It was late evening when they got back to the house. Destin had already fallen asleep in the backseat of the hearse; he'd behaved rather well at the memorial service, only fidgeting and getting antsy a few times like any normal four year old but had promptly stopped upon Saffron's whispered warnings. Saffron turned around to look at him in the back seat as Matt parked in the house's driveway. "Think you can get him, or should I?" Saffron asked softly. Destin's tie had already come on done, half untied around his neck. Saffron couldn't blame him; he was ready to get out of the heels and dress himself.

Matt snorted softly and leaned over to steal a kiss, his own tie hanging out of his pocket. The first thing he'd done when he'd gotten in the car was take it off. "I got him, babe. Not that I wouldn't enjoy watching you lean over in that skirt to get him..." he added with a smirk and stole a second kiss before getting out of the car. "Go on and get the door." he called softly as he gently lifted the boy out of the car.

Saffron snorted softly, and got out with his messenger bag, digging the house key out. The porch was already covered in the flower baskets and wreaths. About the only plant Saffron hoped to replant was the bird of paradise plant that the doctors office Corey worked for, had sent. Other wise, he figured he could dry the rest of the flowers out for Lucy back at the office who liked to do crafts with dried flowers.

Matt carried the sleeping boy up the steps and waited for Saffron to unlock the door. The scent of the flowers had been almost over powering before the viewing had ended,  and Matt was glad they were outside on the porch. He wondered who had moved all the flowers here in the short time they'd stayed behind to finalize the transportation arrangements for the burial. Matt hadn’t seen any sign of his cousin or Mr. Strauss for the latter half of the night either, and had been unable to shake the feeling his cousin was up to something... as usual.

Saffron unlocked the door, pushing it open and let Matt go through with Destin first before following, closing and locking the door. He noticed the house seemed oddly inviting and welcoming. Saffron had been feeling a spiritual presence in the house, and had been wondering if the place hadn't been haunted before Corey bought it, or if Shane wasn't hanging around. In fact Saffron had noticed the light in the kitchen had been turned on, lighting the hall dimly. He kicked off the heels, turning on the living room light. "I don't know whether to wake him up to eat something, or just put him to bed." Saffron said softly.

"Let him sleep, babe... if he wakes up hungry I can get him something... more then enough stuff already made." Matt said softly, heading for the stairs. "Give Red a call about that ring, would you? I'll put junior here to bed..."

Saffron sighed softly, watching Matt head upstairs with Destin, but smirked faintly before heading into the kitchen and grabbing the phone. He dialed Lex's number, and waited, but it went to voice mail. With a sigh, Saffron left a message for him to call back, before hanging the phone back up and going over to the fridge. He'd just put the ring in the lockbox upstairs for now, and it’d also give him a chance to see if Corey had a copy of Shane's will.

Matt left the lights off, seeing easily himself and not wanting the light to bother Destin. Still holding him, he carefully managed to peel the jacket and shirt off him, letting his shoes and tie fall to the floor, Destin's head on his shoulder. He smirked softly the entire time, still amazed at how natural it all seemed for him to being doing stuff like this. Finally tucking the boy into bed with Bob, he slipped quietly out of the room, pulling the door partially closed, and spotted their bedroom light on. "He's out for the count, angel... didn't even bat an eye..." he said softly as he headed into the bedroom to find Saffron.

Saffron had pulled the lockbox from under the bed and sat it on the mattress. The ring box sat next to it as he found the key on the ring, and unlocked the box. "It was a long day for him" He replied softly. "He'll probably sleep the rest of the night. Couldn't get a hold of Lex, left him a voice mail. Odd for him to be busy this time of night."

Matt snorted softly. "Maybe my set up worked and he's busy with the cowboy...." Matt said with a soft smirk as he stretched out, resting on his hip behind Saffron. He stroked his fingers along Saffron's neck, brushing the hair out of the way before kissing the skin beneath.

"It’s a possibility, and I wouldn't be surprised." Saffron replied with a slight smirk, going through a large stack of documents in the lock box; Destin's birth certificate, the house papers, Corey's physician’s licenses and such. And most of the papers concerning Shane, like his discharge from the army, the papers from when he was a cop, the death certificate…and a copy of the will which Saffron sat on top of the stack for now, putting them back in the box. He picked up the ring box and opened it, looking at the gold ring with the blood red stone carved like a skull.

