the moment Charles had laid eyes on Crystal.

He decided a change of topic would be helpful. "It will be Christmastime soon. I know that you and I have never...observed the holiday."

"Not much point, was there?" Charles grinned.

"True. But with Henry, it feels different. It feels like we ought to do something, to celebrate, I mean."

Charles was nodding enthusiastically. "It'll be brills!" he assured Edwin. "We can get a tree and decorations and stockings and give presents..." It occurred to Edwin that Charles would have been delighted to have Christmas these last thirty-five years, had Edwin bothered to show any interest. It had not been a very meaningful holiday as he himself was growing up. His mother would hire a decorator with new colours each year. The same old decorations from the previous year simply would not do. There had been stiff, unpleasant parties with at least one guest getting absolutely sloshed on mulled wine and requiring someone to drag them to their automobile. His mother and father would gift him with a suit, which he would wear to school once winter break was finished. It had all been a farce of a warm family custom. It had seemed hopelessly plastic and devoid of any human emotion aside from spite and boredom. But with Charles, the girls, and Henry? It could be a different story.

Edwin nodded as Charles finally finished listing out all the necessities for Henry's first Christmas. "Indeed," he said. "We will begin preparing in a week or so."

Charles put a hand on Edwin's thigh, smiling at him. Edwin could not help but notice the way that Charles glanced up at Crystal when he did it. Christ, maybe he had told her of the Kiss after all. He didn't have much time to spiral about that because Charles leaned in and said, "I was wanting to talk with you about something else."

Edwin found his voice somehow. "Yes, Charles?" Two words, but coherent nonetheless.

But Edwin didn't get a chance to hear what Charles had to say because Crystal took a phone call and immediately shouted, "What!"

Instincts about the baby kicked in and both he and Charles rushed across the sidewalk to see what Crystal's call was about. She pulled the telephone away from her face, "A big tree limb fell through the office window," she said in disbelief. Before Edwin could pin her with a dozen questions, she added, "Niko just heard it happen. She was across the hall with Henry."

Edwin felt a sour relief flood through him. The bait and switch was a harsh reminder that, unlike Edwin and Charles, Henry had a fragile life that could be snuffed out by the likes of a tree limb.

"We'll mirror hop back and check on things," Charles stated. "If that's okay with you, Crystal." Crystal nodded, stating that she would head back on foot. They hadn't walled terribly far from the flat so it shouldn't take her too long.

Edwin sought out the nearest mirror, the reflective glass behind an old grandfather clock in a nearby antique shop, and headed back to the office with Charles in tow. He couldn't be sure what he had been expecting from 'a big tree limb fell through the office window,' but it was certainly not the butchery of his very meticulous case notes, nor the carnage of some of his books. The tree limb, evidently laden with melting snow, had crashed through and disrupted nearly everything in its path, leaving splinters and water that seeped everywhere.

Charles blew out a sigh, disrupting his lips with the puff of air. "Good job no one was here," he said.

Edwin wanted to be disgruntled and point out that this was not a victimless crime (just look at his two hundred year old volume of Dark and Splendid Creatures), but he had to agree with Charles. It was, indeed, very fortunate that everyone had been safe.

Wait a minute. Edwin tried to dismiss the pressing thought as too bizarre to entertain, but it pried its way in anyway. "Charles. Could this have been the impending danger you felt earlier this afternoon?"

Charles frowned as if he did not recall to what Edwin was referring, but then simply shook his head. "Nah, it must be coincidence. I was just wrong earlier and then this.." He shrugged. "Just happened. Nothing weird about it."

Edwin stood there puzzling over it as Charles went to check on Henry and Niko. "Fascinating."

--

Christmas was upon them before Edwin knew what hit him. There were two weekend days in which he and Charles and the girls had decorated their flat. The office window across the hall needed repairing, which would have to wait on a repairman, a profession apparently in short supply around the holidays. For the time being, everyone had worked together to clean the debris out of the office and Edwin was holding the hole in the wall together with a spell so the draft wouldn't get inside. That left them with only Niko and Crystal's flat as an option for their Christmas festivities.

A few trips to the "dollar store," a concept Edwin found intriguing, had yielded boxes full of colourful decorations. They were dwindling down in the cash stash so there was precious little to spend for gifts. In the new year, they would need to seriously consider how they were going to continue to afford to take care of Henry's needs as fewer ghosts than he would have liked to imagine actually had access to money. Edwin decided to make Henry a gift instead, a small wooden rabbit reminiscent of the one he'd owned as a boy. It was easy enough to carve using a charmed carving knife Charles kept in his bag of tricks backpack. Many evenings when Henry was sleeping, Edwin would pull out his block of wood and carefully shape it while Charles meditated or listened to music on his Walkman. Charles was being annoyingly cryptic about the gift he intended for Henry and Edwin got the sense that he was also planning a gift exchange between the two of them. So, while he carved, he would ponder what exactly he could give to Charles.

On Christmas Eve, Charles had insisted that Henry wear "Christmas pyjamas" to bed, a romper that featured striped sticks of rock and holly leaves. Charles hung a stocking (one of Crystal's socks) from Henry's bassinet and played the mobile for him.

Edwin sat on the couch to watch them, enjoying the ease with which they interacted. He was honestly so grateful that Charles was getting well again that he couldn't always think straight. The relief was like stepping under a waterfall. Charles had only had one significant event (that Edwin had witnessed) in the last week and it had been mild. No more crashing to his knees, certainly not fainting or moaning on the floor. It was of great comfort to Edwin and the girls.

That meant, however, that there was more time to overthink his relationship with Charles. Edwin felt as if he were sitting on a fence: sometimes a thought like 'Charles has been curiously silent about our kiss' would pull him in one direction; then another would pop up saying 'Charles has not asked for his ring back' and pull him back to the other side. And back and forth he would teeter, gaining no ground in either direction.

Charles sat beside him on the sofa, both of them watching over Henry. Charles had placed a few logs from his backpack into the fireplace and Edwin had used a spell to ignite them so Henry could stay warm during the cold night. They were sitting so close that if one of them shifted just right, their hands would be touching. Edwin tried to focus on just about anything else.

"Hard to believe he's been here for almost a year," Charles said at last.

"Mm, the better part of it anyway."

"He's gonna love Christmas."

"You think so?"

"Yeah, we'll make it fun."

Edwin gave him a smile. "I'm sure you will."

"We both will," Charles assured him in that 'certainly this is obvious to you' way he had adopted as a way of counterbalancing Edwin's self-doubt.

"I shall endeavour to," Edwin replied. "But no promises. I was not permitted fun in my childhood."

Charles looked distressed at this. "Well that's proper sad, innit."

"There were different priorities in the world, Charles," Edwin insisted. "I daresay there were different priorities in your childhood compared to now."

"What were your Christmases like with your parents?"

Edwin heaved a very thoughtful sigh. "Drab. Dull and lifeless. But it was tradition, so I was expecting to attend all the merrymaking once I turned 12 years of age."

"Merrymaking," Charles repeated. "Sounds fancy."

"Indeed. Stuffy and meticulous were the watch words." Edwin glanced over at the outfit he'd steamed for Henry to wear for his first Christmas: a wool suit with matching bow tie, gray and lifeless. It suddenly occurred to him that he wanted Henry to wear his darling little Christmas pyjamas all day, not a fussy, prim suit. “But my nanny would sing Christmas carols with me, and I quite enjoyed that,” Edwin added, making Charles smile. "What were yours like?" he asked Charles.

A sigh poured out of the boy next to him, slow and lamenting. "Well, for the most part, they were brills. Christmas tree lights, watching films with my mum, eating puddings. But that normally all stopped when my dad got good and drunk. He'd get angry over the littlest, stupidest thing and..." Edwin tried his best not to look away, even though every instinct told him to avert his eyes out of respect so the conversation could be dropped. He knew it was good for Charles to continue. "Normally I'd get in the way, like. Or I'd be too noisy or something." Charles did not speak for several moments, and Edwin kept the silence for him. Finally, Charles murmured "Anyway, he was an arsehole." Edwin saw the moment that Charles lost the battle over a single tear falling. He knew the very important bits that Charles was leaving out. He knew that Mr Rowland had hurt Charles, even when he had been very young. The thought of a small Charles, helplessly flung about by his cruel father, crying, in pain, was not one that Edwin could bear.

Even knowing how rotten things had become between them, Edwin still put an arm around Charles carefully, ready to disengage if Charles pulled back. Only he didn't. Charles leaned further into Edwin, his head lying against his chest. Forcing his hand to be steady, Edwin stroked Charles' arm as they both sat there, watching the fire.

--

The next morning was a flurry of activity. Henry was in a fussy mood from the moment he awoke but Charles and Edwin tried their hardest to brighten his spirits.

"Hey little mate, it's Christmas! Are you excited?"

"Yes, Henry, shall we see if Father Christmas has visited you?"

Even a nappy change and getting to stay in warm, fuzzy pyjamas was not enough to improve his mood so Charles carried him across the hall, Edwin close behind. The girls were already awake, Niko baking cookies while wearing reindeer antlers with little bells on them. Crystal was sipping a cup of coffee at the table but hopped up from her chair when the boys arrived with Henry.

"Hey peanut," she said with fondness, trying to get his attention. "Merry Christmas."

Henry regarded her sourly, clinging to Charles.

"We woke up in a shite mood," Charles explained. "I'm sure he'll feel better when he sees his presents."

"Aww, grumpy guy, huh?" Crystal said sympathetically. She smiled at Edwin and Charles. "Merry Christmas you two." In an unexpected stealth manoeuver, she then slipped a Father Christmas hat with the word “Nice” sewn onto it on top of Charles' head, which he accepted with a grin. Crystal tried sticking Edwin with a similar hat that said “Naughty” but he outright refused, ducking away.

"I do not wear hats," he insisted. "Unless the occasion calls for a top hat."

Charles stage whispered, "He doesn't wanna mess up his hair," making Crystal laugh.

Niko finally reached a point in her baking that she could leave it be for a few minutes and came to join them. "Merry Christmas everyone!" she said with a big smile. "Merry Christmas, Henry!" She reached out to take Henry, which he allowed, looking like he wanted to see those antlers up close. Niko whisked him away for a closer look at the Christmas tree, which Edwin had spent hours decorating, insuring that each piece of tinsel, and every colourful light was in its proper place. He wasn't going to have a slapdash tree for Henry's first Christmas.

Niko turned on a Christmas cartoon called The Grinch for Henry to watch in his bouncy chair. He seemed to be content with bouncing and the colourful illustrations for the time being. 

Charles nudged Edwin with a grin. "Oh!" Edwin said, suddenly remembering. "We got you both some biscuits and chocolates." He handed both tins to Crystal who smiled appreciatively. They had been a well-timed payment from a ghost with a very annoying dead chicken that kept trying to peck its way into the ghost's grave. Edwin and Charles had relocated it to a farm full of live chickens where it could peck and haunt to its heart's content.

"Thanks, guys!" Crystal said giving Charles a hug and then offering one to Edwin. He accepted, giving her a small pat. They were, after all, very close friends now.

Henry soon became vocal again, shrieking his displeasure. Edwin lifted him from his bouncy chair and stroked his back, watching his face. He turned to Charles with a light grimace. "I believe he is teething."

"Aww," Charles commented. "Poor guy...what do we do?"

Henry continued to cry, very unhappy. "Do you girls have any opium?" Edwin asked. He knew the substance was common for lots of aches and pains in his day and he had hopes that it was still around and retrievable.

Crystal looked at him like he was out of his mind. "Uhhh...yeah. That's not really something they sell over the counter any more."

Edwin might have suspected as much. 21st century culture was very particular about medicines. If he himself had had teething pain or toothaches as a child, he did not remember it. He assumed no one had paid it any mind. But Henry was special. He needed attention for this. "Have you any whiskey then?"

"Again," Crystal said, trying not to sound annoyed. The crying baby was probably not helping but Edwin honestly did not care. "You have to be 21 to buy alcohol."

"Ooh, maybe Jenny has some?" Niko suggested. Finally, someone helpful. "She was supposed to come to Christmas, maybe we can go remind her when we ask for whiskey."

"Well thought, Niko," Edwin said, giving her a soft smile.

"I'll come with," Charles said, following Edwin and Henry below-stairs.

"Me too!" Niko said hurrying after, the bells on her antlers jingling furiously.

Jenny was hacking up what appeared to be some kind of poultry. Edwin was just in time to see a chicken's head go flying across the counter. Charles quickly jumped in to cover Henry's eyes. Edwin did not really understand why Charles kept doing that but he never disputed him on it.

Niko leaned in against the counter opposite her. "Are you avoiding the Christmas party, Jenny? You know it'll be fun." He voice had taken on a musical quality.

Jenny looked up from her work, gloved hands slimy and covered in blood and entrails. "I'm not avoiding anything. Just don't see the point. What's wrong with Junior?" she asked, gesturing at a petulant Henry with her boning knife.

"We think he's teething," Charles said, comforting Henry by rubbing his hand. "Have you got whiskey?"

Jenny looked at the three of them suspiciously, as if this were a joke or perhaps they had another intended purpose for said whiskey. When she ruled those possibilities out, she said, "So we don't really give whiskey to babies any more. Sorry." She went straight back to chopping.

Edwin glanced at Henry, who was trying to desperately bite at the collar of Edwin's coat. "Have you anything that may help?" he asked. "He appears to be in a lot of pain."

Jenny skewered her butcher block with the knife, a frustrated air surrounding the action. "Will it get you to leave me alone?"

Edwin had been prepared to agree but Niko intervened. "It's Christmas," she insisted. "I made cookies. Plus, me and Crystal got you a present."

Jenny looked at her flatly. "Is it rent?"

"No, well yes. We do have rent. But we also have a Christmas present."

Jenny turned and went into the kitchen and storage area behind the shoppe front. She returned with a banana. "Stick this in your freezer and then let him chew it when it gets cold. Should help a little. Otherwise, you'll have to wait for the pharmacy to reopen on Monday and get some teething gel."

"Aces, cheers Jenny," Charles said, taking the banana and heading straight above-stairs to freeze it.

Edwin paced around a bit, trying to console Henry before he had to take him through the unpleasant journey above-stairs. Niko had not moved from her point position in trying to lure Jenny up to their Christmas do. Jenny glared back at her but did not move to pick up her knife. The two stated at one another intensely. Finally, Jenny broke, "Five minutes and then I'm coming back to work."

--

Jenny ended up staying for the better part of the morning, eating three of Niko's cookies and leaving with rent and a pair of longhorn skull earrings that she did not entirely seem to hate.

By this point the banana had had time to freeze and Crystal mushed in up, offering it to Henry on a saucer. Charles, sitting on the floor and holding Henry in his lap to soothe him, said softly, "There, try a bit of that, hey?"

Henry, who was already at his maximum fussiness, pushed the saucer away indignantly and started wailing, tears rolling down his cheeks. Edwin felt a pang of unsettled grief. He knew exactly how Henry felt--no one was listening to him, no one was solving his problem, and he was in pain. The baby didn't realise the banana was to help his teething, of course he didn't. He just knew that he was hurting and he was all alone with it.

Charles laid flat on his back while holding the yelling baby and then settling him so they were chest to chest. Henry stared at him, looking up at his face, still crying but with little awkward stuttered pauses, as though he couldn't figure out if Charles was doing something to help him. Charles slowly inflated his chest and let it fall slowly, Henry moving with it. He kept repeating this, even as Henry got fussy again and tried rolling off. Charles caught him gently and said, "You gotta breathe with me, mate. You're gonna feel so much better, I promise."

Edwin watched the back and forth, Charles holding onto Henry's teeny hands and trying to coach him on breathing his way through his pain. His nonexistent heart felt like it could swell in his chest, press against all sides of the cavity and pop. Charles was such a good father, it was almost ridiculous.

Finally, whether from learning the deep breathing technique or simply because Charles was soothing him, Henry calmed down. Charles sat back up with him carefully and offered him the chilled banana. Henry grabbed a piece with his chubby fist and put it in his mouth.

"There's my boy," Charles whispered. Surely there was a limit to how much Edwin could love him. It was growing at an alarming rate like wildfire.

Henry seemed pleased with the banana, probably partly because of the cooling effect but also he simply enjoyed them.

Gifts were exchanged, the girls giving Henry a dragon stuffy that he put in his mouth; Charles give him a miniature football that he had been carrying around for a few months, waiting for Henry to be old enough to play with it (he still wasn't); and Edwin gave Henry the whittled rabbit he had made him. Henry regarded it with interest but then knocked it over. It was fine; it was a gift for him to enjoy when he grew a bit older.

Niko and Crystal had sheepishly gifted Edwin and Charles with a piece of paper, which read "Good for One Night of Babysitting (You know...because you guys deserve a night off)". Charles smiled and gave them both a hug, thanking them excessively and giving Edwin a grin over his shoulder. Edwin was well pleased too, giving his thanks graciously.

As a wrap up to their evening, Charles suggested, with a glance at Edwin, that they sing some carols, which was seconded by Niko. She looked up some music on her phone, for lack of having a piano or any instruments, and the four of them sang a few Christmas carols together. Henry watched with his bottle and judged who was the most horrible singer. (It was Crystal).

After escaping yet another round of hugs, Charles and Edwin took Henry back to the office with his mountain of gifts and got him ready for bed. He had had quite the trying day and seemed to melt into his cot when lain down.

After quickly reigniting the magical fire, Edwin and Charles sat together on the sofa, taking it all in for a few moments. Charles was still wearing that ridiculous Father Christmas "nice" hat (the "naughty" one had eventually ended up on Crystal's head when she gave Niko a cheeky kiss) and Edwin found that the look was rather growing on him.

"I think our first Christmas as parents was aces, don't you?" Charles said, the first to break the silence.

"So far so good," Edwin replied, noncommittal. "You were remarkable, taking care of Henry. And I think that he enjoyed himself after he calmed down and felt a bit better."

"It really is all because of you, y'know. You knew just how to decorate, kept Henry in good spirits, you were brills at singing carols..."

"You don't have to be...kind to me, Charles."

Charles had a sudden look on his face like he had missed something Edwin threw at him--bewilderment and surprise. "What are you on about? Why wouldn't I be kind to you?"

Edwin threaded his hands between his knees to prevent his fists from pressing against one another. "I know I've been a rubbish best friend," he said solemnly. "I do not feel that I have earned your kindness...in quite some time."

Edwin looked down at his knees but could feel Charles' eyes on him, probably reliving how awful Edwin had been so he could agree with him. "Just so I know," Charles eventually said, the suddenness startling Edwin, "what have you done that was so bad?"

Were they really going to talk about this? Out loud, on purpose? On Christmas night? Edwin took a deep breath. "In the forest, I did many awful things that I regret," he said. "I know I've hurt you; I just do not know which awful thing it was that hurt you. Perhaps all of them."

Charles chuckled a little. "Edwin...you haven't done anything awful," he tried assuring. "The forest was...confusing. I..." From the corner of his eye, Edwin caught him glancing down at the amethyst ring. "I'm just as much to blame for the awfulness. So...maybe we call it even?"

Edwin finally turned to look him in the eye. Charles was unbelievable. Edwin had, in fact, done at least three awful things in that forest, but Charles was insisting that he was just as guilty. Edwin saw through Charles' thought process--he probably knew Edwin would not agree that he was blameless, that nothing had gone awry. So Charles had changed his tactic to include himself in the culpability of the events, thus putting them both in a muddy soup of responsibility that also absolved Edwin's guilt.

Well, believe it or not--it was working. Despite his stubborn heels digging into the ground, it was working. "That's kind of you, Charles," Edwin said after a while. "Let's call it even." Edwin saw the moment when the tension left his friend's body.

"Thank bloody fuck," Charles swore. "Can things stop being so weird now?"

Edwin smiled. "I don't see why not."

Charles got to his feet and plucked a small bundle of something from behind a book on their bookshelf. "I've got you something," he said with a blinding grin. He cheekily held it behind his back, waiting for Edwin's response.

Edwin hopped up from the sofa and went to get Charles' gift from the invisible hiding place he'd protected with a few spells. "I've something for you too." He turned to face Charles, following suit and holding the gift behind his back.

Charles caved first, holding out the delicate thing in both hands, offering it to Edwin. Edwin stepped closer to examine it and immediately felt a shock go through him. It was a simple white handkerchief, a single line of stitches around the edges to give it definition. In the bottom corner was a red heart sewn into it, clearly not sewn by the same person who had sewn the pristinely neat edge, but someone who had done it with care and intention nonetheless. Inside the heart was Edwin's monogram, EP, sewn by the same person who had sewn the heart.

Edwin was shaking. In light of the gift he had procured for Charles, this was nothing less than a minor miracle disguised as a coincidence. Edwin had taken to very attentive research to find a great gift for Charles. He'd actually been making himself a little batty for a few weeks. He had eventually decided he wanted to get Charles a cassette tape as during the past year, a few in his collection had gone a bit wonky and the tape inside had gotten unusable. He knew he wanted to get Charles a cassette specifically from the 1980s, something that Charles would recognise, so he had done a lot initial searching into different bands and albums from that era and even called in Crystal and Niko for their opinion. He had finally decided on the cassette behind his back because Crystal and Niko both knew who they were and because he liked the band's name and hoped Charles would too, coming from him.

Edwin held out the small cassette, letting Charles read the label: Heart. Charles was at once infatuated, confirming that he did know this band, that he did listen to it when he was alive, that he loved...And then he had trailed off. Charles looked up at Edwin to see his watery eyes. "I got you this hankie with a heart on it and you got me...Heart."

Edwin shook his head, smiling. "Fitting, is it not?"

Charles closed the gap between them and brought Edwin into a hug, which he returned twofold. "Merry Christmas, Edwin," Charles whispered so delicately that Edwin thought he might die for a second time.

And because it was Christmas, and maybe Charles wouldn't think anything of it, Edwin turned his head and pressed his lips to Charles' temple. "Happy Christmas, Charles."

Chapter Text

Everyone was thrilled and a few of them even cheered when Henry made the leap between scooting and crawling. It was off to the races as soon as he'd figured out that he could get from one place to another without being carried there. Henry wanted to explore his little world and was happy doing so for hours at a time. Edwin was not concerned at all; he wanted Henry to explore and interact with his environment. But, for whatever reason, Crystal seemed to think this was not in Henry's best interest.

"Our apartment is baby-proofed," she told him and Charles one rainy afternoon. "Niko and I made sure to get that taken care of for when he visits us. You guys have to baby-proof this office, where he spends most of his time, and--" she paused to pick up Henry off the floor, preventing him from putting a door stopper in his mouth, "--and this is why."

Edwin glanced at Charles, trying to determine if Crystal was overreacting or if everyone past his own era felt this way. Charles just shrugged and said, "Long as everything lethal is up off the floor, I don't see why we have to put, like, foam on everything like you lot did."

Crystal rolled her eyes, holding Henry on her hip. Henry made some studious babbles and pulled on her scarf. "We didn't put foam on everything," she argued. "We baby-proofed, covered up the outlets, put a lock on our bathroom cabinet..."

Edwin furrowed his brow at her. "You keep saying that, baby-proofed. What exactly is that intended to mean?"

"It means that you make it so nothing in here can hurt him," Crystal explained.

"Nothing in here can hurt him," Edwin argued. "As Charles was saying, we've brought everything potentially hazardous up off the floor--"

"Right, and put it where?"

"Well...on shelves and in drawers and in the curio cabinet."

"So what happens if he bumps into the bookshelf and something dangerous falls off? Or if he pulls open a drawer or opens the cabinet? Or what if he, I don't know...goes and sticks his hand in the fireplace?" Crystal gestured to the open flame across the room.

Perhaps she had a point on that one.

Charles intervened at last. "Look, we'll figure out something with the fire. Maybe we can make a barrier out of books or, like, boxes or something. And we really appreciate you girls baby-proofing your place. But we think he's gonna be fine. We're watching him, aren't we."

Henry fussed, done with her scarf and ready to do more exploration so Crystal set him down. "Fine. But if he splits his head open or drops a bottle of fairy dust on himself or something--"

"Yes?" Edwin challenged, annoyed at any direction in which that sentence might end up.

Crystal crossed her arms, thinking for a split second. "Then it'll be really sad that you could have easily prevented it." With that, she returned to her own apartment across the hall.

Edwin looked again at Charles to get his opinion on this. Charles just shook his head, smiling. "Babies get into stuff, don't they," he said. "My cousin's baby once et a 5p but she was fine. Henry's clever." Edwin could not miss the knowing smile that changed the shape of Charles' face and therefore his tone. "Of course he would be, got that stellar Edwin Payne DNA. Plus we're watching him. He'll be aces."

Edwin watched Henry taking a few of his blocks out of the tub they were stored in. He sat with his feet in front of him and tried gumming one of the alphabet blocks. Charles was right. Henry would be perfectly fine. Not to mention, they were right up against the top of their baby budget and were having to get increasingly creative to pay for Henry's basic needs. Paying for extras like baby-proofing was out of the question.

Only a few days later did he start to wonder if perhaps Crystal was right. Henry was happily entertaining himself by crawling around and babbling, mostly playing with (chewing on) his toys, his stuffed wizard and a soft, plush baby doll that Niko had found for him. When he wanted attention or he wanted picking up, he would crawl over to Charles and tug on his trouser leg until Charles picked him up in some fanciful way, such as the rocket ship sound joined with a swift launch upwards or a little beeping noise like a lift and a slower ascent.

Henry had been very content for about an hour, leaving Edwin an opportunity to get Charles' feedback on a case involving a siren song emerging from a well in the middle of nowhere. Charles was leaning over Edwin's shoulder to read his notes and Edwin was lightly aware of their close proximity. For once, he felt at ease again. No tension that he had put between them, just the contented air that had existed in their friendship for decades. Edwin still had no idea where they stood in things further than friendship, but he was happily stationary for the time being.

It was just a few minutes into letting Charles read over the notes (Charles took a surprising amount of time to read something; normally Edwin could read through the same text at least three times while waiting) when Edwin suddenly sensed Charles' head dart back and his posture straighten. Edwin looked over his shoulder to see what was the matter.

"Edwin, where's the baby?"

Edwin paused to listen. That's when it occurred to him that they had been sitting in silence for several minutes, absent of Henry's babbles and movement noises. He stood from the desk and scanned the floor, Henry's toy area, the bookshelves, the closed doors and closets. No baby.

The two of them fanned out to search, calling Henry's name, each second making Edwin ratchet up to a new level of panic. He started looking in places he'd never expect Henry to be by default: the thankfully cold fireplace, in drawers, underneath his cot, but there was still painfully no baby.

Edwin was just about to go across the hall in the case that Henry had somehow slipped out the door (Oh dear God, the staircase, could he have gotten that far, oh god oh god, he was the worst parent, he should have heeded Crystal's warning, he should have--) when he heard the best two words in his entire existence: "Found him!"

Edwin made haste to join Charles, who was peering behind the sofa. There was Henry, happy as a clam at high water, looking like he was enjoying some reading. He had the Baby Boo book pinned open on the floor with one hand while the other held the arm of his plush doll up to his mouth for a chew. He looked up at the two of them, seeming annoyed at the intrusion.

Edwin breathed out a sigh of relief. "You goose...what are you doing, my darling?"

Charles left briefly to get a few items and started to rearrange the area behind the sofa. "You can read back there if you want, mate, I got no problem with that," Charles said, briefly lifting Henry to place a fuzzy blanket under him. "But you might as well be comfortable while you read, hey?" Once Charles was finished arranging him, Henry happily returned to his reading and Edwin let him be, trying to go back to work but feeling too distracted from it now.

Finally, after he tried reading a new section of his notes for the third time, he said, "Perhaps a little baby-proofing would not hurt."

Charles agreed, so long as he got to wrangle with the various devices involved in the process, always enjoying the hands-on tasks that came their way.

--

Henry was beginning to become intentional with his babbling. He could do stunning renditions of "Ah-ah-ah" and "Ba-ba-ba." One evening when Charles and Edwin joined the girls to discuss the recent influx of cases, Henry's vocalisations became the topic of conversation. And that conversation went to a purpose Edwin had not been expecting.

Niko had Henry perched on her lap where she'd been feeding him little puffed cereal from a jar and tickling his feet intermittently when Henry started in with his "Ba-ba-ba"s with Niko encouraging him. Then, without warning, she changed her tactic. "Henry," Niko said eagerly. "Can you say da-da? Say da-da!"

Edwin was about to tell her he was too young to repeat sounds (according to his research) but then Charles started in too. "Yeah, little mate. Say da-da, say Daddy."

Niko and Charles went back and forth with this for longer than Edwin thought was rational.

Crystal is the one who addressed the unspoken question. "So which one of you is gonna be Daddy? And what's the other one gonna be?"

"Well Edwin should be Daddy, obs," Charles said automatically.

Edwin rolled his eyes. How undignified. "Absolutely not," he said. "If anything, I shall be Father."

"What?" Charles said. "How do you expect him to say Father when he can't even say da-da yet?"

Edwin didn't have an answer for that, other than, "I anticipate he will be advanced." Chewing on the topic for a moment as Henry remained on his "Ba-ba-ba" broken record, Edwin finally asked, "What will the girls be?"

Niko raised her hand at once. "I'm already Auntie Niko."

Crystal shrugged. "Guess that makes me Auntie Crystal."

Well that had been fruitless. He was hoping for some kind of hail-Mary to get him further from the discomfort of himself and Charles once again poised as equal, joint parents and the girls simply there as added support. He decided to once again go hammer and tongs. So far, that approach hadn't left him too devastated. "Fine then. What will you be, Charles?"

Charles raised an eyebrow. "So we're going with you as Daddy?"

Edwin opened his mouth to protest then simply sighed. "I suppose."

"Brills. Then you'll be the Daddy and I'll be the Poppa."

"This is kinda hot," Niko said under her breath.

Edwin gave her a flat look and a soft eye roll, making her giggle. And then, as anticipated she and Charles continued trying to get Henry to say Da-da and Po-ppa.

--

It had been months since Charles had had any bouts of illness and Edwin was finally starting to trust the universe to keep him unharmed again. Knowing that Charles didn't like to bring up the topic, often skirting around it or walking on eggshells whenever any event or conversation butted up against the subject, Edwin decided he would bring it out into the light to make Charles aware that he was seeing the progress. Charles kept having visions of the abyss, what he had started referring to as The Nothing, and Edwin was concerned about this, of course. But visions were sometimes a bit watery and hard to interpret. Sometimes they were actually meaningless.

Charles was keeping Henry with Crystal closeby while Edwin and Niko investigated an old, abandoned bird sanctuary where there had been several sightings of tightly confined storms in the area--hail that would only fall in a one inch wide stretch of about ten meters, a plethora of rainbows appearing in one spot, lightning that would strike the same tree repeatedly. Edwin had immediately been concerned that it could be a harpy, so he'd taken some fire-making supplies from Charles' backpack and a spellbook from his shelf in case they needed to relocate the threat. As it turned out, it was simply a young boy ghost from the 1720s playing with different enchanted objects that he found inside a treasure chest beneath the sanctuary. Edwin had given him a brief talking-to about magic safety and left him be.

He and Niko took the long way home together by train so that Niko would not have to travel alone. She texted Crystal to check on Charles and the baby and received a favourable report so Edwin settled in for the journey. Niko laid her head on his shoulder on the ride, enjoying a cup of tea and staying bundled up in her softest coat for warmth. Edwin was reading a tome on ritualistic blessing of objects, very much enjoying the quiet company.

Halfway through the journey, Niko stretched and made a little squeaking sound that Edwin thought was just darling. She pulled out her phone, scrolling peacefully through photos she had taken of Henry. Edwin hadn't seen most of them so looked at them with her. "He's growing up so fast," she lamented, stopping at one where he was posed with Niko's sunglasses sat upon his head. "I feel like we just got him a couple of weeks ago."

Edwin smiled softly at the photograph. "He's done quite well, especially for having four teenagers as parents."

Niko placed her phone back in her coat pocket. "He's really lucky to have you and Charles, you know," she said. "When I was little, my mom would never spend a lot of time with me." She looked down at her gloved hands a bit sadly, then perked up again. "But my dad would. That's why he was my best friend. We would play together, hide and go seek, play restaurant, tea parties. He never seemed like I was taking his time from something else. It always felt like he wanted to be with me."

Edwin smiled, happy in thinking that Niko had lots of positive experiences with her father. Even if his own paternal relationship had been distant and cold and Charles' had been...and even Crystal seemed estranged from her father, but Edwin was glad that Niko had lots of good memories she could come back to. "I hope Henry will look back on his childhood with some fondness. Hopefully I have not done something to damage him irreparably."

Niko looked surprised at this. "Edwin..." she murmured, seeming speechless for a few minutes. "I have literally never, ever seen anyone so careful with their baby before you. Or someone that loved their baby so much and so obviously. Henry is probably the luckiest little boy in the whole world right now."

Edwin's mouth fell open. "Are you in earnest?" Surely some of this was just niceties for the sake of politeness. To be honest, he expected much more blunt feedback from everyone, the way that Crystal had spoken about the baby-proofing a few weeks ago.

Niko smiled at him, looking fond and gentle. "Of course I am. You and Charles are the best two parents any baby could hope for."

Edwin smiled back, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Thank you Niko. We could never in a thousand lifetimes do any of it without your wisdom and your help."

She snaked her arms around his torso and gave him a squeeze. "I love you, Edwin."

"I love you, Niko."

They walked arm-in-arm from the train station back to the butcher shoppe, Niko convincing Edwin that she didn't mind if people thought she looked silly. Once inside, Niko went straight to her apartment to get out of her outer clothes while Edwin phased through to the office.

Crystal was preparing a bottle with Henry waiting patiently in his cot. Charles was lying prone on the couch, seeming to mumble under his breath. Edwin felt a little bolt of anxiety run through him. "Is he--"

Crystal immediately tried to calm his panic. "He's meditating. He did say he was starting to feel a little dizzy, and that's why he's trying it lying down. I tried asking if he was okay but.. " She glanced at her phone. "He's still got about 8 minutes left to go."

Edwin nodded, removing the scarf from around his neck and placing it on the coat rack, eyes never leaving Charles. Everything seemed in order; he didn't seem to be distressed. But he hadn't complained of the dizziness in a fortnite. Were the fits about to get worse again? He didn't know if he could bear to watch Charles go through more suffering. Edwin swallowed reflexively, feeling shame for what he was about to say but needing some kind of resolution nonetheless. "Crystal, can you...could you read him?"

She set the bottle down on the desk. "You mean without permission."

Edwin's eyes flicked from her back to Charles and then back again. "Technically without permission," he said, the words grating through his teeth like they were shredding his mouth apart. "But more to help determine pathology. Diagnostic purposes only."

Crystal looked at Charles for a long moment. Charles was, of course, her friend as well. Edwin could see her responding either by swinging into preserving the integrity of that friendship, or swinging toward the curiosity of Charles' predicament and the desire to help. "If he gets mad, I'm telling him that you made me do it." He hadn't realised there had been a third option, which was to throw him to the wolves in the case that it went badly.

Crystal knelt down beside the couch, careful to make slow movements. She laid a hand very lightly on Charles' shoulder and her eyes went white. Edwin watched her body and head jerk as she did the reading. Charles didn't seem to take any notice, continuing in his trance-like state. Niko walked in, seeing the scene in front of her and gasping softly. Edwin immediately felt remorse for doing this, wanting to take it back, wanting to preserve Charles' trust more than anything. But then Crystal pulled her hand off and came back to herself.

Niko, barely above a breath, whispered, "What did you do?"

Crystal did not seem wholly apologetic. "We were trying to help. We wanted to find out what's going on with him."

Edwin went to her, trying to ignore the chorus of Traitor, snake in the grass, some friend you are, in his head. Just as he was about to see if betraying Charles had rendered any get, he was startled by the sound of Charles shouting. He and Crystal both whipped around to see what had happened. By that point Charles was already halfway across the room and standing in front of the wall mirror. Henry made a soft sound of concern so with a quick but purposeful glance at Niko, Edwin let her know to take him to the other room. She grabbed up his bottle and swiftly hefted the baby to take him along with her.

Edwin went to Charles at once, Crystal close behind. "Charles, are you alright? What is the matter?" He carefully placed a hand at Charles' back, wanting to lead him back to the couch to sit down.

But Charles was concentrating on the mirror and speaking so quickly, Edwin almost couldn't understand him. His face was drawn in one of the most troubled expressions Edwin had ever seen on his friend. "Where is she? Oh fuck, it's Sunday morning she should be there..."

Crystal put herself in Charles' line of sight. "Who? Niko? She's across the hall. Charles, are you listening?"

Charles had a portal going through the mirror into someone's living quarters. When he saw nothing there, he angrily swiped at the corner, changing to a different view, this one a bedroom, then a bathroom, then what appeared to be an attic. "God fucking dammit," Charles growled, "she's not there, where the fuck, oh fuck this is all my fault, I wasn't careful enough. I should've been protecting her--"

Edwin took Charles by the arm and tried pulling him away but he was still trying to swipe the mirror into different locations. Edwin glanced at Crystal, seeing a sudden realisation cross her face. He looked back to Charles. "Charles, you are not making any sense. For whom are you looking?"

Charles then finally looked at Edwin, tears filling his eyes. Edwin's breath caught in his chest; Charles was so upset, it was painful. "I had a vision that the Nothing...got my mum. I-I can't find her, Edwin. She should be home. They never go anywhere on a Sunday...I think maybe she...what if she's...?"

It was just occurring to Edwin that Charles checked in on his parents this way frequently and that, going by her face, Crystal knew that too. He felt a momentary strike of hurt that Charles had never told him but swallowed that down for a later moment when he could mull it over. For now, he needed to be here with Charles. "It is alright, Charles," Edwin said, trying to be reassuring, a hand on Charles' forearm. "We can go and look for her properly if you would like. Perhaps she has deviated from her usual Sunday."

This seemed to give Charles something to focus on so he nodded and went over to the coat rack to grab his coat. Before he could perform his usual throw around his shoulders to put it on, the door to the office opened.

"Hi, baby," said a small, elderly ghost woman.

Charles froze without looking up. Then, he was a burst of energy again and went to her at once, abandoning his coat. Before he even spoke, Edwin felt a horrible dread sucking his insides together.

"Mum," Charles whispered, half grief and half hope.

The woman smiled and threw her arms around Charles. Edwin watched them hold onto one another for several long moments before Charles' shoulders began quaking in silent sobs. Crystal averted her eyes to be kind. Edwin did not, knowing that would be kinder still. The woman smoothed her hand up and down Charles' back a few times to comfort him.

After he had composed himself, Charles pulled back a little. "Mum, you're...are you...?"

"Yes, I'm dead."

"Didn't Death come for you?"

"She did but I told her I had unfinished business. I needed to know what happened to you," she said. Charles smiled sadly. "She told me what those boys did to you, baby." Mrs Rowland put a hand to Charles' cheek, tenderly cupping his face.

"Ah, it's alright," Charles started to say.

"It's not," she argued gently. "I should have protected you. I should have protected you from many things."

