RP LOG with nychandcuffs | BFF catch up

[lovesguinness]

Vee dropped a wrapped up package complete with three different shades of green ribbon on the coffee table in front of Euan and smirked at him. She was more than pleased with herself, not to mention she'd been sitting on this since the wedding. Being a PI had its benefits, and Vee was starting to realise she actually loved her job. It didn't have the heartbreak or stress levels that being a detective had. It didn't even have the long hours unless Tom required it.

What it did have was connections, and various little puzzles and cases that she worked on to try and help make Tom's life a little easier. She also got to be home most nights to spend any time that Matt had free with him, sometimes even braving cooking dinner. It wasn't always about fish and chips. She was starting to learn how to be a pretty good girlfriend, and just enjoy her life. She even got to watch Euan be a dad, and get to know his son. She'd seen him get married, and she'd seen a smile on his face that she had never imagined she'd get to see. Not for a long time.

Vee had been invited over to Euan's when Aoife and Gee had kidnapped Ciaran for some shopping excursion, and grinned again as she pointed to her surprise for her best friend. "So, I know it's a little late but this is my wedding gift to you. I pulled a lot of strings to get it, so enjoy it, U."

The living room looked slightly like a clothing shop had exploded all over it. Gee had left Euan with one job - do the washing while she was out. He did the washing, cheated by putting it all in the dryer, only to discover the dryer creased everything up, so he now had triple the ironing to do. That was where he lost interest. Domestic really wasn't an easy part of Euan's vocabulary, and fucking hell, teenage kids went through more clothes than a small army. At least this one did. Buying Ciaran clothes was something that seemed to come easy for both Gee and Vee, while Euan was just satisfied if the kid had clean jocks.

The piles of washing from the Scotland trip were upended all over the free chairs in the living room and Euan was sitting amongst it with a coffee in his hand and a cigarette sitting behind his ear. He raised his eyebrows at his friend. "Aren't you supposed to give that to both of us?" he asked and sipped his coffee. He was knackered. The whole road trip, two weddings, family dramas thing was catching up with him. The last thing he wanted to do was fucking ironing.

Vee looked around as she finally realised that Euan seemed to be living in some sort of clothing explosion. "Need a hand? And, okay, sure, it's just for you. Call it an early Christmas gift. However, it is one you can share with Gee, and Ciaran. You really are not made for this bizarre domestic scene, by the way. Not sure the wifebeater and sleep ruffled hair is really doing you any favours."

Euan waved his hand. "No, fuck it. It's fine. I'll get to it. Or seduce Gee when she gets home and convince her I'm pathetic at laundry," he said with a devious smirk. He looked at the box uncertainly, and then back to Vee with an eyebrow cocked at her. "Shut the fuck up. I rock this. At least, I'm supposed to. Not sure I'll ever fucking get used to it. As soon as the kid is out the door, I revert right back. May have even been a covert joint in the backyard when he left. Then I have this fucking court case to think about. I fucking shitting myself about it. Those bastards are going to cause me hassles," he said with a shake of his head as he pushed up to put his coffee cup down on the table and pull the box towards him.

"Oh yeah, how does go the ninja seductions, Romeo? With Ciaran around it can't be as easy as it used to. Are you doing okay with the whole married thing? Not about to have your head explode, or develop a scary rash?" Vee watched him in amusement before she gave him a nudge. "That's kinda the point, U. You don't need to change for him, or for Gee. Just be yourself when you got the chance. There's nothing wrong with that, or with a covert joint in your own backyard. You want me to come with you? You still think that the grandparents are going to fight hard?"