Matt couldn't resist reaching out to stroke a finger over the red stone. "Wow... that baby has a charge to it... even I can feel it and I can't do much of anything with blood magic. No wonder James wants it..." he said softly. "I bet he could feel that thing the second he set foot in here..." he added softly, his eyes on the ring as he slipped his hand over Saffron's stomach. "The sooner that thing is safely out of his reach... the better. "

"Like I said, I left a voice mail for Lex to call me back as soon as he got it. It's just a matter of him getting it." Saffron said softly, looking at the ring a moment, before closing the case and sitting it inside the lock box, closing the lid on that and locking it up. "I think for tonight, that's safe enough...Not like we're going out again. " He added, looking back at Matt.

Matt smirked softly, kissing Saffron's neck again as he stroked his hand down over Saffron's leg and back up under the skirt. "Nope... not going anywhere..." he added with a soft chuckle catching his mouth in a soft kiss. "You hungry? I can go warm something up while you get changed...."

"I don't know. I'm not sure I have much a stomach to eat anything." Saffron answered, moving slightly and leaning his back against Matt. "I think I was running on auto most of the day." He added softly.

"Hmm... you just want to call it a night then?" he asked softly, stroking Saffron's cheek lightly, kissing him again.

Saffron snorted softly. "I'm exhausted, but don't think I can sleep; not unless you want to get me drunk again." He replied with a faint smirk. "Guess I should force myself to go eat something."

Matt smirked softly and kissed his throat. "Hmm well... you are a fun drunk..." he said with a soft chuckle before pulling his hand free of the skirt and giving Saffron's stomach a light pat. "Go on and get changed. I'll see if I can't find something light for you. I picked up some over the counter sleeping pills too incase you needed something... figured that was better then getting you drunk again. Not as fun, but.." he gave a soft smirk and stole another kiss.

Saffron snorted softly, "Well there is a few non narcotic sleep aids in the medicine cabinet in the bedroom. Leave it to Corey to go prescription, but non narcotic. The shit still knocks your ass out. Or mine anyway. Over the counter's never done anything more then make me restless." He said, before getting off the bed, he'd already taken the short jacket off and managed to get the zipper undone as he headed over to his bag.

"Sure...NOW you tell me..." Matt said with a light smirk as he watched him a moment before getting off the bed. He grabbed him by the waist, pulling him around for a quick kiss before letting go with a sigh and heading downstairs for the kitchen. Half way there he pulled his hair free of the loose pony tail and tossed the tie towards a hall table, feeling completely at home.

Saffron stripped out of the clothes and changed into a large night shirt, taking his hair down. Hanging the dress and jacket up in the closet and decided he was going to have to clean out Corey's clothes tomorrow. It was a good thing there was a Goodwill in town. He turned on the lamps on the bed side tables, before turning off the main light and heading down stairs after checking on Destin.

Matt had just taken a bowl down from the cupboard when he heard Saffron's soft footfalls enter the kitchen. "Hey... looks like a homemade chicken soup... or turkey... It's some kind of bird anyhow." he said with smirk. "Think you can handle that? There's a tray of sandwiches in there too... looks like egg or tuna... gag." he said, checking the microwave.

"Chicken most likely." Saffron said, grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge, though he eyed all the containers in the fridge of other things. "Won’t have to shop for groceries for a couple days. Well..." He frowned. "Have to do something with all this when we head back to Boston." He added, closing the fridge.

"Can probably freeze some. Stuff we can't freeze, we can load into a cooler and take with us. An hour in the staff room and it'll be history." Matt said lightly as he watched him. "You alright, babe?" he asked softly. "Destin wasn't the only one that had a long rough day... and meeting my cousin certainly didn't help."

"Yeah...that was a surprise." Saffron said softly, leaning against the counter next to Matt. "Like I said upstairs, I was just running on auto...part of me feels like this hasn't set in yet..." He replied softly. "It just seems unbelievable that Corey's gone too..." He sighed.