Charles swallowed, pressing together his lips in silence.

"Didn't that take away your unfinished business?" Crystal asked, facing them again. "Death telling you what happened?"

Mrs Rowland laughed. "It did! But I told Death I would let her peek at my flaky pepper Naan recipe and she agreed to let me come for a visit."

Charles laughed through tears at that, seeming to be less devastated at his mother's death, seeing her so lively and what Edwin believed was so like herself. Edwin had to hand it to Death: perhaps in Her wisdom, She sought to blunt the injustices of the end of life by injecting kindness when She could.

Edwin suddenly felt the need to be more respectful of their guest. His instinct was to make her tea but that was a lost cause. So he went for what he could offer. "Madam, would you like to take a seat here?" He indicated the couch. "You must be weary from your journey."

She smiled as Edwin took her hand and guided her to sit, Charles following to sit beside her. "Charles, I like your friend."

Charles beamed at her. "Mum, this is my best mate Edwin Payne. He's the best person I know. Edwin, this is my Mum. She's the best person I knew in my life."

"An absolute pleasure, Madam," Edwin said, bowing slightly at the waist.

Mrs Rowland sneakily said to Charles, "And he's so handsome."

"Mum..." Charles protested, eyes wide with shock. Edwin chuckled softly.

"And who's this?" Mrs Rowland said, smiling at Crystal.

"Hi," Crystal said, reaching out to shake her hand. "I'm Crystal, I'm Charles' friend too."

"Charles, you have a lot of pretty friends. This one is alive."

"Yes ma'am, she's a psychic so she can see us," Charles explained.

"Very excellent," said Mrs Rowland.

"How long is your visit going to be?" Charles asked, seeming hopeful.

"I get to stay for one hour," was the reply.

Edwin wanted to protest that it wasn't enough time, wanted to beg for more for Charles' sake. But Charles didn't beg. He simply smiled and put his head on his mother's shoulder.

Edwin took a seat perched on the other side of Charles' mother, hoping he wouldn't be too much of an intrusion and Crystal took a seat behind the desk. Mrs Rowland and Charles talked of many things while she stroked through his hair: the detective agency, running from Death, being officially sanctioned to help ghosts who were stuck on earth; Mrs Rowland's death, passing in her sleep from a heart attack, how she had missed her son terribly, how she kept a picture of him on the screen of her phone once portable telephones were invented. He had never been forgotten, not by her. He had mattered to this wonderful woman with the infectious laugh and smile as bright as sunshine. Now he understood where Charles had gotten it.

Edwin listened attentively, knowing these moments were so important for Charles. Only about half an hour into her visit did she squeeze Charles' shoulder and get him to sit up. "I know there's a lot to catch up on, Charles. But I want to see the baby."

Charles looked at her with surprise. "How did you know about Henry?"

Mrs Rowland chuckled. "You've got a crib over there and a rattle on your pocket."

Edwin smiled, well pleased. Some of her son's detecting skills had clearly come from her side as well.

"I'll go get him," Crystal offered, heading across the hall.

"Is the baby hers?" Mrs Rowland quietly asked after Crystal had left.

"No ma'am, actually, he's..." Charles looked over at Edwin. "He's ours."

Edwin held his breath, not knowing what to expect. He knew if he revealed such a thing to his own mother, she would likely be in need of a fainting couch. Mrs Rowland puffed up a little, posture becoming arrow-straight. "Are you telling me that I am a grandmother?" she said with barely contained delight. The air drained comfortably out of Edwin. He liked her, Charles' mother.

Charles laughed, nodded. "Yes, sort of. It's a long story..."

"No time for long stories, I am a grandmother," she said conclusively, giving Charles a kiss on the forehead. He smiled, looking at Edwin, then looking down at his feet.

Niko and Crystal returned with Henry, Niko holding him out in front. "Hello Mrs Rowland, it's so nice to meet you," Niko said, bowing slightly. She passed the baby over to Charles' mother who eagerly took him. Edwin watched on pensively. Henry had not been exposed to many new people and he worried that being hugged and kissed by a stranger would overwhelm him.

But Mrs Rowland did none of those things, just watching the quiet baby sit in her lap and regard her with interest. "What a handsome boy you are," she said to him so tenderly. "Those eyes...didn't you know that you are such a beautiful boy?"

Edwin knew in that moment that there had, indeed, been a sacred childhood for Charles in which he had been loved, cherished, doted upon. That the woman beside him had said very much these same words to a very small version of Charles and held him close and made him feel safe. Edwin ached with the peace of having that confirmed. Having the knowledge that Charles hadn't grown up in terror and pain from this little, tender age.

When Henry began to get a bit fussy, Edwin took him from Mrs Rowland so he could still sit close to her but she and Charles could chat some more. It felt like no time had passed at all when Edwin noticed a blue light starting to shine from the hallway under the door. Mrs Rowland's time was up and she needed to prepare to leave. She said goodbye to the girls with a smile, both of them a bit tearful. She turned to Edwin next, leaning in to him and Henry to whisper, "Take care of my boy. And that one too." She winked at Henry who just watched her with fascination.

"It will be the honour of my afterlife, Mrs Rowland," Edwin said softly, never feeling stronger about a statement. “And thank you for giving us Charles.”

"Please, call me Mum," she said.

Edwin smiled at her with his dearest smile. "Thank you, Mum."

She turned to Charles at last, pulling him into an embrace and running both hands up and down his back. She pulled away to put a hand behind his neck, getting him to bend down to press his forehead against hers. "I love you, Charles. I'm so, so proud of you, you know that?"

Charles nodded, seeming unable to speak for a moment. He collected himself and said, "I love you, Mum. Are you gonna be okay?"

Charles' mother smiled, taking Charles' hands in hers. "Of course I am. I have a grandchild! And the best son in the world." She stepped back, their hands still joined, arms outstretched to keep the connection. "My boy..."

Mrs Rowland left through the wall and the blue light was gone moments later.

Edwin looked at Charles solemnly, holding Henry against his chest and soothing him. Charles still had one arm outstretched and was staring at the door, looking overwhelmed with emotion. With a quick kiss to the top of Henry's head, Edwin went to Charles.

"Would you like to hold Henry?" he offered. "It sometimes helps when I'm feeling out of sorts. When I'm feeling blue."

Charles wiped away his tears with one hand and held his arms out. "That'd be brills, thanks," he said, voice a little croaky. He pulled Henry in for a hug and sat with him on the sofa. Henry was at it with the "Ah-ah-ah"s today and kept that going as he bounced on Charles' thighs. Edwin sat down beside Charles, their hips and knees touching. Crystal sat on Charles' other side and Niko grabbed a cushion to sit on the floor in front of him. They sat that way until Henry wanted to go exploring. Niko helped him transition to the floor so he could crawl. Charles tipped toward Edwin, laying his head in his lap. Crystal pulled at his leg until he consented to putting his legs up on her lap. Edwin finally allowed himself to run fingers through Charles' hair, massaging his scalp as he went, as he'd seen Charles' mother do just a few minutes ago. Charles did not go to sleep, of course, nor did he go into a trance, but there on the sofa of their office, surrounded by friends who loved him, he closed his eyes and Edwin could feel him relax at last.

Chapter Text

After seeing Charles go through reuniting with and then losing his mother, Edwin decided he would forego finding out what Crystal saw in her reading. He couldn't bare the thought of betraying Charles’ trust that way and felt bad enough that he had already caused Crystal to do so. Plus, Crystal had assured him that it was nothing to worry about, so he decided to drop it. Charles was a bit quieter for a few days following his mother crossing over, but he still did everything he could to take care of Henry, to chime in on cases and to answer with a smile that he was fine when anyone asked. When a new case came in the mail, one that would take the Agency out to the middle of Ireland, Edwin decided it was time to have his talk with Charles.

“You’ll be careful, won’t you?” Charles asked, letting Henry hold onto his knees for support. Henry was getting closer to unassisted standing every day. It wouldn’t be long before he was walking. “I mean…obviously for a case in Ireland, you wouldn’t be able to take one of the girls. Mirror hopping is the way to go, innit.”

“I wanted to speak with you about that, actually,” Edwin said, stepping away from his desk. “I think you’re doing extraordinarily well managing your dizzy spells with your meditation.” Calling them dizzy spells was a lot more palatable than calling this thing an illness or disease. “I don’t see any reason why you can’t return to field work.” He watched Charles to gauge his reaction.

Charles sat up a bit straighter with an air of cautious optimism. “For reals?” he said. “Do you think Crystal would let me rejoin the Agency?”

Edwin found himself actually scoffing at this. “Charles, for heaven’s sake, you were never removed from the Dead Boy Detectives. What a heinous idea.” He couldn’t help but notice Charles’ little smile. “And Crystal does not get to make this call. We do. So my only question is—are you ready to return to casework?”

Charles was grinning from ear to ear and Edwin wasn’t surprised. He knew how much Charles had missed it and how hard it was for him to work from the office only. Charles tempered his smile with a somewhat sarcastic tilt of his lips. “How are you gonna break it to this guy?” he said, assisting Henry in climbing up into his lap.

--

As it turned out, Henry was easily bought with an afternoon spent with Niko and watching cartoons. Edwin and Charles slipped away while he was distracted by fuzzy pom-poms on Niko’s skirt and Scooby Doo on the tiny telly.

Charles grabbed his backpack and threw it over his shoulder, looking at the mirror with a bit of hesitation. “Been so long since I’ve mirror hopped, I might’ve forgot.”

Edwin smiled at him. “Nonsense. But if you’re worried, just hold onto my shoulder.”

“Kiss for good luck?”

That jarred Edwin out of his mind. What on earth?

“Edwin? Let’s go?” Charles said after a shamefully long moment of Edwin staring at him.

“Right,” Edwin said, a squeak breaking through just at the end of the word. “Come on then, Charles.” He patted his own shoulder to remind Charles to hold on if he needed to. In another twist of events, Charles took his hand instead. Was Edwin even going to remember how to mirror hop now?

Edwin placed his free hand against the mirror, trying to concentrate. Hopefully on one try, he could get them to the Willow Brook Pub in Dublin. Or at least somewhere in Ireland. Ideally not in any place romantic.

Edwin walked through, bringing Charles with him and thankfully they emerged through a mirror behind the bar at the Willow Brook. He sighed in a bit of relief but then made the mistake of looking down. Charles was still holding his hand. As Edwin tried to figure out which of them was losing his mind, Charles grabbed the case letter from his pocket. “Maisey C said she would be easy to find,” he said, reading from the paper. “Just look for a ghost with a severed arm, I spose.”

As much as he didn’t want to be the one to break the hand holding, Edwin needed to consult his notes and didn’t want to make a fool of himself by trying to fetch and skim through it one-handed. “Will you be needing that for long?” he asked, squeezing Charles' hand a little.

“No. You can have it back.” With a smile, Charles let go.

“Appreciated,” Edwin assured him, looking through his notebook. So, Maisey Cumberland had died through blood loss after losing an arm in a terrible car accident. The arm in question was later stolen by another supernatural entity—Maisey’s best guess was that it had been a demon. On her ring finger had been her grandmother’s ring and Maisey wanted to have it back, of course.

Edwin scanned the room and didn’t see her. “She could be outside,” he said to Charles, phasing through the walls. Charles pointed out Maisey, who was standing against a wall across the road and waving at them with her remaining arm.

“Ms. Cumberland, I presume,” said Edwin, extending his hand.

“Yep, hi,” she said, giving him a handshake. “Thanks for coming, I know how busy you are.”

“No problem,” said Charles. “So did you see anything when your arm was taken?”

“Well I was in a bit of daze, bring recently dead and all. But I seem to remember someone blue walking off. He was taller than any man I’d ever seen and had horns on top of his head and shoulders.”

From the information Edwin had compiled during his time in hell, he assumed that this demon was from the Greed circle. He turned to a page in the notebook where he kept his illustrations and descriptions of hell, showing it to Maisey. “Did he look like this?”

Maisey squinted to study the drawing. “Could be,” she said. “But, it was pretty hard to focus on anything other than looking at my body in the middle of the road.”

Charles nodded. “Fair enough. Have you got any other clues or do you know why someone would want to take your arm?”

“The people round here,” Maisey said, “the ghosts, I mean, have been chattin with me and seem to think that the demon would’ve taken it to the Underworld Arcade.” Edwin and Charles exchanged a look. They were familiar with the Underworld Arcade but neither had ever been, mostly because of its reputation for being unpredictable and dangerous. It was a sort-of supernatural black market with portals that went to all types of unpleasant locations, including hell.

“My partner and I will need to discuss this,” Edwin said, to which Maisey had no objection.

Charles and Edwin phased back into pub for a chat. “What are your thoughts, Charles?” Edwin asked.

Charles appeared to be thinking about this very seriously. At last, he said, “The Arcade is supposed to be a pretty bad spot, but better us to go in there instead of Maisey, all alone.” Edwin furrowed his brow; he honestly felt the same as Charles on this but they had Henry to think of. If something happened to both of them? “And,” Charles added, “there’s supposed to be this bartering ship moored in there somewhere that will trade any currency you like for magical items. I figure, I gotta bunch of those in the old backpack. Maybe we could unload a few and make some money for Henry?”

That was a great point: if they could locate the ship graveyard within the Arcade, they might be able to build a nice nest egg for Henry. “Alright,” Edwin agreed, “but we’ve got to be extremely careful and try our best to not leave there indebted to a demon or god, or who-knows-what else.”

“Definitely,” Charles agreed.

--

The Underworld Arcade was located in London, so mirror travel was still the best choice. After speaking to Maisey and agreeing to take her case, Edwin and Charles went back through the mirror to Port Townsend to check on Henry. Edwin noted with a slight sinking feeling that Henry’s supply of nappies and formula was dwindling quickly.

Niko had Henry dressed in a very ridiculous brown romper with rabbit ears hanging off the back. Henry was making short work of a banana and some cheerios that Niko had set out for him.

“You guys didn’t take very long,” Niko commented, in the midst of setting up another episode of cartoons. “Did you take the case?”

“Yep, we’re going to the DeadMall,” Charles said, using the informal term. “Gotta find a severed arm and family heirloom.”

“Aww!” Niko said. “I want to go to the DeadMall. Can Henry stay with Crystal?”

“I’m afraid not, Niko. It’s not technically a survivable environment for a living person,” Edwin answered.

“Plus it’s in London,” Charles added.

“Oh, got it,” Niko said. “More Auntie Niko time then.” She went about cleaning up Henry’s hands and face, which he squirmed to get away from. He then crawled over to Charles and tugged on his trousers, looking up at him.

“Hey there, little mate,” Charles said, lifting him in for a cuddle. “Are you having fun with Auntie Niko?”

Edwin picked a little fluff off Henry’s shoulder. “Has he gone down for a nap yet?” he asked Niko.

“No, he’s resisting it,” she said. “I was going to give him one more episode and try again.”

Edwin really hoped he slept, else he’d be cranky and up half the night. He really didn’t want to encourage a reverse schedule, despite the fact that he and Charles never needed to sleep. According to his readings, it was best to keep him to a nighttime sleep schedule.

While Charles was spinning the baby in a playful dance, Henry spit up onto his shoulder with a soft gurgle. “Oops,” said Charles, looking for something to wipe the baby’s mouth and his jacket with.

Edwin handed him a hand towel. “You ought to have winded him,” Edwin said.

“I thought that was just after bottles, not solids?” Charles said, attempting to clean the mess as well as possible.

“I’ll need to consult my research,” Edwin admitted.

Once clean, Charles handed the baby back over to Niko, who propped him up in her lap so they could watch their show. She snugged the hood of his romper over his head so he now was wearing the rabbit ears.

“Bye Daddy and Poppa!” she said, trying to get Henry to wave again. He just couldn’t bring himself to care for the custom, staring at her waving hand with disregard. “Bring me back a souvenir!”

“It’s not really that kind of mall,” Edwin protested as Charles said, “Okay!” They walked through the walls and back to the office across the hall. “Ready to leave?” Edwin asked, hoping and yet not hoping to have a repeat of before. If Charles asked him for a kiss again, he would do it. He really would.

Charles shouldered his backpack and took Edwin’s hand. “Ready.”

They stepped through, back again to London.

--

The entrance to the Underworld Arcade was a bit difficult to find; most black market organisers did not want the majority of the population knowing about their activities. But with a little bit of research and Charles asking around, they were able to locate one of the few of entrances in the basement of a bakery. Once they walked in, Edwin immediately wished they hadn’t. It was like being in hell—it felt inexplicably warm, the walls were unkempt and filth was everywhere, and when Edwin gave himself a moment to settle, it felt like gravity was weighing him down. It was like having a human body again. In fact, he could smell what seemed to be mould and dirt in this place. Charles was rubbing his forehead when Edwin looked over at him.

“Are you alright?” Edwin asked, trying not to overreact.

“I’m fine,” Charles assured. “This place is giving me a headache.”

It actually wasn’t that abnormal, going by what Edwin was experiencing. He felt a headache coming on as well and a bit of nausea too. Experimentally, Edwin placed a hand to the wall and found that he could not phase through.

“Charles, do be extra careful not to get injured,” he warned. “I’m not sure what would happen to us if we got hurt.”

Charles nodded. “Copy.”

“We need to find the directory,” Edwin said, looking around at the different hallways and doors. From what he understood, the structure was a circle with many hallways layered around it with the directory at the very middle. So technically if they kept going in one direction and then diagonally, they should hit the centre eventually.

Edwin and Charles started walking, with Edwin in the lead. They passed by several other ghosts, who did their best to not make eye contact (Edwin surmised that they either did not want to be seen here or did not want to be seen by the Dead Boy Detectives), as well as a few demons, one of whom whistled at them as they walked by him. Charles held up his middle finger and kept walking.

It felt endless, walking these narrow halls with some of the overhead lights flickering. He assumed this was purposeful and to the atmosphere because any simple incantation could brighten a bulb forever. Edwin could hear Charles’ footsteps behind him as well as his own, which was wrong but apparently a part of the rules here. Edwin saw the same door twice, corrected his route to align more with what he believed was the centre of the Arcade and sure enough, around the corner, there appeared to be a round reception desk. He recognised the creature occupying it instantly: an octo-troll. All the annoying features of a troll with eight long arms and a body that could stretch to a length equal to a bus. Edwin could see a water tank in the floor behind the desk where the troll’s long body was submerged with a few tentacles in the tank as well as a few scattered lazily across the desk. He and Charles had met several octo-trolls in the Case of the Underwater Cavern. The ones they had met had been fairly mild, not necessarily aggressive but also unwilling to budge on their own selfish interests.

“Want me to talk to him?” Charles offered. “They don’t always respond that great to you…”

Edwin couldn’t argue that one. “Yes, you should do the talking. Let’s try to find what happened to Maisey’s arm first and then we can look for a merchant.”

“Right-o.” Charles walked up to the octo-troll, who was leaning slumped against the desk, barely keeping his eyes open to look at a magazine about fashion, of all things. “Afternoon. We’re looking for information. Can you tell us where we could find a missing ring?”

The octo-troll didn’t even look up. “You would have to be, like, way more specific.”

“Right. Urm, it was attached to a woman’s severed arm?”

The octo-troll did a slow blink. “Try the door with the painting of a Krakken. There’s a body parts trader there.”

“Okay, and would you happen to know which direction…?”

He didn’t budge, obviously not planning to dignify that with a response.

Edwin pulled gently at Charles’ arm. “That’s alright, Charles. We’ll find it.” He didn’t want to waste any more time in this place than necessary with a troll that had no interest in helping them.

They searched twice as long for a door with a painting of a Krakken than they had searched for the directory. None of the doors were painted at all, but some had writing in Aramaic and some were carved with a language Edwin did not recognise. None of the Aramaic writing they passed referred to a Krakken or to body trading. When their third lap around the winding hallways brought them back to the octo-troll, Charles decided to ask him again.

“Hey, we didn’t see any doors with any Krakken paintings, right? Is there maybe something else we should look for?” he asked, very politely.

The troll raised an eyebrow. He was now reading a video games magazine. “Oh that’s right. The paintings are on the inside of the doors.”

Charles smiled but Edwin could tell he was annoyed—or perhaps Edwin was just annoyed and projecting. “So what should we look for on this side of the door?” Charles asked.

--

This time, they were able to find it fairly quickly as Edwin knew just where to look for the door with Aramaic writing that said Trade Boats. With a hand on the doorknob, he looked at Charles. “Ready?”

Charles nodded, adjusting his backpack to sit more snugly on his shoulder. They stepped through the threshold—Edwin had honestly been expecting an Interdimensional portal or at least another hallway, but he walked in and immediately stepped on a boat in the middle of a lagoon. He turned around briefly to verify that this side of the door, indeed had a painting of a Krakken. He and Charles surveyed their surroundings. The room was definitely a dimension unto itself as the space it took up could have easily swallowed the entirety of the Arcade and its hallways. The lagoon he looked out onto had hundreds of interconnected boats, lots of supernatural entities talking loudly and meandering between the boats in their search of trade. The lagoon smelled of rot and the stench of unwashed bodies living in close proximity of one another. He also didn’t trust the look of the water, although some of the people dwelling in this place were actually fishing. For what, he didn’t know, but the water was a putrid yellow. When he looked at Charles, he was grimacing, a hand at his temple.

“Still alright, or want to go back?” Edwin asked. He certainly wouldn’t abandon Maisey’s case but was willing to go back and regroup if needed.

“Nah, it’s not so bad, is it?” Charles said. “At least we found it. Now we’ve just gotta find the boat where Maisey’s arm is.” He stepped onto the next boat, rocking it a little, so much so that Edwin’s arm shot out to catch him, but Charles steadied himself quite quickly. Edwin followed him and they decided to keep left so they could cover ground strategically. Some of the traders were other ghosts, which were the easiest to converse with—although several of them spoke other languages. Many of the traders were demons or other supernatural entities like trolls, elves and merfolk. Between the two of them—Edwin’s root understanding of Latin, European languages, Ancient Greek and Aramaic, and Charles’ knowledge of some Punjabi and Hindi, they were able to speak with most of the traders. They finally became more strategic with their search, asking the traders where they could find body parts. This line of questioning brought them to a tiny boat down the left middle where a very tall human ghost was standing cross-armed in front of the boat’s cabin.

Edwin addressed him, “Good day, are you English?” The ghost simply flared his nostrils and gestured for them to enter the cabin. “Right, thank you,” Edwin said, going inside with Charles. To his surprise, it was another pocket dimension, quite larger than the outside would have indicated. The walls were lined with both humanoid and supernatural creature body parts, arms, legs and things even more disturbing than that. Edwin had to take slow, deep breaths to reassure himself that none of the body parts were his own. A flash of something even more horrible crossed his mind: these appendages and torsos as Henry’s body parts. He forcefully shoved that awful image from his brain. He was not in hell; Henry was, of course, not here; this was simply for a case. A case. He felt Charles’ steadying hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

“Not buyin’ any more human fingers!” shouted a woman’s voice from across the room.

Edwin raised an eyebrow at Charles. “We are not selling, we are looking for a stolen item!”

“Then fuck off!”

Charles cleared his throat. “We’re willing to trade for it, if you have it. It’s a human woman’s arm with a ring.”

A person emerged from the piles of body parts with an unsteady gate. She appeared to have a wooden leg and mechanical arm herself. She was perhaps in her mid-late 60s when she died. “Well, if it isn’t two cute boys who died with all their parts intact,” she said sarcastically. “Congrats.”

Edwin lifted his chin. He had not come here to be talked down to. “If I may, what sorts of trades do you accept here?”

She glared back at him. “Make it worth my while.”

Edwin nodded at Charles, who fished around in his backpack, procuring a magical amulet. It conjured up a rainstorm with the right spell. Fairly useless to them.

“Don’t waste my time,” the woman growled.

Charles put the amulet back in place and looked around for something else. He pulled out a small treasure box that contained an enchanted coin that could tell you the outcome of a yes/no question with fair accuracy.

The woman simply rolled her eyes, crossing her mechanical arm over her fleshy one. “If you show me one more piece of shit from that bag—” she warned.

Charles gave Edwin a questioning look. Edwin tried to remember what all was in the bag. “Can you find that water lamp from Atlantis?” he asked. It was probably the most valuable (but also unusable) item in the bag that he could recall.

“Ooh, that’s way in there, mate. Hang on.” Charles started digging, pulling a few things out of the way and onto the floor of the cabin while he searched. Within 5 minutes, he had a small gathering of items, both magical and otherwise surrounding him like a junk room.

Suddenly, the trader shrieked. “What is that!!!” She pointed a shaking mechanical finger at a doll on the floor.

Charles looked at where she was pointing and picked it up. “This Barbie doll?” he said.

She nodded, swallowing thickly. “She’s so pretty.” Her fingers danced through the air as she reached for it. “Can I have her?”

Charles shrugged. “Sure I guess. Although you should know, she’s cursed and sometimes turns into a siren that tries to lure little boys to their deaths."

The woman took the doll and stroked her hair. “I had one just like this,” she said, ignoring Charles’ warning about the curse, “when I was a little girl. I used to brush her hair and pretended she was going to a party.”

Edwin felt a pang of sympathy for this woman. Whether she had lost her limbs long before death or had lost them when she died, and no matter how bitter she seemed now (or what unsavoury trade she plied), there was still a tender little girl inside who remembered a happy time with her doll.

Still staring at the doll, turning it to look at the back of its head, she grabbed an arm from the shelf and held it out. The ring finger had a shiny silver ring with a green gem, just as Maisey had described it.

“Thank you,” Edwin said, nodding at her and taking the ring. “You may keep that arm if you’d like. Our client has no more use for it.”

“Do you know where we could trade some of these in for American dollars?” Charles asked, gesturing at the destritus surrounding him.

--

Only a few boats away, they were able to trade what Edwin believed were unusable items (a small treasure trove worth) for a small fortune in cash. They also picked up a small ornament in the shape of a boat as a souvenir for Niko. Charles tucked the notes and trinket away for safekeeping in his backpack and they made their way back to the door with the Krakken, the one they’d come through.

Only it wasn’t. It was a hallway like the one they’d been at before but all the walkways were filled with light fixtures and furniture that had apparently been abandoned there. Undaunted, Edwin continued on but Charles caught him by the shoulder.

“Wait a tick, mate,” he said. “Something feels off about this.”

Edwin tried to assess things. He still smelled the mould and still felt as if gravity were weighing him down, still felt corporeal. “Are you having a vision?” he asked.

“No…it just feels…weird, doesn’t it.”

Later, Edwin couldn’t be certain why he chose to ignore Charles’ concern. Perhaps he was in a rush to get back; perhaps he felt he had enough intuition to judge the situation safe. Whatever the case, he told Charles that everything would be fine and that they should carry on.

Edwin tried to apply the same logic as before, only backwards, trying to work his way out of the circle or at least back to reception where he would have a point of reference. But none of the doors and none of the markings on those doors seemed at all familiar. There were also no other beings milling about these hallways as there had been in the previous ones, so he was beginning to get a bit nervous about where they’d ended up. At that point, he could not be sure that he could find the door that brought them to this section of the Arcade so he chose one at random and peeked inside. Another pocket universe, this one holding a row of flats that stretched as far as he could see. He looked at the door to see a faint etching in the wood that read “brothels” in ancient Greek. Quietly, he closed that door and went to another. This one said “storage.” Inside, anticlimactically, was an actual brooms closet. Across the hall, Charles opened a door which had prison cells. They decided to keep walking to another section.

“Why isn’t anything familiar?” Charles wondered out loud. “I mean, same setup as before but where’s the reception, why are there desks and lamps everywhere?”

“I am not sure,” Edwin answered honestly. “Although I am beginning to suspect that we are in a pocket universe in and of itself, perhaps meant to mimic the Arcade for some reason.”

“You mean…like a trap?”

Edwin gave Charles a frown. “No, not like a trap. More of—” He wasn’t able to finish his sentence as Charles grabbed him by the arm and forcefully pulled him to his chest, Charles’ arms going around him. This was certainly new. Edwin had the presence of mind to speak, rather than just accept the embrace he found himself in. “Charles, what—” Again, he didn’t get to finish his thought because the wall came apart right where Edwin had been standing as an enormous tentacle broke through, feeling around for something.

Edwin was frozen but thankfully Charles was not. He pushed Edwin in front of him and told him to run, which Edwin finally did. Now he was just running at random, choosing halls as he came upon them, still able to hear walls caving in and tentacles searching for them. He darted left down the next hallway but Charles grabbed him by the jacket, nearly strangling him. “No, not that way!” Charles said, pushing Edwin in another direction. As Edwin looked over his shoulder, he saw a tentacle collapse the entire hallway into rubble. The tentacles were far two large to belong to the octo-troll. Could they be from a Krakken? “Don’t look back, just go!” Charles said, right as his heels. If he hadn’t been running for his life (afterlife), he might’ve stopped to wonder how Charles knew where the tentacles were coming from. But, as it was, he only had one imperative: keep moving.

Edwin rounded the corner, walls and ceilings collapsing everywhere until he felt the ground start to tilt forward underneath him. He windmilled his arms to keep balance and climbed up onto one of the desks as the room tilted until the floor was now a wall lined with desks and light fixtures on either side. He looked back at Charles, or rather, up at Charles, and saw that he was in much the same predicament, standing on a chair. At least the furniture was secured to what was previously the floor.

And then with a loud creak, the desk underneath Edwin gave way. He heard Charles shouting for him and just managed to grab onto a light fixture, which started to bend under his weight. So much for the furniture being secured. Now that he was corporeal, he could intensely feel the strain of his muscles as he tried desperately to hold on, the burning of his hands as he started losing his grip.

“Hang on, Edwin!” Charles called, sounding much more panicked than Edwin would have imagined. “I’m climbing down to get you.”

Edwin looked down, trying to judge if he could simply let go and land on the floor (previously the wall). But instead of a solid surface, the floor/wall beneath them had now turned into a giant black hole. Edwin watched as a chair fell from somewhere above, knocking against the other furniture and walls and got sucked up by the black hole. A flash of understanding hit him: the abyss, the Nothing. It was here.

He looked up at Charles and to his great terror saw him jump from one side of the room to the other, barely grasping onto a light fixture, very nearly missing it.

“Charles, be careful!” he tried yelling, but it came out as more of a whisper as his ribs were pulled tight around his chest like a vice. His fingers clawed at the slippery metal pole of the fixture, trying desperately to hang on. He glanced up again. Oh god, Charles was so close, he would make it, he would make it!

A screeching noise of metal screws being ripped from the wall was the only warning that the desk above Charles was falling. Edwin didn’t even have time to warn him and just started screaming, seeing Charles get crushed between two desks.

Charles pushed, trying to wedge the fallen desk off of him but he only had one hand free and was probably feeling close to how fatigued Edwin was.

Edwin didn’t have a chance to call to him again; his fingers wouldn’t hold any longer. He could feel his hands slip off, fingertips grazing the metal as he went. And then he was falling, falling, falling to his doom. So many flashes of memory raced through his head; meeting Charles, solving cases together, Charles saying ridiculously loyal things to him, Charles throwing himself in front of danger to protect Edwin, kissing Charles; the first time he held Henry and helped calm him down, all their little rituals, Henry’s first laugh, watching Charles taking care of him; Crystal, for all the times they butted heads, how caring she was, how she risked everything to protect them, to take care of Henry; Niko and her sweet, kind ways, her laugh and her uniqueness, how he never felt alone when she was around; back to Charles, his smile, his big, pretty eyes, him holding Edwin’s face so gently as he promised to rescue him from hell.

Edwin’s gaze lifted up as the blackness started to surround him. He searched for Charles’ face, hoping his eyes would be the last thing he saw. He found them at last.

Except there were now three of them.

Edwin had barely half a moment to contemplate that when he felt a sharp yank around his wrist, so tight that it was almost unbearable. It made the rest of his body jerk violently, his brain and insides feeling scrambled when he finally stilled. He looked up again and saw Charles, still trapped, but with his arm outstretched toward Edwin, perhaps 5 metres away, too far to reach him. Fingers…it felt like fingers gripping his wrist aggressively tight. Neither of them spoke a word; Edwin was fairly certain neither of them could just then.

Edwin flexed his fingers. It was really painful; it felt like his arm really would be torn off, in earnest. He instinctively looked down and saw that the Nothing was swirling around his legs like tendrils, trying to pull him further in. He tried to kick them away but they didn’t seem to mind, still swirling and pulling.

He heard Charles yell, sounding like he was in agony and he looked up. Something was dripping out of Charles’ nose that looked like blood. Right, corporeal. Charles was going to give himself a bloody stroke trying to hold onto Edwin. Not knowing what else to do, simply reacting upon instinct, Edwin used all his strength to reach up with his other arm and grab where the forearm to the invisible fingers holding him would be. He found solid (but invisible) matter there and looked up to lock eyes (all of his two and now all of Charles’ three) with his best friend.

Charles managed to pull his other arm free from beneath the crushed furniture and, by some miracle, started to painstakingly pull Edwin up by using a force of magic that Edwin had only even seen witches use before, and only after centuries of practise. Edwin kept holding on tightly to Charles’ invisible hands, feeling the swirling Nothing slip off his legs and feet the further up he went. It was an achingly slow process, centimetre by centimetre, both of them suffering. Edwin thought the tendons in his shoulders and arms would rip apart and he could see from the intense concentration on Charles’ face and the way he had his teeth grit that it was torture for him too.

Edwin might’ve blacked out at one point because the next time that he looked up, he could see Charles’ actual hand gripping him by the wrist. There was blood running down Charles’ face from the nose, down his neck and sweat beading on his forehead, some of it dripping into his eyes (third one included), but that was not surprising because Edwin was actually soaked in sweat by now.

“Help me,” Charles said desperately. Edwin grabbed onto the desk with one hand and pulled himself up, feet scrambling for purchase below as Charles gave one last pull with all his strength and got Edwin over the edge to safety. They both laid on their backs, panting and gasping for air. Charles had his hand fisted in Edwin’s shirt, as if Edwin would take a notion to tumble back over the edge and into the Nothing. Neither of them had the energy or strength to go through that again.

After he had lain there, contemplating the potential end of his existence that he had just escaped, Edwin felt a burning on his hand. He held it up and took off his glove to see that the amethyst ring was glowing bright purple and searing his finger. Charles looked over and saw the bright light.

“Get rid of it,” he said immediately.

Edwin started to snatch it off his finger but paused. Charles had given him this ring and he had really enjoyed the idea of having it. Parting with it felt like losing a piece of himself.

“I’ll get you another one,” Charles insisted. “Toss it.”

Edwin nodded and threw the ring off the edge of the desk. He listened to it plinking off the furniture and walls until it ultimately got sucked up by the Nothing.

Finally, he felt like he could sit up again and didn’t need to lie on the desk for support. Charles sat up with him, still holding onto Edwin’s shirt. Edwin studied the extra eye in the middle of Charles’ forehead. It was just as big and brown and gorgeous as the other two, but it moved independently of them. “Charles, what—” he began but was interrupted by a rumbling, shaking movement that started tipping the hallway back in the right position. He and Charles tumbled and rolled to keep up and Edwin noted that the abyss at the end of the hallway, the Nothing, had turned back into a corridor.

Before he could ask his question again, Charles was hauling him to his feet and said, “We’re getting the fuck out of here, that’s what.” He pounded his fist on the wall hard enough to cause the light fixtures to rattle. Charles let go of Edwin long enough to kneel down and search through his bag while a thundering echo was murmuring from every direction.

Shit. Edwin hoped Charles was getting a spell book out of the bag. It would have been preferable to have a little more preparation time but Edwin wasn’t about to question someone with a third eye. He knew enough about chakras to know that an appearance of the third eye signified intuition and insight. All those headaches, all those visions, were Charles developing a spectral superpower.

Charles did not pull a spellbook from the bag, but rather a sword. He grabbed Edwin by the arm, as gently as possible while still holding him fast so nothing could drag him away or swallow him up. All the rumbling around them stopped for a moment and then the walls crashed in everywhere, tentacles flying in every direction. With the delicacy of an aerialist, Charles sliced through each of the sticky tentacles that came toward them. After half a dozen were cut away, the others started retreating but Charles pursued them, Edwin pulled along behind him, stepping over fallen tentacles and gore. Edwin watched Charles do all sorts of spins and flips, handling the sword with precision. Edwin found himself staring at Charles’ athleticism, admiring his ability to neutralise the threat from literally all directions. A small, guilty part of him wished he was seeing Charles do this without his coat and shirt, just his white vest. Purely so he could observe the musculature of his fit best friend. Taking him off guard, there was an ear-splitting scream that made Charles drop his weapon. Without being able to hear each other, Edwin gestured that they run in another direction and Charles followed after, both of them holding hands over their ears. Charles opened a door seemingly at random with hundreds of mirrors inside and Edwin lead the way back to the office.

They both stumbled in and fell into a pile. Limbs and hands and feet were tangled up, creating a little bit of a tussle to break apart. Once they did, they fell in two different directions on the floor and Charles started laughing. “That was mental.”

Edwin laughed too. “Hear, hear,” he said. He could feel that he was incorporeal again with a massive relief. All the pulled muscles and exhaustion he’d felt had evaporated as soon as they’d left that place. Edwin sat himself up at the same time as Charles and saw that he was down to two eyes again. “Charles, your third eye has gone.”

Charles looked puzzled. "My what?"

Chapter Text

Edwin and Charles went to collect Henry from Niko and ask after Crystal, who was still in class. Edwin asked for Niko to send her over once she returned and they took the baby back to their office. Charles placed him on the floor in front of his pile of blocks, his back to Edwin.

"Again," Edwin said, "I truly apologise for asking Crystal to do that. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" Discussing Charles' newfound intuitive third eye chakra had involved a thought about getting Crystal's opinion on the matter. From there, it had come out that Crystal already likely knew some of what was going on with Charles.

"For the record," Charles said, still not turning around to face him, "if you had just asked me, I probably would've said okay. It's not like I was against figuring it out, yeah?"

That was a fair point. For whatever reason at the time (panic probably), Edwin had felt that he had no other choice, that Charles saying no was not an option. So, he had gone over his head, so to speak. He still felt terribly about it.

"If it helps at all, as soon as it was done, I asked Crystal not to tell me or anyone else," Edwin said, knowing that didn't make it much better. "It was a mistake. I was worried about you, that is all."

Finally, finally Charles turned around and he was smiling. "Turns out it was a good thing. I've got, like, psychic powers now. Reading your mind and all that. Fortune telling, telling futures."

Oh lord. It had gone to his head so fast. "I do not believe you can read minds, Charles, or tell the future as such. But you may be able to enhance your abilities with Crystal's help and who knows what you will be able to accomplish then."

"How do you know I'm not reading your mind right now?" Charles said with a grin.

Edwin sighed, but there was a playfulness to it. "I would like to believe you have better things to be doing than reading my mind." He inched out on the branch a little further. "Besides, I would be happy to reveal what I'm thinking about whenever you care to ask."

"That so?" Charles returned. It felt whimsical and unserious. Fun. Easy. "Well I'll be sure to remember that the next time I make you blush. Gotta be something good you're thinking of those times."