Euan smirked. "Ah-huh. Pretty much non-existent. He ain't a bad kid by any means, he doesn't bother us if we're alone. But if he's having a rough day, I don't like him being alone all the time. Then there's the nightmares, though we have figured out that he sleeps a few hours every time before they hit, so if we get it on as soon as we go to bed, it's usually safe. Only, he's been having some... moments. I don't know whether we have just had an easy run with him, but he seems to get frustrated at points and has an anger explosion. It's happened a couple of times over the last few days. Seriously, my head is fucking spinning trying to keep up with making sure he's okay. I worry about him all the fucking time. I can't help it." He snorted and nodded. "They aren't gonna fight, they'll just make me out to be the biggest prick on the face of the earth who shouldn't be fucking left with any kids ever. I dunno what they'll have on me, but let's just say I doubt Tom is the only lawyer with a PI on the books. I'm fucking scared they'll take him from me and put him in care. Our whole case is based on them being unfit guardians, which is true, but what if they deem me to be too?"

Vee shook her head with a laugh as she listened. "Euan Fitzpatrick, the ultimate sex fiend shut down by a kid. It's oddly amusing, you know. I'm sure it's not for you given how often you were used to getting your dick wet. Do you think he'll ever get over those nightmares, or it's just going to be a long term deal? Maybe these moments are his hormones kicking in? Did you get angry when you hit puberty?" Vee rubbed her fingers against her lips before she rest her elbow on the back of the sofa, and her head in her hand. "What jerks. There's nothing you've done that screams you're unfit. You've done everything right. You've embraced having this kid and run with it. They can't argue with that, and they can't possibly think a home is better for him. Your past is your past. You've moved on from that."

"Even more ironic that it was my cock that created said kid," Euan pointed out. "It is for me. He's my kid, I'd die for him. I'd rather know he was okay than worry about a fucking come party. I don't know. The doctor in the hospital said we just need to give him some time to adjust. It's only been a couple of months and he's had his whole world turned upside down. It might be for the better, but that doesn't mean it hasn't affected him. Plus, I think he's got some really traumatic things locked in his head. He might not blatantly remember them all, either, but look how he was brought up. I could kill the fuckers, I swear I could. I know it might not seem like it, but if the bitch just told me he existed, I woulda stepped up. Now I've missed fourteen fucking years, and it pisses me off. He doesn't look like he's hitting puberty. He's all scrawny and seems more daunted by lassies than wanting to feel their boobs. Aye, I've done all that now, but my past is still my past. It's probably gonna be dragged up with great detail. It's part of the reason why I didn't want Gee there. I don't know if I want her hearing all of that." He pulled the wrapping off the gift with a small huff of annoyance. She always went overboard with the wrapping and then opened the box up to look inside. "What is all this? You need help with a case or something?"

"Well, with the amount of times you were getting it out, this was probably going to happen at some point, if it hadn't been back then. How would you have felt if Ciaran was a baby? Not that a baby would have been coming to find you... Maybe left on your doorstep? What about kids with Gee?" Vee nodded as she looked down at the box she'd given Euan, knowing exactly what was inside. She really did want to know how Euan would have felt if baby Ciaran had shown up somehow. Then he answered her question and she held up a hand to show he didn't need to answer it again. "Your life would have changed even more dramatically back then. Not that I'm saying that you shouldn't have stepped up. Of course you should have. And I think you would have done a really good job, just like you're doing a good job now. I just wonder if you'd have made it to America, or been a cop still. We might never have met, you know. You wouldn't have this American being a pain in your ass and dragging you to London. Well, if you don't want Gee there, would you at least want me there? You can't not have the support. Or Aoife. At least take your sister. She knows it all already." Vee grinned as she watched Euan struggle with the wrapping before she gave a shake of her head and her smile became softer. "No, it's some of the fourteen years you've missed."