Matt wrapped his arm around Saffron, pulling him closer. "Hey... you know better, angel. He's not completely gone. Neither is Shane. You know they're still hanging out looking out for you both. Well... Shane anyhow. Corey will too, no doubt once the shock wears off." He rested his cheek against Saffron’s head as he waited for the beep of the microwave behind them. "Plus now you've got me and Destin... we'll get you through this. Just tell me what you need, baby."

Saffron sighed softly, leaning against him. "So, how well do you know your cousin?" He asked softly, just enjoying the moment in the kitchen with him. "And what did you mean by should have drowned him?"

Matt smirked softly and wrapped both arms around him. "Haven't seen the irritating prick since we moved here to the States; James and his family didn't come with us. Back then he was one of those brats that all the adults hold up as a shining example of 'what a good boy' ... meanwhile he's the one causing all the shit that the rest of the kids are getting blamed for." he said with a sigh as the beep sounded behind him and he decided to let it sit a minute to cool off a bit.

"As for drowning him... there was this time we were swimming... James had wanted to go swimming so the rest of us ended up going too. The little bastard had been driving me and our cousin Richard nuts the entire week getting away with shit, so when he was fucking around with this old rope swing and crashed into me, I got pissed off. I was like eight, but I was tall for my age so I was bigger then him... which made him enjoy targeting me for shit. Anyhow, he hit me... I went under and whacked my head on something and swallowed a shit load of water and came up swinging... decked the little shit a good one too. But when I'd caught my breath and James still hadn't come back up... I panicked and hauled his ass out of the water and Richard got him to come around." he said then sighed. "Should've left the bastard."

Saffron snorted softly, "Well it no doubt would have saved us the trouble that's probably coming from him, but nothing can be done about it now." He replied softly, taking a drink of water as he leaned against Matt. "I should have asked the twins if they knew how he and Corey met. And it bugs me that they said they knew of them always fighting. Corey was...a sensitive person...feeling wise. He hated fighting and arguing."

Matt sighed softly and let him go, turning to pull the dish of soup out of the microwave and lift some into a bowl for him. "Maybe he'd changed since you knew him last... or maybe James just still has that kind of effect on people.." he carried the bowl to the table and pulled out a chair. "Or maybe James pulled some magic on him. Give the guy enough time to adjust to being dead and we can ask him."

Saffron snorted softly, leaning against the counter a moment longer before sighing a moving to the chair. "I don't know if Corey would ever adjust to being dead. But if Shane is around, you might always ask him. Course if he is, I'm surprised he hasn't made himself known...Ever the big brother, I doubt he'd pass up the chance to...give you the whole lecture, one way or another."

Matt snorted as he grabbed a spoon and ushered Saffron to the table. “Who says he hasn’t? Made himself known, that is…” he said simply, turning back to the fridge to lift up a helping of a casserole. “I mean... I’m assuming it’s him… he hasn’t shown himself or anything, just lets me know he’s around every now and then. Super strong aura for a spirit, so I figure it has to be him… plus… It’s usually when Destin is with me…” he added a bit softer as he popped his plate in the microwave.

"No doubt it's him." Saffron replied softly, sitting down at the table. "To be honest, I think...if he was still alive...he'd like you. I mean...to hang out with you. Well, I mean, you saw all the zombies..." Saffron said softly, glancing at Matt.

Matt smirked softly as he turned to lean back against the counter and watch him. "Yeah. I'm willing to bet I'd have liked both of them... and will, since I can't see either of them leaving you and Destin for long." He was quiet for a minute as the microwave hummed behind him. "You think Corey will be pissed at me?" he asked softly. "Shane might be... maybe that's why he hasn't tried to contact me at all...."

Saffron looked up at him after a couple bites and snorted softly. "About what? Marrying me, or letting Destin get so close to you? Neither, Matt. I know Corey and Shane...Corey especially, his first priority was Destin...and if he couldn't be there for him, he'd have wanted some one who could be. Shane... Shane is probably still playing big brother and trying to decide if you're good enough for me." Saffron replied with a slight smirk.

Matt smirked again, his gaze going to his feet and only then realized he still had his boots on; he'd been starting to already get into the habit of leaving them at the door with Destin's, along with their coats. He snorted softly and bent to remove them. "No... not about marrying you or being close to Destin." he answered softly. "About... about Destin already calling me 'dad'. ... and the fact that I fucking love it when he does...."