Edwin shrugged. "Perhaps," he said coyly.

Their playful banter was interrupted when Charles leaned down to pick up Henry, who was doing his little tug-at-the-trousers move to get Charles' attention. Edwin hated to put an end to their lighthearted conversation, but he had already told Charles many times...

"Charles, you cannot pick him up every time he tugs on you."

Charles was holding Henry close and rocking him. "But he wants cuddles," he protested.

"He wants cuddles, but he needs to learn how to self-soothe and self-entertain," Edwin insisted. "You'll spoil him. You cannot lift him up when he is an 18 year old man."

"I can lift you up."

"What?"

"I can lift you," Charles repeated, walking over to him. "And at 18, he probably won't be that much bigger than you." Charles then rested the baby on his hip and lifted Edwin off the ground briefly with his other arm to prove his point.

Edwin unruffled his jacket once Charles set him down. "That is not the point and you know it. Please try to spoil him less. I do not want a spoiled child."

Charles looked at Henry's face and made an expression almost like a pout. "I'll try, if you think it's best." He kissed the baby and set him down in front of his blocks again. Henry crawled away to look at another pile of toys. It was beginning to look more like a nursery than a detective agency. But that's because it was both.

Charles mirror hopped to take Maisey her ring and they were able to put her case in the Closed files. Definitely a case for the log books.

Crystal let herself in after a while, with Niko following behind. "So you solved your case?" she said.

Charles, sitting on the edge of the desk and looking at Edwin's notes, said, "Yup. Another success. And we made loads of dosh for Henry at the Deadmall."

"Speaking of which," Edwin said, fishing in his pocket, "we brought you this back, Niko." He handed her the small boat figurine and she took it excitedly. "If you look through the tiny window, you can actually see the Trade Lagoon where we bought it."

Niko held the boat up to her eye and squealed. "This is the coolest thing ever!"

Crystal looked around, confused. "Where's Henry, guys?"

Edwin glanced over at the bookshelf. The lowest shelf had been cleaned out so Henry's little collection of books could be stored there. He could see from where he was sitting that the Baby Boo book was missing. "He's reading behind the sofa," he answered.

Crystal looked behind the sofa and shrugged. "Okay then. Hi, Peanut." She turned to Charles. "Heard about your third eye deal. That must've been cool."

"Yeah, I guess," Charles responded. "I didn't even know it was there, was kind of focussed on getting Edwin away from this octopus thing--"

"It was a Krakken," Edwin interjected. He had compared the tentacles to a few illustrations in one of his books and was certain that they had been dealing with a Void Krakken, a creature that lived its existence half in the sea where it lured ships into its massive black hole and half in outer space where it spat said ships into their dooms.

"--right, and I just kept having this feeling that something bad was gonna happen and then I saw the fucking Nothing from all my visions and I just tried to grab him." He shrugged. "I thought I was losing it all these months, to be honest." Charles looked at Crystal. "What does this mean? What did you see when you read me?"

"I could see your third eye," she admitted. "As far as what that means, I'm not sure, other than the obvious. I saw lots of other things too--I saw Edwin and Henry behind this forcefield--you did not like that I could see them, but I don't think you knew it was me."

Edwin felt a little warm swelling in his chest at the thought of that. Charles putting Henry and him in protection even in his mind.

Crystal continued, "And there were all these weapons and shields and stuff in this big display. They were really shiny like they'd never been used. But they were behind a locked door."

"Maybe it was my infinite backpack," Charles suggested. "You lot normally can't access the things in there."

"This was your subconscious, Charles," Crystal said. "You're the one that can't access whatever those weapons are."

"So how do I get in?" he asked.

"You need a key," Edwin said. "But keys can have lots of interpretations. They can merely be symbolic." He mulled it over for a moment.

Charles groaned. "So frustrating. I wanna know what psychic powers I have."

"The psychic part is one thing," Crystal said. "That's more about your third eye--being able to see other dimensions."

"Wicked."

"The weapons are different. I couldn't tell if they were actual physical weapons or more of psychic abilities manifesting as weapons," Crystal said. She shrugged. "It was really busy in there, Charles. Everything in your head was distracting me so I couldn't figure out your powers. I don't know how you can focus on anything."

Charles was moving one of Henry's alphabet blocks with his toe to spell the word 'pizza', smiling at his achievement. When the conversation lulled, he looked up from his task and said, "Sorry, what?"

--

Edwin took notes on what Crystal had gleaned from her reading of Charles. That plus his own experience of witnessing Charles' third eye and the unbelievable power that had shown up with it lead him to suspect that they had only scratched the surface of what Charles was newly capable of. He read through his notes twice, just to be sure he had everything written down.

When he set his notebook to the side, a glint of sparkle caught his eye. Edwin looked closer at the desk and gasped out loud. It was the amethyst ring. The one Charles had given him. The one that had burned his finger and then been thrown in the abyss.

He picked it up, trying to make sure it was the same one and not just something similar to it. But he'd had it on his finger several weeks and had stared at it every chance he got so he definitely recognised that it was the same ring. But how on earth had it ended up here?

Edwin glanced up at the door. Charles was across the hall spending time with Crystal to presumably speak more about his new abilities. Edwin was looking after Henry, sleeping in his cot. Had Charles somehow recovered the ring? Was he trying to give it back to Edwin now? Or had the ring just reappeared of its own accord, some kind of Edwin-seeking sensor in it? Charles had promised to get him another one; perhaps it had been left here by Charles.

Edwin slipped it onto his ring finger, admiring it. It just looked so right, like it was a part of his hand. He had missed it and secretly been waiting for Charles to deliver on his promise to replace it.

What was going on with their relationship at this point? A lot, given, but specifically, he and Charles were raising a child together, they had been best friends for over 30 years, they had kissed, they had held hands, Charles was flirting with him at an exponential acceleration, he was madly in love with Charles, conceivably Charles loved him too?

"Ghost."

Edwin jumped at the tiny voice startling him out of his thoughts. He went over to the cot where Henry was sitting up. He dared not speak, lest he discourage Henry.

"Ghost," he said again, clear as a bell.

Edwin covered his mouth with his hand and felt tears welling in his eyes. Henry's first word, the clever little devil. He lifted the baby to his shoulder and petted his hair. "Henry, you've said your first word, my darling," he said softly. "Very well done. Ghost indeed."

Henry made some other less coherent sounds while Edwin took him immediately across the hall. Charles stood up when he saw them, concern crossing his features. Edwin halted Charles' worry by saying, "He's just said his first word!"

Charles looked excited for a moment then frowned. "And I missed it?'

Edwin held the baby close, snuggling him. "I'm certain he will say it again," he promised.

"Well what was it?" Crystal asked.

Edwin laughed softly, pleased. "He said 'ghost'."

Niko squealed. "Oh my god, he's such a smart baby! How did he know that?" Edwin was fairly certain he'd picked up the word from watching so much Scooby Doo but wasn't about to ruin everyone's excitement by being overly sensible.

Charles carefully took Henry, turning him so they were facing each other. "Can you say ghost, Henry? Say ghost. Say it for Poppa."

Henry made a few spit bubbles that dripped onto Charles' shirt.

"Cmon, little mate, you know you want to show us how clever you are, yeah? Ghost?"

Henry, seeming to feel that performing was beneath him, stretched back toward Edwin, who took him and held him on his hip. "He's probably hungry," he explained. "I shall go and feed him lunch, we shan't disturb you again." Charles looked at bit sad so Edwin added, "Say goodbye to Poppa," and did a little demonstrative wave.

And then for the first time, Henry waved back. Surely there was a limit to how much this baby could amaze him in one day.

Charles had proud tears in his eyes. "Bye Henry...sure you don't wanna say ghost?" But Henry had apparently had enough showing off and pressed his face into Edwin's shoulder. Edwin took him back to the office to feed him a jar of peas.

"Very well done, my darling," he praised, starting to spoon a little of the green mush to the baby. He caught a sparkle of the amethyst ring on his finger and smiled.

--

As it turned out, Charles had not managed to somehow retrieve the ring and reoffer it to Edwin and, as such, hadn't a clue where it came from. But he still insisted that Edwin should keep it. Edwin was far too timid to ask what the ring meant so just wore it and told himself it was simply a gift--it didn't go with Charles' style and therefore, he thought it would better complement Edwin. Easily answered.

That's when the letters began.

Edwin had been researching goblin dialects as a new case would involve being able to ask at least a few pointed questions of goblin-folk. (According to their client, a ghost from the 1940s, a group of goblins had taken up residence between the walls of the house she was haunting. They were mostly peaceful and coexisted without a fuss but every new moon, they would chatter and chant in the walls and made their client nervous that they were plotting something.) Regardless, he just needed to brush up on the language so he could eavesdrop at the upcoming new moon.

Setting a large volume of supernatural languages on his desk, Edwin saw an envelope lying there, as if waiting for him. Strange, as he hadn't seen the ghost mailman today. Perhaps it was an old letter from a potential client? When he turned it over, he saw his name written in ink on the front--Charles' handwriting. He started to feel a little panicked and he didn't even know why. Perhaps because Charles didn't tend to write letters--especially not to Edwin. Anything that Charles felt the need to write down instead of say directly to Edwin was cause for concern. So, with trepidation, he unfolded the envelope and took out the paper inside. He was somewhat relieved to see that the message was short and to the point, instead of the long, drawn-out sentiment of why Charles couldn't love him that he'd been expecting.

Dear Edwin,

Just a little note because I wanted you to know you're doing a great job! You're a great dad and my best mate and I'm proud of you.

Love,
Charles

Edwin stared at it. Love, Charles. Love, Charles. That mysterious closing aside, he wondered what had possessed Charles to want to write such a frivolous message to him. It was certainly not an exercise in precise penmanship. In the end, Edwin folded up the paper and put it inside his breast pocket notebook and supposed it was just a random act of kindness.

But the messages kept appearing, some short like the first, but some longer and more descriptive. All of them were compliments, or Charles sharing a memory that he liked, or talking about things he looked forward to such as Henry's first birthday or the next big case.

Still haven't heard Henry say ghost but today I swear he said 'ABBA'--like the band?

You were mad impressive with that alchemy spell today. Rock monster never knew what hit him!

I was listening to the Heart cassette you gave me. I think this is becoming my new favourite album.

And all of them finished with the confusing: Love, Charles. Pretty soon, Edwin had to find a permanent place for them all, as they would no longer fit inside his notebook. He knew they would get lost in the drawers of his desk so instead, Edwin placed them in a shipping box that had once contained some of Henry's clothing.

Edwin had chanced to ask Charles about the letters early on in receiving them. Charles had just smiled and claimed that he liked writing to Edwin, he liked sending him messages that he could look back on. Edwin had found the answer unsatisfying but hadn't pressed. He didn't want the messages to stop, after all.

One afternoon, he took the notion to write Charles back. He took out his ink and quill pen and began to write.

My dearest Charles,

I have so enjoyed receiving these letters from you. I fear I shall never catch up to you in number but I shall endeavour to return the sentiment as often as possible.

I am very proud of the dedication with which you are studying your meditations and intuitive abilities. And, my darling, I am utterly relieved that you are once again in excellent health.

You continually amaze me in your care and patience with Henry. Each day, he resembles you all the more and I could not be happier than to see him take on your qualities and to be raising him together.

He dithered on whether to leave the message there or to add in one more thought. Finally, he decided that he had no good reason to hold back. Fortune favours the bold, he reasoned.

If you should ever find yourself desiring of more, I shall be waiting with the lantern burning.

Yours,
Edwin Payne III

Taking a deep, calming breath, Edwin gave the ink a chance to dry and then folded the paper into an envelope. He left it on the edge of the desk for Charles to find and awaited his response with hopefulness.

--

Despite many explanations from Crystal and continuing to follow his meditation routine, Charles did not seem to be any closer to figuring out how to control his new abilities. He seemed to take it all in stride, assuring Edwin that his powers would come to him when they were needed. He also mentioned he was having visions a lot less frequently and when Edwin asked, he said that he did not see them any more during meditations. Edwin continued to do research in the background on the third eye phenomenon and a general dive into psychic abilities but became sidetracked by Henry's newest accomplishment.

Charles was sitting on the floor in front of Henry, holding onto his hands to steady him. Edwin looked over Charles' shoulder to see the baby's face looking a little wary.

Charles was encouraging him, saying, "You've got this, little mate. You know you do." Edwin could hear the smile in his voice. "Alright, I'm gonna let go on the count of three, but it won't be scary because I'll never, ever let you fall down, yeah?"

Edwin left the bookshelf to come and kneel beside Charles, smiling at Henry. "I'm here too, my darling," he reassured him.

"One--two--three--" Charles slowly removed his hands from Henry's, letting him try standing on his own. Henry wobbled slightly but kept his footing, looking well-pleased. Charles' face brightened with excitement. "Edwin, he did it," he said, sounding breathless.

Edwin beamed at them both. "Well done, pet," he praised. Henry started to look a little more unsteady so Charles scooped him up and brought him to his little collection of farm animal toys to play with.

Charles turned to face him, misty tears in his eyes. With a warm smile, Edwin crossed to him to wipe the tears away but suddenly felt his foot sinking into the floor. Confused, he looked down and saw nothing but mud and leaves and foliage. When he looked up again, he could still see Charles but they were both in the middle of a forest or swamp of some sort.

"Charles--" he began but was cut off by a great force that knocked them both on their backs into the mud. Charles was back on his feet quickly, coming to aid Edwin, who was frantically looking around to see if Henry had been transported here as well.

Charles shook his head as he gave Edwin a hand up. "He's not here. He must still be at the office."

Edwin still searched the area once he was on his feet again. "How can you know--"

Charles put a steadying hand on his shoulder. "Because I know."

"Right," said Edwin. "How did we get transported here? Did you do it, Charles?"

Charles shook his head. "I don't think so..."

A deep, gritty voice startled them. "The Dead Boy Detectives. Charmed to meet you."  A male figure appeared behind them and they both spun around to face him. He was tall with a dark plait spun down behind his shoulder. He was wearing what appeared to be leather trousers and a leather jacket over a metallic tshirt. His eyes looked distinctly unfriendly and washed out, as if he hadn't gotten enough rest and was angry about it.

"You're alive," Edwin asserted. "Why have you brought us here?"

"Yeah, who the fuck are you?" Charles demanded, reaching for his backpack but realising he didn't have it with him. Edwin held a hand up to him to try to prevent him from attacking the man with his bare hands--at least until they were given a proper explanation.

The man stalked closer, his posture threatening. "Name's Roman, but you might recognise my last name: it's Quinn."

Edwin tilted his head, trying to place the name. There had been a Phillys Quinn in a recent case--she had been trying to move on to her afterlife and contracted the Agency to determine what had happened to her son after her passing. Neither Edwin nor Charles had expected the red light to come for her after they solved her case, but Phyllis had evidently been destined for hell all along.

"Are you--" Edwin looked over the man's facial features, stature. "--Phyllis Quinn's brother?"

"So you do remember her," Roman growled. "Figured you'd just collect your fee and send my sister off to hell without another thought."

Charles stepped in, attempting to diffuse this situation. "Hang on, look--we didn't know she was going to hell. She seemed like a pretty nice one. But whatever she did in life...she woulda gone to hell no matter what we did, wouldn't she."

Quick as a whip, Roman struck Charles across the chest with his arm. Charles stumbled back with a groan, iron burns from Roman's armoured wristbands singeing his clothes.

"Charles!" Edwin shouted, trying to see the damage. He turned to Roman. "This is not acceptable to our protocol," he tried explaining. "If you have a complaint with our services, you must simply--" Roman was quick again, attempting to strike Edwin with his other arm, but Charles quickly stepped between him and Edwin and shoved Roman back. Roman barely moved a centimetre from all of Charles' effort. Something was familiar about him, something Edwin kept trying to put his finger on. He looked at the runes and jewelry on Roman's person and then it dawned on him--the strength runes, the necklace with a pendant in the shape of a stake, the holy water on his belt--they were tussling with a vampire hunter, which meant he would probably know well all of their weaknesses.

"Charles, be careful," he warned. Roman looked at him with a sinister smile and began a fast incantation. Before Edwin could place the spell to know what was about to happen, he felt a heaviness wrap around his wrists. He glanced down and saw iron cuffs holding his wrists together. The pain was immediate, searing the flesh around his wrists and Edwin gritted his teeth against it.

"Edwin!" Charles cried, hurrying to his aid, but Roman just snapped his fingers and Edwin's arms were wrenched up above his head, attached to the tree above him with a long chain. It pulled his body taut, and Edwin to stand on tiptoes to stop the iron digging into him any further.

"Two against one's not really fair, is it?" Roman quipped. Charles ignored him, reaching up and trying to pry the cuffs off Edwin's wrists but getting burnt in the process.

"Charles, look out!" Edwin warned as Roman struck Charles in the back with an iron cane. Charles dropped to his knees, eyes scrunched closed and with horror Edwin thought he was about to be struck again, beaten until he was flat on his face. But Charles did a quick spin, rising to his feet and throwing himself at Roman in a rugby tackle. Again, Roman barely budged, he just came at Charles again and again, Charles dodging when he could and protecting his face and body with his arms when he couldn't avoid the hit.

Edwin clenched his fists, looking up at the cuffs and trying to figure a way out of this. He looked at the markings on the iron, trying to make out what language was engraved there. He tried a quick release spell in Latin but it did nothing to free him. Edwin jumped when he heard Charles cry out in pain and looked about for him. Charles was on his back, halfway to sitting up and trying to crawl away backwards, muddying his clothes, Roman closing in. But Edwin's eyes were drawn to Charles' face: his third eye was there but it was intermittent, blinking in and out as if it were trying to manifest and could not. It kept jumping to different parts of Charles' face--his cheek, between his two other eyes, on the left of his forehead. Charles could not access its insight if it weren't fully there.

"Charles, you must concentrate!" Edwin asserted. "I know it is difficult but you must try!"

Charles finally scrambled to his feet, only to be knocked back down by Roman's armoured leg sweeping his legs out from under him. He could hear Charles growl in frustration. Edwin's eyes went wide when he saw Roman raise the iron cane above him, ready to bring it down over Charles' head. He snatched his wrists, trying to pull them out of the cuffs with all his might and as he did, his amethyst ring slipped off, bouncing down his body and landing near to Charles. It was glowing again.

Edwin decided to play a hunch. "Charles, the ring!" he shouted.

Charles looked to his left, immediately saw the ring and slipped it onto his own finger. Edwin couldn't breathe as he saw the force with which Roman's iron cane was swinging toward his Charles. There was a deafening boom and a crackle of light--Edwin desperately tried to figure out what had happened--had Charles been hit? Was that loud noise his head being cracked open? But then, with a cold wash of relief, he saw that the cane had been stopped--by an amethyst pink forcefield. Charles finally chanced looking up too and saw a very confused-looking vampire hunter trying to understand what had gone wrong. Charles sat himself up and the simple movement activated something in the forcefield that blasted Roman away so fast and so powerfully that his body spun through the air and landed 10 metres away. Edwin's hands slipped out of the cuffs, at last free from the pain of being confined with iron, when Roman no longer had the concentration for his spell. Edwin staggered a bit, sagging from the tension with which he'd been held.

Charles rushed to him, taking Edwin's hands in his own and examining the damage and burns there. Edwin looked up to meet his eyes and saw that his face was no longer flashing with the third eye. Charles looked terrible--covered in burns and iron wounds himself but was only interested in fussing over Edwin's scalded wrists.

Charles took a deep, slow breath and looked Edwin in the eye. "I reckon we should find a way out of here. Need to put some enchanted balm on those--"

A loud BANG and in an instant, everything started making less sense in the world around him. Edwin saw the sky tilt, the trees canopy above his head and he was lying in the mud. Someone was screaming, a bone-chilling terrified noise. Charles fluttered in and out of his vision above his head, mouth moving but only a few words making it through.

"--on, Edwin--please--say something--you hear me?--"

Edwin's vision was fading in and out but he managed to look down the length of his own body and saw blue incorporeal fluid weeping from his chest. It was the worst burn he'd ever felt in his afterlife--it was burning him from the inside out. He tried to make sense of what was happening but there were too many nebulous details that refused to connect in a meaningful way.

When next he looked at Charles, his third eye was sitting confidently in its proper place mid-forehead. He looked as furious as Edwin had ever seen him as he turned back in Roman's direction. Roman was holding a gun of some type but no longer with any assertiveness. Iron bullets, Edwin realised. That was a new one. The man looked scared to death and like he very much regretted his idea to shoot Edwin.

Edwin missed the exact sequence of events but understood the gist of it--Charles was fighting Roman with a fierceness Edwin had only seen a rare handful of times and Roman was losing his advantage rapidly.

Edwin felt his body pulse in and out of visibility. He knew he needed to be in his orb form but he resisted it, thinking Charles needed him. He could hold on, catch his breath, try to get to Charles...

"Edwin."

Edwin didn't realise his eyes were closed until he opened them. Charles was overtop of him again, cradling him in a sitting position. It was distinctly uncomfortable, and his chest was throbbing with it but being held by Charles helped him feel calm. Even though Charles' face was covered in Roman's blood.

"Edwin, can you hear me?"

"Christ, Edwin, I've never seen a ghost bullet wound. What do I do?"

"Edwin, hold on, love, I've got you. We're gonna get you taken care of, love."

Edwin, anchored by the idea that Charles was okay, surrendered to his orb at last.

--

--okay Edwin--

--remove the iron--

--enchanted knife--

--hold my hand--

--doing great--

--I've got you--

--

The next thing he knew, he was lying on his back on the sofa of the office, his head in Charles' lap. Charles was carding his fingers through Edwin's hair and smoothing it off his forehead. Edwin tried to do a quick inventory of his person and realised, to his dismay, that he still felt a dull ache in his chest. How long had he been out?

"Hey, you're back," Charles said, sounding relieved.

"What happened?" Edwin asked. With a quick look around, he saw that they were alone.

"You got shot with an iron bullet by that arsehole," Charles said. "I didn't know what that could do to you so I made en executive decision and cut it out of you with my handy-dandy enchanted pocket knife, didn’t I." Edwin's eyes widened, looking down at his chest. "Don't worry, it healed over. You went into an orb and I found my way back here."

"Charles," Edwin breathed, "incredible. You might have saved my existence."

"All in a day's work," Charles replied, casually. "Hopefully that prick of a vampire hunter won't bother us any more."

"Where's--" Edwin remembered--they had left him, alone, he was alone. He suddenly shot up but felt a stabbing sensation in his chest. Charles gently leaned him back down.

"Easy," he said. "You're still healing." Charles stroked his hair a little. "He's across the hall with Crystal. She heard him cry and came to see about him." He paused, grimacing. "We didn't think it'd be a great idea for him to see you as an orb so...but he can come back now that you're healing up."

Edwin settled into Charles' lap a bit further, trying to process everything that had happened when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. "Charles, your arm..."

Charles looked down at his bare forearm where a softly glowing image of a shield was imprinted, the same as the witch doctor's tattoos.

"Yeah. That showed up too," Charles said. "I dunno what it means for sure but I think it means I can use the shield now."

"Where is the ring?"

Charles smiled, getting it out from his pocket. "You can have it back if you like."

Edwin smiled. "I think you ought to keep it. Perhaps I'll get another one at some point," he said, inching just a bit more out on the limb.

"Bet on it."

--

Edwin and Charles were sitting up on the sofa, Charles' hand casually (?) on Edwin's lower thigh when Crystal brought the baby over. Edwin's chest wound was all but healed, just a light burning almost like indigestion remaining and no outward signs of the injury. Charles had been happy to check it for him.

"Here you go, Peanut," Crystal said, setting Henry down on the floor. "You get to see your daddies."

Henry looked up from his sitting position to see the two of them and immediately started tugging on Charles' trousers. Charles grimaced, glancing at Edwin. "Sorry, little mate, why don't we see if we can find you one of your books, hey?"

Edwin held out a hand to halt Charles from getting up. "It is alright, Charles," he said softly. "Perhaps we should pick him up as long as he still wants us to."

A look of surprise crossed Charles' face but then he smiled, eyes crinkled. He helped Henry climb up onto his lap, ready to cuddle him but Henry made his way straight to Edwin's lap in a precarious crawl over the pillows and legs in his way. Apparently for now, Charles was a means of conveyance to get up onto the sofa and to his goal of reaching Edwin. Charles chuckled, patting Henry on the leg as he crawled away to Edwin. "Very cute, little mate."

Edwin stared down at the baby in his lap, who was inspecting him back in turn and fisting a hand in his shirt. He could feel the little legs struggle so helped him to a stand, propped against Edwin's chest. Henry placed a hand reverently to Edwin's face and the twin sets of eyes gazed into each other.

In a hush of a breath, Henry said his second word: "Da-da."

That invisible string that had been tightening between them was joined by a hundred more strings, fastening them tightly together, an impenetrable bond as strong as iron.

Chapter Text

Charles trying to navigate his new powers was a bit nerve-wracking, to be honest. The shield he could now access was great during a fight but not so much when he accidentally activated it in the office and all the furniture was pushed up against the walls.  Sometimes when he meditated, his third eye would appear and different odd sensations would occur in the room--a crackling sound, sudden dips or rises in temperature (that Edwin should not be able to feel), or certain objects fading in and out of existence. Crystal said that it was because Charles was seeing things in other dimensions and therefore projecting that onto the environment around him but Edwin was not convinced that was all that was happening. Regardless, all this unpredictability was becoming more than could be managed within the office.

It made Edwin concerned for Henry being nearby to these phenomena as well as the girls who lived just across the hall. It was Edwin's suggestion that Charles take some time in a safe space with Crystal to really try tapping into his powers to learn to control them. It would be simple enough for Charles to mirror hop somewhere close to the middle of nowhere to be able to do such but needing Crystal with him was the challenge. Edwin really didn't want Charles off in some isolated location trying out powers he admittedly did not understand as of yet anyway. Charles and Crystal settled on working together near to the seaside in a little cove which could not be seen from above. Most days, they did precisely that when Crystal was not in classes and Charles was not spending time with Henry. They tried this for a while but often came back discouraged, either with Crystal unable to navigate Charles' mind well enough or Charles' new skills proving ungovernable.

Crystal believed that Edwin could be of value to Charles' progress as he knew more about the magic and supernatural side of things. Her argument was that Charles was a supernatural being and therefore had a supernatural subconscious, different to the ones with which she typically engaged. She kept saying they were close to a breakthrough but got blocked in every time by a new barrier that she could not resolve on her own. Edwin eventually agreed to come along to help but Niko had unfortunately taken ill with the flu and could not keep Henry.

And that's how Edwin ended up standing by the sea with Henry strapped to him in a baby carrier, watching Crystal go inside Charles' mind from a safe distance.

Henry enjoyed the sea very much and would probably be pleased to crawl around and investigate the sea creatures and driftwood. But Edwin wouldn't have him crawling around in filthy sand--he didn't even like the fact that his boots were currently standing in it.

"Da-da," Henry groaned, his arms stretching out toward the sand. He definitely wanted to get down onto the ground. Edwin searched his pocket for Henry's now-ratty stuffed wizard, which Henry merely threw down on the ground after being handed it. Almost immediately, he decided that was a poor decision and he fussed after it, wanting it back.

"Henry, this is as good a time as any to learn about natural and logical consequences," said Edwin. "Daddy will not be bending down to pick the wizard up until we leave today."

"Woah," Henry said, making Edwin chuckle a bit. He'd started saying that earlier in the week to express every emotion from joy to outrage.

Edwin watched Charles and Crystal from afar: Charles was sitting on a large stone, his legs crossed under him, while Crystal had her hands on both his shoulders, her eyes white during her reading. Suddenly, they both shouted, startling Edwin, and then pitched back from one another. Crystal landed on her back with a loud “Oof” and Charles tipped onto the side. With care not to jostle Henry, Edwin hurried over.

Crystal sat up, dusting sand off herself. "Son of a bitch," she swore. "Charles, what were you doing? I was trying to guide your hands to the doorknob."

Charles got to his feet, slapping the sand off his trousers. Edwin could see that his third eye had appeared with Crystal's help. As of yet, he could not willingly open it without an inciting event or the help of their psychic friend. "I can't see the doorknob, can I?" he replied. He offered Crystal a hand and helped her stand up. "How was I supposed to know it was you grabbing my hands?"

Crystal looked stunned by the question. "Uh, because I opened your third eye? You should be able to see everything I'm seeing."

Charles shrugged. "Well, I can't. It's just black."

"This is what happens every time," Crystal said to Edwin. "I've tried a hundred different ways and we're not getting anywhere with the locked door. I don't think the key is anywhere in Charles' subconscious." She shrugged at Charles. "Maybe you just haven't found it yet."

"Might I take a look?" Edwin asked, mostly of Charles. Taking a walk through Charles' subconscious was a potential trust boundary and he wasn't certain if Charles would be up for it. "It would be possible, right?" he asked Crystal.

Crystal slowly took her time with a breath. "I could project your consciousness into him, sure," she said warily.  "But there's kind of a lot in there. No telling what you'd run into."

"What do you think, Charles?" Edwin asked. "Would you like me to try?"

Charles' third eye appraised Edwin, as did the other two. "I've got no problem with it," he admitted. "I trust you. Both of you." Holding out his hands, he said, "Want me to hold the little one so you can focus?"

Edwin unstrapped the baby from the carrier around his shoulders and handed him to Charles. Henry regarded him and his third eye with interest, pressing a hand against Charles' face. Even though Edwin had been firmly planted into 'Da-da', Henry had still not come up with anything to call Charles. Everyone, Edwin included, tried encouraging him to say 'Poppa,' but as with most new things, he was blatantly stubborn.

"We won't be needing a silly baby carrier, will we, Henry?" Charles said, kissing Henry on the forehead. "Poppa will take you to play in the sand--"

"On a blanket," Edwin interjected.

"--and we'll build a sandcastle," Charles finished. He did have the good will to get a blanket out of his backpack as Edwin had requested and spread it out on the sand before setting Henry down upon it.

"Alright, we're set, go ahead and visit my brain," Charles said, smiling at Edwin. "Oh wait!" he said, remembering something and digging around in his infinite backpack. He produced the lock picking kit with a shrug. "Couldn't hurt."

"Right," Edwin said, taking the kit and pocketing it. He looked to Crystal as she put one hand on Edwin's arm and the other on Charles' shoulder. Colours flashed in front of Edwin's face and he was suddenly standing within a long, brightly lit hallway, the walls adorned with loud televisions in some places and artwork in others. Overtop of the television sounds (which were frustratingly all showing different videos and the noise that went with them), there was loud music playing. Edwin tried to place it but it did not sound familiar to anything Charles had played him before. Frowning, he wondered if he'd ended up in the right place. There was an awful lot of noise and sight pollution, so it seemed to fit the chaotic space Crystal had described. Edwin looked down at his hands to see he had a visible form in this realm, identical to his actual form.

"Remember," Crystal's voice from above said, startling him, "if you run into Charles in there, try not to interact with him. There's a few of him in there and they're not really him, just his memories."

Edwin nodded then said, "Very good, thank you Crystal," on the off chance that she couldn't see him nodding. He walked down the hallway, looking for the locked door she had mentioned. There were a few doors scattered along the noisy hallway but none of them had keyholes or locks so Edwin passed them by. After walking in one direction for a few minutes, he decided to try a door at random and peeked inside. It appeared to be the St. Hilarion's cafeteria, deserted. He could see a slightly younger Charles sitting by himself, head in his hands. He wore a brown leather jacket and black trousers that slightly swallowed him. Edwin wanted to go to him, wanted to see if he was alright. It looked like he was having a properly awful day. But ultimately, he knew he could not do anything to help and needed to leave Charles' private memories be, no matter how curious he was regarding what this younger Charles was upset about.

He closed the door quietly and walked a little further through the hallway before choosing another door to open at random. This one looked like a small child's bedroom, messy with small articles of clothing and toys scattered about, and so Edwin immediately tried to close the door again. But before he could, a little curly head popped into his periphery.

"Hi!" said the littlest version of Charles that he could fathom. He was smiling brightly, and therefore Edwin could see he was missing several teeth. He wore a tshirt and short trousers, bare feet. In Edwin's time, that would have been unacceptable, even in his own bedroom at playtime. He'd be expected to wear trousers and a crisp shirt, dress socks and polished shoes. Edwin studied the little boy, a bit waifish but with an energy that seemed to buzz right out the top of his head. Speaking of, he had a bindi in the middle of his forehead, which was interesting but odd as Charles had never mentioned wearing one as a child.

"Oh," Edwin said, astonished. "Hello."

"I'm 6! Wanna see me jump off my bed?"

"No," Edwin said immediately, worried this memory-Charles could get hurt, despite how absurd that was. Certainly Henry would not be allowed to jump on any beds, so he surmised this small Charles should not either. "No thank you. Back to your room, please."

"I can do it really good though!" he insisted. The memory was standing halfway out the door and Edwin didn't want to leave him to roam the hallways. Who knew what consequences that would have? Granted, likely none. But he wanted to leave Charles' mind better than or equivalent to the way he'd found it. His gaze fell upon a collection of small toy automobiles beside the dresser. "Why don't you tell me about these cars?" he asked, hoping to lure Charles back into his room. When he looked down, the curly head was gone and he looked about in a panic, seeing the memory halfway down the hallway. "Charles!" he cried, frustrated. "Come back to your room, young man."

The memory, obviously interpreting this as a game, took off at a run, giggling.

"Damn," Edwin murmured, hurrying after him.

"Hey," Crystal's voice boomed above him, "remember how I said that you shouldn't interact with any of the memories?"

Edwin chose to ignore that. It was only one memory and he was only six years of age. He was confident he could wrangle him back to his door. He followed the hallway, trying to listen for telltale signs of an escaped six-year-old Charles amongst all the noises from the televisions and music. He became sidetracked when a very peculiar door caught his attention and stopped him in his tracks. It was the only door that had rotted through as if it had been submerged underwater for 10 years and then replaced in its spot. There were chains across it but they had been pulled straight out of the bolts meant to fasten them. It looked like whatever had been kept there had recently broken through the chains and escaped. Curious, he reached for the rusted knob to see what remained of the room; perhaps he could determine what had escaped and was therefore possibly roaming the halls. Before he could open it, he felt an urgent tugging at his sleeve. Edwin looked down to see the 6 year old memory had joined him.

"Don't open that door," the memory warned, eyes wider and taking up more of the little face than Charles' did now.

"Why not?"

"It's spooky in there. That's where the spooky thing lives."

"Spooky thing? So you've been behind this door before? You've been outside your room?" That was unexpected. Edwin had thought that all the memories would have logically been confined to the space, the surroundings that they came from.

The little head bobbed. "I like to leave my room and go see the Big Place," he said cryptically.

"The Big Place," Edwin repeated. "Could you show it to me?"

--

Having the 6 year old memory as a guide was not as painless and simple as it had been in Edwin's imagination. The memory was easily distracted and sometimes talked to himself, Edwin needing to remind him several times that they had a task to complete. It was an interesting thought exercise, Edwin realised, watching the small Charles trace his finger along the wall as he walked. Eventually, Henry would be this same age and may have a few of these same qualities, having been raised in part by Charles.

The memory stopped when the hall gave way to a circular room that had other halls heading in all directions.

"Is this the Big Place?" Edwin asked.

The memory scratched his head, looking confused. "No."

Edwin stooped down to be on the same level as the memory. "Which hallway should we take, hmm?"

"I don't remember?" said the memory, looking Edwin in the eye. It was strange seeing the little Charles face so up close. It reminded him of the first time he'd looked at Henry's eyes, seeing his own face looking back at him. Dazzling and a bit eerie.

"That is alright," Edwin assured him. He stood back up, looking at the different hallways before deciding they needed a little more help. "Crystal?" Edwin shouted toward the ceiling. "Which way should I go next?"

"First of all, you don't have to yell," came the disembodied voice. "I'm literally standing right next to you in real life." Edwin made a show of looking at his watch, impatient. Crystal merely sighed. "Straight ahead. You should reach a room after that."

"And that is where the locked door can be found?" Edwin clarified.

"Yes," Crystal responded, sounding tetchy.

"Very well." Edwin stooped down again to talk to Charles' memory. "I'm continuing on from here. Do you think you can find your way back to your door or shall I take you?"

The memory shook his head. "I'm going with you to see the locked door," he answered.

Edwin frowned. "Why? I thought you wanted to see the Big Place."

"Yeah but the locked door is like, really cool prolly!"

"I doubt that." Edwin paused, frowning. "Did you know about the locked door before?"

The memory smiled. "Nope!"

--

Edwin was getting a bit frustrated with these hallways. Why couldn't Crystal have phased him into a point closer to the locked door? The 6 year old memory was becoming petulant and bored, standing in front of the loud televisions to watch them and intermittently starting to open random doors himself. Edwin had to steer him away from them.

"Charles, I've told you: do not open any more doors. We do not know what could happen."

"But I wanna see the Big Place..."

"Is the Big Place behind a door?"

"No."

"Then you won't find it by opening a door."

The memory scuffed his bare foot against the floor, pouting at it.

Edwin softened a little, trying to be more sympathetic, even though he was literally interacting with a fixed memory. "Tell me about the Big Place. I've never been there before."

The memory brightened quickly. "There's like, cool music and like, games, and I've got lots of friends there, there's like, a puppy dog, and like, my mummy's there, there's swings and slides and a whole playground; it's cool. Oh and there's this really big--" The memory threw his arms out wide to illustrate. "--big, huge tree that you can climb. It's cool."

Edwin was puzzled. He couldn't determine with this Big Place might be, aside from a space to house all of Charles' positive associations from this age. "Well I certainly hope that we find it so you can show it to me," Edwin said with a smile. "In the meantime, I believe we are quite close to the locked door, so let's try to hurry, shall we?"

"Okay!"

They continued on for a piece, everything looking so familiar and repeated that Edwin was beginning to believe it was all an optical illusion. Finally the hallway widened before it stopped in a dead end. The locked door was at long last in front of him, a simple padlock in place, as opposed to the chained door that he had seen earlier.

Edwin looked up. "This is it, correct, Crystal?" he asked, speaking at a normal volume this time.

"Yup, that's the one with the weapons behind it. It wouldn't budge no matter what I did to it."

Edwin knelt in front of the door, pulling out the lockpicking kit Charles had given him. It wasn't his area of expertise per se but he'd seen Charles do it enough times that he understood the premise.

Edwin tried his hand with the tools, little clicking noises difficult to discern over the drone of music and chatter. "Are you alright, Charles?" he asked, addressing the memory after a few minutes had gone by. There was no answer. "Charles?" Edwin looked over his shoulder to see the memory was facing the hallway.

"I think the spooky thing is coming," he said calmly.

Leaving the lock picking tools in their case, Edwin got to his feet and joined the memory. "You never told me what the spooky thing was, Charles," he said, voice a tiny bit shaky as now he was starting to hear a menacing growling noise.

The 6 year old memory huffed. "You didn't ask."

"You're right, good catch, Charles," Edwin said. What he wouldn't give to have the real Charles and his infinite backpack right about now. "So what is the spooky thing?" It would be upon them in moments going by the increasing sound.