"But I would have had my kid, and I don't mean that in a bad way, Vee. But he's my kid. He's my flesh and blood. I would have just dealt with it. My parents would have still been alive, and they would have helped me out. I could have have made sure he didn't have a life from hell. Now I don't know if he will ever be completely okay. Which is fine. I can take care of him, it's no bother. Sure, it's stressful and I'm probably going to go grey, but fuck. I made him, he's part of me. And please, let me get things right with this kid before shoving the baby thing in my face. Marriage doesn't automatically mean fucking breeding, you know," Euan said, shooting her a small Look. "I don't know if I want anyone there. It's things I don't want any of you hearing. Even Aoife doesn't know the half of it. She doesn't know it all, at all. And I don't want her to." He looked at Vee in confusion, putting his hand in and pulling out a pile of the photos in there. He started to look through them, a deep frown forming on his face. They all had a little blond baby with big blue eyes in them, photos making his life look almost normal. Picture perfect. What a farce. But still, photos of Ciaran as a baby, and Euan was transfixed.

Vee rest her hand on Euan's shoulder as she just watched him quietly for a long moment and left him to absorb what was in the photos. This was why she was so pleased with herself. She'd made a connection with another PI in Ireland, and had asked him to do her a favour. She knew that at some point she'd need to repay it, but it would be worth it. Anything that meant Euan could have these was worth it. "You're gonna get this kid more right than you'll ever know, U. I think you're an amazing dad already. I still can't believe it's a part of you now, but you do wear it well. He's so lucky he's your flesh and blood. Alright, so go it alone. That's fine, too. If you want to get drunk after just call me and I promise I'll just take you to a pub without question. Matt can have a go at looking after me when I'm the drunk one."

"I shouldn't have missed any of this..." Euan said quietly as he looked through the photos. There weren't a huge amount of them, but it was better than absolutely nothing. They reached to what looked about Ciaran's fifth birthday, and he was a beautiful kid. "He actually looks a lot like my mum. I thought considering the colouring, he would be like his mother, but she doesn't even look a lot like him. Maybe slightly in his features, but these here, he looks so much like my mum. I've got photos of her around here somewhere. Maybe I'm just inventing it in my head. Fuck, I don't know anything anymore. It's all a big haze in my head. I just take each day. If he's okay, we roll with that, if he's not, I stick close to him. I think it's the only way he can deal, too. He freaked out and had a mini-tantrum the morning of the wedding because I think we were just throwing so much shit at him that he was trying to process. I really know how the fuck he feels, like. It's hard to explain but I just feel like I miss him," he said with a rough sigh, tapping his fingers on a photo of a tiny boy holding a bear sitting on some front steps. "Like there's too much I can't ever get back."

Vee leaned closer so that she could look at the photos with Euan and smiled as she looked down at them. "Well, it happens. It's possible for a kid to look like your folks. Sometimes there's throwbacks in the genetics. I think it's a good thing. I think this is something you need. A kind of dedication to your mom. They would have been proud of him. He did? Why didn't you tell me? I could have helped out. Me and Matt would have taken him. It really has been a huge shift for Ciaran. He's suddenly in this whole new world without his mom, without anything he knows. He's got what he wished for, and he's probably assuming some of it was too good to be true. Or that there shouldn't be anything happening that ruins it." Vee rubbed his arm. "I know, but think of everything you'll still get to see."

Euan shrugged. "He hasn't had his mother since he was nine. I know he has some sort of love for his grandparents, even if he has all this hurt from the way he was treated. Poor kid never even asked for much, and still got nothing but a feeling like he was in the way all the time. Like he was bad by default. He is nothing like me, I don't think he has a ill-minded thought in his head. He's not even angry at the fuckers, just... sad. Like he didn't get it right being a son or a grandson. Like he's the one that's broken, not them. And I just seriously want to punch something when I think about that. Then you have me, who was brought up well, had an amazing family, and I shat all over them from great heights. I did some horrible, unforgiveable things to my family. I put them through hell, and only managed to redeem myself by nearly getting murdered. Am I really, seriously, the right person this kid should be with, Vee? But then I stop and think what it would be like right now if someone took him away from me, and I feel physically sick."