"Like I said, Matt, I don't think Corey would have had a problem. I don't think Shane does either, as long as...you're good to Destin." Saffron said softly. It took him a moment to notice the center piece was moving along the table rather slowly, as if Shane was just letting them know he was in the room. "Neither Shane or Corey had family...other then me. They'd be happy for Destin. Well...Corey had family, but they all abandoned him when he hooked up with Shane."

Matt turned as the microwave beeped to check his supper. "I just think... it's too soon. I mean... his dad isn't even in the ground yet and here he is already calling me dad!" he said as he shoved the plate back in for a bit longer. "I tried getting him to go with 'Uncle Matt' for now... give it some time, but... I love having him call me dad... even though I end up feeling guilty as shit for loving it. I never felt guilty about shit very often until you came along, you know that? Of course, I never felt any where near as good as I have since meeting you either... and Destin is only adding to all that. I look at who I am right now... and I'm so fucking different from who I was last year...."

Saffron snorted softly, reaching over and pulling the centerpiece back toward the center of the table before it got to close to the edge. "From what I hear, you were an asshole to the first degree last year. Now I think you just scare people for a whole different reason." He said with a slight smirk. "But now you've got something to live for." He added softly, looking up at him. "As for Destin calling you dad... I don't think he would, if he didn't feel comfortable with it."

Matt sighed heavily and grabbed the plate from the microwave, ignoring the sting in his fingers from the hot plate. He grabbed a fork and plopped down in a chair kitty corner to Saffron. "That's what I'm worried about." Matt said softly. "Why does he feel comfortable with me? Is it because he's just an open loving kid who is taking things as they hit him and making the most of them... or...or is it because of the death connection between us?" he added even quieter. "Think about it, Saff... the connection you feel to me... if you were a little kid who just lost his dad and had his whole world flipped upside down... what would that connection mean to you?"

"It could be both, Matt...Destin I think is a sensitive kid. And most four year olds...don't understand death. But...I think Destin understands Corey's gone. Most four years would have asked when daddy was coming home, Destin...knows he's not. You saw him this afternoon; he wasn't afraid to approach the coffin. But I think he finds a sense of comfort, looking to you that way now."

Matt was just staring at his plate, pushing his food around idly at the moment. "I love him, Saff. I never imagined I'd ever feel this way about anyone... and now I have both of you. Destin's world isn't the only one that's been flipped upside down." he said with a soft smirk. "If I let him call me dad and introduce him as my son...I'm going to be making a shit load of enemies with Corey's friends... our new neighbors, since we'll be living here."

Saffron snorted softly. "Who says? The entire town knows I have custody of him...I'm sure some of them are old fashioned enough to be shocked by the idea, but...we are more or less his adopted parents now..." Saffron said softly.

Matt snorted and leaned back in his chair. "And they'll be glad Destin's got us... it's just... so SOON, Saff." he said then laughed softly, shaking his head slightly. "Then again... look at us? We just jumped from best friends to married couple in a day..." he said, then leaned over and kissed him. "Never mind me... I love him. I love being his dad and I've never given a shit about what people think... I guess I'm just tired and a bit thrown by everything."

Saffron finished what he was eating and got up to put up the rest and wash out the bowl. "So if you love him, and loving being his dad, just go with it." He said softly with a slight smirk. "It’s the three of us, and the rest of the world doesn't have anything to do with it."

Matt smiled softly and gave the center piece a shove back towards the middle of the table again. "Yeah yeah... told you... guess I'm just tired. Shit bothers me more when I'm tired." he said then looked over at Saff. "But you're worse off than me...Don't wait up for me, angel. Go on to bed if you're done. "

Saffron snorted softly, putting the bowl in the dish drainer. "Thanks for that okay." He said softly, glancing over his shoulder at Matt. "You going to be okay if I go on up?" He asked softly, turning back to him.

Matt smirked softly. "Yeah... I won't be too long. Just get over here and kiss me good night before you go." he said softly. "I missed out on my run this morning, so make sure my ass gets out there tomorrow, okay?" he asked playfully.

"Mm, well I'll kick you out of bed if I have to." Saffron replied with a smirk, before coming away from the counter and going over, leaning over to kiss Matt. "If Lex calls, which I doubt he will, but if he does...I'm sure you can explain about the ring."