"A monster." Even over the grating sounds of music and televisions, Edwin could hear footsteps stomping into the floor, the growl of something otherwordly. It was as if the growling and stomping noises were coming from inside his own head. Edwin steeled himself. You're not in hell, it's not a demon, it is merely Charles' subconscious. You cannot be hurt here. You are safe.

With one final bang of a step, the monster loomed around the corner--only it wasn't exactly a monster. It was...a human being. But it was twice as big as Edwin was, a brown jacket in tatters around its shoulders. The features were all befitting of an older man; even so, Edwin recognised the features that reminded him of Charles--the cheekbones, the lanky arms. But he also recognised the striking differences—long, unkempt hair, white, glowing eyes, gnarled fingertips, blood dripping from the mouth--that told him what this 'spooky thing' was: it was one of Charles' trauma memories. He could only assume this one had taken the form of Charles' father. Normally, trauma memories would be no more intimidating than the six-year-old boy stood next to him. But if left to fester and not processed, they could indeed become inhuman monsters.

Before Edwin could fully form a plan, the monster lunged at Charles' other memory with its sharp fingernails and long, crooked fingers. Edwin swore he heard a growl that sounded like the creature was saying Charles. The 6-year-old memory screamed in terror and tried getting out of the creature's reach. That was more than enough for Edwin's instincts to kick in. He grabbed the memory by the waist and started running with him, darting around the monster and back down the hallway. Only the monster was much quicker than its lumbering movements from before would have him believe. It was hot on Edwin's heels in seconds and he tried to push away all his images of hell--certainly there had never been any televisions and he'd never had to carry a little boy around with him, but all the same, running for his life from an inhuman being put him right back into all his hell instincts.

Look for a hiding spot, if only for a moment. A moment's reprieve is invaluable.

Edwin kept running, unable to stop with the trauma memory so close behind him. It was difficult with the 6-year-old memory thrown over his shoulder but he boosted his speed, barely escaping a filthy, bloody hand trying to grab his jacket. He kept speeding up until it felt like he would lose traction completely and trip, but it was working. The creature was getting further behind them.

As soon as he put the width of a corner between himself and the monster, Edwin wrenched open a door at random and stumbled in. He leaned his back against the door, holding the 6-year-old memory close to his chest and stroking his back. It took several minutes to realise he was holding a memory and not Charles or even Henry for that matter--and that the memory was not upset, didn't need soothing. The memory had his head laid on Edwin's shoulder, seemingly not against being cuddled, this one.

Regardless, Edwin carefully placed him on the floor. "Apologies, Charles. Are you alright?"

The memory looked up at him and gave a thumbs up. "You're lucky the spooky thing didn't catch you," he said.

Edwin furrowed his brow. "Why, what happens if it catches you?"

"You'll disappear," said the 6-year-old Charles. That was interesting. Evidently, if this memory could be believed, the trauma memory was capable of making other memories vanish, potentially erasing them from the real Charles' recall.

Edwin sighed. "Well, perhaps we should get you safely back to your door then, hmm?" He finally took a moment to observe the room he'd walked into. It reminded him of the interior of a cottage, very lived-in, very warm and welcoming. On the wall, there were a child's drawings and on the floor, a tiny pair of shoes. A fishing pole in the corner, a bookshelf absolutely crammed with books, a dog's bed beside the very comfy-looking sofa. There was a familiar desk covered with papers and a bulletin board filled with cases, both solved and unsolved. And then, stealing his breath away, he saw a picture on the wall. It was made with shiny paper and calligraphy and simply said ' Henry Rowland-Payne, born 2023~Edwin Payne and Charles Rowland--married 2025'.

Edwin had to take a moment with that. It was the absolute last thing he had been expecting see. He turned to the memory beside him. "Charles, is this...the Big Place you mentioned?"

The boy shook his head. "No this is a dream. I have lots of them."

"A dream," Edwin repeated.

"Yeah, there's no people in it 'cause it's not real yet."

Edwin breathed in the space, took his time mesmerised by it all. He committed it all to memory, taking in the details, the nuances, tried to see all the little things that Charles had packed into this dream of his. But most of all, he memorised the picture of his and Charles' wedding date.

"Come with me," he said to the memory, offering his hand. "I'll take you back to your room."

The memory took the offered hand and left the dream room with Edwin. Once seeing that the coast was clear, Edwin brought him straight back to his door and opened it to check that it was still a little boy's room inside.

"There we are," Edwin said, smiling. "I enjoyed the time we spent together today."

"Me too! Watch me jump off my bed!" The memory ran and rolled onto his bed, bounced a few times and then jumped to the floor with a loud banging noise, making Edwin laugh.

"Very good, Charles," he said. "Do be careful not to get yourself hurt though. It was very nice meeting you."

The memory tilted his head. "You didn't meet me. I already know who you are."

Edwin raised an eyebrow. "You do?"

"Uh-huh," said the memory. "You're Edwin."

Edwin was a little taken aback but he supposed he shouldn't be, given everything else he'd seen in Charles' subconscious today. "How did you know that?"

The memory smiled and pointed a finger at the bindi on his forehead. As he touched it, the dot was replaced with a third eye.

And then without warning, he was standing at the seaside again, Crystal in front of him looking frantic. "Edwin, I've been trying to pull you out of there for hours, what the hell?"

Edwin looked over at Charles, who was sitting on the blanket with Henry. Charles, who now also had a bindi on his forehead.

"Woah," Henry said.

--

Crystal and Edwin were unable to determine whether Edwin's 'holiday through Charles' mind' (as Crystal called it) had made any difference. But, Charles could now produce his third eye at will, the tattoo for that particular weapon being the bindi on his forehead.

And, oh, did Charles love not only being able to control his third eye but also the bindi he got to wear the rest of the time. For the moment, he assured Edwin and Crystal that he was okay just working on managing his third eye and shield, focussing on fine-tuning those abilities rather than trying to find a way to unlock all the weapons.

Edwin was seated on the sofa thinking in passing about Henry's upcoming birthday. It was mind-boggling that Henry was nearing a year old already. But, he supposed time passed differently for a ghost. Charles, Crystal and Niko (who was thankfully over the flu now) were out shopping for groceries and Henry's supplies and Edwin had chosen to stay behind with the baby, needing the time to be alone with his thoughts. He still had no idea how to assimilate the dream room he'd stumbled upon with his beliefs about Charles. They still wrote letters, still remained close friends, still maintained a fathers partnership for Henry. But Charles had not voiced his feelings, not once. Yes, he had asked for a kiss here or there and yes, apparently one of his dreams was that he and Edwin were married and raising Henry together in a cottage with a dog, but...Edwin's feelings for Charles were well-documented, well-expressed. Charles was not a subtle being. Surely if he favoured Edwin, he would have said so by now? But again, Charles liked girls; this was well-proven. Edwin kept talking himself out of it, over and over, convincing himself that Charles was just friendly. Perhaps the marriage dream was for convenience, since they were raising Henry?

Edwin sighed, thinking of his latest letter to Charles. He really could not be more obvious without outright asking 'Do you love me? Check yes, no or maybe.' What exactly was Charles waiting for?

His thoughts were interrupted by Henry calling for him from the floor. Edwin sat nearer to the edge of the sofa, tilting his head curiously at the little mess he was making. "What are you doing there, poppet?"

Henry smiled with his little jagged teeth. He had his wooden puzzle pieces scattered about in an untidy pattern, letters and the faces of animals lying hither and thither.

"Trying to spell something, are we?" Edwin said. "Well keep at it, my darling. You'll have it soon enough."

Henry made a loud whining sound, calling for Da-da again. "I can see you from here, Henry," Edwin assured him. "Perhaps when they return, Poppa or your aunties will pick you up." Henry reached pitifully for Edwin but Edwin was unmoved. "You can crawl to Daddy if you want or you can choose to stay there by yourself."

Edwin cringed when Henry's face crumpled into a pout. There was that urge to cover his ears again because he knew exactly the kind of performance that would follow. And what a performance it was. Henry's heels stamping into the floor, his fists balled up, loud, shrieking cries. Edwin took a deep breath. Let him learn self-soothing. I'm sure Charles will pick him up a thousand times by the end of the night.

This went on for several minutes, Edwin trying to let Henry figure out this problem on his own without jumping in to rescue him. Finally Henry stopped crying for long enough to see if Edwin had been moved by the dreadful state of him. "Henry," Edwin said, trying to sound calm. "We do not cry to get what we want. Do you ever see Daddy cry to get what I want? No. Now you have every skill and tool you need to come over here if you want to. But you do not need me to come to you."

Henry watched him and Edwin could see the gears turning in his head. The baby placed his palms on the ground and as if he did it every day, he stood himself up.

"Oh no," Edwin murmured. "Henry, please wait for Poppa. I'm so proud of you but please don't take your first steps without Poppa here to see you..." But it was already too late. Henry took a careful step toward him, balancing a little and then toddled over the rest of the way. Edwin caught him just before he took a spill and gathered him into his lap for a hug. Edwin felt a rush of affection and blinding love for the wee, clever thing. "Brilliant job, Henry. You're always so amazing, my darling. So clever." Charles is going to kill me.

--

After some internal debate, Edwin decided there was no harm in not telling Charles and the girls about this monumental achievement. Soon enough, Henry would do it again and they could all marvel at his first steps together. No one would ever know the difference.

Charles, Niko and Crystal returned and put the cold shopping into the girls' flat. Charles came over to the office afterwards with Henry's supplies and a few extra bags that Edwin hadn't been expecting.

"What is all this?" he asked.

Charles smiled, giving Henry a pat on the head as he passed him. The baby was sat on the floor reading one of his newer books. "We got some things for Henry's birthday on Saturday. Kit's about to be one, innhe? Gotta have a major celebration." He began unpacking all sorts of colourful items from the shopping bags.

Edwin frowned. "Charles he is a year old. He won't even know that he's having a birthday."

"Yeah but it's fun, right?" Charles argued. "Henry deserves a good birthday."

Oh lord. Edwin was nearly fed up hearing about all the things Henry deserved. He looked over the extravagant items with a sigh. "Charles, perhaps we could compromise," Edwin offered. Charles stopped pulling things out of bags to regard him. "Can we have a small celebration, just a bit more relaxed than all this ridiculous fanfare? Might I also remind you that we have a strict budget for him?"

"Cmon Edwin," Charles pushed. "He's only gonna one year old this one time."

"I am aware of how time works."

"Why are you so against this, hey?"

Edwin sighed, not understanding why he had to explain himself when Charles didn't have to explain why he wanted all this extra nonsense. "Because it is unnecessary. Because Henry will not care if he has decorations and extravagant gifts. He will be none the wiser if the day simply passes." Edwin wasn't intending to add one last thing in but it slipped out regardless. "Because you are essentially throwing a party for yourself, Charles."

He expected Charles to take offence. To get angry as a cover up for the hurt he'd feel. He expected this to end in an argument that he'd eventually give in to, just to make Charles happy.

He never expected Charles to walk up to him and press himself close and place his hands on Edwin's hips. Edwin was sure his eyes were as wide as saucers.

"Well maybe that's what I wanna do," Charles murmured very close to Edwin's face. "Maybe I wanna throw myself a Henry's birthday party."

"That's..." Edwin had no clue what to say. He just didn't want to say anything to spook Charles out of this position. He wondered if Charles wanted to kiss him. Or wanted to be kissed by him. Perhaps if he just cupped the back of Charles' head...Surely that would have enough deniable plausibility that if Charles wasn't trying for a kiss, they could laugh it off. Oh dear, such a jest, what an odd pair we make. Unfortunately, urgent words started coming out of Edwin's mouth before he could figure out what Charles was going to do. "Charles, when I was in your subconscious, I saw something."

Charles leaned away from him, hands still planted on Edwin's hips. "What did you see?" he asked, his voice coarse and warm.

Talk about the dream room. The cottage. Ask him about the picture of a wedding date. "It wasn't intentional but I saw a trauma memory." So close. But this was far more important now. "And I really fear what it's doing to you, unchecked." Charles was growing a despondent look on his face and he pulled away completely. Edwin could still feel the warmth of Charles' hands on his hips.

"But I've told you, I'm--"

"Aces?" Edwin finished. "Only you're not. There's something very dark terrorising you inside your subconscious. It does not have to be with me, but I think you should talk about it. You can't keep hoping that it will go away on its own."

Charles sighed, as if he were deflating. "Right," he said. Edwin pleaded in his mind for Charles to listen, to take this under advisement. He could envision the terrifying creature that the 6-year-old Charles was stalked by and he didn't like thinking about it running around in Charles' mind, menacing and hateful. Charles suddenly smiled at him. "So Henry's birthday? Compromise?"

Edwin might have known Charles would try to change the subject. This was a battle not to be won in a single engagement. But Edwin was patient.

--

The compromise was struck: Charles could have a few decorations and a gift and Edwin could have a quiet, calm evening. But, ultimately the compromise was dissolved when the girls became a part of things. They walked straight over and started decorating the office, Henry's crib, Edwin's desk. They were quite insistent that the event needed to be photogenic, or as they called it, instaworthy, a term that left both Edwin and Charles in the dust. Edwin stopped fighting it, sulking in the corner with Henry on his knee, hoping he wouldn't be overwhelmed with all the excitement of his party.

Everything was extravagant but by far, the strangest thing to Edwin was that Henry had to have not one but two cakes. One of them was called a 'smash cake' and apparently the idea was that Henry was allowed and encouraged to get messy and stick his hands in it. Despite the girls and even Charles cheering him on in his high chair, Henry simply stared at his smash cake and then at the people around him. His look seemed to say Why would I want to put my hands in this sticky thing? Ultimately, Niko dipped her finger into the icing and dolloped it onto Henry's nose. Henry looked at her with an expression of Really? And to think, I trusted you. Charles cleaned him up when he showed no indication of wanting to taste the icing. Edwin was slightly glad; he didn't want Henry having all those confections anyway.

Afterwards, it was time for Henry's gifts. Charles sat with him on the floor, Henry sitting in his lap. "Ready for Poppa to help you with your gifts, yeah little mate? Can you say Poppa?"

Henry pretended not to hear that. Edwin felt guilty that all the nice milestones were happening for him but not Charles. He knew Henry was going to get it all eventually but in the meantime, it was disheartening. Charles worked just as hard if not harder to take care of Henry and made him so very happy. But Edwin knew it couldn't be forced; it would simply have to unfold naturally.

Crystal picked up a wrapped package and set it in front of Henry. "This is from your Auntie Crystal," she said. Henry knocked over the package so Charles helped him open it. It was a little puzzle that spelled out the letters of Henry's name, surrounded by different celestial bodies-the sun, what appeared to be Saturn, a shooting star. Henry grasped for the sun, wanting to see it up close and then, of course, put it in his mouth.

"Thank you Auntie Crystal," Charles said. He leaned down to kiss the top of Henry's head and then grabbed his infinite backpack. "Poppa got you..." Charles wrestled around for what he was after. "Aha! A new book. See Henry?" He showed the colourful book to the baby. The book had different textures and crinkled bits that Charles demonstrated for him. Henry grabbed it in his fist and threw it a few feet away.

"Henry," Edwin warned, getting onto the floor beside Charles in a show of solidarity. Plus he just liked being near to Charles and the baby. "We do not throw our things."

Charles, already aware of Edwin's newest 'natural and logical consequences' technique, gave Henry another kiss. "Poppa will read that to you later, okay?"

"My turn!" Niko said, giving a small book to Edwin. "It's more of a gift for the daddies. I hope you like it!"

Edwin opened the book to see a handwritten title: Henry's First Year. He started flipping through the book, seeing photos of Henry, from a couple of days old all the way up to an outing from the previous weekend. He was touched, pausing on a particular photograph. "His first waistcoat..." he said, showing the photograph to Charles.

"Proper gentleman, our kit," Charles commented. Henry chose that moment to crawl his way out of Charles' lap, wanting a better look at the puzzle Crystal had given him. Seeing his crinkly book further ahead, Henry pushed himself up to a stand and started taking tentative steps again.

The next few moments were chaos, Crystal scrambling in the sofa after her phone to make a video, Niko literally jumping up and down, Charles grabbing the sleeve of Edwin's jacket and shaking him excitedly. Charles stopped flinging him around and looked at Edwin's face with a knowing smile. "Done that before, hasn't he?" he said.

Edwin frowned. "How did you know that?"

Charles just winked. "Not just a pretty face, am I?" Lord, Charles...let's have a talk on how the things you say can affect people.

But this time, Edwin made a quick recovery from Charles' convincing smile. "You must be a detective, so clever," he said playfully.

"Actually, I'm the second best detective in the agency."

"Is that so? Well I would like to meet the first."

"You should. Hell of a handsome bloke."

Before Edwin could conceive of a response to that, Crystal cleared her throat pointedly. "Uhh, guys? Henry's first steps?"

Edwin completely forgot the ruse he had created and put on his best acting face. "Henry, we are so very proud of you, my darling," he said.

Charles lifted the baby up and held him upside down, making him laugh. "You're walking, little mate! That's brills!"

Edwin moved to sit with his back against the sofa. As the festivities were winding down, he waited to see signs that Henry was tiring of all the excitement--and they started quite quickly, a little droop of his head, a little extra fussiness when Charles put him down.

"I think a nap is calling," Edwin said, going to start the mobile for Henry. Normally hearing its music helped to signal to Henry that it was time for sleep. The girls said their goodbyes and Charles readied Henry for his nap.

"Happy birthday, little guy," Charles said, giving him his wizard and Skelly, his lantern automatically dimming. "Poppa loves you, yeah?"

Charles went about cleaning up the small, contained mess of the party. Some of the decorations he placed in his backpack; surely he thought they could have purpose at some future occasion. Edwin looked through the photo book Niko had so thoughtfully put together and eventually Charles joined him.

"Unbelievable, innit?" Charles said.

"Henry being a year old?" Edwin clarified.

"Nah. Well that but just...all of it. The fact that he's here at all. And walking. Saying words. He's not a baby any more, he's like a little person now, for reals."

"I'd wager he was always a person, Charles."

"Yeah but...dunno. He's different than I imagined."

"Oh?" Edwin was a bit surprised by this. "How so?"

"I thought he'd be...hard to deal with. At my dad's, I used to hear the neighbour's babies screaming through the walls. I had to turn up my music so bloody loud, and of course that got me in trouble, and...anyway. I guess I really thought I would be different in this. Like I wouldn't be able to cope or something. But...having him with us for a year--I can't see a different future where he's not there." With a cheeky grin, he pointed to the bindi on his forehead. "Not even with this."

Edwin decided to press, just a little. "And your father? When you played your music, you said he once destroyed one of your cassette tapes with a hammer." Charles nodded, staring down at his hands, folded around his knees. "Were there other incidents around your music that you can tell me about?"

Edwin could see Charles' throat bob as he swallowed. "I snuck out to see a concert once. Don't even remember who it was any more, never listened to them again after. I remember it was really important at the time though; just wanted to get out, breathe in the night air, scream into a crowd. When I got home, he was waiting for me. I remember being so scared I thought I'd never be able to breathe again. It just felt like my lungs were frozen or something. Anyway, he let me have it and after it was over, I just laid there on the floor, staring into the dark, halfway to mental. And I remember thinking--he's never gonna let up. He's never gonna let me have anything. And even if I have nothing at all, he'll still do this. It's not gonna change a thing."

Edwin put his arm around Charles, draping it across his back and holding onto his arm. He didn't know what to say. He'd been so preoccupied with helping Charles talk about this that he hadn't considered how to respond if he ever did. So he just held him in the silence as they both enjoyed the calm familiarity of watching Henry sleep.

Finally, Charles said, "Thank you. For listening to that. Dunno what I expected but...it helped."

Edwin gave his arm a squeeze. "I am so glad that you told me," he said. "I'm proud of you, Charles." Edwin wasn't the one with the third eye, but he imagined he could see the trauma memory in Charles grow a little less awful. Charles laid his head on Edwin's shoulder and relaxed.  Edwin remembered one more thing. “Charles, do you recall sitting in the St. Hilarion's cafeteria alone? You would have been about fourteen years old, wearing a leather jacket.”

Charles pursed his lips, thinking on that. Realisation seemed to dawn on him. “Oh yeah. Why?”

Edwin looked at his face. “I saw a memory of you there. What had gotten you so upset?”

Charles smiled a self-deprecating smile. “It was nearly time for summer hols. Was just a little worried to go home to my old man.”

Edwin nodded. “Alright. Anything else? You seemed...distraught.”

Charles stretched his arms a little. “I may have also had my first kiss that day...it did not go well.”

Edwin pondered this. Where would Charles have had the ability to rendezvous with a young lady in an all-boys boarding school? “Did she not return your affections?” he asked.

Charles cleared his throat. “Well, he said he didn't like me all that much after snogging me for half an hour.”

There was no reality for a while after that. Edwin just sat there, trying to integrate this new information into his Charles paradigm. Charles liked girls, yes. But here was confirmation that he liked boys as well? Or at least didn't mind kissing them? Edwin's mind started sprinting ahead of him—Charles asking for a kiss, Charles sending him love (?) letters, Charles basically being his husband already with their shared child, shared living quarters and shared afterlife.

“Edwin?” Charles interrupted his spinning. “What's going on? You look like you're in shock.”

Edwin's mouth felt unusually dry but he powered through it. “I did not realise that you kissed boys.”

“I kissed you.”

Fair point. Edwin was about to argue that he had been the one to kiss Charles when Charles suddenly stood up and took himself away from Edwin's reach. “Been a day, yeah?” Charles mused. “Emotional-like.”

Edwin swallowed and nodded in agreement. “Indeed. Perhaps we should wind down with something familiar. Shall I read to you?”

Charles turned back to him with a customary gentle smile. “Yeah, sounds brills.”

Chapter Text

“Second door to your left, mate! I'll be right there as soon as I can get this golem off my arse!" Charles sprinted away down the hallway of the castle, Edwin pressing himself flat against the wall so that the golem in question did not run him over in its haste to get to Charles. Its footsteps rattled the floors, leaving indentations where its heavy feet had fallen. To be fair to the golem, Charles had broken off part of its arm with his cricket bat during a skirmish.

Cases had been coming in more and more regularly now that word had gotten around that they were back to it full time. The pair of them with occasional assistance from Crystal and Niko had been swamped but were able to find a good click in which to pace themselves. Edwin delighted in seeing Charles take to the cases again, but wished he would exercise a modicum of caution, especially when it came to giant clay monsters that could flatten them. But that was Charles all over: a bit reckless, a bit impulsive, but always quick to recover.

He took the door Charles indicated as he heard the loud thudding footsteps of the golem fading into the distance. One thing Charles' third eye could do perfectly is navigate a maze and that's precisely what this castle was. The caretaker, a ghost who died in his mid-fifties defending the castle from marauders in the 18th Century, had asked the Agency for its help in getting the castle's library under control. For several nights, the books would all end up on the floor, pages torn and thrown about the room, dripping with a glowing purple dust.

That had been the least of their worries, as the moment they started poking around, Charles had accidentally woken up a golem from one of the shelves. It was small enough to be held in one hand before it awakened, but then it grew forty times its original size and started slinging its arms around violently. Edwin had tried to call for the caretaker, assuming the golem would obey him, but it was to no avail. Mr. Wethers either could not hear them or did not care to assist with the problem they created. Edwin's next strategy was to find the caretaker's office; perhaps there was a bit of information available to stop the golem. But before he could explain his plan, Charles had thought it would be a good idea to strike the golem with his enchanted cricket bat.

This had lead to a chase down the hall but at least Charles had directed him to the correct room. Edwin looked about the office, hearing Charles and the golem running amuck in the floor below him and then above him, the loud sounds of their battle echoing in the office. Edwin spent his time trying to focus on finding a spell to disable the clay guardian. He made haste, knowing the creature would not tire and would keep coming after Charles to try to protect its master.

On a small table there was a notebook, which Edwin took a moment to flip through. Nothing seemed particularly of value within, just strange notes on the architecture and castle grounds.

Charles phased in through the wall panting. "Any ideas, mate? He's relentless."

"I am working as quickly as I can," Edwin assured him, rifling through the desk drawers. "If you could locate Mr. Wethers, that would help tremendously as well."

"Nah, no time, I'm gonna try and lead the golem away from here so I can give you a hand. Back in a tick!" Charles disappeared through the wall, the golem quick to give chase again.

Finally, Edwin found something on the bookshelf that resembled a drawing of the golem. He studied it and the Latin phrase beneath it: Dictum factum--"'what is said is done'. Hopefully that would bode well for them.

Before he could start trying to locate Charles and the golem, he heard the sounds of crashing and Charles shouting. Edwin hurried out of the office to see what had happened and found that the golem had managed to strike Charles with an iron fire poker hard enough to send him flying through several walls.

"Charles! Are you alright?" Edwin called, fearful. Charles seemed to be fine, already getting back to his feet.

"Yeah, I'm aces, mate," he said, dusting himself off. "I hope you found a good spell for this golem though. He's right mean with an iron poker."

Just then, the floor shook as the golem barreled down the hallway after Charles again. Edwin immediately shouted, "I command you to stop!"

Charles, waiting to see if it worked, stayed in place. It only took a moment for him to realise the golem wasn't slowing down and he barely managed to jump out of the way of the creature hellbent on eliminating him.

"Dammit," Edwin growled. Perhaps if he tried a different command. "Golem, cease now!" he tried instead but it had no effect, Charles barely escaping being run through by the poker.

Charles, having recently been struck with iron, no longer had the luxury of running through the walls, so had run out of places to escape the golem's sight.

"Charles, if you could spare a moment to get me the Book of Command Spells?" Edwin said, hating to be a bother during Charles' attempts to escape the guardian.

"Can't really help you right now, mate!" Charles cried, sliding underneath a table that seconds later, the golem lifted over its head and threw across the room.

So Edwin did the only thing he could think of--he grabbed and threw a brass ornament from one of the walls, hitting the golem in the back as it leaned over Charles, about to crush him under its foot. Edwin knew the golem would only try to eliminate whomever had attacked it last. Only a bit of clay crumbled off its side from the brass ornament but it was enough to cause the golem's offence to switch to Edwin.

Charles, realising what he'd done, shouted, "Run, Edwin!" Edwin quickly found his footing and took off through the nearest wall, the golem growling and running straight through the lath and plaster of the wall to give chase. He ran up the staircase to the third floor, hoping to lose the creature but it easily gained on him.

"Go right at the top of the stairs!" Charles called to him from an unseen location. Edwin did as Charles suggested, barreling to the right and came to a wall made of stone.

"Good job, Charles!" he said, phasing through the stone but accidentally rubbing against an iron stud in the wall, flinching back when it burned him. Great, now he was tangible again. Then he heard a sound like an earthquake. He looked around him as the stones began shaking, threatening to break and fall all over his now injury-prone form. Before he could find a way out of the crawl space, Charles, newly incorporeal again, ran straight through the stones and grabbed Edwin around the chest, sliding them both down like he was fielding in a cricket match. With one movement of his arm, the amethyst shield went up, just in time to stave off the stones that could have crushed Edwin.

"The book," Charles said, nodding at it, freshly pulled from his backpack. "This thing won't hold forever."

Edwin grabbed it up, flipping through for the right incantation to control the golem, which had made its way into the crawl space and was banging its fists on the shield. As Edwin glanced up, he saw the shield sizzle, as if it were malfunctioning. "Oh here it is!" he said as he found the Latin phrase he was looking for. "Cessare!" (Stop!)

The golem stopped banging on the shield and backed up from them. Charles' third eye was flickering. Moments later, the shield failed and Charles lowered his arm, shaking the hand with the ring on it to try getting the shield to reappear. Then the golem started throwing the stones from the wall straight at them.

Charles tried shielding Edwin with his body, forcing himself to become corporeal. "Wrong spell, mate!" he called. He yelped in surprise when the golem picked him up by the ankle and tossed him over his shoulder. Charles was not his target--Edwin still was.

Edwin crawled backwards, trying to flip through the heavy book while avoiding the giant's feet and the large stones it was throwing. He saw Charles pop up like a piece of toast on the other side of the golem, taking a swing at it with his cricket bat, knocking off part of its side while it was distracted.

"Find the right spell!" Charles called as he sprinted off in the other direction, the golem freshly after him again.

Edwin tore through the book. "Maybe the Aramaic?" he wondered aloud. Edwin's finger scrolled down the page as he searched desperately. And then the next thing he knew, the floor underneath him fell through and he ended up back in the enchanted library. The Book of Command Spells fell a few feet from him and he stumbled to his feet to grab it.

Charles cried out in pain above him, falling through the floor, a fresh iron burn across his shoulder. The golem jumped down behind him, rattling the floor. Charles' third eye had vanished, leaving just the red bindi in its place.

"Charles!" he cried. Edwin abandoned his quest to get the book back, trying to help Charles. The books around him were starting to glow with the strange purple dust the caretaker had mentioned and they, too, were flinging themselves around, hitting him and Charles, which just made things that much more chaotic.

Seeing the golem reach for an iron chair with which to strike Charles no doubt, Edwin looked around for something to throw it, so its focus would be on him again. Charles was already rolling to his feet, however, leading the golem away. "Focus on the spell!" he called over his shoulder as he half-walked, half-limped across the room.

Edwin clenched his jaw but searched for the command book regardless, finding it underneath some of the rubble. He glanced up to see Charles backed into a corner, corporeal still, and trying desperately to will his shield, his third eye, something into existence.

Edwin quickly looked over the last page, finally finding what he was after. "Bassa kheena!" (Stop already!) he called.

The golem stopped inches from clobbering Charles with the heavy iron chair. To both their astonishment, it dropped the chair to the side and turned to face Edwin. Their now giant friend stood before Edwin, waiting for a command.

"Proq mini," (Be done with me) Edwin said grouchily, hopefully sending the golem somewhere it would not damage anything else. It slunk away, leaving a trail of broken floorboards and splintered wood.

Charles got back to his feet and offered Edwin a hand up. "That was wild," he proclaimed. "Sorry, think that was my bad."

Edwin sighed, dusting himself off. "It is alright, Charles. At least we are okay. Please try to be a bit more careful though." Just as the words left his mouth, he was hit in the back of the head with one of the flying books. "Dammit," he growled, grabbing the book and opening it.

"Oh that's the purple dust he was on about?" Charles asked, seeing the particles floating about the book.

Edwin nodded. "Yes, Charles, do you recgonise it?"

"Yeah, remember the Case of the Invisible Barrister?" Edwin thought back to the case, a law office that had been haunted by poltergeists.

"Yes, what of it?"

"Well when you were tussling with the Big Bad that time, I was doing a bit of research downstairs, wasn't I," Charles said. "There was some of that dust there that day. And I found some writing from that attorney ghost that said the purple dust was, like, a manifestation of stardust."

Edwin raised an eyebrow. "Stardust?" he repeated.

"Yeah. Apparently it goes after books because it grows stronger on knowledge and information. It's mostly harmless. You know unless the books start flying around." As he noted that, he swung his bat behind him to prevent a large encyclopedia from hitting him.

"And did the attorney write anything helpful on how to get rid of it?" Edwin asked, ducking out of the way of another book.

"It's gotta be relocated, doesn't it," Charles said. "Just gotta collect it and lock it into a jar. Yknow, like the dandelion sprites."

Edwin looked around at all the books and the mountains of stardust they were leaving in their wake. This was going to take them an awfully long time. Unless...

It took a bit more reading of the command spells but Edwin finally found the right one that would result in the golem collecting all the dust for them. It would have been a longer job because of its big, clunky hands, but the big fellow shrunk down to his original handheld size and seemed pleased to have a task to complete. He even gave a golem's version of a smile and said with a high-pitched voice, "Tova," or 'good', in ancient Aramaic.

He and Charles left the old castle after Edwin had cast a temporary static spell to keep the purple stardust from flying around so the golem could collect it. Edwin hoped the caretaker wouldn't be too furious that his golem had destroyed parts of it trying to chase them. But that was the good thing about having the guardian around: he could complete tasks in the background, slowly making progress. 


--

When Edwin arrived back, he immediately pulled Charles to the side, checking him for iron wounds that were still unhealed. Charles, having evidently not expected this, made a little noise of surprise but went where Edwin was guiding him. Edwin didn't find anything concerning so freed him from his hold.

He sighed with relief. "Good boy, Charles." He could not ignore the way Charles' knees softened a little nor how he smiled brightly at him.

"You okay?" Charles asked.

"Of course," Edwin replied, "let us go and fetch Henry."

Then he nearly walked right into the Night Nurse.

"Hey-hey, Charlie," Charles said. "How's it hangin?"

She scowled at them both. "I am here for a report on the quantity of ghosts you have helped to move on this month." She gave a glare to their outbox. "Helping a ghost with an infested library is not within your authorisation."

Edwin fetched his folder full of well-documented cases and handed it to her, his chin lifted proudly. "I believe you will find this to your satisfaction."

She thumbed through it and sighed when she saw the amount of paperwork he had put into the endeavour. "Fine, I shall review this and get back with you. But know that a meeting to discuss your 'work habits' is forthcoming."

With a flash, she disappeared. Edwin and Charles exchanged a look of apprehension but Charles broke into a smile. "I'm sure it'll be fine. Look how many ghosts we helped move on," he said, gesturing to the board.

Edwin took a deep breath. "True. And a meeting is not cause for alarm. If needed, we can have representation from our other cases come and speak on our behalf."

"Exactly," Charles said, patting him on the back.

They crossed the hall to where the girls were keeping the baby, Edwin looking forward to seeing him again. It had been a long afternoon and he had found himself missing Henry more and more these days especially now, as Charles put it, that Henry was now displaying more and more of his personality.

He was not expecting, of all things, upon walking in to be shocked by Henry drinking milk from a cup. Crystal was doing something to her hair in the mirror while Niko was playing a game on her tablet. Henry was sitting propped against the wall, feeding himself milk from a cup with a lid and spout. Edwin froze, absolutely froze at the sight in front of him. Henry had never done this before. When had they collectively agreed he did not drink from a bottle any longer? Edwin tried to force himself to see logic: Henry had recently reached his first birthday, he could stand up and walk a couple of steps, he could say a few words, and Edwin was terribly proud of all these accomplishments.

But now all these milestones were piling up to create a sad picture: Henry was no longer the little thing that he had held in his arms and tried to soothe, that had needed him and Charles so concretely. He was growing up. He was growing up and Edwin and Charles were not. One year was gone already, fifteen more and they'd all be the same age. Certainly something was wrong with that picture?

Edwin watched numbly as Charles went over to pick up Henry, cup and all, to greet him and spin him around. How was everyone behaving like this was so normal? Edwin excused himself to go and finish writing notes about their case from earlier that day. He ended up sitting at his desk staring at his charts on Henry's development. He added 'Drinking from a cup' to the chart and it felt like a nail in his coffin. He stared at the page in front of him, trying to convince himself this was an overreaction, that it was only a cup.

He heard Charles' voice in the hallway and put away the chart; he could revisit his crisis later. Charles opened the door and then continued his task of holding both Henry's hands so the baby could practise walking. "You got it, little mate. Poppa is right here, you can do it." They walked in that fashion all the way to Henry's bookshelf where Charles allowed him to choose a storybook. But Henry pointed to a alchemical book of Edwin's on the shelf above it instead.

Right: the crisis needed to continue presently.

"Charles," Edwin said, standing up. Charles left Henry to staring at the books, giving Edwin his attention. "Henry is growing faster than I had anticipated. I..." He could not believe he was about to say these words. "I do not think that we are suitable parents for him."

Charles' head tilted in confusion. "Why not? Hard part's over, innit? We got him through his first year and now he's walking, even talking a little."

Edwin looked at him with surprise--how could he possibly think that? "The hard part is most certainly not over," he argued. "Charles, need I remind you that when he is 16, we will not be 32--we will also still be 16. When he is 32, we will be 16. When he's 92--"

"Edwin, Edwin, cool it," Charles said soothingly, coming over and taking Edwin's frantically gesturing hands into his. "We're doing the best we can, aren't we. Besides, the girls will get older. They'll be part of his life. Some grownups to look up to, yeah?"

"But we are his parents," Edwin stressed.

"Just like any parents, we're doing our best," Charles said. "And we're a team. We work together on the tough parts. We'll work together on this part when it's time for it." Charles chuckled a little. "Now are there times when he's gonna look at us like we're barmy? Yeah. But we'll love him anyway."

Edwin smiled faintly. "I'm still not convinced we've the right skillset."

"Get new skills all the time, don't we?" Charles said, indicating his bindi pointedly.

Edwin sighed. "I much preferred when you did not have access to all this third eye logic. It makes it very difficult to stay convinced I am right."

Charles squeezed Edwin's hands. "We'll both be right. How's that sound?"

Edwin rolled his eyes. "Alright. I still wish we had a way to slow everything down though."

Charles nodded sadly. "Yeah, that's the real hard part. Before we know it, he'll be talking in full sentences and all."

"Mm, yes, and getting married."

"Oi, take it easy! That's my little boy you're talking about."

Edwin laughed at that, the tension broken. It made him ache inside when Charles said things like that: 'my little boy'. He took a deep breath, the same as Charles had taught him, the same as Charles was teaching Henry. A slight weight lifted from his shoulders; he was doing this with Charles. Anything they did together, he could manage.

--

"Daddy and Poppa will be back soon, yeah love?" Charles said, giving Henry a hug. He held the baby slightly away as he regarded Charles. "Still don't wanna say Poppa, hey?"

Henry stared at him, face questioning, as if to say You don't look like a Poppa to me. We need a different name for you.

Charles let it go, chuckling with his ever-present good nature. "Say bye bye to Daddy then."

Edwin took the baby, smiling at him fondly. He and Charles were about to go for a walk on their own. They hadn't gone out alone together in ages without a case and he was quite looking forward to the little time carved out. And, indeed, he was wearing the green jumper that Charles liked. "Hello, my darling. I shall miss you but I will be back soon."

Henry pressed a hand to Edwin's face. "Ghost." Still his favourite thing to say, even if he did not know the profoundness of it.

"Ghost, that's right," Edwin praised. A little string in his heart was tugged and he went briefly to show Henry his flower garden. It still had four sparkly plants growing into flowers as well as one tiny seedling starting to pop up. They had decided that the growths were representative. "There is Daddy, Poppa, Auntie Niko, Auntie Crystal," Edwin said, pointing at each of the four flowers. He then held Henry close to the seedling. "And this one is Henry." The baby brightened at this, now able to respond to his name. He reached to touch the plants and Edwin leaned him closer so he could touch a little of the sparkle, getting it on his fingertip. "That's right, pet, that's our Henry. That's you."

Giving him a pat on the back as a farewell, Edwin passed the baby to Crystal. Niko handed one of their portable telephones to Edwin and he looked at it with confusion.

"Just in case you get worried and want to come back early," she said. "This way, you'll know everything is fine and you can take your time on your walk." Niko beamed as bright as the sun, winking a little. It may have been partially her influence that had created this day out for them.