Vee raised her eyebrows before she punched Euan lightly in the arm. "Of course you're the right person, U. How could you even doubt that? As fucked up as you were, you still picked yourself up and you still got yourself back on the right track. You know how it is to hit bottom, and you'd do anything to stop Ciaran hitting bottom again. I only hope that what he's just been through is the worst thing that will ever happen to him. If anyone does take him away from you then I'll be ripping them new assholes. He's got a big family now. It's not just you and him. He's got your brother and sister, Gee's parents, me and Matt, Stuart and Tom. There's a whole network ready to protect your kid."

Euan held up a photo for Vee to see of Ciaran as a toddler in little denim overalls beaming at the camera with a huge grin on his face. "I've never seen this smile," he told her sadly. "This is what those evil bastards stole from him. He's my kid and if I have to stand up there and write my promises in blood for him, I will. Some days I just don't feel like I'm doing enough. Hearing those nightmares tear my heart out. To be honest, I didn't think of you and Supercop, and Sophie was right there. You guys can take him next time. I did actually want to talk to you about that on some level."

"About the next wedding we're going to be at where the groom does a runner?" Vee asked teasingly before she cleared her throat and stopped smiling. "Okay, hit me. What is it that you want to talk about? Let me guess, you don't want Supercop anywhere near your kid in case he rubs off on Ciaran somehow." Vee took the photo and looked at it. "I think we just need to find this smile again. It might come out when he's sure that this is it, that this is his home. Even Ciaran has to realise that until the court case is over, everything isn't settled yet."

Euan rolled his eyes slightly and shook his head. "Evans is still getting a fucking arse-kicking for that once the honeymoon phase is over." He raised an eyebrow at Vee. "Supercop is good with kids, something to do with a dodgy past. At least, that's what I hear. You probably haven't seen it in action, but it's no secret around the cop shop that cases involving child abuse, he wavers on. Why wouldn't I want him anywhere near my kid? Anyway, I'm going to get him christened. Catholic. He wasn't christened by the grandparents, they probably felt he was too tainted. But it's something my parents would have been proud of, and Gee's family are Catholic too. So, he's gonna need godparents. Gee wants Evans for his godfather, and I want you for his godmother."

Vee smirked. "Yeah, yeah. You love Stuart really. I can tell. Gee will never get him back for a partner. You secretly want to keep it. I just figured you still didn't like Matt much. He's spoken a little about the cases with kids, but mostly he keeps it to himself. I try not to push. Lately though, I think he's even more quiet about work than usual. You... godmother?" Vee looked at him, the shock clear on her face. "Are you sure?"

"Aye, well, Gee thinks Larson is a wanker, so who knows what will happen when I get back. All they did was extend my trial period til the new year, so my job isn't on the line. When I go back, I'll be permanent, wherever they want to put me. You should ask him about that. I caught wind of some case he might have been involved in, but I'm not completely sure considering I'm out of the loop." Euan raised an eyebrow at her. "Of course I'm fucking sure. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't fucking know! Wow, godmother. Of course I'll be his godmother. I'd love to be. I'm not sure I'd know much about guiding him in things of religious nature, but anything else I can probably tackle. Stuart's a good choice, too." Vee pressed her lips together before she smiled. "Larson's not a wanker. I think Gee's just not good with change when all she wants is to have Stuart back. She might just have to suck it up. I think her and Larson actually work well together from what I've managed to get out of Matt. A case? I'll definitely ask. I don't like it when he goes quiet. Normally means he's got something brewing in that head of his."

Euan nodded slowly. "Major Investigations, though. He's dealing with really heavy stuff all the time. If something is making him go quiet, it's huge." He was looking at a couple more of the photos in his hands now, still amazed to see what Ciaran looked like as a baby. He was beautiful, and Euan felt that proud niggle in his gut he couldn't stop when he remembered he created the boy, no matter how fucked up the situation had been. He still created him. "I don't want anyone guiding my kid in religious shit. He can find that out for himself if he gets the urge. I want someone to guide him in life, especially if Gee and I can't be here. Someone that is going to help him see that not everyone who is responsible for him are going to fuck him over."