Matt snorted softly. "Both? Or just the one we want him to lock away?" he asked playfully, his hands slipping around Saffron waist and pulling him back down for another kiss. "I doubt he'll call until morning, but if he does... I'll tell him. Night baby."

Saffron snorted softly, "You can tell him about this one too." He replied softly, wiggling the fingers on his left hand. "As if what you told him the other night, wasn't shock enough." He added, kissing Matt again, before pulling away.

Matt chuckled softly and gave Saffron's rear end a light whack. "Sweet dreams, angel." he said softly, turning his attention back to his dinner and finally started to eat. He was wondering if he'd have enough energy to head out for a short run when he was done rather than wait for morning... With Destin being an early riser, it might be easier to go back to doing his runs at night anyhow....Except he really just wanted to go crawl into bed with Saff.


~~

Saffron sighed, finally unable to sleep any more and a bit put off by the sound of a storm, but he rolled slightly, turning over in Matt's arms, ending up on his back. It took him a moment to realize one; Matt was still asleep, and two; the door was creeking open. He turned enough to see the door and saw Destin peeking around. Saffron smirked slightly and that was enough of an invitation for Destin, who ran for the bed and jumped on it.

Matt woke suddenly as he felt himself bounce and cracked an eye open to find Destin grinning down at him. He smiled and reached up to ruffle the boy’s hair. "Hey, kid..." he said with a yawn. "Morning already?" he asked then moved his arm, curling it tighter around Saffron before looking over at him and stealing a kiss. "Hmm… morning angel..." he said with a soft smirk. "Do we have to get up now?"

"Wel,l I don't think we can get away lying in bed all day." Saffron replied with a smirk. Destin giggled, settling himself leaning against Matt on the other side, leaning over him. "It’s Saturday, though. What do you say to pancakes, Destin." Saffron asked.

"With chocolate chips?" Destin asked.

"I think I can manage that..." Saffron smirked.

Matt slipped his other arm around Destin, pulling the boy down into a one armed hug, kissing his forehead before he could change his mind. Letting go, he gave his backside a playful pat. "Alright. Go grab Bob and see what cartoons are on while mom makes your pancakes. I guess I'm going to go get wet..." he said with a slight growl and sat up, the blankets falling around his waist and showing all of his tattoos. "And no... Red didn't call back last night... Guess you need to try again and wake his ass up." he added to Saffron with a smirk.

"I'll do that down stairs." Saffron said with a sigh. Destin scrambled off the bed, heading out of the room to go and retrieve Bob. "As for you getting wet, least we know you won’t melt...but you don't have to, you know." Saffron added, stealing a kiss.

Matt smirked, kissing him back. "Yeah I do. Personal promise... And since I haven't seen any exercise equipment around here, I either go for a run or search out the local gym... either way, I get wet." he said softly, his hand slipping down to rub the small of Saffron's back. "Guess I should look up a gym anyhow... moving my equipment all this way will be a pain in the ass... and will only work if there's room for it."

"Hmm, might be in the basement." Saffron replied. "Really haven't had a look down there yet. Mr. Strauss said something about a rec room down there, so you know." He added with a slight shrug. "Well, don't get too wet and don't stay out there to long." He replied, before getting off the bed.

Matt watched him and gave a soft groan. "Better be a cold rain or I'm fucking doomed to embarrassment here..." he said with a soft smirk, checking to make sure there was no sign of Destin before getting out of his bed, his growing erection obvious in the plain black bikinis. He caught Saffron around the waist and kissed his neck playfully. "Save me some pancakes... and coffee." he said softly.

Saffron snorted softly, with a smirk, reaching back and patting Matt's cheek. "I'd say you're completely doomed if that’s the case, Matt." He said softly. "Save it till tonight." He added, turning enough to kiss him again, before pulling out of his arms to grab some clothes.

Matt smirked softly as he watched him a moment before grabbing his shorts and favorite old sleeveless t-shirt from his bag and began getting dressed. "Does that mean you won’t save me any pancakes and coffee?" he asked with a mock pout, his eyes sparkling.

Saffron snorted, pulling off the sleep shirt and glanced at him. "There'll be pancakes and coffee." He replied with a slight smirk. "Though you do have a cute pout." He added with a bit more of a smirk.