"Ready, Edwin?" Charles asked, standing before the mirror. He took the phone from Edwin and placed it into his backpack so that it could travel with them. Edwin made certain that he left it in a spot near to the top so that they could hear if it rang.

With one last glance at Henry and the girls, Edwin followed Charles to a mirror inside an abandoned sweet shoppe on the dreary streets of London. It was just as he had remembered--foggy and grey. Its people with their wind-chapped faces, crumbling cobbles, the haggard ghosts who wandered its streets--it was all infinitely beautiful and fascinating to him.

"Hey, Edwin?"

Speaking of beautiful and fascinating. Edwin turned to Charles. "Yes?"

Charles had a charmingly soft smile. "What do you say we walk along the Thames and then to Hyde Park? Haven't done that in forever."

Edwin nodded, following Charles' lead, waiting for a subtle sign that Charles wanted to hold hands for the walk. Well, waiting for a concrete and overt sign was probably much more accurate as Charles' hand did brush against his a few times as they strolled. But Edwin didn't outright take his hand, hoping against hope that if their hands knocked against each other's enough, Charles would naturally twine their fingers together.

Charles kept up conversation with Edwin throughout their walk along the Thames, remarking on many things: The Case of the River Selkie, the majority of which took place on the banks of the Thames; memories of their early days as fugitive ghosts back in the early 1990s; Henry and his comical refusal to give Charles any type of name. So many things but never about them, never about his feelings regarding Edwin. Edwin hardly wanted to press him, after he had finally gotten Charles to open up about his father, just a little. The last thing he wanted was for Charles to retreat back and clam up against any sharing of himself.

So Edwin did his best to enjoy the walk, trying to remain happy simply with the company and informality it afforded him. His quest to understand Charles' feelings would be a long-winded endeavour, won in gestures and reassurances, rather than large steps and conquered ground.

“I recall you having been ridiculously brave in this very spot,” he mentioned, indicating a side alleyway with a nod.

Charles looked down the small enclosed street then turned to Edwin with a smirk. “I recall you being stuck in a pretty mean spider's web in this very spot,” he returned. “Nothing for me to do but be ridiculously brave, was there?”

Edwin smiled back, really enjoying bantering with his best friend. “You could have been sensible and kept yourself safe for once.”

“Nah, that doesn't really sound all that sensible though, does it?” Charles replied, continuing their walk. “Doesn't make a lot of good sense for my best mate to be supernatural spider food.”

“Mm, but I seem to remember that you are the one who walked away from that experience with a bite taken out of you.”

“Ah, wasn't even that venomous. Recovered great.”

Edwin looked ahead of him as the bridge came into view. How he wished Charles would just take his hand. It seemed like they could never manage to get on the same page.

"Edwin, I've been thinking," Charles said after a few minutes of them walking in silence.

Such a small, small opener and yet Edwin's long-dead heart was hammering in his chest. "Yes, Charles? What is it?"

"It's about the letters. And Henry. And...that time we kissed."

Edwin's mouth went dry like sand. Perhaps they were on a closer page than he thought. He simply nodded, he and Charles continuing their walk.

Charles stopped in his tracks then, causing Edwin to stutter to a halt as well. "Fuck," Charles swore, shaking his head, then started to laugh a bit. "This is all wrong..."

Edwin's heart sank. "Oh," he said, trying to keep the disappointment from his voice.

"Yeah, I'm sorry Edwin...I forgot about something really important," Charles said, smiling again.

"Oh?" Edwin said, repeating himself. He could imagine dozens of things Charles might have forgotten: that this was heartbreaking to experience from Edwin's side, that Edwin would love Charles regardless but that he needed to know where they stood once and for all, that it was bad enough they were parents of a live human being without having a messy one-sided romance between them. That Edwin had utterly failed at their first kiss, effectively ruining his chances at starting a relationship months ago. Edwin swallowed. "Well, perhaps you could simply tell me what you are thinking anyway?" he finally suggested.

Charles turned to face Edwin fully, his eyes enormous and deer-like in their hesitation. He chewed his lip thoughtfully. "Okay," Charles said, taking in a deep breath. "That's my whole problem. I'm always fucking this up. Barely missing it somehow.” Edwin nodded. He could not relate to Charles' statement more. “So, I was thinking that things are different now, with us. Things are..."

Before Edwin could find out what things were with them, aside from 'different', there was a noise from Charles' backpack. Edwin pulled out the device Niko had given them with a frown. "The portable telephone is making sounds," he said, the beep grating on his nerves.

"Answer it?" Charles suggested.

Edwin stared at it. "How am I meant to do that?"

Charles shrugged. "Yknow...just say hello I guess?"

"Hello?" It kept making the noise. Edwin was nervous that something was the matter with Henry. "We ought to just mirror hop back."

Charles took the device from him and studied it. "There's a green button with a picture of a phone. Maybe that?" He reached to touch it with his fingertip but the phone stopped its noise. He traded a glance with Edwin. "Mirror hop."

As soon as Edwin stepped back into the office, he knew something was wrong. Crystal's eyes were white and she looked frantic, terrified. Niko was panicking, coming to Edwin and Charles at once, tears streaking her face. Henry's lantern was pulsing.

The baby. Where is...

"Niko, what's going on?" Charles asked directly with an intentional calm.

"Crystal!" Niko shouted, her voice breaking. "The boys are here, please come back!"

Crystal came out of her psychic state and hurried to them as well. She looked like she may be about to hyperventilate. "Henry, he--they--" she stammered.

"Where is Henry?" Edwin asked, barely able to speak above a whisper. So many children in his family had died young, his cousins, neighbours, one of his siblings who had been so tiny and fragile all her life. Had they just lost another? Lost Henry? His and Charles' baby?

"They took him to hell!" Niko cried. Edwin feel like his long dead veins were freezing over with ice. The weight of fear was sinking in the pit of his stomach, causing him to stiffen and feel the need to curl up around himself. Henry was...in hell? No. No that couldn't be right. There was a miscommunication somewhere. Henry could never be in hell, he was only...only a baby.

"What! Who?? Why?!" Charles shouted.

Crystal was shaking. "They had this paperwork. They said it was for Edwin. They just took him, it happened so fucking fast!"

"They said they were with the Fugitive Bureau of Hell," Niko said, looking like she was trying not to completely break down. "They said Henry matched the lifeprint of the person they were looking for.”

Edwin couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. Their baby was in hell. In hell. Charles was moving around and saying something but it suddenly sounded like he was speaking underwater. The girls might as well have been at the other end of a tunnel for all he could hear them. This was all his fault. He hadn't protected Henry; he had allowed him to come into harm's way by association with Edwin Payne, his own father. He had allowed harm to come to his child.

The next time that his hearing faded back in, Charles was standing before him, his third eye moving rapidly but his other two steady and focussed on him. He idly noticed that the outlines of various weapons tattoos were blinking in and out across Charles' exposed skin, likely the same on his arms beneath his coat. "Stay here," Charles said with fierce determination. "I'm getting him back."

The thought of Charles going into hell alone...their baby in hell alone. Edwin would rather spend his eternity in hell than be without either one of them.

"I'm going," Edwin asserted, his tone darkening. Everything inside him was turning to a single-minded purpose: find Henry, make him safe. Everything else was background noise that he had no time for. "If anything has laid a hand on my child, I will make sure it takes that hand back in pieces." Charles nodded at him solemnly. Edwin took up Henry's enchanted lantern which stopped phasing and went to solid once he grabbed it. Once they were in the right plane of existence, it should show them the way to Henry. Edwin clenched his jaw, shoving from his mind the idea that nothing living ever returned from hell. His Henry was going to be the first.

Edwin gripped his fist tightly around the lantern, a furious protectiveness surging through him. He was blindsided with memories of his experiences in hell, the terrible gnashing of teeth that each memory brought to him. How could Henry possibly be in such a place? How could he have allowed this to happen? And Charles? How could Charles have allowed this? Wasn't this the point of the third eye and all the weapons he was supposed to be earning?

"Wait!" Crystal said, interrupting Edwin's thoughts. "I was trying to read the space where the Bureau people came in. I think they could still be in the mortal plane. But Henry...I don't know..." Her face dropped again, so miserable and regretful.

"Sounds like we need to talk to the Night Nurse," Charles said practically. "She probably knows exactly where to find these fuckers. Besides, I don't think we know of another way to hell...do we?" he asked of Edwin.

Edwin growled with frustration. "Yes but it would take us several days. We have no time for such.” A flash of the spider-doll demon ripping out his ribs one by one scraped its teeth against Edwin's soul, leaving a shudder in its wake. Gripping the lantern tighter, he steeled himself, pushing aside all but his mission to get to Henry. “We can use Niko for a trans-dimensional mirror hop and speak to the Night Nurse."

Niko nodded emphatically, wiping her eyes. "I can do that," she assured them. She had come back from her 'death', which in reality was a trip to the astral plane, with a few abilities. Normally Edwin would not ask such an inconvenience of her--it drained Niko, left her helpless for hours afterwards. But Crystal could stay to look after her and Edwin had to get to Henry as soon as possible so he did not apologise for asking this of her. There would be time for that later.

Charles' skin no longer flashed with tattoos but his third eye was firmly in place. "Let's go," he said. Both he and Edwin placed their hands on the standing mirror as Niko channeled her energy into it. She was trembling with the effort while Crystal stood behind her ready to catch her if she collapsed. There was a humming sound and the mirror vibrated beneath their fingertips before it rippled, showing them the way. With a nod at Niko, who was looking pale, Edwin stepped through, Charles just behind carrying his backpack. They arrived in what appeared to be an office suite, a desk stacked with paperwork, files and a pin board filled with photographs of children--dead and missing children.

Edwin immediately took off down the hallway in search of the Night Nurse but Charles grabbed his arm to stop him with a gasp. Edwin spun to face him, annoyed that Charles was impeding his progress on this extremely serious mission but then looked where Charles was pointing, at the lantern.

It was blinking. It was blinking and a desperate hope worked its way through Edwin's chest. Dear god, could he be here? Could Henry be in the lost and found department, rather than hell? Edwin could only pray that was the case.

"Henry must be on this plane," Edwin said at once, holding tighter to the lantern to feel it hum. He started running down the hallway, ignoring the frustrated noises of anyone he happened to pass. The closer they got to Henry, the more the lantern would shake in his hand. They could not get to Henry quickly enough. He could hear Charles a few paces behind but his sole focus was on finding Henry.

Edwin rounded a corner and felt the lantern vibrate against his palm, the light brighter than he'd ever seen it. Now it was just a game of hot and cold to see at which door the lantern would shine brightest. By process of elimination, he arrived at a door with a wooden letter N nailed to it. Without hesitation, Edwin swung open the door. It was a nursery, clearly, going by the rows of cots that seemed endless. He did not stop to see any of the ghost infants that had taken their place in the cots. He kept following the lantern's hum, pleading with any god that would listen that he would find Henry.

"Daddy," said a tearful little voice. Edwin spun to his left and there he was. Standing in a random cot and reaching for Edwin. He passed the lantern to Charles, barely pausing to wait for him to have it, scooping up the baby and holding him close. He immediately checked him over to make sure he was not hurt or damaged in any way. He seemed perfectly healthy but clung to Edwin's jacket tightly. Edwin stroked Henry's back and patted it in the familiar rhythm as Henry sobbed against his shoulder. It was a cry Edwin remained in constant worry of hearing--one of fear. Edwin held him tighter, but not enough to distress or hurt him of course. He rocked the baby side to side, pressing lips to his quaking temple and cheek.

Charles made sure the baby knew he was there as well, getting into his line of sight and talking to him gently. He had tears in his eyes as he stroked Henry's little hand. Edwin could not concentrate on anything Charles was saying, holding the baby close and trying to soothe him.

"Oh for goodness sake, what are you two doing in the nursery?" the aggravated voice of the night nurse demanded from the doorway.

Charles rounded on her. "Some Fugitive Bureau from hell took our baby," he snapped. "What are you gonna do about that?"

She frowned, clearly having not expected that answer. She came over and read the chart on Henry's cot. "How could he be mistaken for..." It dawned on her. "A replicate...that is clever."

"How did he end up here anyway?" Charles asked.

The night nurse gave him an eye roll. "Do you really think any afterlife departments would permit an infant to enter hell?"

"I don't know," Charles answered darkly. "Your departments allowed Edwin to go to hell twice, despite never deserving it."

She read further through the paperwork, ignoring Charles. "But your hell assignment was dismissed, Mr Payne. That can only mean we are facing an additional clerical error."

Edwin said nothing, stroking his child's back as he finally calmed down, laying his head on Edwin's chest. Edwin held him a bit away to look at his face. Henry looked confused, so vulnerable. Edwin seethed with rage, forcing himself not to shake with it as long as he was holding Henry. How dare anyone let this happen to his Henry? Surely the Bureau was not so incompetent as to allow a living child to be snatched from its existence. But why had they come for him at all? Why had it happened so suddenly? Edwin had a growing suspicion that there was a deliberateness involved in this crime.

"Look, whoever's in charge of hell's bookkeeping needs their arse kicked," Charles insisted.

The night nurse took a deep breath. "I concur," she said, surprising them. "Let's have a visit to the Fugitive Bureau, shall we?" She snapped her fingers and they were all transported to a different office hallway, this one adorned with fugitive posters of ghosts that were missing from their afterlives in hell. As soon as they were in the new offices, the night nurse began walking with a purpose, Charles and Edwin (holding Henry) followed her.

She stopped in front of a door with 'Agent 6157' printed on the glass. After a quick check against Henry's paperwork, she knocked and let them into the room. Edwin remained silent as he followed her into the agent's office, a gloomy wood paneled room with a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling. At the desk sat a humanoid man, hunched over paperwork. He wore a brown coat over a plaid suit, his face weathered-looking, seemingly at this post or a similar one for quite a long time.

The night nurse slapped Henry's paperwork against the desk, startling him. "Agent 6157, you removed a living child from Earth in the name of bringing a fugitive back to hell. The child was rerouted to Lost and Found, thank goodness. What do you have to say for yourself?"

The agent raised an eyebrow, looking at the paperwork with which she had presented him. "We were acting on a tip," he explained. "His lifeprint checked out, so we were trying to bring him back to hell. I have no idea how old humans are based on looking at them." He shrugged.

Before the night nurse could demand any further explanations, Edwin stepped into the circle of light cast by the single bulb. Henry regarded the agent warily, clinging to Edwin with renewed determination. "From whom did you receive this tip?" he asked, his voice low and carefully even.

The agent opened up a small notepad, flipping through pages of handwritten notes. Finally, he found the name. "Roman Quinn."

The vampire hunter.

--

As soon as he, Henry and Charles were all back in the Dead Boy Detectives office, Charles was energetic and relieved, talking a mile a minute. With the night nurse's promise that she would sort out all the paperwork with the Fugitive Bureau, they had wanted to get Henry home as quickly as possible. Crystal and Niko were not there, probably Niko was still recovering from transporting them trans-dimensionally. Edwin ignored Charles' rambling, drowning it out with his newest agenda and task. "Take him," he instructed, passing Henry over.

Charles took him, evidently happy to soothe the baby, while Edwin began gathering ingredients--chalk, ash made from bone, rue, wormwood and Spanish moss. He knelt down before the desk to draw a pentagram with the chalk.

Charles picked up on what he was doing immediately and came to stand over him, holding Henry. "Edwin, mate. That's Dark magic stuff. You don't wanna be messing with that."

Edwin ignored him again, beginning to mix the ingredients into a paste and chant softly under his breath.

"Mate, what are you doing there, yeah? I wanna help you but you gotta let me in."

"I am summoning Roman so that we might have a word," Edwin explained curtly. He finished his spell and stood back from the pentagram. "Take Henry to the girls."

Charles hesitated for a split second but decided better of it, taking Henry out of the room. Edwin waited until he heard a sharp yelp that sounded like it was coming from beneath the floorboards. Roman was yanked through the pentagram and held there, standing before Edwin, unable to move.

"What the hell is--Payne?" he demanded with a growl.

Edwin regarded him. "It is me."

"What the hell do you want, you spectral freak?" Roman spat.

Edwin walked a deliberate step forward. "I am simply trying to confirm a bit of evidence I found that pointed a rather nefarious finger at you, Mr Quinn."

He could sense Charles return behind him as Roman said, "And what the fuck was I supposed to have done?"

"Did you, or did you not," Edwin said slowly, "sic the Fugitive Bureau of Hell after me, in the hopes that they would take either me or my replicate to Hell?"

Roman sneered. "So what if I did?"

Edwin clutched his hand into a fist to activate the second part of the spell, which crushed Roman in a tight grip from all sides, burning him from the inside out. Roman let out a pained groan but Edwin ignored him, allowing the fire to grow more intense as he spoke his threats. "In case it was not abundantly clear," Edwin said coldly, "my child is off limits. I know several creatures in hell that owe me and would love to repay me by carrying out the favours I have been promised. If I catch anyone even thinking of harming my child again, I will not hesitate to call in all my favours. One. By. One." He released his fist and Roman dropped to the floor, his skin smoking from the burns from Edwin's spell. "Now go and spread the word to your friends and anyone else who will listen. You will find that you do not want to know your fate if you try to harm what is mine again."

Roman staggered to his feet and hurried to run out the door.

"We could have stopped him, Edwin," Charles protested. "We could have..." But Charles did not finish that sentence. They both knew what they could have done to ensure Roman Quinn never bothered anyone again. But Edwin thought it a better idea to have the vampire hunter spreading the word that it was forbidden to harm the family of Edwin Payne.

"I'll go let the girls know that it's over," Charles offered, phasing through the wall to do that.

Edwin collapsed for a moment on the sofa, pressing his hands against his face and shuddering from the aftershocks of what had just occurred. He tried to remind himself that Henry was fine, that he was home and safe, that he had not been taken to hell, just a bit of a diversion from his usual environment, his usual routine.  The feeling of failure clamped itself around him like a an iron maiden. With tension in his body, Edwin rose to his feet and lowered his hands. He needed to see Henry.

Edwin phased over to the girls' flat where Niko was, indeed, resting in bed, Crystal hovering around her as Charles recounted what had transpired. He was holding Henry close to his chest, soothing him despite Henry seeming mostly fine now.

"Proper relief, right Edwin?" Charles said upon finishing his retelling. He looked so relieved and happy. It burned Edwin a little, despite his best intentions, to see Charles experiencing such relief when Edwin was still a wreck.

Crystal said, "I can erase his memories of today. If you guys want. I know his memories don't stick around for long anyway but...he looks really anxious still."

Edwin looked over Henry, who was pressing his eyes against Charles' collar, little fists clasped around the fabric of his shirt. He thought about Crystal's offer, whether it would be better for Henry if he were able to forget. Then he thought about the trauma memory stalking the hallways of Charles' subconscious unchecked. It would have remained there regardless of Charles losing that memory. Charles' bones and blood would have had the experience imprinted upon them and that had translated to a supernatural trauma memory manifesting into a real entity. It was much the same for Henry: if Crystal erased the memory, Henry may not remember but his body would. His senses would. Edwin thought it better to reassure and comfort Henry through these experiences, rather than electing to try to remove them from him.

"No thank you, Crystal," he said at last. "I believe Henry will eventually be alright from this."

"Okay, just thought I'd offer," she said.

Edwin finally turned to address Charles. He was still looking frustratingly relieved while Edwin's nerves were shot to hell. How dare he recover from this nightmare so casually? Edwin reached out and took Henry from him. "Charles. Did something distract you today?"

Charles' relieved smile dropped. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, how did you not know Henry had been taken?"

Charles flinched a little at that. "What? I'm not psychic or anything--" He trailed off when Edwin looked pointedly at the dot on his forehead. "You know it doesn't work like that..."

“And as I recall, you assured me that you had taken care of our issue with Roman Quinn.”

Charles shook his head. “I...I really thought...”

Edwin was fuming. He passed the baby off to Crystal for safekeeping. "What good is your bloody third eye if it can't warn you that Henry's going to be taken?!"

Charles' posture straightened a little. He held up his hands as if to placate Edwin. It just made Edwin angrier. "Please don't make this worse. You know I'm doing my best and that I love Henry..."

"Of course you love something that actually needs you!" As soon as he said it, Edwin felt awful. Nauseated. The worst best friend in history. He had lost sight of what mattered—that Henry was safe and sound, that they were all home and together. He had lost sight of the fact that he loved Charles, never wanted to do anything that would hurt him. He had lost sight of anything but his fear.

Charles just stared at him for a long stretch of time. His shoulders slumped and he looked...devastated. Edwin didn't get a chance to try to reel back in his own words because Charles left, straight through Crystal's vanity mirror.

"Edwin..." Niko said, sitting up in the bed. Her eyes had dark bags under them, much the same as they had the first day they'd met her. "That was not cool."

He knew that. He knew that it wasn't. "I'll...I'll go to him," he said. Surely he'd be able to find Charles in one of the spots he frequented. Find him and then beg for an apology. Plead temporary insanity.

Crystal bounced Henry on her hip. "I think you'd better give him some time, Edwin. That was...rough."

Edwin felt helpless again. He recognised the feeling from earlier when Henry had been missing. Helpless and terrified. He gathered up Henry again, quietly taking him across the hall to their office. "I'm sorry, my darling," he whispered against Henry's forehead as the baby hiccuped with the aftershocks of his little sobs. "Your poppa will be back very soon." He begged the universe for that to be true. 

Chapter Text

"Of course you love something that actually needs you!"  Edwin's words tormented him as he carried Henry across the hall. How could he be so caring with Charles and yet so clueless? So gentle and yet so abrasive? Edwin didn't deserve someone like Charles, helping him care for Henry, being his partner in their detective agency, being his best friend for nearly four decades. Not if he could manage to speak to him with such disdain.

Edwin was so far gone down the road of Charles leaving him forever that it startled him to see that Charles was already across the hall in the office, getting the supplies for Henry's nighttime routine.

"Charles," Edwin started.

"Hey," Charles said. His tone was quiet, submissive. It cut through Edwin like iron knives. "I've got everything here for him. I understand if you don't want me holding him right now..."

Edwin felt his chest cave in a little. Of course Charles would still be here, tending his responsibilities. Of course Charles would be here no matter what abuse he suffered, the unkind words that anyone carelessly tossed at him. It made Edwin want to wrap him up in a blanket and hold him like he was a precious fragile thing and remind him that he mattered. But of course, Edwin was the culprit who had created this whole mess. "Charles, no. I never meant to imply that I did not want you to...please understand, I would never mean to say something like that to you."

"You did though," Charles quietly said. "Say something like that, I mean. Dunno if you meant it or not."

Edwin shook his head. "Of course I did not mean it, Charles, I..." He rolled through the list of reasons he had for saying what he'd said. None of them made sense, none of them were adequate. He did not want to excuse his behaviour but Charles was certainly owed an explanation. An apology at the very least. "I am so very sorry, darling," he said softly. "I never wanted to hurt you. I was..." Stupid. Horrible. Thoughtless. "...afraid."

Charles finally looked up from making Henry his formula. "Afraid?" he repeated.

"Of course," Edwin breathed. He held Henry a little tighter. "I thought we had lost our baby, Charles. I was out of my mind with terror." Tears sprang to his eyes as he relived the moment when he found out Henry had been taken.

Charles approached him cautiously. "Well you handled it like a real badass," he remarked. "I never doubted you were gonna get him back for us. You never wavered, never second guessed yourself. You just went to get him."

"I did not mean to take my anger out on you, Charles. You did nothing wrong," he assured him.

Charles gave him a tight smile. "You were right though. Shoulda been able to sense something had gone wrong."

"No--" Edwin began but Charles cut him off.

"Yeah. I shoulda. I'm supposed to be protecting you two. Well...protecting him since he's the one that really needs me..."

Edwin's own words were swirling around his head, angry and cruel. How could he have possibly said those things to Charles? "But I need you too," he admitted. Charles gave him eye contact so he continued. "I always have needed you. Always will need you. I am sorry I made you doubt that even for a moment."

"I'll get better at it," Charles promised. "I'll be better so I can protect you."

Edwin shook his head. "You do not have to change a thing for us, Charles," he promised. "You protected us well today, kept me grounded, took care of Henry, made him feel safe again. You are perfect for us, just as you are."

Edwin could see Charles' shoulders finally relax again. He could not take back the terrible words he had said to him, but Edwin could make sure to let Charles know he was needed, that he was wanted. To give him the benefit of a caring, inviting presence.

Without words, Charles took Henry and started to give him his bottle. Edwin expected Henry to stubbornly take it from him and kick to be put down. Back to the little streak of independence that put terror into both their hearts. But Henry didn't try to take his bottle, didn't try to pull away. He seemed to want Charles to hold him and fuss over him and make him feel safe again.

Charles sat on the sofa to feed him properly, gently speaking to the baby as he ate. Edwin sat beside them, watching the miracle of Charles holding their child, safe and sound. Eventually Henry tired of his bottle and curled his little form around Charles' side. Charles tucked him in close and grabbed a blanket from the back of the sofa to drape over him. As they sat there, watching him doze, Edwin felt Charles' hand go over his own, squeeze, and then retreat again.

"Do you realise you called me 'darling' back there?"

"I realise it. Yes."

--

It was a rainy Thursday afternoon. The girls were in school so Edwin and Charles were spending the day with Henry. It was a lot harder to part from him after he had been taken just days before, and Henry seemed to enjoy having them there, having their undivided attention. Charles was sat in the middle of the floor (his natural spot) and Henry was playing with his doll and his wizard.

"Aawww," Charles playfully said when Henry put the doll up to his cheek. "Do I get a kiss from the wizard too?" Henry just gave him a look as if to say You're asking me? Henry was not the most verbally expressive child, using his words strategically and saving them otherwise. He tended to give a lot of silence in response to them.

Edwin was watching Charles and the baby from a distance, Henry's baby book in hand. So many milestones in the book already conquered. Certainly there would be more to come, but the time was going so quickly. Edwin just wanted to put a time spell on everything, freeze it all in one place. At the same time, he was swathed in the relief and gratefulness of having Henry here at all, safe and sound. Having Charles at his side, slowly recovering from the thoughtless wounding Edwin had done to him the day Henry had been taken. He ultimately decided that he would gladly try to live in these moments with Henry, even as he grew ever closer to not needing them. As long as Henry was safe, Edwin could graciously allow him to grow up.

Henry toddled over to Edwin, handing him his cloth doll. Edwin cradled it in his lap. "Thank you, Henry." Henry went to his toy pile again and brought back his small football. He did this a few times until Edwin was surrounded with toys on the sofa. Charles was just watching, amused.

"Think he wants you to come play, mate," he said.

"Oh. Of course," Edwin said agreeably. He brought his arm full of Henry's things and sat next to Charles, their knees touching.

"Well thank you," Charles said when Henry handed him a plastic teacup. Charles was completely at ease and natural with the baby. Edwin had taken to studying him to figure out how it was done.

Henry handed a little plate to Edwin, evidently making the most of having both their focussed attentions. Edwin held the plate in the palm of his hand. "Very good, thank you," he said. "Shall I give something to you next?" He offered the doll back to him but Henry pushed it away.

"This is tea time, mate," Charles whispered to him.

"What do I do?" Edwin whispered back, watching Henry pick up a stuffed elephant and toss it out of their way.

"He just wants you to hold it, I think," answered Charles.

And then, as was inevitable with a small child just beginning to get the hang of walking unassisted, there was a small accident. Henry went to his book shelf and picked out a large book with a colourful fish on the cover. He struggled to carry it but before Charles or Edwin could get to him to assist, he tripped and fell right on his face. Immediately he started wailing but Charles reached him in seconds, scooping him up and checking over him. Edwin bit his tongue about spoiling him, knowing that Charles was just trying to give comfort. That it was okay for Henry to be comforted, even if he was fine.

"Ah, little mate, you okay?" Charles said soothingly. Henry continued his cries, his small face scrunched up with distress. "It's alright, yeah? Poppa's got you."

Henry calmed down to sniffles as he inevitably registered that he was unhurt. Then, soft as a feather, he murmured, "Poppy."

Edwin and Charles both froze as they were. Henry took notice and said it again. Edwin finally reclaimed his faculties and asked, "Did he say Poppy or puppy?"

Charles covered his face with his free hand, looking so warm and fond for Henry, so in awe of finally getting a name from him that it apparently overwhelmed him. "He said Poppy," Charles reported.

Edwin shook his head with a smile. That was the most charming thing he thought Henry had ever done. He could not have chosen a more appropriate name for Charles. Poppy it was.

--

Henry was having some trouble going to sleep later that night. Edwin saw a wariness in his eyes, as if he were afraid that falling asleep may lead to him waking up without his parents again, without his family. If they still had Crystal's old bed in their office (her former room) he and Charles could lie either side of Henry while he slept so he would feel more secure. But the furniture available to them did not allow for such.

"You're cranky 'cause you're tired, little mate," Charles tried to explain as Henry tearfully cried. He was pacing around Henry's bassinet, hoping for the moment the baby would lean toward it, rather than clinging to Charles' red polo shirt.

Edwin did not want Henry to feel alone any more than he already did. After nearly losing him, it was hard to have Henry out of sight for even a few moments. He could imagine the same applied to Henry wanting to see them. "We could make a pallet upon the floor and lie down with him," he suggested. Edwin was still very raw from the dressing down he had given Charles in days previous. It felt like every word he said was a potential sore spot but Charles had not once reacted poorly to anything he had said. He felt rotten for having these feelings--if anyone should be allowed to be sensitive and withdrawn around this, it should be Charles. But in typical Charles style, his friend was all smiles, full of boundless energy, happy to shoulder more than his load of work and offering encouraging words to all around him.

Charles nodded with his smile down pat. "Brills idea, mate," he said. "Can you take him for a tick?" He offered Henry over, the baby still fussing.

"With pleasure," Edwin replied, taking him with gentleness. As Charles set out creating a place for them to lie down with Henry's mattress and other soft things he could find, Edwin wound a soft blanket from the back of the sofa around Henry. He supposed that a bit of warmth would be comforting to him.

Henry looked up at him, just his little head sticking out of the blanket, his green eyes wide and inquisitive. "There we are," Edwin assured him, "you've stopped crying. You must be feeling better, hmm?"

"Ghost," Henry said.

"Ghost Daddy and Ghost Poppy," Edwin agreed, tapping his nose carefully.

"Hey," Charles said from his kneeling position on the floor, "it'd be aces if we put on pyjamas and made it like a slumber party, yeah?"

Edwin turned the phrase over in his mouth, "A slumber...party?"

"Yeah, girls used to do that when I was alive," Charles sheepishly explained. "But I thought it could be kinda fun. You and me never get a chance to wear our pyjamas."

"That is because we do not have an occasion for them. We do not sleep, Charles."

"But we're pretending for Henry's sake." With a soft look of concentration, Charles used magic to change his shirt and trousers into his white vest and a pair of black, silky shorts. "See? Now I'm ready to pretend to go to sleep."

Edwin rolled his eyes fondly. He could see where Henry was getting all of his charm from. "Yes, alright," he agreed. He concentrated on the pair of pyjamas he had worn at his parents' home years and years ago, steering clear away from the ones he'd worn to bed that night at St Hilarion's. These were a set of pinstripe blue with a starched collar. One never knew if one would have unexpected company calling at late hours and have only enough time to throw a dressing gown over one's shoulders.

"You look very handsome," Charles said, sounding quite innocuous. Edwin did not dare to read further into these subtle gestures any longer. It was only serving to upset his guarded heart and they'd had so many near misses that it was starting to feel like nothing was ever going to happen. All the letter writing had reached an abrupt halt when Henry was taken. He was used to finding a letter every couple of days but they had been surprisingly absent. He wondered if it was because of Edwin's cruel words or perhaps Charles just was not that keen on him after all. Edwin still adored Charles, loved him with every fibre of himself, but he also was starting to believe that all his emotions were uncomfortable for Charles to experience. When he had yelled at Charles about loving the baby because the baby needed him, it was a barb, indeed, but not the one that Charles interpreted it to be. It was more of Obviously you do not think that I need you because you do not love me. It was slightly infuriating to have the knowledge that Charles liked boys, the way Edwin liked boys, but still Charles had not made any advancement toward entangling them into a relationship. Perhaps Edwin was the problem here. He was absolutely certain he was the only one of them who obsessed over these things.

Edwin climbed down onto the floor, settling Henry into the middle of the pallet, his familiar lantern sat on the floor above his head, his Skelly framing the other end of his impromptu bed. Charles lied down on his side facing Henry so Edwin mirrored him, the both of them bookends for the baby. Edwin used a simple magic spell to get a blanket to lie over the three of them. Just as he had hoped, lying down with him was helping Henry to give in to his need for sleep. His eyes started slowly blinking as he settled down.

"Hey," Charles softly said, a whisper, "you comfy enough?"

"I am a ghost so I cannot feel the floor or the blankets but yes, Charles, I am comfortable enough."

Charles smiled the way he always smiled when he thought Edwin was being kind of difficult. "Good." With his fingertips brushing Henry's arm, Charles closed his eyes in a pantomime of sleep.

Edwin just watched him, traced the way that the light cast shadows of his curls upon his face. It was funny to Edwin, how a person who was going to look the same exact way for eternity could look different to him each day. Edwin felt sensations run throughout his incorporeal being, electric impulses, vibrations, when he looked at Charles now. Even the smallest of features, the way his jaw tapered off into his neck, was worth study. Charles' eyes were worth a full volume of the encyclopaedia on their own.

Edwin found himself speaking without trying to. "I hope you know I would never want to hurt you, Charles," he said. Charles' eyes remained closed, perhaps for the best. "I only ever want to love you. In whatever way you will allow me to."

A soft smile, different than his carefully placed false one, spread across Charles' lips. "Thank you," he said in reply. "I know you weren't trying to hurt me, Edwin. I know you were coming down from the panic. And it's okay if I'm not enough for you..."

Edwin gasped, cutting him off. "Not enough?" he repeated, keeping his voice down for Henry's sake. "Charles, you have very much set the standard on being abundantly enough for me. I daresay another person could never be enough for me again after you."

Charles was watching him now, his eyes soft and glossed with tears. "That's how I feel too," Charles admitted. "There'll never be anybody else out there like you. No one better than my best mate, is there?"

Edwin nodded, agreeing but sad. He was so completely gone on Charles that he would take it though. Charles' friendship was no mere scraps, after all. Edwin had spent 70 years in hell. He could spend centuries in the hell of unrequited love, surely. 

Chapter Text

Charles' promise to continue fine tuning and improving his powers was not lip service. He in fact started straight away meditating for an hour each day while Henry could be occupied elsewhere and began going to the beach again with Crystal so that she could work on helping him find the key to the locked room. His third eye still flashed intermittently but he continued to be unable to control it and conjure it at will.

During a time when Charles was busy meditating, Edwin was getting the baby dressed for the day. He had surrendered to allowing Henry to wear plain rompers (and yes, at times even the sillier ones) as it was deep into springtime and getting warmer.

Edwin ran a finger over the green romper with a saying written on it: 'Daddy's little hunny bunny'. One of the sadder aspects of being a parent to a living child was that Edwin could not feel his soft skin or detect if his clothing were too rough in texture. There was an invisible layer separating them that felt like they were disconnected on many levels. It hurt but Edwin knew that all parents had their limitations so he accepted it as best he could.

With Henry newly dressed, Edwin brought him to the floor where there was a blanket lain down for him to play his vibrantly colourful play-piano that Charles had asked to get him the last time they were in Target. The baby gently pressed fingers into the keys, listening carefully for the sounds it made, getting fussy whenever he pressed a button that automatically played a song. He seemed to much prefer being able to experiment with the instrument. Edwin knew there was a way to disable those buttons that Henry disliked but he felt that it was a better learning experience this way.

There was a knock at the door and Edwin glanced between Charles (lying in a meditative state on the sofa) and Henry. He picked up the baby and placed him onto his hip for the time being and went to answer the door. A ghost woman, perhaps in her thirties stood at the door. In Edwin's assessment of her dress and her hairstyle, he placed her death in the mid-1970s.

"May I help you?" Edwin asked, holding Henry on his hip.

The woman looked a bit indecisive but said, "I'm hoping so. You're the Dead Boy Detectives?"

"I am one half of the Dead Boy Detectives, yes," Edwin answered, closing the door behind him to not disturb Charles' meditation. "My name is Edwin Payne. Please step into our additional workspace and we can have a chat." He walked her into Crystal and Niko's room, opening the door so he could carry Henry inside. Once the woman was sitting at the table, he set Henry on the floor so he could entertain himself.

"Your baby is so sweet," the woman commented, watching Henry toddle. "I was...I was expecting a baby when we had the car accident. Me and Tim..."

Edwin nodded sympathetically. "I am sorry for your loss," he said genuinely. In the past when he said these words, they felt hopelessly plastic, an imitation of what you are supposed to say when someone has experienced loss. Normally Charles was much better suited to these conversations. Now that he was a parent who lived in constant terror of something happening to Henry however, Edwin could sincerely imagine the pain that losing him would bring.

The woman brought her gaze back to Edwin. "Sorry. I haven't even introduced myself. I'm Megan Chidi."

"Pleased to meet you, Ms. Chidi. How may we assist you?"

"Well like I mentioned, Tim and I died in a car accident but we stuck around after. We both had our reasons really and we were pretty happy." She trailed off, looking weary and sad. "Two days ago, he went missing. We were haunting a church out in Middleport and he went for a walk and didn't come back. I looked everywhere I could think of--the church cemetery, the houses nearby, the shoppes we used to visit. He was nowhere to be found. This morning, I saw this." Megan passed Edwin a folded newspaper. He scanned the story that she had earmarked: 'Unknown man found in Vera's Lake drowned'.

Edwin looked up from the paper. "What does this have to do with Tim?" he asked, confused.

Megan bit her lip. "I went to see about it. Something kept nagging at me...so I went to the morgue." Her eyes filled with tears. "It was Tim, my Tim, laid out on a slab. It was his body, the same one that died in '75. Mr Payne, how does a ghost drown? How does a ghost die and leave behind a human corpse?"

Edwin stared at the paper in front of him, baffled. "And you're certain that you saw Tim in the morgue this morning?"

"As certain as I've ever been," Megan answered confidently. "We've been dead for 49 years. I'm absolutely devastated and I just want to know why..."

Edwin took a deep breath, trying to formulate a response when Henry knocked over Niko's stuffed animals trying to grab one. He used that moment to take a break, scooping up the baby. Certainly nothing was impossible but a ghost dying and leaving a physical body behind? Edwin walked to stand near the door. "Ms. Chidi, I assure you, the Dead Boy Detectives will investigate this thoroughly and try to find you some answers," he said at last.

"Thank you," she said, taking her cue to leave. "Oh...and for payment...do you accept gently used baby items?"

--

"Having to wait for Crystal to arrive via a rideshare car is a waste of our time," Edwin argued as he and Charles sat around the church graveyard Megan had told them about. Crystal was heading their direction (or so she said) and Niko was keeping Henry. They tried to alternate the girls coming on cases but this one in particular was more suited to Crystal's skillset. "We ought to be investigating, not frittering away the afternoon on hold."