Vee made a 'fingers crossed' gesture before she smiled. "I think I can manage that. I couldn't bear hurting that kid. He's too precious. Besides which, I don't want your Irish ass coming back to haunt me for screwing it all up. Does it make it easier for you being able to just talk to Gee about cases since you work in the same department? You don't really have to keep quiet about it all."

"You just have to promise that if he fucking turns up on your doorstep at two am confiding in you that he got some chick pregnant, I want a phonecall. No matter what," Euan insisted and rubbed his hand over his forehead just at a prospect like that. "Gee and me don't talk about work at home, especially not now around the boy. We work different cases in general anyway. Liam Morgan was the first case we were pulled together for because it looked like the guy could be a serial rapist, then he shows up dead. I'm happy to leave work at work right now, and I think Gee is too. We come home, and Ciaran's our focus. We've been doing family shit, like watching Harry Potter and face-planting floors from the tops of dressers."

"So where's your cast, fly boy?" Vee asked with a wink. "I think that's what I've been trying to give Matt. I don't want him to have to bring his work home, but I know it's hard. I think it's just in his nature to always be thinking about it. He's always considering the angles of a case in his mind. Sometimes I guess I just want to know what's going on in case talking might actually help him. You, Gee, and Ciaran watching Harry Potter... Alright, I think I can see that. And of course I promise to call you if shit like that happens. I'd never be able to keep it to myself."

Euan gave her a nudge in the arm. "On my kid. The heart attack I had pre-orgasm was incapacitating enough. At least that is one thing we have learnt. If he's not feeling good, all he wants to do is just sit with someone and know he isn't alone. So, we both sat with him, and we take turns on the nightmares now. He's really taken to taken to Gee. He doesn't get nervous or awkward around her anymore, and he'll speak up to her if he needs something. He love her folks, too. I was worried they wouldn't want to be saddled with a grandkid that wasn't biologically theirs, to be honest. They want to have him for the day on Sunday, so that should be interesting to see."

Vee stuck her tongue out. "Alright, alright, smarty pants. I was just having a laugh. Still can't believe you two were fucking while he was falling off his furniture. It's just classic. I seriously cannot stop laughing about it. Well, she's going to be his mom, so taking to her is a good thing, isn't it? It's what you need, what you wanted. A family unit. Wow, at the grandparents' for a whole day. That's intense. It also leaves you two with the place to yourselves. Hope you've got a dirty wish list all lined up so you can get as much of it done as possible."

"Well, I'm glad my parental failure and my son's broken bones are such an extreme source of amusement to you," Euan said with a snort, shaking his head. "No, it's a terribly bad thing. Atrocious. What the fuck, Vee? Of course it's a good thing. Actually, it doesn't leave anyone with a whole place to themselves. I have to prepare for the case. That is what I'm doing that day, when Ciaran isn't around to walk in and see all the evidence."

"Hey, you didn't fail because he fell off some furniture. He's a boy. He was going to try and climb up something eventually, and he sounds like he's also very single-minded when it comes to his art. Nothing else has his focus." Vee flipped off Euan as she smirked at him. "I'm just having a conversation, U. Do you want someone to distract Gee so she doesn't see it all either?"

Euan shrugged. "It's beyond me. I was never artistic. I just know when I went in there and saw his arm then the bump to his head, I nearly shat myself. He astounds me. We were only allowed to draw on his cast if we used certain colours and didn't press too hard so the markers bled into the next bit of something or other. It's a cast! Wouldn't most kids just want rude pictures and words written on it? He drew on his own cast. With his right hand, when he's a leftie. He really stuns me. I try to act all cool about it, but I don't know if I pull it off. I don't mind if she sees it, it's the other side's evidence they dig up on me I don't want anyone inflicted with."