Matt laughed softly as he pulled on socks and dug out his sneakers. He figured he had to get dressed quick and get out before he lost his will power and took Saffron back to bed, Destin or no Destin. He slapped on some deodorant, then grabbed his sneakers in hand. "See you in a bit, angel" he said softly, pulling Saffron against him for a kiss before heading downstairs. Contrary to what he'd said, he was really hoping it wasn't a cold rain...

Saffron finished getting dressed and headed down stairs, looking on Destin in the living room, watching cartoons, before he headed for the kitchen. He put on a pot of coffee and got out the ingredients for chocolate chip pancakes.

Saffron attempted to call Lex again, as he made breakfast, and finally got through to him. "I'll call the office and see if some one can pick it up, but I've rather got my hands full here," Lex said over the phone.

 "With what?" Saffron asked incredulously. There was silence a moment, before Lex giggled and explained the situation. "Yeah, great, dad ends up with TWO grandkids... maybe he won’t notice me marrying Matt." Saffron said, with a note of sarcasm.

"Wait...what?" Lex replied after a moment.

Saffron snorted, watching the pancakes carefully. "You heard me. I married Matt." He added, deciding to leave it at that.

"Oh...that was fast..." Lex said after a moment."Okay..." Lex added slowly. "Should I tell mom and dad?" He added.

"I don't care. You can tell them we'll probably be moving as well, that'll only piss him off more." Saffron replied, as he finished the pancakes and looked over his shoulder as Destin came into the kitchen with Bob, heading for the table.

"Moving where?" Lex asked.

"Here...Corey left the house to...Destin and I, and I like the place, and I don't see any reason to move Destin, so." Saffron replied.

"With Graves...?" Lex asked.

"Yus, with Matt."

"You're right, that isn't going to sit well with him." Lex said, the sound of him struggling with something a moment, and Saffron heard a toddler's laughter.

"I'm sure you and Nate can distract him." Saffron replied with a smirk. "Congratulations on that." He added.

"Oh ha ha. It's Graves' fault anyway." Lex replied sarcastically.

"And you're not bloody well complaining." Saffron said with a laugh.

"Never said I was..." Lex said softly.

Saffron laughed again. "Just call me if you can get some one to drop by." Saffron said. "I've got to go." He added, before hanging up, he took Destin's breakfast over to the table where the boy was sitting. "Juice or milk?" Saffron asked.

"Milk please." Destin answered.

~

Matt stood on the front porch out of the rain for a minute as he stretched, the front door open letting him listen to the sounds of Saffron in the kitchen and Destin in the living room. With a sigh he pulled the door shut and shot the clouds and rain one last look before heading out, the cool rain soaking him completely through before he even made it half way down the block. For once he was glad the store hadn't carried the wash out dye he normally used to hide the blue... if it had, he'd be a mess right then. Chuckling softly at the image that created, Matt focused on the run, deciding not to go too far incase he forgot the way back and had to rely on the death pull from Saff and Destin to guide him.

He'd only gone a few blocks when he realized someone was following him. He stopped, pushing his hair back off his face and looked toward the road where a car was slowly keeping pace with him, and snorted softly as he saw the insignia on the side. "Not bad... two full days in town before a cop takes a poke at me... might be a new record..." he said softly to himself and headed over to where the car had pulled to a stop, the passenger window rolled down to show the two cops inside. The one on the passenger side nodded to him as he came to a stop. "Morning." Matt said simply over the sound of the rain hitting the car roof. "Something wrong?" 

"Was just wondering the same, sir. You always run in the rain?" 

Matt smirked and gave a shrug. "Only when I have to... missed out on my run yesterday."

The driver leaned forward a bit to get a look at Matt. "You visiting someone in the neighborhood?" he asked and Matt shook his head .

"No. My wife and I are here to take custody of her nephew... and it looks like we'll be moving in soon."

The closer cop, the younger of the two suddenly went still. "I thought you looked familiar... I saw you last night at Corey's wake." he said, then offered his hand through the window. "It's a fine thing you're doing, looking after Destin. Good luck to you and you're wife."

Matt bit back his surprise and nodded as he shook the cops hand, then reached into the car to accept the other cops hand as well. He stepped back and watched the car pull back onto the road then shook his head softly, resuming his run. Within half a block he was laughing.