Charles, hands balanced upon his knees, sitting atop a gravestone, commented, "Easy, mate. We could do with a psychic on this one, yeah?" He seemed to glance upwards toward the bindi on his forehead. "I mean a real psychic that, like, actually has a way of using her powers."

Edwin sighed. Charles was likely correct but at the same time, in the days before meeting Crystal, they would have found other methods of solving this case. "Right," Edwin said, straightening his coat, "I'll just have a quick look round."

Charles hopped down to his feet. "Sure, let's go."

Edwin glanced at the graves as they passed them by, trying to catch anything out of the ordinary. He saw shoe prints here or there with thanks to the rain they'd recently endured but nothing to suggest any magic was going on.

He nearly ran straight into Charles, who was staring at a particular grave that had grown over with vines. "What is it, Charles?" he asked, stepping beside him to try to see if the third eye had appeared. It had not.

"Dunno," Charles admitted. "This one is like...speaking to me."

"It's speaking to you?"

"Not literally but...I dunno. Something feels different about this one."

Edwin knelt down in front of it to peer at the engraving beneath the overgrowth. He could make out the first bit and his brain filled in the rest. It appeared to be the simple Latin epitaph of 'Quod tu es, ego fui, quod ego sum, tu eris,' what you are, I once was; what I am, you will become. A sobering message of sorts to anyone passing by.

He squinted, realising that the second word was actually 'fueris' and scolded himself internally for jumping the translation.

"What do you reckon?" Charles asked, helping him to move the debris away, both of them raking off vines and other plants and dirt that had collected there.

Finally Edwin could read it in its entirety, finding a slightly different phrase: 'quod fueris eris quod es eris iterum eris,' what you were, you will be; what you are, you will be again.

"I am not sure," Edwin said, standing back up. "It appears to speak on a return to what was. And then a reversal back." The hair on the back of his neck was standing up suddenly--which was unnerving in itself, as his muscles should not have the ability to do that, what with no longer existing. Edwin was duly prepared to ignore that, thinking perhaps it was a phantom sensation of sorts.

The first clue he had that something was really going wrong was when Charles suddenly began coughing up muddy pond water. It immediately gave Edwin the full body chills which, again, should not be possible. The last time he had felt this corporeal had been inside the Underworld Arcade and before that...hell. Edwin felt panic funnel itself to settle heavily in his mid-chest. It was making him short of breath and he clutched at where his heart once was to calm himself. He jerked his hand back with a startle when he felt a heartbeat knocking against his fingertips.

"Edwin?" Charles moaned. "I don't feel too good, mate..." He had his arms around his stomach and seemed to be flagging toward the ground. He was shivering. Shivering?

"Charles, describe your symptoms," Edwin said urgently. He was heaving breaths but slowly getting them within his control. He wasn't sure if he was calming himself or if whatever was happening to him was subsiding.

Charles was breathing shallowly. "Uhh...feel solid. Fucking cold. Stomach feels like it's in a knot, dunnit? But, like, it's getting better."

Edwin felt the icy grip of fear grasping at his ribs. Those symptoms sounded eerily familiar to the ones Charles had died from. Which meant Edwin's panic was the same as he'd felt moments before death. In fact...He pulled back the sleeves of his jacket and his shirt to reveal indentations upon his wrists where he'd struggled to free himself from the other boys that night. Their client's husband, Tim Chidi, had died in 1975 and then died again yesterday by drowning. That had to mean one thing.

"Charles, I believe that we are...alive."

--

By the time Crystal arrived on the scene, Edwin had taken great pains to investigate that particular headstone more closely. It had no name or dates upon it, simply the strange Latin phrase: 'what you were, you will be; what you are, you will be again.' There were no other clues surrounding the grave and Edwin and Charles agreed that they should not touch it again, lest something else happen. They could now smell the dirt, the leaves around them. Could feel the ground beneath their feet. It appeared that they had all the faculties of themselves when they were alive. Charles' bindi had also managed to disappear from his forehead and he was seemingly unable to conjure his third eye any longer. The only good news was that Charles had stopped shivering, had stopped hurting, and Edwin was able to feel as calm as he could given the circumstances. Charles bouncing around him like a rubber ball was a bit difficult to endure, however.

Crystal jogged over to them after leaving her Uber. "Find anything?" she asked.

Charles immediately approached her and gave her a hug. "Wow! You smell like coconut," he declared. "That's brills!"

Crystal pushed him back with a confused face. "What the hell are you talking about? Did a flowerpot fall on your head?"

"Indeed it did not," Edwin said. "Whatever happened to our client's husband has afflicted us. We appear to be living again."

Crystal's jaw dropped. "Living?" she repeated. "Like you're human again?"

"Easy," Charles said, "we were always humans, weren't we. Just dead ones."

"I believe that this grave marker is involved somehow," Edwin said. "Can you try to read it without touching it?"

Crystal looked between the two of them. "Yeah. Sure." She closed her eyes to do the reading, white when they reopened.

Edwin glanced at Charles while they waited. He was staring at his fingers, which were now solid and warm and full of sensation, just as Edwin's were. Charles looked well-pleased but Edwin was decidedly unhappy at this turn of events. Being alive again brought with it the unique vulnerabilities that he had long shaken.

"Oh shit, Henry!" Charles crowed out of nowhere.

Edwin darted his head around fretfully. "What?"

"We'll be able to feel Henry! And smell him!"

Edwin narrowed his eyes. "That is not necessarily a good thing..."

"It's the best thing!" Charles made a noise of excitement. "I can't wait!"

Crystal came back to them, her eyes back to normal. "Yeah. You probably knew this already but that grave stone is cursed."

Edwin sighed through his nose. Obviously,  he'd known that. "Wonderful. What more can you tell?"

She closed her eyes briefly. "I saw someone that looked like an elf? I think they enchanted it to have the spell."

Edwin took in a deep, sighing breath. "Where is the elf now?" Edwin asked, impatient for all these shenanigans.

"You're not gonna believe this," Crystal warned, "but he's in that tree." She pointed at a white oak that was providing shade to some of the graves. Edwin and Charles exchanged a look and then all three of them approached the tree. "It's some kind of portal. Bigger inside than outside. Like your backpack," she said to Charles.

Edwin cleared his throat once they were close enough. "Pardon us," he began, in disbelief that he was speaking to a tree, "but could the inhabitants of this tree please make themselves known?" He paused to wait for an answer. “If you will provide us with information about the cursed grave stone over there, we will be glad to leave you--"

"Not cursed!" shouted a high pitched voice from inside the tree. Moments later, an elf emerged from it, a shimmer giving away the presence of the portal within. The elf's height rivaled both Edwin and Charles' and he wore leggings beneath a kilt, a purple jacket with tails adorning it as well. "It's enchanted in a good way."

"Right, can you explain that, mate?" Charles asked.

"Why should I explain myself to the likes of you?"

"A ghost--a man has died," Edwin bit out. "What were you intending with your enchantment?"

The elf looked indignant at that. "It isn't my fault he was careless. All he had to do was wait 24 hours and he'd have gone back. Didn't have to immediately start diving into lakes."

"So the curse--the enchantment," Crystal clarified, "only lasts 24 hours?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I set it up so a ghost friend of mine could try some of my famous oatmeal raisin cookies."

"Wait wait wait," Charles interrupted, his face mirthful. "So you're an elf...who makes cookies...in a tree?"

Crystal snorted at that but the elf was unamused. "Something funny about that?"

"We assure you there is not," Edwin said, no idea what Charles was on about. "Just to be certain, this will wear off at the end of 24 hours. We needn't do anything until that time?"

The elf shrugged. "Try not to die."

"Oh shit--the cookies!" Charles screeched. "We can eat cookies--we can eat spaghetti, we can eat pizza, we can eat--well, I can eat spicy curry." Charles went on in this diatribe against reason until Edwin jumped in.

"Charles, we are very vulnerable right now. Please try not to do anything to choke to death or otherwise cause yourself to die again."

Charles suddenly grabbed Edwin by the arms and Edwin's body stiffened like a plank of wood. Charles had a scent now. He smelled like amber and honey and something like chemicals overlaid with artificial spice. He leaned in close to Edwin's face, so close their noses were almost touching.

"We can go on a double date!" he exclaimed, tossing his head toward Crystal.

She shrugged. "Sure. Sounds like fun."

Edwin's brain was white noise, staring into Charles' eyes like they had a gravitational pull. He pleaded with the universe that Charles really meant that. Somehow. Some way. Just...please.

--

It took less than ten seconds to realise that mirror travel was no longer a possibility. They were for all purposes alive again, complete with reflections in said mirror. Thus, they were unhappily reliant upon Crystal's Uber to get them home. Charles was fidgeting and restless the whole drive, tapping his fingers on his knees and shifting his legs to and fro.

"Could you perhaps reign all that energy in?" Edwin finally asked.

Charles groaned at him. "C'mon, we have like 23 hours left of this now. I wanna start enjoying it."

Crystal yawned. "Where do you guys wanna go later? On the date."

"Anywhere with food," Charles answered, crinkling a packet of crisps. Edwin truly had no clue where they had come from but he had already managed to find food here in the Uber as well as talking the elf out of a few of his cookies.

"We ought to make sure we have someone to look after Henry before we go planning anything elaborate," Edwin interjected.

"I'm sure Jenny wouldn't mind," said Charles through a mouthful of his crisps.

"I'll text her," Crystal added. 

Charles nudged Edwin to get his attention and then grinned at him. "This is so brills," he whispered.

Edwin laughed at that with a fond eye roll. Perhaps this nonsense was not as terrible as originally believed. Provided he could keep Charles from overdosing on food.

--

"Edwin, Edwin, his hair is so fucking soft!" Charles declared. He had Henry nuzzled under his chin, smelling said hair, apparently enjoying every new sensation under his newly living fingertips. Henry looked distinctly confused at the sudden onslaught of attention but didn't try to get down.

"Charles, he can repeat words now. Please try to be mindful of swearing," Edwin reminded him. He went over to stand beside them, carefully running a finger over Henry's dark brown locks. It actually was quite a soft texture.

Charles had unpeeled a banana and was sharing it with Henry, going bite for bite. Around the second bite, Henry picked up on Charles eating it too and became frustrated.  "I wish he felt this solid all the time," Charles lamented as Henry reached to take the fruit from him.

"Poppy no," Henry said with a pout, grabby fingers reaching out.

"Henry, you must learn to share," Edwin gently said. "Charles, can you not find your own snacks?" Sometimes he seemingly had two children, one of which was already quite good at using his charming smile to get his way.

Edwin took Henry, letting him have the rest of the banana. Then he smelled something distinctly unpleasant. "If I ever become a ghost again, it can't come too soon," he grumbled, going to change Henry.

Meanwhile, Charles was practically bouncing off the walls, touching and smelling items in their collection of charms and objects, enjoying the sensations.

"Charles," Edwin snapped over his shoulder, "please recall that some of our collected items are cursed and can affect living beings. What has gotten into you?"

Charles did not look in the least chastised. "This is amazing!" he crowed. "Aren't you excited, Edwin? We get to feel stuff again!"

"Quite," Edwin said, letting Henry onto the floor to toddle away to his toys.

"Aww you're just a sourpuss," Charles said lightly. Then he looked as if he'd been struck by the lightning of a new idea. "Oh! Hot shower! I'm gonna take a hot shower, this is brills!"

Edwin had rarely seen this kind of nearly-manic energy in Charles so he decided not to interfere, letting the hurricane wear itself out. Charles raced across to the door, barely remembering he had to open it in time to avoid slamming straight into it. He uttered a short, muffled "Whoops!", and went to the hallway bath suite.

Henry brought Edwin a stuffed cat and looked up at him. "Your Poppy is very silly," he said. "A very silly boy." He stooped down to let Henry grasp onto his hands. "Well, what do you say, Henry? Is all this as life-changing for you as it is for Charles?"

Henry pulled on Edwin's hands and Edwin followed behind, sitting near to where the tot settled. Henry played a few minutes as Edwin looked on, contemplating the events, worried Charles was getting too carried away. If he truly loved being alive this much...

Edwin shook his head to clear it a bit. It didn't matter. He and Charles would return to their true selves in a matter of hours.

He returned to watching Henry. "Would you like one of your biscuits, my darling?" he asked, fishing for the tin on top of the desk. Henry padded over to take one and made a noise of approval. "You're welcome," Edwin said fondly. He studied the tin in his hand and shrugged. "Maybe I'll join you." Edwin took an experimental bite off the edge of the biscuit. It tasted faintly of strawberry and sugar and durum. He gave the rest of it to Henry.

"I suppose I'll be a day older by the end of this debacle," he said while the baby played. "That must count for some additional wisdom, wouldn't you say?" Edwin touched Henry on the cheek, feeling the soft skin there. "Although I will miss being able to feel you, my darling."

Henry looked at him, green eyes curious and intrigued. "Kitty," he said proudly, showing off his stuffed pet. He had been persistent in teaching him to name the parts of his face, a few animals in his collection and some clothing articles. There had been times when Edwin had wished that the replicate had been of Charles. He had imagined that child would be so much more lovable, so much easier to tend to. But then he had a soft moment with Henry like this one and all that flew out of the window.

--

Forty-five minutes later, Charles was still, unbelievably, showering. Edwin was researching, trying to determine if there was a precedent for this kind of anomaly, when Charles finaly returned. He had barely been able to settle Henry for a nap, the days when he could be convinced to do such becoming fewer.

Unfortunately most of the research he was coming across was referencing zombies. An interesting diversion but unhelpful to their current condition.

He heard the sound of someone clomping up the stairs followed by Jenny's voice shouting at Charles about using all the hot water. Charles called out an apology, the subtle sounds of the water being shut off following. Edwin winced upon hearing a THUD: Charles forgetting he couldn't walk through the walls again. If he lasted this day without a black eye, it would be a miracle.

Edwin could hear him hesitate at the door to the office, opening it and stumbling in. He looked up to give him a word about being cautious and--

Heavenly. Lord.

Charles was in nothing but a towel, clinging hopelessly to his waist, nothing securing it but the fabric tucked into itself. He was scrubbing his hair dry with another smaller towel as he walked. His hair was subdued against his scalp afterwards, reminding Edwin of the night they met. But this time, he consoled himself that Charles was nice and warm from his shower. His hot shower where he had soaped up his chest and his neck and his thighs his hips and his...

Edwin had to quickly unscramble the brain inside his newly living head because Charles was already talking. "There were, like, fifteen different soaps in there. I wanted to try them all but Jenny said I was taking too long."

Edwin ducked his head into his work, trying to look anywhere but at Charles. He was capable of blushing now and he hoped the relative cave-like quality he'd built into the setup of the desk helped conceal that. "I'm surprised you didn't find more food in there," he quipped.

"Yeah. Well, you know what else I didn't find?"

"Hmm."

"Another set of clothes. I totally forgot that I can't just magic up a new set, can I."

Edwin pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why can you not just wear the clothes you were wearing before?" He dared to glance up at Charles, who was, of all things, stretching his knee in a lunge. That towel was barely clinging to its hold around his waist and Charles didn't seem to care.

"I've been wearing those clothes for decades. Need a change."

Edwin folded his hands against the desk primly. Charles was now sitting on the coffee table with his leg crossed over the other. At least he wasn't lunging any more. "How would you like me to assist you with this problem, Charles?" he asked, trying to radiate his exasperation.

"Dunno," Charles answered with a slick smile. "Depends on how bad you wanna see me out of this towel, dunnit?" And then he winked.

He winked...why was he winking? Was it a joke? Was Edwin supposed to laugh? And then, without warning, the last 15 months of Charles flirting hit him all at once. Edwin felt like he'd just slammed his full body into a brick wall of realisation. Charles was doing this on purpose--showing off, peacocking. It wasn't just Charles' playful nature; this was intentional, purposeful. He was almost sure of it now.

Well that was a game well suited for two.

As quickly as he could retrieve the ebb and flow of the conversation, Edwin replied, "And that will depend on how badly you would like me to rip that towel off you." He sat back in his chair, pleased with himself. He was certain Charles would back down, deflect, as he always did in these situations. At least Edwin had held his own this time.

But Charles simply grinned, a flashy, powerful one that Edwin had only seen a handful of times. He liked it. Charles liked Edwin flirting back at him.

What do I do now? he thought desperately.

But Charles filled in the gap for him. He leaned over the desk, his chest practically glistening from the residual warmth and wetness of his shower. "If you ask real nice, maybe I'll let ya," he said coyly.

"Mm," Edwin said thoughtfully. The long history of banter with Charles must have been to his great advantage in knowing how to reply to this because the next words out of his mouth were, "I think you would be surprised at how persuasive I can be when I want something."

And then, as if by magic, he had Charles blushing. His state of undress illuminated the red flush creeping down his neck and chest.

"Right," Charles said, his voice cracking like a twelve year old's. "Reckon I can still navigate the old infinity backpack, yeah? Gotta be some clothes there." As he navigated the backpack, Edwin couldn't help but note that Charles was suddenly pinning the towel closed as if afraid it would fall open. Suddenly modest? Edwin took it as gained ground in this dance Charles had initiated.

With a noise of victory, Charles had a few articles of clothing, which he changed into in the bath across the hall. Modest indeed. When he returned, he was wearing a pair of blue jeans with a dark hooded jumper.

Edwin left the desk and approached him, dusting him off procedurally but letting his fingers rest against Charles' shoulder for a beat longer than necessary. "There we are. You look excellent, darling."

Charles blushed again, ducking his head. "You too. I mean, course. You always do, yeah?"

A thought occurred to Edwin. It amazed him that he could think at all in such close proximity to Charles. "Do you want me to change for our double date?"

Charles blinked, looking surprised. "You're asking me? If I want you wearing something else?"

Edwin shrugged. "It is only fair. We're only alive until tomorrow. I'd like it to please you when we go out together."

A shiny quality passed across Charles' eyes for a brief moment. "Brills. What would you like to wear, mate?"

--

After some more digging in the bag of tricks backpack, Charles found a pair of dark brown trousers and a soft blue jumper that Edwin agreed to. Following Charles' lead, he took the bundle of clothing to the hallway bathroom to change. While there, he found himself appraising his reflection in the mirror. The last time he'd seen himself, he'd been covered it blood and wounds, his eyes terrified. Now he looked...hale and hearty, inasmuch as he ever looked in life. Edwin gave his reflection a tight smile, trying to focus on the adventure he was about to have with Charles. 21st century food and culture would be an intriguing experiment. Right?

--

As it turned out, the adventure would start long before they arrived at the restaurant for dinner. Niko and Crystal joined them in their office after several long minutes of Edwin staring at his watch and fussing that they would be late. Charles had tried to cheer him but Edwin was already feeling on edge, simply on the merits of being in such a vulnerable condition. However, the tension melted when Charles complimented him on how he looked in his blue jumper.

When Crystal and Niko finally appeared, they had each chosen an outfit that stood out amongst the ones Edwin had seen them in previously. Niko wore a sparkling white dress that reached her ankles, shoulders cut out but a blue jean jacket over top of it. Crystal wore a black tunic over gold leggings with tall boots that made her slightly tower over Niko.

"You two look stunning," Charles raved. Edwin pinched his lips together. Apparently Charles would compliment anything today.

"Right. Where is Jenny?" Edwin asked impatiently.

Once they had Henry's care transferred to Jenny for the evening (her babysitting fee would ransom a small country, Edwin feared), the four of them set off to walk to the restaurant.

The two girls walked out in front, talking amongst themselves while Edwin helped Charles to bring up the rear. He kept glancing over at Charles' hand, swinging carelessly at his side. Edwin dithered on his next action--should he take Charles' hand for the walk? Would Charles recoil? Would Charles ask what he was doing? Was Charles expecting Edwin to take his hand? Was he wondering why he had not done so?

Edwin felt his newly live heart throbbing in his pulse points, seeming to whisper to him Do it. Do it. Do it. His fingers flirted with the idea, tentatively reaching half the distance and then stopping short, returning to his side. It was as if his hand wouldn't obey him. Finally, Edwin forced his arm to cross the distance, grabbing Charles' pocket initially and then correcting, taking him carefully by the hand.

Edwin looked up to see Charles smiling at him, threading their fingers together. Dear lord, Edwin was smitten by this boy. Charles started to say something--

And then walked straight into a metal traffic sign.

Edwin was nearly tugged down with him when he fell backwards, still hand in hand with him. It wasn't so much the hit against the sign that concerned him, but rather, the loud smack of the back of Charles' head on the concrete sidewalk.

Edwin kneeled beside him, trying to rouse him. He looked up to see the girls had wandered ahead. "Crystal! Niko! Help!" he called, sending them running back.

"What happened?!"

"Is he--"

Edwin couldn't focus on them. Charles looked dazed, looked like he may pass out and he wasn't speaking no matter how desperately Edwin spoke to him.

"Please speak. Say something," he pleaded.

I should have kept him safe, should have kept him under lock and key while we are so vulnerable, Edwin berated himself internally.

Just as Crystal was about to call an ambulance, Charles managed to return to his senses, blinking heavily like his eyelids were weighed down. "Wow. Someone throw a brick at me or something?" he asked.

"Charles!" Edwin cried. Niko was kneeling beside them while Crystal hovered. "Are you back with me? With us?" he corrected.

"Yeah, I'm good. Jeez, I forgot what headaches are like though."

"Christ, Charles, you might've looked where you were going," Edwin chastised, but it was half-hearted. He was just too relieved to be angry. The effect was lost on Charles who sat himself up and looked around.

"Wait, what did you do to wake me up?" Charles' eyebrows raised provocatively. "Give me mouth to mouth or something?"

Edwin sighed, long-suffering. "Shut up, Charles. Let me help you up."

And then they walked hand in hand all the way to the restaurant. Just so Edwin could steer him away from anything else he may strike his head upon.

Chapter Text

"This is a very charming side of you, Charles," Crystal said as all three of them stared in disbelief at Charles' lack of table decorum.

Charles paused, a spaghetti noodle dangling from his mouth for a moment, then slurped it in between his lips. "I haven't eaten in almost forty years, Crystal. Maybe I forgot how."

Edwin, holding up a pinky finger to quietly sip his tea raised an eyebrow at him. "I find that dubious."

"Aww, don't tell me you're only gonna drink tea and eat biscuits our whole 24 hours alive again," Charles teased. He held up his fork, noodles slipping everywhere. "Cmon, at least try this. It's brills!"

Edwin dodged the saucy wetness aimed at his mouth. "No thank you. Why don't you eat what you have and I shall eat what I have, hmm?"

Charles shrugged. "Suit yourself. Can't believe you haven't even had spaghetti before."

"I fear there are a great many things that I never tried in my lifetime."

"Ooh, that's a super idea," Niko bubbled up, a forkful of shelled pasta heading into her mouth. She chewed for a brief rest. "We should play Never Have I Ever!"

Edwin raised an eyebrow. "This may surprise you but I have never played such. How is it done?"

"It's easy," Crystal assured him. "You just say never have I ever done...something you've never done. If someone else has done that thing, they drink. So if I said never have I ever walked through a wall, you and Charles would have to drink."

"Drink...tea?" Edwin said with confusion.

"Well it's a lot more fun with alcohol but...we'd get carded in here for sure," Crystal said.

Edwin pursed his lips. "I wager I could manage," he assured them, leaving from the table with an air of mystery.

A young man was tending the bar, cleaning up spills, pouring various liquids into small glasses and looking after his clientele. As a boy who grew up fancying other boys, Edwin developed a bit of a sixth sense when it came to who among his classmates might have similar inclinations. While not a foolproof system (Charles was still pinging back and forth on his diagram with alarming tenacity), it was reliable enough to note that this gentleman in charge of the drinks was likely to respond to Edwin giving him a coy smile.

At the bar, he threw around a couple of very overstuffed and ostentatious words (very much channeling his mother) as well as a finer handle on maturity than any of the three with whom he was dining. He returned to the table with the bounty of a bottle of Bordeaux to the amazement of Charles and the girls. The promise of a handsome tip did not hurt his endeavour plus the bartender had been quite heavily flirting with him. All in all, it had been nice to be seen by a living person, even just a random one out at a pub.

Charles smiled at him. "Let's play then, yeah?"

--

They had worn the bottle down a good three quarters of the way and were sitting on their bill for the night's meal. Edwin was enjoying the sight of Charles thinking very deeply about his next play, fingers tipped against his chin, eyes focussed at the ceiling, concentration evident. So handsome. Then with nary a warning, Charles’ hand plopped itself on Edwin's thigh under the table and Edwin nearly choked on nothing at all. He had forgotten what it felt like to sweat but now his palms and the back of his neck were practically drenched.

"Never have I ever...gotten stuck in a mirror."

Edwin rolled his eyes, suddenly too annoyed to enjoy the hand petting his leg. He drank a sip of the wine begrudgingly.

"Oh, I've gotta hear this story," Crystal said with amusement.

Edwin sighed. "There was an issue with navigation and it involved a cursed mirror."

"Didn't seem that cursed to me, mate," Charles said with a big grin. "I made it out just fine."

"As did I...eventually."

"Your turn, Edwin!" Niko said.

Hoping to get revenge on Charles, Edwin said slyly, "Never have I ever been arrested."

But it wasn't Charles who drank. It was Niko. The three of them stared at her, wide-eyed.

"Really, Niko?" Edwin said, surprised.

She shrugged. "Lets just say it involved a petting zoo and a glitter bomb."

Crystal shook her head. "Okay. I'm hoping there are pictures of that somewhere."

"Technically they're evidence...but yes! So let's see...never have I ever...received a love letter!"

Charles took a drink immediately, his hand stroking Edwin’s leg under the table. Edwin almost forgot what they were talking about, so enchanted with Charles' hand petting him. It was beginning to become evident, however, that this game was a thinly veiled attempt to gather embarrassing secrets about the other players so he tried to focus, tried to keep his wits about him. He was debating whether the notes Charles had left him counted as love letters. For the sake of the game, he could not afford to dither on that question for eternity as he had been doing since receiving Charles' letters. Well, there was an easy way to solve the dilemma: he took a drink. That way, if they were love letters, Charles would not be insulted. If they were not, perhaps Charles would think he had received love letters from another source.

When he looked up at Crystal for her turn, she had a devilish look on her face that he instantly did not like. "Never have I ever kissed Edwin," she said.

Charles' hand stilled on his thigh but did not leave it entirely. Slowly, and with the girls watching with rapt attention, Charles finished his cup.

Niko swelled with a bright and ecstatic noise. "Oh my gosh, you guys are so adorable. When did you kiss?"

"Not important," Edwin assured her. "And I am afraid we are all out of wine." He couldn't help a slight lift of his upper lip, a small smirk of satisfaction. It filled him with a burst of something almost like giddiness for people to know that they had kissed. He liked being seen with Charles, being connected to him as a best friend, and then a mysterious "more."

The girls chattered like incessant hens, losing the thread of the game entirely, grilling Charles for more details as he laughed it off and squeezed Edwin's leg under the table.

"So," Charles said, pivoting the conversation, "anyone for pudding?"

That's when Edwin heard it: the faint, but unmistakable sound of someone with a deep chest cough across the restaurant from them. Ice slithered through his veins immediately. It was a grim reminder of existence--of Henry's fragile existence. Being alive again made it that much harder to ignore and Edwin felt a very unwanted weight settle into his chest.

"Why not get your puddings to go?" he suggested at last. "I should like to get back to Henry."

Charles smiled softly. "Me too, mate."

--

Port Townsend was a much quieter place without the ability to see any of the ghosts taking residence there. Edwin supposed anywhere he went would feel emptier, more still and (ironically) more lifeless.

He and Charles did not hold hands this time, Edwin walking ahead with a purpose while Charles conversed with Niko, and Crystal meandered in the middle of all of them. He wrapped his jacket around himself a bit tighter, unused to dealing with the cold snap of wind. Everywhere he looked, he saw the potential for sickness, pain, in ways that he did not have to encounter as a ghost but that Henry, such a tiny, tiny thing, had to grapple with on a daily basis. Edwin shivered, and not just from the cold this time. The world was harsh and unforgiving to a live person. People had to have luck each and every time they faced a danger, or even when facing a routine activity. Death only needed to have luck once.

Nothing felt more important in that moment than getting home to check on Henry, even though Crystal had assured him there had been no calls or concerning updates from Jenny on the portable telephone. He had never felt this level of unease before when they left Henry with a sitter, so Edwin could only chalk it up to his temporary living condition. He slowed his steps to walk in line with Charles, the other currently living being that he was extremely frightened of losing.

"Everything alright?" Charles asked with a tight smile.

"Just worried about you walking into another traffic sign, Charles," Edwin said, trying to infuse humour into his distress.

--

Edwin was ridiculously relieved to find Henry playing contentedly on the floor while Jenny cut up some animal or other on the counter of her butcher shoppe. He had to resist the urge to scoop up the tot immediately, knowing that Charles would certainly do so. And he did, spinning Henry around and offering him a bite of a chocolate dessert.

"He mostly just entertained himself," Jenny commented. "Not a bad assistant for a one-year-old."

Charles pressed his lips to Henry's forehead. "Missed you, little mate." He tilted his head thoughtfully. "He's so warm."

Edwin felt something in his chest clench tightly. "Too warm?" he tried to clarify, crossing to them and placing a hand on Henry's cheek.

"Dunno," Charles answered, suddenly and inexplicably leaning over and placing his lips on Edwin's face, right on his cheekbone, rendering him near-catatonic. "He's warmer than you but we just walked back in the cold."

Edwin pivoted suddenly toward Niko, still able to feel the phantom press of Charles' lips against his cheek. "Niko, is Henry too warm?"

Niko bobbed over to them, placing a hand carefully on Henry's forehead. "Hmmm...maybe just a little?"

Edwin felt the tightness in his chest cinch even tighter.  "Have we a mercury thermometer?" he asked, voice pitched higher than he meant to. He truly did not know what he would do if something happened to Henry. He felt helpless to keep him safe from the perils of life, especially as he himself was susceptible to them again.

Upstairs in Crystal and Niko's flat, they procured a digital thermometer but Henry pulled his head away from it, fussy when Charles tried to hold it there.

"Don't think he'll let me," Charles said. "For what it's worth, I think it's fine."

"Fine?" Edwin repeated, shocked.  How could Charles be so casual?

Charles gently nodded. "We'll keep watch over him, yeah? But as long as nothing else happens, it could just be a fluke."

Edwin pressed his lips together but ultimately agreed. He would not allow Henry out of his sight, and neither would he take his eyes off Charles. They all three had to survive the next 15 hours...and then Henry had to survive the rest of his childhood.

--

Edwin sat on the floor of the office with Charles next to Henry's toys, trying to get him engaged in something so that he could keep a close watch over him. He started to assemble Henry's blocks in a neat stack, enjoying the preciseness of the activity.

"See, Henry?" he said when he had a small structure made of purple and blue cubes. "Would you like to try?"

Henry ignored the stack, going to Charles with a small toy car and handing it to him pointedly.

"You wanna do car crashes, little mate?" Charles rhetorically asked. Henry always wanted to do car crashes. Charles set the car on the floor, Henry holding his tiny hands together as he braced for the next bit. Charles rammed the little car into an untidy collection of Henry's sea creature toys, sending them in every direction. Henry bounced on his heels, clapping once and babbling with delight.

Edwin quietly put away the blocks; Charles always was best at play. Edwin was always going to be the boring parent.

He watched from the side as Henry tumbled into Charles' arms with a gleeful burst of sound. Charles held Henry up over his head and then set him back down, giving him a tickle. Henry playfully tried to tickle him back on his forearm and Charles dramatically fell over, pretending the attack had been too much for him.

Edwin was just about to give a fond eye roll when he heard the tiniest little gasp. Henry looked shocked and upset, whimpering as he held his hands out to Charles on the floor. Bless his tender little soul. Such a protector.

Charles quickly popped back up to reassure him. "Nah, nah, it's alright, little mate!" he said, smiling so Henry could see he was fine. "I was only playing, wasn't I."

Henry seemed to take this all in, looking at Charles with curiosity. A small smile tried to break free at the corner of his mouth. He quickly looked behind himself and then flopped dramatically onto his back, letting out a little OOF noise. Pleased with the result, Henry got back up and flopped three more times, giggling loudly as he laid there playing dead.

"You are just about the silliest boy I've ever seen," Charles told him, smiling.

"I think someone has a very silly influence," Edwin added. As Henry thrashed about with his dramatic flair, Edwin ran his thumb across the top of the baby's foot, feeling the soft, smooth skin there. Each and every sensation that was given to him was going to be logged into his memory forever. He vowed to imprint them much deeper than the sensations of torture he had endured in hell.

"I think someone feels just fine and his temperature was just a fluke, wasn't it."

Edwin had to agree with the assessment. A little twisted knot in his stomach unwound itself and he sat watching the two silly boys, father and son, playing together a little while longer.

--

"Charles, Charles, please do not encourage him to--" WHOOSH "--splash us."

Although splashing 'us' really came down to splashing Edwin, the lukewarm water seeping into his jumper and weighing down the fibers. Not all the sensations he was experiencing during this debacle were positive. Charles somehow managed to stay dry by using the shower curtain as a shield. Henry was now big enough for baths in the actual tub in the hall bathroom and normally it was a harmless activity. Although the way that Charles so readily used the shower curtain to avoid being splashed made Edwin wonder about the times when Charles bathed him without Edwin supervising.

"Ah, but he likes it. He's having fun," Charles gently argued, setting a boat into the water so it could bob with the waves Henry was making.

"You are going to get him too excited right before his bedtime."

"Help him sleep though, won't it?"

"It might. Or it might keep him up half the night."

And then Charles yawned, a pit of exaggerated space taking over his mouth that came with a muffled noise. Edwin had never seen him yawn before. It was utterly uncharming, in a way that only Charles could make into something that was charming. "Don't think it'll be a problem, yeah? I'm sure we'll get him down and he'll sleep like always."

Edwin drained the bath, narrowly avoiding another surge of water aiming for his face, and wrapped Henry in a towel. "Feel that, Henry?" He allowed the baby's feet to stay in the water momentarily. "That is wet and this is dry. Hmm?" He patted Henry's hands with the towel to demonstrate while the baby babbled a string of intrigued syllables.

Edwin indulged himself in a soft moment to take in the smell of Henry's freshly washed hair for the first time. It smelled of lavender and warmth, a gentle scent he had chosen specifically to help him get to sleep. Perhaps it was indulgent. In his time, no one would have taken so much notice of the smells in a baby's environment; certainly no one was this fastidious about the upkeep of his own childhood. But indulgent or not, there was always this urge within him to make all the aspects of Henry's life pleasant and joyful and positive. Perhaps it was Charles' bad influence.

He snugged the baby against his chest. Surely if they did not have a child, he could have weathered this 24 hour period without a desire to investigate sensations that were long-dead to him. But as he gently dried off Henry's back, he felt how warm the little body was after having his bath. Not warm in a concerning, fevered sense, but warm in a safe and sleepy and contented sense.

"There," he said to the baby. Each moment had its potential for learning. "That is completely dry."

As he picked Henry up and got to his feet, Charles leaned in, saying, "And this is....GRRRR..."

Henry picked up on the sound at once, growling happily back at Charles, baring his 9 teeth.

"God help me," Edwin said, pinching the bridge of his nose, "but may I simply ask why you are teaching him to growl?"

"I dunno. It's cute?"

"Having an odd child who growls at people is not cute, Charles."

"He's not odd, is he. He's perfect."

"Hmm."

Charles took over the towel-wrapped baby, carrying him back into the office to be dressed for bed, Edwin following behind with Henry's bin of bath toys. "Alright, little mate, let's get you ready for...what does Daddy call it?" He set Henry down to help him wiggle into a nappy and then his daftest pyjamas, a onesie that made him look like a teeny white cow with black spots, complete with a tail that ended in a fuzzy, static-prone clump.

"Quiet leisure time," Edwin replied, sitting upon the sofa. It was an opportunity for Henry to wind himself down in whatever way he liked. When setting up this time in Henry's schedule, Edwin was hopeful that he would read one of his books, organise his toys for tomorrow, or perhaps reflect on his day's activities and what he had learned. More often than not, he had to rein in Charles who chose this, out of all the scheduled time slots, to rile Henry up.

This time, Charles sat next to him, letting Henry roam about. His hand wound up on Edwin's knee again and suddenly everything Edwin knew about parenting (as well as breathing) went out the window. "Got something for ya," Charles said close to his ear. He fished a small box from his pocket and passed it to Edwin.

Edwin furrowed his brow and took the box. "What is this?" He quietly opened the box and found a cassette tape inside with a small, tiny sentence written upon it. He squinted to read the small print and realised it said What if forever didn't take forever?

Before Edwin could even begin to spring himself onto hope, Charles softly said, "This is what people did. When I was alive. We gave each other mixtapes."

Edwin looked at him, confused. "What people did when?" he asked.

Charles smiled a little. "Lots of reasons. To say something, mostly. 'I like you.' 'These songs make me think about you.' Stuff like that."

"And what are you saying, Charles?" Edwin asked. His heart was fluttering wildly, his fingertips tingling and his skin flushing.

"I guess you'll have to find out when you give it a listen."

Edwin cupped the cassette tape with both hands. "Alright. I will certainly listen as soon as I can."

When he glanced up, Henry was meticulously stacking the blue and purple blocks, concentration written on his face. Edwin allowed himself a small smile. At least something he was trying to instill in him was taking root. Once he had built his tower of course, he crashed the little car straight into it. Edwin rolled his eyes but could not find it in himself to be annoyed. As soon as he had crashed the blocks, Henry began to build up his tower again.

Edwin looked at Charles a bit smugly. "He's experimenting," he whispered. "He's going to be a scientist."

"Or a stuntman!" Charles added, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

--

After they had put the baby to bed, Edwin found himself exhausted but not willing to sleep. He needed to stay awake, stay vigilant until Charles was back to his true ghostly form again. Heavens knew that he could stumble into danger at any point.

He was not expecting Charles to come to him wearing a pair of soft, soft pyjama bottoms he'd gotten from some unexplained location. They hung low on his hips and he was suddenly catapulted back to the day Henry was 'born', Charles' hip doing its best work to drive him mad. Such a ways they had come. Comparing that day to this one felt like he had been given whiplash. Charles sat down on the sofa, covering them both with a blanket and leaning his head against Edwin's shoulder.

"Night, Edwin," he yawned.

Edwin carefully wrapped an arm around Charles' torso, feeling his warmth, smelling the sweet and vibrant smells he had bathed himself in earlier. He would not fall asleep. But Charles could. He would keep watch.

--

Edwin did not even realise he had fallen asleep when the sound of Henry yelling snapped him awake. Somehow, he had found his way into Charles' lap while they rested. As soon as Charles was awakened by Henry, he lurched forward, sending both of them onto the floor.

Edwin groaned as he landed on his backside. "Charles..."

"On it, mate," Charles said, already on his feet and offering Edwin a hand up.