Vee smiled as she ran her fingers through her hair. "He's definitely something, alright. I've never been artistic either. The most artistic I get is taking surveillance photos. It's hardly anything major. The cast did look amazing though, I have to say. How long until he gets it off again? So he's ambidextrous. Is he some kinda genius? Are you sure he's really yours?" she asked with a cheeky grin. "Kidding, before you bite my head off. Well, it's not like you're going to have the other side's evidence, is it? So it'll be safe."

"Fucked if I know. I'm not sure I have the ability to create a genius, but he's talented. He's abidextrous with his art. I got worried he would freak out on me losing his good hand for awhile. I seriously thought it would be a huge fucking issue, but nope. He just picks up the paintbrush with his other hand and keeps right at it. I don't think he writes with his right hand and he eats really awkwardly and slowly with it, so he can only really switch off with his art. It's like the strangest thing I've ever seen, but the coolest all at the same time. He gets it off six weeks after it all happened. So he's got another month yet. It won't stop him doing much, though. He's just slow. Fuck, you know, sometimes I sit and wonder if he really is. That DNA printout is all scabby and shit now because I keep looking at it," Euan admitted sheepishly. "No. Safe, maybe, but I still wish I did have. Sure you don't want to sleep with the opposition for me?"

Vee watched Euan with as the smile stayed on her face. He really was something in Dad Mode. It was scary just how quickly they'd all adapted to it. There was no questioning it. Euan was a father. "Well, I think it's pretty amazing your genes created someone like Ciaran. He's probably so good at art because it was something easy for him to get lost in. A world all of his own away from the horrors of his home life. Now he maybe doesn't need to hide, but he still gets lost in it. I can't believe that I haven't really heard him complain once. Maybe you've seen the random anger bursts, but all I've seen is this kid just willing to go along with anything so long as his Dad's there." Vee leaned over to place a sloppy kiss on Euan's cheek before she ruffled his hair. "He's yours, Euan. Believe it. Oh yeah, Matt would just love that, wouldn't he?"

"Aye, he doesn't really complain. We have to drag it out of him if he's not feeling the best. He just sort of goes quiet and puts up with it, but I'm trying to show him that he doesn't need to put up with anything. There's ways to fix things and he doesn't need to suffer. The only time I really heard him complain was the outburst about hating weddings, but in saying that, two in one weekend was pretty full on. He was probably wishing he could run away with Stuart, and then we left him with Sophie. She said he was fine, but we still left him. Other than that, we really can't complain at all. He's no hassle. Even if we give him something to eat he does like, he just sort of turns it into a piece of art on his plate before we realise he's not actually put any of it in his mouth." Euan smirked and pushed her hand away from his head. "C'mon, love. Do it for the children."

Vee frowned a little. "But he does actually eat it in the end, right? Chris, I'm in his camp. Two in one weekend was massive. But I did get to slow dance with my man, and for that I am actually ridiculously grateful since Matt is a really good dancer, and he's so sexy in a suit. It was just nice to be close to him for a while, no hassles. Ciaran will probably be happy that there won't be another weekend like that for a while. He can just go back to his art. School's not until next year, right? Or did I understand that wrong?" Vee pointed at him. "Hey, I Googled the opposition and there is no bloody way I'm climbing into bed with it."

"Aye, when we realise and give him something he actually likes. It wouldn't surprise me if they forced food into him that he hated. That sort of shit scars kids. Slow dance?" Euan snorted teasingly and started sniggering. "Thank god he wasn't wearing a kilt and you two didn't bugger off for a covert fuck somewhere. I seriously doubted for a bit there that Stuart would come through. Gee had to do a lot of talking to him. He wasn't really running away from Tom, though. It was just the blow ups with his family. He needed out. Aye, the doctors said it's best to keep him out til the new year so he can get used to everything mentally. He'll be behind a year, but he was apparently advanced for his age in his old school anyway, so he won't be losing out. Why not? How many times have you wanted me to climb into bed with sluts to get information out of them?"