He was surprised by how comfortable he felt running through the quiet neighborhood. A few curious people watched him from their porches or windows, and still tickled by having 'befriended' the two cops, he waved as he passed, earning curious waves in return. He wondered if their reactions would have been any different if his hair was it's normal shade... which only set him laughing again as he turned a corner and headed back the way he'd come.

Matt found the house easily enough and cursed softly as he reached the porch, realizing he'd forgotten to leave a couple towels by the door for him to dry off with. He squeezed as much water out of his hair as he could before pulling his shoes off and leaving them on the porch beside the door. He still felt almost giddy and decided to blame Saffron and Destin's influence. After peeling off his soaked socks and shirt, wringing them our as much as he could, he opened the door. "Saff?" he called out as he tossed the wet clothes over his shoulder and ran his hand over the legs of his shorts, squeezing out as much water as he could before stepping inside. "Babe? Can you find me a towel so I don’t leave a huge fucking mess here..." he said with a soft laugh just before the smell coming from the kitchen made his stomach growl loudly.

There was the sound of giggles and cartoons from the living room, Destin sitting on the floor in front of the tv. Saffron stuck his head out of the kitchen door and eyed Matt. "Don't drip on the carpet." Saffron said with a smirk, before heading for the downstairs linen closet and grabbing a couple towels. He tossed them to Matt as Destin came to the door of the living room with Bob.

"Hey... I wasn't planning on it..." he said lightly as he wrapped one towel around his waist before skinning out of the shorts and underwear beneath it. Wet clothes hung on his shoulder, he shut the door behind him and used the towel to dry off as much as he could before bundling his clothes up, aware of Destin and Saff both watching him; Destin giggling off and on giving Matt the impression Saff was giving him a look that the kid found funny.

"Maybe I should have gotten you a bigger towel." Saffron said over his shoulder as he headed back into the kitchen. "Destin, why don't you go back to watching cartoons?" He added with a laugh. Destin giggled and was covering half his face with Bob.

Matt smirked, his eyes sparkling as he followed Saffron into the kitchen. He tossed his wet clothes into the empty sink for the time being before catching hold of Saffron for a quick kiss. "I made new friends." he said as he let him go, smirking as he poured a cup of coffee and sat down, still in nothing but the towel. "You get a hold of Red?"

"Oh yus, I got a hold of him. He has his hands pretty full but said he'd try to get a hold of some one at the offices." Saffron said, pouring a cup of coffee and leaning against the counter. "And are you new friends breathing or not?" He asked, amused.

"Some of both." he said taking a drink. "Can't go anywhere without running into spooks, you know that." he said lightly. "Food?" he asked with a playful pout. "A couple cops stopped me, then shook my hand and wished me well when I said who I was... Think that’s the first time I've spoken to a cop and not been given attitude or arrested outside of my home town." he added with a chuckle. "Oh... and I met our neighbor on the right here... she saw me out running and made me sit on her porch a minute so she could get me some tea to fight off the cold she just KNEW I was going to get for doing something so silly as playing in the rain." he said with a laugh, his eyes sparkling. "She wanted to know if we enjoyed the brownies and buttertarts she sent over... I told they were fabulous.... I think I've been adopted..." he added softly, one eyebrow cocked.

Saffron had to smirk as he got a plate of pancakes out of the oven and took it over to the table. "You, adopted...well maybe that's a good thing." Saffron said with a smirk, sitting down across from Matt. The syrup and stuff was already on the table. "As for the cops...well...they don't know your record yet." He added with more of a smirk. "Not going to ask what Lex was busy with?"

Matt chuckled softly . "Yeah... give 'em time to get to know me. They'll soon see the error of their ways..." he added, then shot him a glanced as he poured syrup on the stack of pancakes. "And I just figured the cowboy had him... why? The cowboy DIDN'T have him?! "

Saffron snickered, leaning back in the chair. "Lex told me to thank you, since you sent Nate over to his place the other night...Think they're looking to set a date some time in the next six months or so...But an ex girlfriend of Nate's dumped his 15 month old son off on the office doorstep...in a TV box..."