Edwin was out of breath only seconds into this late night debacle. Henry was fine, crying because he was awake. Edwin was half-asleep and too exhausted to chastise Charles for picking up the baby. His former concerns about the baby self-soothing could go hang. Edwin needed uninterrupted rest. He had forgotten how very tiring it was to keep a live human body.

Charles was walking back to the sofa, his steps zombie-like even as he tried to soothe Henry. He grunted as he flopped down and Edwin followed suit. "Time issit?" Charles wearily asked as the baby growled and pulled on Charles' shirt.

Edwin checked his pocket watch. "1130," he grumbled. 

Charles groaned. "It's only 1130, Jesus..."

"I'll try reading to him," Edwin offered, grasping at the side table for one of Henry's books. He eventually got his hand around one and pulled it into his lap with a yawn he tried to stifle. "Come along, Henry. Let's read and then go to sleep."

Charles already had his head thrown back against the sofa, eyes closed. Henry was trying to climb over him to reach a dried parcel of sage that was nailed to the wall. Edwin wrangled the cow-dressed tot to sit beside him, trying to interest him the book. The soft fabric of the onesie felt nice against his arm.

He yawned even as he read, keeping a hand at Henry's back, rubbing up and down. Soon enough, the words blurred together and he chanced closing his eyes momentarily.

He was jolted awake again by Henry shouting. "Good lord, is he always like this?" he asked Charles, who was rubbing his eyes.

"Yeah," Charles answered. "We're just never tired, are we." He crossed the room to find Henry had managed to get a jar of sticky honey open, something that Edwin was hoping to try in his tea tomorrow morning before they turned back into ghosts, but was currently being smeared across the floor underneath Henry's toes.

"I'll start the bath again," Edwin remarked, marching off to the bathroom like a soldier off to war.

--

The next time they got him into bed, Charles declared that he wasn't going to try sleeping again. "No point, is it, if he's just gonna be up every few hours."

"Mm," Edwin hesitantly agreed. "Well what would you like to do then?"

Charles raised a slick eyebrow. "Wanna listen to your mixtape?"

Edwin's finger ran across the cassette is his pocket. "Yes," he breathed, the thrill of listening to the music and attempting to divine Charles' intentions with it an imperative.

Charles smiled and fetched his Walkman from the shelf, passing it over to Edwin. Edwin took it in his hands, and carefully loaded the cassette. With Charles' assistance, he placed the headphones over his ears and the crown of his head and started listening.

--

If you're lost, can look and you will find me, time after time.

If you fall, I will catch you, I'll be waiting, time after time.

The mixtape took about 45 minutes to listen to in its entirety. Each song felt like a personal love letter Charles had written him. Some of the songs made him laugh, remnants of funny moments they had shared. Some of the songs had tears springing to his eyes as he recalled the intolerable depth of what he thought were unrequited feelings for Charles. As he listened, he felt Charles' arm wrap around his shoulders, his hand comfortable against Edwin's collarbone.

In the midst of the final song, Charles turned to him, fingers lightly touching Edwin's jaw and tilting his face to his. Edwin's eyes fluttered down to Charles' parted lips and he thought that he would panic, feel afraid after the last kiss they had shared. But he didn't. He felt warm, his hands resting over Charles' heartbeat, the thump picking up speed as he leaned in.

And then, Charles was kissing him again. 

Chapter Text

"You're smiling."

"Mm?"

"When I kiss you. You keep smiling. It's nice."

"I do not think I can help it."

Charles framed Edwin's face with his hands resting upon his jaw, one thumb tracing a faint line over his cheek. The headphones had long since slipped off his head and behind him somewhere. Edwin breathed slowly into the space between them, drinking in the reassuring warmth in Charles' eyes. He felt the corners of his mouth lift, smiling like a fool in love, beyond his ability to control, beyond his ability to remain tethered to the earth after Charles had just kissed him.

"Are we--are you--" Edwin stammered for a moment then rested his hands upon Charles, one hand upon his thigh and the other on the slope of his ribs.

"Tried everything, didn't I?" Charles said with a little laugh, his hands drifting lower to frame his shoulder, the back of Edwin's neck. "Crystal said maybe I should try...y'know--courting you."

Edwin's brow furrowed. "Courting me?"

"Yeah, like, going out with a chaperone, writing you love letters--"

"That was--" Edwin remembered the day when he and Charles had taken a walk with Crystal as a strangely quiet appendage behind them. "You were trying to court me?" His smile peaked through the surprise.

"Well...yeah. I didn't know...it had been so long since we had talked about it, yeah?" Charles couldn't seem to stop touching him, his hands drifting to his mid-back and gently kneading.

"You mean--since I confessed that I was in love with you?"

"Yeah...ball was in my arena so...I tried to, like, court you the way that people did when you were alive. Crystal looked up all this stuff and I probably got it wrong--"

"You did not have to do that for me," Edwin breathed. "I would have taken you with nothing but a word."

Charles nuzzled him and Edwin's skin jumped in time with his next heartbeat. "When that wasn't working," Charles continued into Edwin's ear, "I said fuck it, I'll just do it the way we did in the 80s."

"The mixtape," Edwin filled in. It was a fascinating custom that greatly intrigued him. Giving one another an eclectic bunch of songs to express a feeling, or a whole world of them. When he was not so busy being infatuated with Charles, he would very much like to research more about it. Although that could be a very long wait, going by how madly his heart was galloping off with him.

"Actually tried regular old flirting in the beginning before all that, didn't I, but...everything got kinda backlogged for a bit with Henry, which was great. Amazing, even. I love being your partner." He said the last with such a raw and hushed voice that it made Edwin feel like he was made of jelly.

Edwin's eyes closed as Charles leaned in to kiss him again. This time, he felt his mouth curling into a smile and chuckled a little against Charles' lips.

They broke apart again, Edwin's hands wrapping around Charles' back, Charles holding the back of his head. "I love you, Edwin. In love," Charles said.

Edwin's eyes widened and he could feel his heart give a little jump. How fitting to have a living heart for this moment. "You do?"

Charles nodded seriously. "I really do."

Edwin shook his head in disbelief. There had been so many near misses that before this, he was not allowing himself to hope any longer. But Charles was really here, actually in love with him, they were together, safe from Death splitting them up, safe from hell. He kept waiting for it to be a dream, the first one he'd had in over a hundred years.

"I...are you sure?" he asked, wincing as soon as he said it. Probably not the most romantic words Charles had ever heard.

But Charles just smiled the way he always did when Edwin was being silly. The way he did when he proved he was never going anywhere, no matter how much Edwin's anxiety and fear told him he would end up alone. "I'm sure," he said, giving him a quick kiss to seal it. "I mean, come on, Edwin. We've been together 35 years, we're raising a baby together, I keep kissing you..."

Edwin laughed a little at the teasing. "Alright, that is fair enough evidence, I suppose." Edwin didn't know which of them was a bigger idiot: himself for not catching it earlier or Charles for not just coming out and saying it.

"You reckon, detective?"

He sighed, experimenting with pressing their fingertips together. This would feel no different once they were back to their ghost bodies; touching Charles was the same as always, even if he was a little warmer than usual. But being able to touch Henry, to feel him, was a temporary luxury. In a few hours, he'd only have a memory of what Henry smelled like or what his baby skin felt like beneath his thumb. But at least now, he would have the memory. Charles, though, would always feel this way, as long as Edwin was allowed the privilege of touching him.

"Go to sleep if you want," Charles murmured, interrupting Edwin's thoughts. He allowed Edwin to manipulate his fingers, as he traced the bones of Charles' hands, something he had never known he wanted to do, but now that he was allowed, he wanted to explore it all. All of Charles, his edges and his soft spots. He made himself blush with what an absolute pining fool he was turning into. He forced his focus back to the sharp bone of Charles' fingers and then his mind, without invitation, brought up the image of crushed bones beneath the thin flesh of knuckles. Next came the searing pain of mangled injuries that he had had to fight through, to ignore and to buckle underneath his chest so he could keep moving, keep running. Always running, just for the short, blessed escape of a single moment...

"Hey...you with me, love?" Charles said, dipping his head lower to catch Edwin's eye.

Edwin blew the breath from his lungs slowly. "Love?" he repeated, chuckling. "That's new."

"Well I would call you babe, but I figured love was a better start."

Edwin had to actually look away, look toward the bassinet where Henry slept so he didn't melt all over Charles like hot wax.

"So, anyway, you sleep. I'll stay up in case Henry needs us."

He looked over to Charles at last, who was reclining back against the sofa, offering his chest as a pillow for Edwin to rest. There was no part of Edwin that was tired, no part of him that wanted to sleep now that this was real, now that Charles loved him back.

"I don't think I dare sleep," he admitted.

"Brills," Charles answered, sitting back up. "Wanna watch the sun come up?"

--

And so they did. Charles sat in the desk chair facing the window and Edwin, after some reassurance, sat in his lap, their arms a mixed up jumble around each other. The faintest hues of orange and light red were beginning to peak through the horizon, to split the darkened sky and land in two.

This was not the first sunrise he and Charles had observed together. Certainly, it would not be the last. But it was the first time they had watched on as the world outside behaved exactly as it always had done, while everything for them had changed.

"Beautiful," Edwin remarked, watching the colours slowly transforming the view.

"Yeah, you are," Charles replied, giving Edwin a squeeze and making him blush. What an inconvenient--and yet so wonderful--start to a relationship. Muscles and blood vessels long dormant and nonexistent suddenly broadcasting Edwin's feelings to the world.

Henry stirred behind them; Edwin could hear the sound of him climbing to his feet in the cot and looking around for them.

"Poppy," he fussed. He made a little noise of impatience when Charles was otherwise occupied when clearly it was Henry's turn to be in Poppy's lap. Edwin leaned forward to climb off Charles but before he could, Charles simply stood up from the chair, picking Edwin up as he did so Edwin remained in complete shock, cradled in Charles' arms.

"Hi," Charles said, a big, silly grin on his face.

"Hello," Edwin answered, arms going around his neck to steady himself.

Charles easily carried him over to where Henry was staring up at them, clearly not amused by any of this. "Hey, little mate. I know, I know." Charles set Edwin down just as Henry started to whimper. "Not funny, is it?" Charles picked him up and carried him to his changing table to ready him for the day. "How many baths are we gonna have to have today then?"

Edwin busied himself with straightening up Henry's cot, making sure that his current favourite--a stuffed elephant--was in Henry's play area where he could find it.

He glanced at his pocket watch. "About 7 hours to go," he murmured. Keeping Charles alive for that amount of time felt much more doable compared to last night when they were out and about, Charles striking his face into everything in his path.

"Brills," Charles said, placing Henry, newly dressed in dungarees, into his play area. "Hey, I'll make you breakfast!"

Edwin, as besotted as ever, was fully prepared to believe that his Charles was capable of anything and everything under the sun. However, this one seemed like it needed a quick follow-up. "Do you know how to make breakfast?"

"I make Henry's breakfast."

"Henry eats cereal."

"We can eat cereal, can't we."

"I shall make us breakfast," Edwin assured him finally.

"So you know how to?"

"Is that so surprising?"

"Well, how'd you learn?"

"As a boy, I enjoyed learning, much as I do now, and I would stay up close to my governess while she cooked. I learned by watching. That is how I learned many skills--knitting, ironing, and how to mend clothing."

"Aces, maybe I can learn if I watch you. What will you make then?"

--

The girls had a half-carton of eggs and a small loaf of bread. It took a bit of charm--and ten US dollars--to procure a packet of bacon from Jenny's shop downstairs but afterwards, Edwin had everything needed to make a decent breakfast.

Charles entertained Henry while Edwin received a quick lesson from Crystal on how to use the oven. He felt confident enough by the time she disappeared to take a shower, leaving him and Charles to sit in the sound bath of sizzling bacon.

"So," Edwin said casually while carefully flipping the bread to get it toasted on the burner, "that time in London when we went for a walk. Were you going to..."

"I was gonna propose."

Edwin burned his hand on the hot pan. He swallowed a shriek of pain, folding his hand into the apron he'd borrowed from Niko.

Charles carried on, oblivious. "But when we got there, I sort of realised I didn't have you a ring. So I needed a little time to get it together, didn't I." Henry had crawled his way into Charles' lap, tugging on his necklace while Charles tried to redirect him to eat his cereal.

Through a pained grunt, Edwin murmured, "Charles, he needs to sit in his high chair when he eats. You're spoiling him again. Do not let him climb on you."

"He's too powerful," Charles replied, at least attempting to seat Henry on his leg. "Nothing I can do here, love."

"Too powerful," Edwin muttered with an eye roll. "Could you watch the eggs a moment?" He stepped away to run his hand under cold water. Not quite as debilitating as a magic burn but still had its version of ache.

"Shit, you burned your hand," Charles said. He carried their tot on his hip as he came over to check on Edwin.

"The eggs, Charles?" Edwin repeated but let Charles take a look at his hand, turning it to each side beneath the running water.

Charles let go of an audible breath. "Right. Think you need some burn stuff on that. I'll see if Crystal has some in her first aid kit." He set Henry down far from the hot stove while he began his search.

"That won't be necessary," Edwin insisted, shutting off the water and drying his hand. The burn was still cooking its way through his tissue but he planned to ignore it. "In a few hours, I won't have any skin to burn regardless."

But Charles wasn't listening. He was already digging through Crystal and Niko's junk drawer to find a small tube of burn cream. Edwin turned off the burners at the stove with an air of surrender, allowing Charles to delicately hold his injured hand and tend to it. He hissed as Charles carefully rubbed the cream into his palm with his index finger.

"Sorry," Charles said. It was overkill in Edwin's opinion but he still allowed Charles to wrap some bandaging around his palm once the cream had settled and dried. Before Edwin had even thoroughly inspected the knot Charles tied, Charles was parceling out the eggs, bacon and toast onto two plates. He poured them up a cup of tea each from the kettle Edwin had boiled and then ushered him to a chair at the girls' small table.

"You're being just a bit ridiculous," he commented, taking a warm sip of tea.

Charles instantly made himself a bacon butty, little chips of the meat crunching as he smashed it all into a flat press with his hands. "I like taking care of you," he said. "Your cute little living arse needs me."

Edwin rolled his eyes to cover up a furiously bright blush of his cheeks. He tried pivoting the conversation back. "So urm...did you?"

"Did I what?" Charles asked through a mouthful of bread.

"Did you...you know. Did you find a ring to your satisfaction?"

Charles smirked, nicking a piece of bacon from Edwin's plate. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Charles, that was mine..."

"Should've eaten it faster then."

Edwin's lungs sighed of their own volition. “Fine, keep your secrets. And my bacon.”

--

The time was winding down and Edwin was growing anxious the closer they came to turning back. Nothing would change, certainly. He'd experienced decades as a ghost, as had Charles. They knew how to exist that way. But is that what would make Charles happy?

Edwin sat on the sofa in their office/Henry's bedroom watching Charles navigate his backpack while Henry took a nap. Charles came up with what he was after--a packet of Hobnobs from God-knows-where--and threw himself down beside Edwin with a bounce that jostled him.

"Charles, I was thinking," Edwin said. Charles, biting a biscuit in half, looked up at him thoughtfully. He looked smitten and Edwin felt his muscles clench. "We could always speak to the elf again. Perhaps he knows an enchantment that would keep up this way permanently." His heart raced as he let the sentiment sit between them. Charles' little eating noises filled the silence.

"Nah."

Edwin blinked. "You--pardon? Nah?"

"Yeah no. I think we're good. I'm ready to go back."

"Charles, you--you said you hate being dead."

Charles put his hands behind his head, stretching and relaxing casually. "Yeah but, had my chance, didn't I. Not fair, this. Besides, you got me too worried that something'll happen to you. We can't be separated from each other. Plus, we've got lots of supernatural mysteries to solve. Nobody's gonna take us seriously if we're, like, alive, are they."

Edwin let go of a breath he hadn't realised he had been holding. "So you do not, in fact, wish to stay this way?"

Charles framed Edwin's face with his hands. "This way?" he murmured, his breath ghosting Edwin's lips. "Absolutely. But alive? No." It's the last thing Edwin had ever expected from Charles. The boy who hated being dead. "What would we even do, Edwin?" Charles continued with a laugh. "Get a flat? Get jobs? Build a life in a world that continued on without us?"

He was so relieved he almost let himself slip into it, almost let himself get carried away in Charles' current. But he wanted to make sure that Charles never regretted it. "Is there anything you would like to make sure we do before we change back?"

Charles smiled, pressing their lips together for a moment. "There's one thing."

--

"Your hair looks great, I promise," Charles assured him as Edwin eyed him dubiously in his reflection. He didn't have access to pomade and therefore his hair had descended into a wavy texture that refused to be tamed.

"This is the only photograph Henry will ever have of us all together," he insisted, combing his hair as carefully as he could. He had transitioned into his usual suit and bowtie so that, on Charles' suggestion, the three of them could be photographed while he and Charles were still human. He simply wanted to make it count.

Niko had the baby dressed in a blue romper, his hair combed and neat. He was a bit fussier than usual but normally that followed any change in his routine. Edwin carefully moved a curl away from Charles' forehead and smiled at him. He nearly leaned in for a quick peck on the cheek but then realised they had yet to tell Crystal and Niko of their--as Charles called it--leveled up relationship. He pulled back to separate their bodies, back in the uncomfortable space of not knowing how to touch each other without it coming across as romantic.

Charles solved the problem for him, ambling over to lift Henry from the floor and up over his head. They growled playfully at each other and Edwin gritted his teeth.

"Right. So that's sticking around then."

Charles offered him a sheepish grin and then brought Henry--upside down, mind--to sit on the sofa between himself and Edwin. Edwin had to stop himself from criticising Charles about rumpling Henry's outfit and mussing his hair. He was coming very close to learning the lesson that babies--and very impossible boys called Charles--were not perfect and that that was okay.

"Alright, squeeze in, you three!" Niko said, down on one knee with her phone to take the photograph. "Sayyyy cheese!"

Henry, who was very accustomed to having his photograph taken, froze for a split second at Niko's comment, then was evidently done, climbing down with Edwin holding onto his braces to make certain he would not slip. Niko skipped over to show them the photograph on her portable telephone. Charles leaned in with his head touching Edwin's and sighed. "Yep, that's our boy." He left to see about Henry while Niko heard Crystal coming home and went to see about her.

Edwin, after all this time, felt a blush creep over his cheeks and down his neck. Still got chills when Charles spoke about Henry that way. He was halfway gone into a pleasant little film in his head about the three of them making a life together when he heard it--Charles coughing.

Instantly, he was on high alert. "Charles, what was that? Are you ill?" He was on his feet and crossing to where Charles was hovering over the baby.

"Nah. Just allergies."

"Allergies? What exactly are you allergic to?"

"Pretty much everything, love."

"What do you mean? I don't understand."

Charles shrugged. "It's nothing. I just have bad allergies. Doc said it's because I lived in a damp basement for so long."

Edwin blinked. "In a damp basement?"

Charles did something truly miraculous then. He spoke. About his upbringing. "Yeah, one day the old man decided he didn't want me living in the house, like. Said he was sick of hearing me walk around. So he made the basement my room. Awful cold but can't say I minded the privacy."

He nodded. "Right. That sounds...that sounds difficult."

"It was alright. Don't have to worry about it so much any more. Other than right now when my bloody sinuses are running me." Charles paused and turned to Edwin. "How's your hand, love?"

"My hand?"

"The burn?"

"Oh. Well, as I mentioned, it will be gone in a couple of hours. Anyway, I endured far worse burns in hell."

Charles watched him, his eyes wide and winsome. Edwin watched his throat shift as he swallowed. "Yeah," he finally replied. "But I wasn't there to take care of you all those times." With delicate fingers, capable of ripping apart iron to fight his way to Edwin, he carefully took his bandaged hand between his own. "I'm here now."

Edwin's throat convulsed in response. There had to be a limit somewhere on how much Charles could weaken him with his words and his dark, warm eyes. At some point, it had to start diminishing its effect--did it not?

Edwin attempted to clear his voice to give some kind of coherent-adjacent response when he heard a creaking noise. His eyes darted over to the desk where Henry was attempting to climb onto the chair, a precarious-enough instrument of seating without a toddler trying to ascend it.

"Charles," he said, freezing.

Charles glanced over too. "Oh, little explorer, innhe?"

"Charles, grab him!"

Charles let go of Edwin's hand and quickly went to scoop Henry up to prevent his imminent (and in Edwin's mind catastrophic) fall. Henry was immediately offended by this, kicking to get back to the desk chair and starting to whimper.

"Daddy says no, little mate," Charles told him, hoisting the baby up toward his shoulder to find him a distracting toy from his sprawling collection.

"Do not make me the bad guy here, Charles," Edwin corrected. "Poppy also says no to this, Henry." He joined them on the floor.

Charles held Henry upside-down for a moment, redirecting his fussing into laughter. "Gotta get used to that, hey Henry?" he said. "Daddy's always right. Inn'that right?"

Edwin sighed loudly but didn't disagree.

--

They mutually decided that it would be best for Henry to be out of the room when they reached the spell's deadline. Becoming living beings again had been brief but violent and they didn't want Henry to see anything that was distressing. Crystal and Niko took him as they had dozens of times before but on this particular occurrence, he was a little clingier than usual. If he had been clinging to Charles, that would have been one thing. He had done that before when he was littler. But for some reason, perhaps sensing the tension, he clung to Edwin, his little hands curled up in his jacket as if afraid to let go.

"It is alright my darling," Edwin promised, kissing his forehead. "We will be back in time to get your supper."

Charles rubbed Henry's back in a soothing pattern. "You're alright, little mate. Time for some Bluey and then we'll come and get ya."

Crystal smiled at Henry and held her hands out to him. "C'mon Peanut, ready for a snuggle?"

Reluctantly, Henry withdrew his grasp on Edwin's clothing and let Crystal pick him up. Edwin took one last breath of Henry's baby scent and then watched his sad little eyes following him over her shoulder as she walked to the door.

"It is alright, pet," Edwin promised with a reassuring smile. "Just a little while, just an episode or two of your Bluey and we will come back to you."

As the door closed, Charles put an arm around Edwin's shoulders. "He knew something was wrong. Different," Edwin whispered.

"But nothing's wrong," Charles said, trying to reassure. "We're gonna be the same dads we we've been his whole life. Won't be any different."

"Need I remind you that we are about to die, Charles?" Edwin said, a bit more snappish than he had intended. "We do not even know what that will mean. Tim Chidi did not survive long enough to find out what the end of this affair would be."

"Hey, at least we'll know we're gonna die this time before it happens."

Charles was being entirely too nonchalant and it was raking at Edwin's frayed nerves. "This may come as a surprise to you, Charles, but I do not have any desire whatsoever to watch you die. It was horrific enough on the first go; now I daresay it will be unbearable."

"But I'll be fine, yeah? We both will."

Edwin took a deep inhale through the nose and sat on the couch, Charles settling in next to him and holding his hand. He ran his thumb over Charles' hand, trying to think of anything but the inevitable. Which of them would start to fade first? Edwin because in his life he had died 70 plus years before Charles? Or would Charles go first since he had touched the enchanted gravestone first? Or would it be random or would they both go together? There was no nice way this could happen. For all his time spent as a non-living entity, death still scared him in the innate way that people were afraid of the dark, of pain, of loss. It was bad, facing down his death in this incredibly certain way, the way he had never done before. Not like when it was Charles, when Edwin saw it coming and saw the inevitable life slip from Charles' grasp. He never wanted to see that again. And now he was facing both.

And then...Henry. Henry's little life that would someday end as well. Hopefully not for a hundred years or more, but it still lingered in the future, no matter how distant they could manage to force it back.

"I really imagined it'd be more dramatic than this," Charles mentioned. Edwin stared at him; this was plenty dramatic for him. "Y'know, maybe flashing lights or the sky opening up and swallowing us or like a creepy wind...but no. We're just two blokes sitting on a couch, waiting to die. Disappointed."

Edwin looked at him then, really looked at him.  All his comments, his little jokes, the composed way that he talked about all this...Edwin knew what it really meant.

"Charles, it is alright to be afraid."

"What? M'not--" But Edwin stopped him with a knowing glance.

Charles' smirk faltered. It looked for a moment like he was going to redirect, to change the subject, to joke again, but he didn't. He sighed and leaned against Edwin's arm. "Yeah, well...being scared's not gonna change anything, is it? Didn't the last time and sure as hell won't now."

"No," Edwin admitted. "But you don't have to go through it alone. Just like before." He would not wish this on anyone, the life of his closest friend, the best person he'd ever known being snuffed out yet again. But he would be lying if he said it didn't give him great comfort to know that when his own time was up, that Charles would be here.

Charles smiled at him and laced their fingers together, both of them silently waiting. Edwin repeated a mantra in his mind You will be okay. Charles will be okay. Henry will be okay. You will all be together.

And then, between the space of wanting it over with and not being ready, it started. With Charles.

Edwin could feel his hand growing cold beneath his fingers, could feel his breathing start slowing down. He faced him at once, seeing how pale his face had grown in an instant.

Charles knew. Could feel it. He smiled at Edwin, a smile that actually did its job of reassuring Edwin. "See you on the other side?" he said.

"Always," Edwin murmured. He forced himself to watch, to stay present and anchored with Charles. His breath hitched as he watched Charles slowly start to fade. So this was how it happened: the physical body disappearing to make way for the spectral one. Edwin kept his gaze on Charles' face, catching the heartbreaking moment when his eyes, usually so expressive and warm, went from knowing to not knowing. From having a person behind them to being dull and empty. He clutched both Charles' hands tightly until there was nothing left to hold. He disappeared completely, the feel of him, his weight against Edwin's body, fading to vacant space.

Edwin released a breath, holding it all together with his fists pressed against one another.

It took him less than 10 seconds to realise that something was wrong.

"Charles?" he said gently into the room. He had expected him to appear back in ghostly form straight away but there was no one here. "Charles?" he repeated. He tried his best not to panic, telling himself that more than likely, his temporary physical body was simply unable to see ghosts.

Despite how little sense that actually made.

Still, he had to try. "Charles, could you pick up an object so I'll know where you're standing?" he asked carefully, trying not to let the dread overtake his voice.

Nothing. No objects moved. Charles didn't appear.

His heart pounded in his chest as he pushed himself to his feet. "Charles? Darling, please. I cannot see you. This is starting to scare me."

There was no answer, nothing hovering in the air, and no sound at all.

Edwin swallowed a thick, unpleasant lump in his throat. "That's alright, love," he said shakily. "I'm just going to get Crystal, to make sure that she can still see you."

He had to force his legs to move him across the room and to leave their office. He wanted to shake the room apart, to tear at the floorboards and furniture until he found Charles. But he couldn't fall apart now. They could figure this out; after all, they had figured out everything else up until this point.

But the moment he walked into Crystal and Niko's flat, he was met with silence. The girls weren't there. An eerie absence in the room echoed with finality. It was as if no one had been here for days. Edwin gripped the wall behind him as his knees threatened to buckle. What was happening? Where were all his friends? Where was the baby? Where the hell was Charles?

"Cr-Crystal?" he stammered. "Niko?"

The room was spinning. Edwin could feel the darkness quietly closing in on him as his back slid down the wall, landing him with a soft thud. 

And then...

"Daddy?"

Edwin gasped, launching himself up onto hands and knees in the direction of the voice. There was Henry, steadily toddling over holding his stuffed elephant, an air of confusion about him.

"Henry, oh my love," Edwin choked out, gathering the baby into his arms. "You're here. You're alright. You're safe. So, so safe."

With a shuddering breath, he climbed to his feet, Henry with him, his little fists clutching Edwin's jacket again. It wasn't like him to be this clingy, not any more. But Edwin certainly could not blame him in the circumstances.

"Where do we think Poppy went, my darling?" he said mostly to himself. "And what of Crystal and Niko..." He rubbed a finger up and down Henry's romper; he could still clearly feel them, a real texture, a real sensation. So he was still alive then. But what about Charles?

Suddenly, the air in the room changed, going thick and heavy as if it were pressing down on him, suffocating him. He clung tightly to Henry, darting his eyes about wildly as he tried to comprehend what was happening.

But before he could, before he could even shout in surprise, everything around him shattered.

--

Edwin woke on a cold stone floor, his body curled up protectively around Henry's still warm, still breathing little shape. He pulled him in closer to his chest as he slowly sat up to take in his surroundings. It looked like a cave of sorts, dark, damp walls and low lighting. The air was thick with a chilling mist, curling around his legs. He squinted to make out the more modern features of the space: a bookshelf lined with ancient-looking tomes, dusty and untouched for some time. And then at the centre of the room--Edwin's heart clenched--there was an altar, set with candles emitting a dingy and ominous glow, a book open atop it, elements of dark magic sitting out.

He quickly got to his feet, Henry hiding his little face in Edwin's shoulder. Edwin soothed him, rubbing a hand down his back. "It is alright, Henry. I've got you," he swore.

Henry whimpered, pressing closer.

"You shouldn't be here," said a distinctly inhuman voice, low and slithering through the air.

Edwin turned his head slowly, hearing his heart roaring in his ears. A figure stood just beyond the mist, toward the back of the cave, not much taller than Edwin but their face shadowed by the darkness. They were almost humanoid if not for the way that their edges blurred into the background, as if they were only partially within this realm.

Edwin tightened his grip on Henry. "Where is Charles?" he demanded. His voice was steady, forcibly so, despite the fear coiling around his throat.

The figure tilted their head at him. "I have done nothing with Charles."

"Then what do you want?" Edwin asked, soothing the whimpering baby in his arms.

The figure lifted an arm, their robe rising from the ground as they did. "The child."

Edwin's blood ran cold. A primal, immediate terror snapped in his chest. He took a step backwards, shielding Henry with his body. "No," he said, his tone absolute. There was no bargain to be made here, no price or threat that would justify taking Henry from his arms. He was ready to fight with his life, his afterlife, whatever he had, without question.

"I have no quarrel with you," the figure said. "But the boy does not belong to you. I am the Liminal Guardian of Earth. He does not belong to the realm of the living or of the dead. He may not stay with you."

Something twisted in Edwin's gut. A liminal guardian meant that Henry must not be fully human, must be at least partially supernatural. But it didn't matter. The guardian had no right to claim him. "You're wrong," Edwin insisted. "He is mine and you will not touch him. Return us to Earth or I shall have to speak to interdimensional beings more powerful than you."

The air crackled as if lightning was about to strike. Henry let out a small, confused sound, his little fists clutching at Edwin's jacket, as if he sensed the tension, the delicate space around them waiting to snap.

And then, the mist surged forward. Edwin had less than a second to react, his back turned to the guardian, his arms tight around his baby.

But it was no use. Henry was snatched from his arms like neither of them had a grip on the other at all.

Strong vine-like cords erupted from behind him and dragged Edwin flush with his back against the wall, the cords twisting around his wrists and his legs, holding him tight. Edwin struggled, fighting fiercely, feeling a strength rise in himself that he had never felt while alive, but it was no use: the cords would not let go of him, tiny tentacle-like suckers embedding into his skin to hold him there.

He looked up, his eyes glazed with tears of frustration and saw Henry.

Laid out on the altar like a sacrifice. 

Chapter Text

There was a point during Edwin's time in hell when he had been forced to relive the ritual sacrifice that had killed him over and over for almost a hundred days. In its entirety, from the moment he was snatched from his bed to the end when he was torn from his life and taken to hell. It was some demon's idea of psychological torture and it had been very effective the whole time until the moment it blessedly ended. Not a moment in his own control, not a second where he could do anything to change the outcome. Over and over and over and over, the boys' hands grabbing him, the chill of the basement, the fear that they were going to kill him--or worse. The terror of seeing them all turned to dust in a faint lamplight, the looming figure of Sa'al, a demonic creature such that he had never seen before.

The pain.

The torment and intimidation.

The fear.

The utter isolation.

All the physical sensations: the cloth silencing him, cutting into the corners of his mouth; the queasy sensation in his gut, knowing that he was in true peril; the dizziness, the exhaustion, the pain of trying to jerk away but being held fast. He had lived it again and again, just like the Devlins had lived their murders again and again.

It was one of the spans of hell that stuck with him so completely, it felt like it was etched into his soul.

But this--seeing his baby lying on an altar, an other-worlder planning to banish him to another plane, was the worst thing that had ever happened to Edwin.

He'd take being dragged to hell again over this.

"Henry, it's alright," he said soothingly when the baby sat up and reached for him. "Daddy is going to come and get you, I promise." He fought against the corded vines strangling his living body against the wall. Why the hell hadn't he turned back into a ghost yet? He couldn't possibly think of time when he needed to be incorporeal more than this one.

"You cling to this child as if love is alone is enough to anchor him to the living world. But it isn't. Your love cannot change what he is." Edwin froze in absolute terror when the Liminal guardian moved forward, tendrils where its hands should be reaching for Henry, for Edwin's son.

"What are you doing with him?!" Edwin shrieked, trying to kick his legs free, pain shooting through the muscles. "Where are you taking him? Stop!" Edwin fought. He thrashed, pulled, screamed. He threw his weight against the vines but got nowhere, the suckers binding into his skin all up and down his arms and legs, holding him tight.

"I am binding his soul to me," the guardian explained without any emotion. "He belongs to me now."

Edwin couldn't breathe. He had been on an altar before, had felt the hands forcing him still. Had felt the unknown grip him like a desperate hand in the dark. He could not let the Guardian do this. Not Henry. Not their baby. Henry didn't deserve to feel that kind of fear, didn't deserve to be taken from his family, ripped from his life.

Edwin watched as Henry scooted backwards toward the edge of the altar to avoid the mist-filled creature moving toward him. But, he hit the cupped edge and ran out of space to move any further, trapped. Edwin watched him freeze instinctively even as he had to fight that same instinct within himself.

"Henry!" he cried, snapping one arm free of the vines. But it wasn't enough. He wouldn't get there in time.

A thousand visions of hell assaulted him in heat-filled waves, his body drenched in sweat. Not Henry, they couldn't take him, not Henry--

The first tendril of mist wrapped itself around Henry's little foot as Edwin screamed. He didn't even hear the out of place metallic TWING until the echo of it came back.

And, thank the fucking angels, an amethyst pink forcefield surrounded Henry and the altar, the Liminal guardian forced back.

Charles was in front of Edwin in a split second--the ghost Charles, wearing his red polo and dark coat, same as he had for decades, his backpack slung over one shoulder and Henry's lantern glowing in the other. Charles set the lantern aside and started to working on freeing him from the vines. Edwin could see his third eye and the outline of various weapons glowing along his exposed skin like tattoos. Charles dug his fingers into the vines, yanking them off Edwin's torso but Edwin wasn't as concerned for that. He would worry about himself and how Charles had found him later.

"Charles, the baby! Get the baby!" he shouted.

Charles looked over his shoulder as if taking the scene in for the first time. "Right. Who the fuck is that?" he asked as he sized up the Liminal guardian.

"Never mind that!" Edwin cried, tearing at the vines around his legs. "Get Henry!"

Charles had already lunged forward, putting himself between Henry and the swirling form of the guardian. "Oi, back the fuck off from my kid!" Charles growled. He reached into his backpack and grabbed his cricket bat. It would have been comical to brandish a simple enchanted cricket bat against the Liminal guardian of earth, had the circumstances not been so dire.

"He is not meant to be," the guardian said. "So I will unmake him and restore balance."

"Yeah, good luck with that," said Charles, striking the guardian with all his strength--or trying to at least. The mist simply displaced itself and then the guardian's form was restored once Charles swung through him.

"You are a spectre, a remnant of the past. You can't interfere. You hold no power."

Charles looked furious, swinging again. Meanwhile Edwin finally broke free of the cords. It seemed the vines' master was too occupied and they were no longer trying to hold him to the wall. Charles took an offencive stance, shifting his weight between his legs, knees loose. "You don't get to decide that. He's ours. We're taking him with us."

Edwin tripped over himself to get to Henry, reaching through the amethyst shield to take him into his arms. He gently shushed him as he whimpered. "It is alright. Oh, my darling, you are safe. I have you," he said, closing his eyes and letting the familiar weight anchor him, stroking Henry's back. The baby clenched his tiny fists into Edwin's jacket, pressing his face into his father's shoulder, eyes covered.

Charles hurried over to join them, still keeping himself between them and the guardian. "He alright?" he asked, tone subdued, dangerous.

Edwin finally opened his eyes. "Yes. But we have to run--"

"Curious," said the guardian suddenly, wispy fingers curling around the pink shield upom the altar. At the same time, Edwin realised it too: he had just reached through the shield and pulled Henry through it. The shield did not affect him or Henry. In all the times Charles had utilised it, Edwin had never considered that he may be able to reach through it. As he watched, the shield was fading, collapsing in on itself. It fizzled out and became Charles' ring again. Charles spun around to face the guardian as they swirled closer, Charles' posture going defencive this time, protecting Edwin and Henry. He tossed the ring to Edwin, presumably in case Edwin needed to use it as a shield again.

The guardian seemed to be frowning when Edwin looked up again. They made a humming sound, deep and penetrating. "I understand now," they said. "Now you will too, tiny spectre."

Without even a moment to prepare, Edwin watched as Charles jolted backwards, the guardian pressing their thumb into his third eye, causing it to cast a blueish glow. Charles let out a sharp but short cry, stumbling in place.

"Charles!" Edwin cried, moving Henry onto his hip to reach for him. As soon as he did, he jolted back as well--as did Henry, and Edwin was suddenly seeing a vision. 

The door in Charles' psyche stood before him and in his own hand lay the key. Feeling the weight of the moment, the pressure to act, he felt himself walking forward and placing the key into the lock.

He turned the key.

Suddenly he was back in the cavern, Charles in front of him, Henry in one arm--the same arm that had held the key in Charles' mind. The glowing tattoos of weapons were no longer pulsing; they were solid, tangible. Charles looked back to exchange a look with Edwin then turned around to face the guardian again.

"Uh, what the hell?" Charles said.

The guardian shimmered, the mist making up their being shifting and churning as they considered Charles. "The child is the vessel for unlimited power," they said in a low rumble. Another vision sparked to life in front of Edwin's eyes...

His own death, his intentioned afterlife disrupted by the ritual sacrifice. Edwin's purpose was...

Death was meant to be a new dawn, a rebirth. His afterlife would have placed him on a path toward reaching his metaphysical potential--the powers that were now attached to Charles.

The manner of Edwin going to hell had interrupted destiny. The power had resurfaced when he had returned to earth on that night in 1989, but...

Somehow, whether by error again or simply fate, the power sought out Charles. Perhaps it was because Charles was more recently dead, perhaps it was due to the very real chance that Edwin could be returned to hell, a place where the power would have been corrupted. Whatever the case, the power had found Charles and there it lay dormant, unsuspected.

Until there was a catalyst. Henry. Henry's existence had ignited the power's intent. Because it did not truly belong to Charles, he could not reach it without a key, hidden within the powers' true owner.

The vision blurred until the cavern reappeared once more. Charles was ghosting his fingers across the varying tattoos, looking spectacularly interested in getting to try them out. But before he had a chance, the guardian spoke.

"Your powers are admirable, tiny spectre. Because of the respect I have for you, I will give you a choice. The child and Edwin Payne cannot exist on your plane together."