"Are you serious?! No times! No times have I ever wanted you to climb into bed with sluts to get information. That was all you, buddy. You just kept talking like it was my idea so you didn't seem like such a man tart." She shifted to slip her foot out of her shoe and bring it up to push him in the leg. "And stop sniggering! Like you weren't enjoying a bit of slow dancing with Gee. I've seen the smile you get when you look at her, U. The one you get when you think no one's looking. You're a marshmallow. I can't even imagine the stress that would come with a wedding like theirs, so really, it's probably any wonder one of them did a runner."

Euan flipped her off with a shake of his head. "And how many fucking cases did you close on information I got through less than innocent means? I even got vital information on Tom's attempted murder to get that case to turn. Don't go playing the innocent card with me, missy. Not that any of that will be happening anymore. And I wasn't slow dancing with her, I was groping her. There's a difference, and a reason I was smiling like that. No matter what we say, their wedding still turned out awesome. Stuart's family looked over the moon, and so did Tom's parents. Sometimes you just have to do things to make family happy. They're the ones that make sure we're okay when things go up the shit."

Vee tapped him on the shoulder as she held hi gaze. "Do you really, honestly want me to sleep with the opposition? If you're not going to be doing it anymore, why should I start? I love Matt, and I have every intention of being faithful to him. If you want information, then there are other ways other than just sleeping with the lawyers. Hey, I was groping Matt, too. As if I'm keeping my hands off his ass. I love his ass, I really do..." Vee fell back into her seat on the sofa as she drifted off momentarily while she pictured Matt's very fine ass. "It was worth it to see everyone happy. Sometimes you really do just have to wade through the shit."

"No, of course I fucking don't. No way I would ask that of my kid's godmother-to-be. I don't want him growing up anything like me. I want him to have all the right influences. I was just fucking with you. I don't want information. I want this whole thing to go down right so they don't come back and accuse me of fucking the case over. Whatever they want to throw at me, I'll take it. It's all for Ciaran, and I'll do whatever it fucking takes to keep him. Just above board. He's mine and I'm the best person he should be with right now. He's already had a statement submitted via one of Sophie's colleagues that he wants to stay living with me, and he's old enough to make that choice. He's a smart kid, his grades show that. I just need to be crucified first to get to that point." Euan sighed and rubbed his eyes. He was already nervous about the case. "Aye, even though it didn't all end on a happy. Sophie lost her baby. I still can't believe it. I had to explain it to Ciaran, too."

Vee gave Euan's hand a squeeze. "He won't turn out like you. That's part of my job. I'll make sure he's not like you. I'm not about to promise the case will be smooth, but you've done everything right. You've got Tom in your corner, and you have nothing to be ashamed of. If they want to crucify you, then let them, but you haven't done a thing wrong where Ciaran's concerned. They have." Vee gave a small shake of her head as she looked at him sadly. "I know, I can't believe it either. It's a horrible thing to have happened. Yeesh, how did that go?"

"Hey, I want him to be something like me! Just not that something. I don't want him having sex at all! Ever. He doesn't need to have sex. He's fine without it. And I think he's forgotten about wanking. I haven't started to find sheets being dumped in the washing machine or a suspicious amount of used tissues lying around anywhere." Euan scrunched his face up with a small shrug. "I don't know. It was like he wasn't really understanding it at first, and I was worried it might lead to him asking how the baby got in there in the first place, but it didn't. He went quiet, which usually means he's taking it in. Asked if they would have a funeral for the baby, but I tried to explain it was too small for that. It was just fucked in the head. I think that was a fail for me."

Vee shook her head. "Not a fail. I mean, how can anyone even begin to think of how to explain something like that? A doctor probably could, but they'd get lost in the technicalities. At least you tried to explain it, and didn't just brush him off. Some parents probably wouldn't have even bothered. Alright, so I'll just keep him from sex, then. Easy. He'll never know the joys of wanking, or breasts. Or cock if he really is going to wind up leaning that way."