Edwin's heart hammered inside his chest and he felt distinctly the urge to be sick. He knew what was coming. And more than that, he knew the only possible choice.

"You may choose to keep only one."

Edwin stepped forward, holding Henry out to Charles. The baby clung to Edwin's shirt but in a panic, Edwin pried his small hands away. "Charles, take him. You must," he insisted, tears welling in his eyes. Charles was frozen, seemingly unable to comprehend what was being said. "Charles! Please, take Henry!"

Edwin refused to conceive of a world where Henry did not have a chance to grow up, to live a full and miraculous life that was all his own. Even if that meant he and Charles would be separated. Even if that meant he would cease to exist.

Charles finally looked up, first meeting Edwin's tearful eyes with terror and shock. Then he glanced down to take in the baby Edwin was pressing against his chest, waiting for Charles' arms to take him, to make the right choice, just like he had the very first day of Henry's life.

When Charles looked up at Edwin again, he didn't take the baby. He also didn't look frightened one bit. He looked determined.

"I appreciate your kind offer," he said, turning to face the Liminal guardian. By default, Edwin pulled Henry back into his own arms, soaking up every precious second Charles was buying them, whispering little halting I-love-you's into his hair. "But I think I'll just kick your arse instead."

Edwin's head jerked up in time to see Charles' hand hovering over the weapons on his arm. "Oh shit, Charles, no!"

But since when did Charles listen to him?

The first weapon he summoned looked like a glowing chain, an eerie metallic sound echoing around them as Charles spun the large links up and over his head. Edwin ran with Henry toward the relative cover of a rock formation, holding him as he crouched. He watched Charles swing the chain toward the guardian, right toward their chest but the chain went right through them just as the cricket bat had, the mist dissipating and then reforming. Seeing that it had had no effect, he dropped the chain with a heavy THUD.

"That's how it's gonna be then?" Charles said, fingers grazing over his arm to choose the next weapon.

"Charles, wait!" Edwin hissed at him, trying to keep Henry situated away from the danger. "You cannot threaten earth's liminal guardian!" The consequences could spell disaster for all of them, the total population of the earth alive and dead, without someone protecting them from whatever may want to cross the guardian's threshold.

"Listen to your partner, arrogant ghost. The natural and supernatural orders have been disrupted and I must correct this. It is my duty to keep the natural and supernatural forces in balance."

Charles drew a long battle axe from his store of weaponry. "Well, mate, time to meet the counter balance." He hefted the axe with both hands, striking the guardian's shoulder and this time it hit solidly, but it was as if he were striking with a blunt object rather than a blade. The axe made impact and then bounced off the guardian's form, causing Charles to stumble from the recoil.

"You will not leave this place until a choice is made," the guardian insisted, sounding like they had a wealth of patience in dealing with Charles' stunts thus far.

"Not gonna happen," Charles growled, reaching for something else, this time a fearsome-looking glaive. He tested the weight of it in his hand, the weapon appearing light and easily handled. Charles nodded. "Let's try this one."

The guardian simply shimmered. "If you will not choose, it will be chosen for you," they murmured, shifting closer. Charles raised the glaive over his head but the guardian simply raised a smoke-coiled hand and Charles flew backwards, the weapon disappearing in a shroud of mist.

"Charles!" Edwin cried, putting a hand over Henry's ear to hold him close and protect him from the noise. Charles got to his feet quickly but suddenly, all of his tattoos were gone. His third eye was gone. He was simply Charles without whatever ancient power had locked in on him.

And the guardian was reaching their gnarled fingers not toward Edwin, but toward Henry.

Edwin backed up, scooting toward the wall. "You cannot take him!" he shouted. "You must take me instead, please! He deserves a life of his own. Mine was taken from me long ago but Henry is different!"

"I won't allow you to both exist in this realm. The child is the more fitting choice to be removed.  He should not exist."

Edwin remembered how easily the guardian had ripped Henry from him the last time so he rushed to his feet and ran into the darkness of the cavern, deeper and deeper, his feet pounding against the stones, his heart hammering inside him.

But something was making him feel sluggish, a bit withered. He took in a deep breath but that ended in a rough fit of coughing. He pulled Henry in tighter and realised...

His body was choosing this exact moment to die.

"No, no, goddammit," he growled. He ran into (ironically) a dead end in the cavern and collapsed onto his knees, cradling Henry. He was flickering in and out, barely able to keep his grip on the baby.

"Daddy?" Henry whimpered, putting his little hand to Edwin's face.

"Daddy's here, my darling," Edwin whispered. His eyesight was dimming. It was coming for him so quickly that he couldn't even think, couldn't even shout for Charles to come and take Henry. This was it. They were defeated, no weapons, not even a form to protect himself or Henry. He was going to depart this human body and when he returned as a ghost, Henry was going to be gone.

"I love you, Henry, I love you so much..." he rasped as the world faded to a grey blur.

The last thing he saw was Charles, running over while digging through his backpack, the guardian at his heels.

--

It was satire worthy of Shakespeare. Edwin found himself in the Liminal space between life and death while at the mercy of the Liminal guardian--certainly the universe deserved a bit of a nod for throwing that one together. But he could hardly find any amusement with it as every moment he spent in the Grey was a moment he couldn't protect Henry or Charles.

Having no form whatsoever, no sensations, didn't make it easier to forget the fear of losing Henry. It was viscerally attached to his soul like his love for Charles was. There was not a universe Edwin wished to have a part of where he did not get to keep Henry. No universe he wanted where he did not have Charles. And if that is the universe he was about to return to, well, then perhaps it was better that he remain here in the in-between.

At least it gave him a reprieve to consider everything that the guardian had revealed to them. The strange powers attaching themselves to Charles, the third eye and its peculiar insights, the hidden weapons--all of it apparently belonging to Edwin. A birthright...or deathright as it were. Snuffed out because Edwin's death had been unnatural, because he hadn't been allowed to move onto his afterlife properly. But the magic had been lingering in the background, the power had been waiting for a soul upon which to attach itself. And Henry's existence had evidently awakened it. Edwin could not help but wonder what it would have been like had those powers been granted to him from the time he emerged back from hell. Instead, Charles had been gifted (or cursed) with them. But at least they were keeping it in the family, as Charles would say.

He could not help but believe the powers would return even though the Liminal guardian had shut them down for the time being. Surely they didn't have power over everything with just the snap of their fingers.

A soft, careful tug broke him from his thoughts. Not a physical tug because for all he knew, he didn't currently have a physical form to be tugged at. No, this was more of a whisper, an invitation. Come back to me. You're safe. As simple as it would have been to let himself fade, Edwin could not resist those words and the people he believed were waiting for him. So he let himself be pulled.

--

Edwin opened his eyes and immediately stiffened. Henry was cradled in the curve of his body on the ground, Edwin awakening with the baby pulled close to himself. And Charles...

Charles was doing something stupid.

It took a few seconds for Edwin to wrap his head around what he was seeing. But when it sank in that his eyes were not, in fact, tricking him, he shouted Charles' name and pulled Henry in closer to him.

Because Charles, bless him, was attempting to fight the guardian with his bare hands and whatever bric-a-brac he could pull out of his backpack. It was pathetically hopeless, a mere ghost fighting off the earth's liminal guardian. But hell if Charles wasn't giving it his all anyway. Currently, it was his sword, the same one he had used against the void krakken in the Underworld Arcade.

And that's when Edwin was struck with an idea. Oh no. No, this is a bad idea. Was Edwin really going to do this? To tamper with or harm a Liminal guardian was likely one of the worst things that one could do.

He looked at the child in his arms, who was looking back at him thoughtfully and sucking his thumb, seemingly no longer worried about his fate. It was as if he could sense that the ending to this was written. And so Edwin decided: if it was between committing a sin against the universe and losing Henry, it wasn't a choice.
Edwin got to his feet. "Charles, the mirror, if you would not mind."

Charles, currently trying to pry his sword back from the swirling tendrils of the guardian, looked up. "Mate you know we can't take Henry through there," he said.

"It's not for Henry," Edwin explained. "It's for the void krakken." When Charles raised an eyebrow at him, Edwin added, his voice clear and calm, "Surely it has regenerated itself by now. Nothing from the void ever perishes entirely."

"Oh bloody hell," Charles swore, giving up on his blade and reaching into the backpack for their standing mirror. "Hope you're right about this."

"Take the baby," Edwin said, and Charles did. "Stay clear of this mirror and keep him away from the guardian," he added under his breath.

Edwin climbed through.

The easy part was locating the krakken. He had made himself a little map of the Underworld Arcade and knew where to find its door. How to find the false hallway where he and Charles had once been lured and chased about. The more difficult part was figuring out a way to entice it to follow him back through the mirror, which he was having to carry around on his back while dodging those searching tentacles. But this time was different than before when Charles had had some kind of insight into how to run, how to avoid where the krakken was going to attack next.

This time, Edwin was struck with strong intuition that steered him clear of the worst of it. He didn't have time to contemplate what that meant, needing to stay focussed and alert. Never mind that this needed to be fast or he could walk back through to the guardian's realm and find it missing Charles or Henry or both.

He ran down one of the long deserted hallways and realized that the floor was tilting down as it had done before, the far wall opening up into a void, into the Nothing once again.  Edwin cursed and climbed up onto a chair. Trying to balance the mirror was hell, especially because everything in the Arcade was weighed down and solid. It was a heavier feeling here than when he had been in his human body mere minutes ago.

The void below him swirled with hunger, all too eager to devour him like a little ghostly treat. Edwin stumbled as it affected a suction, drawing in everything not nailed down. The chair beneath him was starting to creak, to bend and Edwin was losing his balance. This had all seemed such a greater idea before he had to act upon it.

God what he would not do to have Charles here.

His finger suddenly burned and Edwin recoiled. The damn amethyst ring was burning him yet again. And then he realised... Of course! That is what had stopped the void at their first encounter. Edwin had had his bait the whole time.

He held the ring up over his head. "If you would like this back, follow me!" he shouted at the void, darting back through the mirror. He was not always the best at navigating mirror hopping while under stress but he could feel the tentacles of the krakken chasing him, lusting for the ring so he pushed himself to make the right dimensional jumps. Edwin finally found the right direction and fell flat on his face when he exited the mirror back in the cavern. When he looked up...

Christ in hell.

Charles was suspended on his back, mist swirling in and out of his ears, the guardian keeping him in some sort of froze stasis. The guardian had Henry back upon that goddamn altar and if Edwin ever had to see that image again, he was going to lose his fucking mind.

"He was never meant to exist," the guardian droned, turning their faceless head toward Edwin. "Balance demands he be erased."

Henry, tiny and helpless, barely understanding the forces at play around him, whimpered, curling into himself on the altar.

Edwin saw red.

If he had ever been uncertain about this plan, he was now decided. He rose to his feet, squeezing the amethyst ring in his palm so hard that his arm shook with it. He could feel Charles' energy pulsing through the ring, some of his power buried within it.

"I won't let you take him," Edwin growled. "He is mine."

"You believe defiance will save you?" the guardian murmured. "Balance is inevitable."

"Funny thing about that..." Edwin said. The guardian stilled, seeming to frown even without an expression. Edwin tossed the ring and it was absorbed by the guardian's essence. Immediately, Edwin dove out of the way and toward Henry.

The result was spectacular in a horrible and fascinating way. Tentacles roared from the mirror, crawling their way into the room, seeking their prize. One by one, they sank into the guardian's swirling form, picking them apart to get to the ring.

The guardian let out a guttural yell.

Edwin grabbed Henry and held him to his chest. "What is the matter?" he innocently asked the guardian, tilting his head. "A moment ago, you were all about balance." The krakken lunged, all the tentacles wrapping around the guardian and dragging them toward the mirror. The guardian fought viciously but it was like they were stuck in a glue trap, every struggle just sinking and miring them even more.

Edwin kissed the side of Henry's precious head, his soft little face. "Perhaps you should have checked the food chain first."

The guardian made one final cry, an uncomprehending wail of failure, before they were dragged away and out of their lair.

A split second later, Edwin heard the thud of Charles falling to the ground, broken of the guardian's spell. He crawled to him on knees and one hand, holding Henry with the other.

"Charles, are you alright?" he asked, rubbing a hand over his shoulder. Henry reached for him but Edwin momentarily held him back.

Then Charles sat up abruptly, nearly knocking them over. "Edwin, Henry's--" Charles stopped his frantic fight to stand when he saw Henry. "Oh, you've got him," he said. They all stared at one another for what felt like beautifully endless moments.

"The old ring around the guardian technique?"

"Indeed, Charles."

"So you're...you're a ghost again, yeah?"

Edwin nodded, thankful. "Yes. The nightmare of living is over."

"Well, the nightmare of baby smells definitely isn't," Charles playfully said, taking Henry. "Someone needs a nappy change."

Something about that seemed odd and Edwin frowned, trying to figure out what it was.

Suddenly, he and Charles turned to one another in shock. "I can smell him?" Charles said, uncomprehending.

Edwin reached out to touch Henry's soft hair. "I--I can feel him too, smell him, all of the above!"

"What the hell?"

Edwin shook his head in marvel at the gift of being able to fully experience their child. "Some sort of leftover side effect from being temporarily alive," he guessed. "I will need to do some experiments to find out how far it goes, and how temporary or permanent it is."

Charles snuggled the baby, breathing in his hair. "Little mate," he mused. Then, struck with an even greater realisation, he cried, "Do you think this means we can eat too??"

--

Henry clung to Edwin the entire way home, which was not easy, considering that they couldn't mirror hop. First, they had to cross dimensional planes, which was an absolute nightmare but they were finally able to reach civilisation once more. Charles immediately wanted to try touching and eating everything but unfortunately for him, their ability to touch things worked the same way as it always had for ghosts. The same with smell and taste. It was only Henry that they were able to experience in a sensory way.

Edwin would gladly take this as a gift.

Once they arrived closer to their destination, they had to stow Henry in Charles' backpack so Charles could hop aboard a bus. Edwin climbed in with Henry so he wouldn't be alone for the journey and fed him snacks from Charles' refrigerator. One of the pockets within the backpack was set up somewhat like a dormitory, with Charles' endearing love of music and punk culture in the decoration.

Edwin allowed the baby to explore the space, zeroing in on a collection of comic book magazines. He climbed down onto the floor with the baby and read him the one on top of the stack while helping to protect it from sticky fingers.

Despite no longer needing to, Edwin felt as though he could breathe again.

When they arrived back in Port Townsend and finally made it up to their office and Henry's bedroom, he and Charles collapsed onto the sofa, holding Henry in the space between them. Both of them seemed to need to keep a hand on him at all times, grounding themselves in having him here, alive and well.

Eventually, Henry laid his tiny head on Charles' leg and curled up for a sleep with Edwin rubbing little circles into his back.

After he had been settled in a few minutes, Charles spoke, just above a whisper, "So, seeing as we kinda sorta sent earth's liminal guardian into the void..."

"Mm."

"That's...bad? Innit?"

Edwin sighed, shaking his head. "It means that lots of other beings can now make their way to earth unchecked. Anything and everything you can think of--and the things we do not even know about."

"Right...gotta be good for business though, yeah?"

Edwin couldn't bring himself to roll his eyes. They would cross the many bridges he had just opened when the monsters of the universe came barging in. For now, he just wanted to enjoy the relief of being at home with a safe Henry and a safe Charles.

"Should we tell the girls that we're back?" Edwin asked.

"Nah. They'll figure it out." And then, Charles leaned carefully over the sleeping baby and kissed Edwin on the lips. 

Chapter Text

Edwin snipped the ends off the agapanthus at an angle and then the hydrangeas and the red peonies, settling them in amongst the thistle and greenery. Once he had everything fluffed and roughly arranged, he tied a red ribbon around them, fastening it with a bow. He fussed with the arrangement, making certain that each flower could be seen and admired.

The first time he gave Charles flowers should be perfect, after all.

One week out and thus far, there hadn't been any ill effects from Edwin putting the earth's liminal guardian out of commission. To be fair, they couldn't be entirely certain what consequences there would be. It could be anything from nothing at all to the cataclysmic unwinding of the fabric of reality.

Charles had told Edwin it would be fine. So Edwin was choosing to believe him. The alternative was to devolve into a perpetual nerve ending on fire.

Charles had seemingly lost access to his third eye since those events, bindi and all. Crystal had confirmed that Charles' third eye was firmly closed, in the same way that the majority of people's third eyes were. They couldn't be sure what the Liminal guardian had done to squelch it out of existence, but Charles reported being unable to see how to navigate using that sixth sense any longer. He had, however, been able to keep his amethyst shield as well as all the weapons tattooed on his arms. So far, they had had no need for them but Charles already speculated on how they would have been useful in various cases throughout the years.

Henry had adjusted well after the events in the liminal space, not seeming to be wary or afraid as he had in the days following being taken to the Lost and Found Department. Shortly after they returned home, he started mastering the milestone of kicking his small football. This accomplishment had overshadowed any lingering concerns Edwin had that Henry might be traumatised, and so he chose to believe that Henry was making his way forward, rather than succumbing to the freezing response that Edwin had passed onto him. Henry was already so much stronger and braver than Edwin had ever been. He was quietly proud and Charles was over the moon, talking Edwin into buying him the tiniest football jersey for a team he had never heard of. Charles assured him that their boy was going to be a football legend after the single accidental kick. Edwin had countered that he would play football and achieve stardom after he completed his degrees at university (Edwin estimated he would earn at least two).

It was still wild to think that they had a thriving 18 month old. Still, they shouldn't get too far ahead of themselves in planning his future. By this point, Henry had a head full of light brown wavy curls, the wispy darker ones that Charles loved now gone. He was steady on his feet and could now dart after Charles when he was running him at the park. Full running was in the immediate future, god save the lot of them. He continually astonished Edwin with his brilliance and the combination of his and Charles' traits. It was enough to make Edwin ache for something more...

A little tap sounded at the door behind him and he frowned, surprised out of his thoughts. Charles was out with Crystal to take Henry for a walk while Edwin had stayed behind to clear up a bit of paperwork. Of course, as he'd known, the filing and writing did not take him very long, giving him time to work on Charles' surprise flowers. He wasn't expecting anyone in the meantime.

When he opened the door, no one was there, so he called out, "Hello?"

"Shlama-L'oux," (Greetings) said a tiny voice. Edwin looked down to see the little golem from the Case of the Flying Books.

"Oh. Urm...hello there," he said in return. "What are you doing here?"

The golem pushed a jar into the doorway from the side. "Rḥwqy!" (Friend) it said in Aramaic, high-pitched.

Edwin stooped down to pick up the jar and recognised it as the stardust that had been covering the books. The golem had been working to clean it up all this time and had finally completed its task. "Thank you," he said, pointing at the jar. "Your master did not want this?"

"Yhby," (Payment) it said.

He gave a nod. "Very good, I shall move your case into the paid and closed section," Edwin said.

The little golem yammered something about fixing the castle and buying its master some bread on the way home as it tinkered its way down the hallway and then the stairs. Edwin closed the door behind him and held the jar up to the light. It glinted slightly, a new anomaly for the collection. A wisdom-gathering dust from the very stars themselves. Surely something as rare and magical as this should not sit on a shelf to gather cobwebs.

His eye was drawn to Henry's flower garden, four tall shoots that had blossomed into four dazzling flowers, one lavender, one scarlet, one magenta, one blush-pink. And a small one in the centre of them all, a sweet periwinkle-coloured gem.

With great care, Edwin put on his loupes and took a set of tweezers to extract the tiniest stardust crystal from the jar. He deposited it in the soil of Henry's sparkly garden, right next to the centre periwinkle flower and covered it over with dirt. Perhaps it would do nothing at all; perhaps Henry would be endowed with some measure of wisdom as a result. Just like parenting, Edwin had to hazard a guess at the cause and effect of it all. But that's what made it so fun and intriguing.

He made to screw the lid back onto the jar before he paused. A whimsical smile crossed his face as Edwin had a quiet thought about a ferrokinesis spell that he knew of. And just like that, Charles was about to have one additional gift coming his way.

Hopefully one that would change everything.

--

Charles was singing to Henry as he carried him inside. Something about sharks and their entire genealogical history. Edwin greeted them both with a kiss then ran his fingers through Henry's mussed curls.

"Crystal gone to her flat?" he asked, taking Henry from Charles. The tot blabbered in a monologue style, the actual words few and far between but with enough inflection to make it appear conversational. He evidently wanted to tell Daddy about all the adventures he was having with Poppy and Auntie Crystal. Edwin was sure to give reactions and hums of approval at what seemed to be the pivotal points.

"Yeah. She got ice cream on her dress so she's doing a shower," Charles told him.

"I did not know that ice cream was on the meal schedule for today," Edwin replied, unable to be really that bothered about it. Not with the night he had planned.

Charles grinned sheepishly. "But Henry'd never tried strawberry before, Edwin," he lamented. He swooped in, putting his arms around Edwin's hips from behind him in a manner that surely he believed would win him over. He was right. "You're the one that said he should try new things, yeah?"

Edwin gave Henry a sniff and then checked him for dirt, ruling that he did not need a nappy change or a bath just yet. Just a faint baby smell overlaid with strawberry.  Better to let him play for a while to hit peak grime. He set him down and Henry whipped his ratty stuffed wizard fiercely until it nearly struck a tower of Charles' cassette tapes. "I believe I was speaking more along the lines of problem-solving and learning," he said, turning around so that he and Charles were now face to face. Charles' arms stayed in place, fitting comfortably around him. "But you're right. How did he respond to the strawberry? I shall jot it down in his developmental book."

"Hated it. Flung some of it at Crystal."

"Fascinating."

"Yeah, she weren't too happy about it."

"I have something for you," Edwin announced abruptly before he lost his nerve, pivoting around and pushing the bouquet closer to the edge of the desk.

"Oh shit," Charles froze as he grimaced. "Is it an anniversary or something? Did I already forget one?"

"No, no. Nothing like that. You haven't forgotten anything."

Charles smiled in relief, giving Edwin a squeeze. "What are these for then?"

"Just because I love you, darling. You deserve flowers."

Charles all but melted on him, his eyes softening. He seemed momentarily speechless, as if the idea of someone giving him flowers was so hopelessly unusual that it struck him mute. Edwin was going to have to correct that in the long-term. At last, he managed to croak out, "Aww, that's nice, babe. Thank you."

Edwin leaned in and kissed him soundly until Charles staggered a bit. On good authority, Edwin knew that if Charles still had blood vessels, he would be blushing. "I have one more thing for you also," Edwin murmured against his neck.

Charles' eyes rolled back and he shivered. After a beat, he recovered, grinning. "Yeah? Actually got a little something for you too." He turned around to locate the baby. "Hen. Hen!" Henry looked over at him, disturbed from his colouring book. "Do the thing I showed you. Do the thing for Daddy, yeah?"

Henry, looking a little put out but willing to humour Charles (another trait he shared with Edwin), he pushed up to his feet and toddled over. Edwin crouched low so the baby could come straight into his arms for a hug.

"In your pocket, little mate, remember?" Charles prompted when Henry got distracted by Edwin's bow tie.

"What is in your pocket, my darling?" Edwin asked him playfully, tapping a finger to the front pocket on Henry's dungarees.

"Ghost!" Henry shrieked with excitement.

"Shh," Edwin gently reminded him. "We do not shout." Henry bounced on his heels and murmured, "Uh oh." Edwin glanced up at Charles with a soft smile then turned back to Henry. "Can Daddy see what's in your pocket, my darling?"

Henry finally seemed to remember his little mission, sticking his little stubby fingers into the pocket. He pulled out a little paper box and recited, "Brills!" (Which sounded more like 'Bwiwws.')

Edwin eyes had already begun to sting as Charles lowered himself to the ground with him and Henry. "Should I be expecting something romantic?" he asked coyly of Charles.

Charles smirked. "Open it."

"Well, here," Edwin said, retrieving a small oval box from his own pocket, presenting it to Charles. "I did not have time to involve Henry in my scheme but you may as well have your gift too."

Charles took the box and held it reverently in his hands. "Is this--is this what I think it is?" he asked in a hushed whisper. They both knew there were only a handful of meaningful things that could be contained in such small boxes. Edwin was vibrating with anticipation.

"On the count of three?" Edwin offered.

"One..."

"Two..."

"Ghost!" Henry shrieked again.

"Very good, Henry, on ghost it is," Edwin conceded, opening his box while watching Charles open his. Edwin had imbued some scrap metal with the stardust, just a little extra touch. He used the ferrokinesis spell to fashion it into a slim, sparkling black engagement band for Charles. Inside the box, on a little slip of paper, he had written, "For the best and wisest person I know."

He heard Charles lose hold of a soft sobbing noise as he looked down at the box and the ring. Even without a third eye, there was no one Edwin trusted more, no one he thought of any more highly than Charles. He would tell him that as often as he could, until his best friend believed it.

Edwin inhaled deeply then and looked upon the box Charles had given him. Inside was a silver band, a bit wider than the one he had offered Charles. He turned it over in his hands, his chin trembling with emotion. He would have gladly taken the ring as simple as that, and worn it proudly for eternity. The ring that the love of his afterlife had deemed worthy of him in all its splendor. But then, on the inside, he saw a small inscription. He held it up to the light and squinted, seeing four small words: "You can see me".

Edwin's eyes shot upward and met Charles' happy tear-streaked face. "Those were the first words you ever said to me," Charles said, rubbing at his nose. He swiped at his eyes and then scooted forward to carefully wipe the tears from Edwin’s face. "Never forgot that, did I."

"Oh god, Charles..." Edwin whispered. Not only were those the first words he had uttered to Charles, but they also held such a deep and sacred meaning for him. Charles was truly the first person who had ever seen Edwin and wanted to keep him anyway. The first person to know him and accept him, as-is. His love for Charles just ratcheted up a few more notches on a scale that had long ago maxed out. He was going to keep this ring until the stars fell out of the sky, until he no longer had a ghostly finger to rest it upon. He was going to clutch it into the recesses of his spectral heart and keep it safe forever. Oh Charles...

"It's beautiful, Edwin," Charles breathed, looking at the ring he had already threaded onto his own finger.

Edwin laughed through the tears. "I take it you've accepted my proposal then?"

"I think you'll find that I proposed first," Charles reminded him.

"Then I shall accept first," Edwin said smugly.

"Fair enough. Yes, Edwin, I can't wait to marry you. Whatever ghost marriage is."

"Ghost," Henry grumbled, not wanting to be forgotten.

"Yes, ghost," Edwin agreed, picking him up and holding him against his shoulder. "Your daddies are engaged now. How does that feel, pet?"

Henry chewed on the question momentarily, then said, dismissively, "Uh oh."

Charles snorted. "Good job, Hen."

After, they settled in while Henry built and destroyed his block towers again and again on the floor. Charles didn't seem to be able to keep his mouth away from Edwin, kissing his shoulder, his neck, his fingertips...it was Edwin's turn to be glad he didn't have the right bodily composition for blushing.

"Charles, you are a menace," he chided, even as it sent a thrill up and down his spine to have this kind of direct and intimate affection from him.

"I know," Charles acceded, self-deprecating. Then he raised one eyebrow. "But...am I a good boy too?"

Edwin chuckled deep in his throat and then let his fingers get tangled in Charles' hair. "You are a very good boy."

Charles let out a sound that Edwin had never heard from him, hungry and primal and he moved quickly to straddle Edwin's lap on the sofa. "I love you," he growled against Edwin's lips.

Edwin tilted his head up to meet his lips. "I love you too..."

And then they both startled violently when someone shouted "MAIL CALL!" Edwin was certain Charles jumped at least ten feet in the air, holding his chest as if he still had a beating heart.

"Mighty pleased to see the two of you finally together," the ghost postman said with a tip of his hat. He left their letters on the desk before disappearing through the wall.

"Bloody hell," Charles panted. "That was mortifying, wasn't it."

Edwin hummed in response, collecting himself, smoothing out his shirt and going to take a glance at their mail. "Perhaps we should invest in some privacy the next time we have such a notion."

"I agree...closet?" Charles said eagerly. He passed him the letter open then stood behind Edwin, massaging his shoulders.

"I was hoping for something slightly more romantic," Edwin teased, opening the first letter. He skimmed the first few lines and then froze in place. "Charles..."

"Yeah, love?" He pressed his lips to the back of Edwin's neck.

"You recall the matter with the Liminal guardian, right?"

"Arsehole that tried to take you and Henry? I'm familiar." Edwin could feel Charles' arms tightening around him protectively.

"Quite. It seems that without the guardian in place, no one is able to cross the threshold between life and the afterlife. Everyone who dies is becoming stuck as a ghost."

Charles stiffened, his mouth in the middle of tugging on Edwin's earlobe. Finally, he pulled back. "That ain't good, is it?"

"No...it is not. As soon as the Night Nurse returns, we will likely be facing her wrath."

"Can't she just appoint a new guardian or whatever?"

"A liminal guardian has to have certain spiritual and magic powers. It may be quite the difficult appointment to fill..."

"Quite right, full marks!" Both of them jumped again as the Night Nurse angrily smoked herself into the room right it front of them. "What in the name of sanity were you boys thinking?"

"Narp!" Henry called, his nickname for her. Edwin had always insisted this was Henry's attempt at saying "Night" to address her. Charles was of the opinion that he was calling her "Nope," since that was a word she frequently spat at them.

She ignored the toddler, too furious with the detectives. "This shouldn't even be my problem, you know. I work for the lost and found department. I shouldn't even have to worry about replacing the earth's liminal guardian. But because you two boys are in my charge and you've done this unthinkable, irresponsible thing--now I have to come up with a solution!"

"We didn't have a choice," Charles argued. "They were gonna take Henry away from us."

The Night Nurse gave him a withering glance. "That would have suited me just fine. Maybe then you would actually get some work done around here."

"What's done is done," Edwin interjected. "Tell us more about this problem with ghosts being unable to pass on."

It looked like she night tear out her own hair. "Human beings cannot go to the afterlife any more. All departments are being flooded with a mountain of paperwork like you wouldn't believe. We've got ghosts, we've got zombies, poltergeists, banshees, you name it, and it is banging on our doors for some kind of solution. Death is nowhere to be found and we are having to expand our operation to deal with the influx of angry ghosts who wish to move on but cannot."

Edwin laid the paper down on his desk. "So human beings cannot leave to go to the afterlife and other beings now have the ability to pass into this world."

"So can't you just, dunno, appoint somebody?" Charles suggested. "Doesn't have to be anybody great, just someone to look after things until you find a permanent solution, yeah?"

"Oh, certainly," the Night Nurse said sarcastically. "I could just put you in that place. Or your baby. Or a fish! I'm sure any of those would be able to handle the job!" She rubbed her temples, seemingly in agony. "You've no idea how difficult it is to find someone with the correct skillset and abilities. You really don't."

"Is there anything we can do to assist you?" Edwin asked. "Or is this just a general dressing down?"

She pressed her lips together firmly. "You can expect an inflow of new cases," she promised darkly. "And you will prioritise them over whatever notion you've taken up to become parents."

Charles shrugged, exchanging a glance with Edwin. "Bring it on, yeah?"

In a poof of smoke, she disappeared again. "Narp," Henry said, waving at the fading smoke cloud.

Edwin sighed. That certainly could have gone worse. He did not love that everyone was getting stuck as a ghost when they should have been able to move on, but he could certainly think of worse consequences than a few extra spirits wandering about for a short period of time.

The Dead Boy Detectives were about to become hellaciously busy. And that was okay, they'd been busy before. Never like this, of course. The Great Mass Exodus of 2002 was a never-ending stream of clients knocking at their door. But this was shaping up to be an even larger scale problem.

Edwin found it difficult to be too concerned when the alternative had been for them to lose Henry forever. Perhaps he should have been more concerned with cleaning up this mess that he was technically responsible for. But as Edwin looked at the office/nursery in front of him, he realised that he had more important things to worry about. He had a baby in need of a nap, a ring on his finger and a boy with curls willing to explore him on the sofa. The liminal barrier and the influx of cases could wait until morning

Chapter Text

They sat Niko and Crystal down on their sofa. It felt a bit overdramatic, but Edwin kept telling himself that their good news deserved recognition, a little excitement. He was only getting engaged once, after all.

It had been a very busy couple of weeks; what the Night Nurse said about the influx of cases was certainly apt. Having to navigate frustrated and despairing spirits who wanted to move on peacefully was a labour of accountability (and one for which they were not accepting of any form of payment). It was a task well-suited to Charles, who had always been able to smoothe things over with that casual, people-loving persona of his. A few well-placed 'That sounds proper awful' or 'You're not alone, y'know? We're gonna help ya', seemed to win over most of the spirits that they encountered. If, for some reason, that hadn't worked, many of the ghosts coming to see them had been entertained or distracted by getting to observe Henry. Their cheeky boy was a natural flirt, a quality that Edwin could only attribute to Charles' influence.

The resemblance to Charles didn't stop there, of course. Some nights, Edwin would hear a noisy rustling and find Henry seated in front of the open refrigerator door with a treasure trove of snacks in front of him, eating them like a raccoon. He was also much more reckless than Edwin would ever have been allowed to be, climbing things and rolling around on the floor, tearing through limits. Charles said that it was good for him, always catching him if he were about to do something dangerous, of course.

It had been a handful juggling Henry and the additional business that had come pouring through their door. He and Charles had not seen the Night Nurse in over two weeks so Edwin could only assume that she was either up to her elbows attempting to find a new liminal guardian or that she had given up and was letting them suffer the consequences of Edwin's actions.

All of this additional work has made it quite difficult to find a moment to themselves, let alone time to update the girls with the news of their engagement. So when an unexpected lull occurred for a couple of days, they decided that it was time.

He took hold of Charles' hand while the girls leaned in with barely contained glee. Henry was sitting on Niko's lap, eating his fruit snacks from a little jar. Lately, he had begun to call Niko 'Mama', an unfortunate side effect of watching so much children's telly. Not that anyone minded.

Edwin cleared his throat. "We have an announcement--"

Niko flung her hands together in a prayer pose. "You're pregnant again??" she guessed.

Edwin frowned, caught off guard. "What? What do you mean? I was never pregnant..." He looked at Charles for some kind of interpretation.

But that just made Niko gasp. "Charles is pregnant??"

"What?"

Crystal put a steadying hand on Niko's thigh. "Maybe we should stop guessing and just let them tell us, Niko."

"Sorry!" she squeaked. "Just excited."

Edwin recollected himself and cleared his throat again. "Charles and I have gotten engaged to be married," he said, unable to keep a smile from creeping over his face as he said the words. He just felt so absolutely giddy that this was real and true. Charles held up his ring finger to show off the ring.

Niko sprang to her feet with an indescribable noise, making Henry give off a little flustered puff of a sound as he lost hold of one of his fruit snacks, a squidgy pink melon. She grabbed hold of Edwin and Charles' hands to admire the rings while the boys managed to hold Henry between them, hands and arms and Niko and baby all a flurry of movement for a couple of seconds.

"'Bout damn time," Crystal said smugly, coming over behind Niko. "You guys have been low-key married for, I'm guessing at least three decades."

"Thank you," Edwin said dryly. "I shall stitch that onto a pillow."

"Not my fault you two took so long to open your eyes."

"Nevertheless," Edwin sniffed, "we are now officially betrothed."

"Officially besotted," Charles murmured, exchanging a shy glance with Edwin. Edwin managed to wrangle his hand away from the girls to squeeze Charles' hand.

"Yay, this is so exciting!" Niko crowed. "When is the big day?"

"Haven't really gotten that far, have we," Charles replied. "Maybe sometime in the Spring? Dunno how official it'll be. Marriage is really more of a living person thing."

"Nonsense," Edwin said. "We will have the officially sanctioned marriage of our dreams."

"Romantic," Charles quipped fondly, letting Edwin take Henry fully. The baby kicked his little legs until Edwin set him down, toddling off to get into something, no doubt.

"Well, since we're sharing good news," Niko said cryptically, "Crystal and I have an announcement too--"

"Oh my god you're both pregnant!!"

"Charles."

"Well they did it to us."

But Niko simply gave them a little smirk. "The Night Nurse is letting me be the earth's temporary liminal guardian!"

Edwin's jaw dropped. "Really? How?"

Niko beamed at him. "Well, she said because I've spent time in the astral plane, I came back with some additional intuition and abilities!" Edwin's eyebrows shot up as she magicked up a very thick book from nowhere. "And it comes with a manual. The Night Nurse said if anyone could read their way through it and follow the letter of the law, it was me!"

"Niko, that is brills!" Charles exclaimed. "You're gonna be totally aces at this, I know it."

"Yeah, our girl got a pretty important assignment," Crystal chimed in, kissing the side of Niko's head. "Proud of you, sweetie."

Edwin pulled back as he watched the other three chatter about the various developments going on. He busied himself with twirling his engagement ring around his finger, enjoying the ghostly weight of it. Perhaps with Niko now in charge of the liminal barrier, however temporary that assignment was, they could properly plan their wedding. A little bubble of excitement rose through Edwin's chest and he sighed in soft relief.

Then, it all started overwhelming him: the planning, the split responsibilities between Henry and the agency, and they had even discussed a permanent return to London. He wanted to please Charles, he wanted to raise Henry with care and attention and he wanted their business to continue full-force. He closed his eyes briefly, grounding himself as wilder and wilder ideas about the wedding planning were being exchanged between Charles, Crystal and Niko.

And then, he felt a tiny tug at his trousers. He looked down to see Henry's beautiful green eyes watching him intently. There was a look of concern there, as if he had picked up on his father's distress and wanted to ease it. And then, in a confident tone, the baby said, "I got you."

Now that was pure Charles.

Edwin bent low to pick up Henry, giving him a cuddle and a kiss to his little forehead. "Thank you, my darling," he murmured. "I have got you as well."

Suddenly a little errant thought that had been buzzing in the background of his mind came to full realisation. He adored all of Henry, but he especially adored when a little bit of Charles peeked through. And if a little bit of Charles in their baby brought him so much joy...what would it feel like to hold all of him, small and new? He glanced up to see Charles, grinning away, wrapped up in the flurry of excitement, the joy of their futures.

And Edwin began to envision a new one.

--

The girls went off to bed and Edwin and Charles took Henry through his bedtime routine, settling him in for the night. Charles clearly picked up on the fact that Edwin was quieter than normal, but saved his probing for after Henry was carefully tucked in and sleeping.

"So...a lot happened today, yeah?" Charles said by way of giving Edwin an opening.

"Certainly," Edwin agreed, tidying up Henry's toys for morning play.

"Anything more on your mind than anything else?"

Edwin took a deep, grounding breath as he turned to face Charles. He would never know if he never tried, would he?

"Charles, I love you," he said, putting a hand to Charles' cheek reverently. "I think that I always have. But...lately, I feel that I want to love you in every sense, completely."

Charles' eyebrows raised together in a look of surprise mixed with tempered excitement. "Edwin, are you saying we should..."

Edwin went hammer and tongs. "Make a replicate of you."

Charles looked stunned. Then he said, "...I was going to say we should try sex but...okay!"