"It might have been easier if he hadn't spent time with Sophie earlier in that day. They probably spoke about it, so he couldn't directly understand how a baby was there then, but not now. I don't even know anyone who could explain it better. Maybe Liam. They hit it off, they chatted at the wedding again, too." Euan shot her a Look again. "It's easier if he doesn't get fucking involved in any of that. No one is good enough to touch my boy, anyway. I'll kill them."

"Oh god, I didn't even think of that. That's so true. He would have been thinking it was there, and then all of a sudden it wasn't. It would have to be a terribly hard thing for him to process. Oh yeah? That's a good thing. I think Liam could use a kid like Ciaran to talk to right now." Vee didn't flinch from his gaze. "I said I'd keep him away from sex."

Euan nodded wryly. "Explaining the baby had died and the doctors had to take it away was the easy bit. Why was the hard part. Because Sophie had been fine in the day, there was nothing wrong with her. Now she's in hospital, and Ciaran links hospitals to a lot of pain. I'll need to take him to see her when I get the chance." He shifted restlessly in his chair before he growled in frustration. "I know, I'm fucking doomed. Look at him. He's going to have wet teenage knickers coming at him from all angles!"

Vee nodded. "That's a good idea. Hopefully he'll even help her a little bit. I know it can't be easy for her, or for Ethan. But she just seems like such a family person." She bit back a grin as long as she could before she just started to laugh. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I just had this image of your son lost under a mountain of panties."

"I hope he doesn't accidentally make it worse for her. I mean, I can't even imagine that whole scenario at all. I never wanted babies. Still not sure I do. My hands are full of teenager, but I would die if I lost him," Euan admitted and then gave her another nudge. "Stop that! He's young and he's pure and innocent! He has to never discover panties so I never have any strokes!"

"I don't think he could. Sophie's got a baby nephew anyway, doesn't she? For all we know talking to Ciaran could help." Vee launched herself forward onto Euan as she hugged him tightly and blew a raspberry against his cheek. "Strokes might just be inevitable Daddy Fitzpatrick. Better just to embrace the fact now."

"Aye, the lassie who was with Braden outside. I mean, I didn't see much, but they looked a wee but cosy. Cute wee kid, the one Ciaran was eyeing uncertainly when he was crying non-stop. Probably hoping Gee and me never saddle him with one next to his bedroom or something," Euan said in amusement. "Well, okay. Whoever wants to touch his willy, I get to interrogate their parents and do background checks," he bargained.

Vee let Euan go as she kept smiling at him and nodded. "Okay, deal. You can even get out a lie detector if you want. Just don't use the cuffs. Might send the wrong signals. The sister's with Braden? That was fast. I thought the whole mess was because of his break up with some other girl?"

"It was, aye. The pregnant lassie. Something about needing to just be friends and her not being over her divorce. I didn't mean cosy like that, but Braden was nursing the baby and they were talking pretty intently. He probably needs a friend independent of the whole thing anyway after a brain explosion like he had," Euan reasoned with a shrug. "Apparently the blow up was because one of the other brothers kept a pregnancy from him so he didn't get hurt by it, not really the break up. Okay, no handcuffs, but I'm recording the conversations."

Vee pressed her fingers against her temple as she scrunched her face up. "I can't even imagine that conversation. It makes my head hurt just thinking about it. I'm so fucking glad I'm an only child. And I mean that in the nicest way possible. I'd be looking for some independent friendship, too." Vee gave him a wink. "That's my boy."

"I like having family, but aye, things explode when one of you is hurting. Without fail. I think they all were believing Braden was fine. No one knew he had split with his lassie. They were trying to keep it on the hush because of the wedding. But a secret pregnancy just pushed all the sensitive buttons. It would probably be like someone keeping from me that you or Aoife had a hard drug problem." Euan pressed his lips together and looked at the photos. "Nope, he's not having sex."

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