Matt actually choked on the mouthful of pancakes, his eyes watering as he recovered. "MacDonnell? The dumb bastard knocked some chick up and she dumped the kid on him?!" he asked then snorted, the merriment dying away. "Good... least the kid will have a good family now. Stupid bitch really left the kid in a fucking box?!"

Saffron sighed. "Yeah, with just a diaper." He replied. "Nate and Eire are trying to track the woman down, while Lex is trying to set up a nursery. But Lex said everyone's so busy looking over this event that they've sorta forgotten bout us up here...Which I think might be a good thing."

Matt pushed his chair out from the table a bit and patted his knee. "Come here, babe." he said softly, holding out his arm. "You want to avoid reminding them we're here, we can just keep the ring with us. Put it on the chain with your locket or my amulet and no one will be able to fuck with it. We can head down to Boston to see Corey buried, then swing by our places and pack. Don't have to even set foot near the office.”

Saffron snorted softly, but got up, going over to Matt. "I'm not really worried about reminding them...most of them...Just, I know Auron's not going to be...happy about this...Considering how many times he's tried to prevent me from being around you just a as a friend."

Matt wrapped his arm around him as he took a drink of his coffee with his free hand. "Tough shit. Either he accepts the fact that you're moving here with me and 'our' son and … or he loses out. Same goes for Nate and Lex and their kid no doubt..." he said simply. "You want to get this place in order before we go?" he asked, changing the subject. "You know... pack up anything you don't want to keep... "

"Probably should. As I said, I haven't even looked in the basement." Saffron said softly, glancing toward the door out of the kitchen toward the living room. "There's still a lot of stuff that needs to be boxed up upstairs." He added. "I suppose I should get on with that."

"I'll help. We'll check the basement first for empty boxes and if there is none, I'll make a run for some while you start making a list of anything that stays... " Matt said, kissing his neck softly. "But first... let me finish this before it gets cold. I had no clue you were such a good cook. You eaten?"

"I'm not really hungry right now." Saffron replied. "I'll eat a little later." He added, before finally moving to get up to clean up the dishes in the sink. "As for me being a good cook...yeah, you lucked out."

Matt was going to ask him to sit back down and eat with him but bit his tongue before he could. He already knew Saff was a light eater at the best of times, and these were definitely not the best of times. At least he'd managed to get him to eat a bit last night... Sighing softly, he turned back to his breakfast, finishing it quickly. Tossing back the last mouthful of coffee, he stood and carried his dishes to the sink. "Go curl up on the couch with your son for a bit and watch a cartoon or two. I've spent more time bonding with him than you have. I'll go get dressed and find some boxes." he said softly.

Saffron took the dishes and began cleaning t hem. "There's all day for that, Matt..." Saffron replied softly. He hadn't realized how much work there was to do until a little while ago, and there was a lot to do. He had a lot to think about as well.

"Yeah... there is." he agreed, slipping his arms around Saffron and leaning into him. "So take a bit of time now to go enjoy your son. Let me pick up a bit of the slack here, angel." he said with a soft kiss to his neck. "Hmm.. damn... really shouldn't be pressed this close against you in just a towel..." he added with a soft husky growl before tipping Saffron's head back to steal a kiss. "I'm going to grab a shower and get dressed. Go play with your kid."

Saffron snorted softly, giving him an amused look. "I'll see you in a bit then." He said, putting the dishes in the drainer and letting the water out of the sink. There was more giggling from the front room.

Matt smirked softly and stole another kiss. "Definitely." he said, giving Saffron's backside a playful whack as he headed out of the room, looking forward to a long hot shower to get rid of the chill from the rain.

Saffron snorted softly, watching him go as he dried his hands with a slight smirk, before lying the towel on the counter and leaving the kitchen. He headed for the front room, pausing in the door way, watching Destin for a moment before going over and sitting on the floor next to him, pulling him on to his knee. Destin didn't mind at all, continuing to watch cartoons.

~~

Matt carefully set the bundle of storage boxes down and leaned against the door way to watch Saffron and Destin a moment. The two were still sitting on the floor, Destin in Saffron's lap, the same as they'd been when he'd slipped down stairs earlier. He was tempted to just head upstairs and start packing Corey's clothes up and save Saffron the trouble, but he wasn't sure he'd appreciate it for the caring gesture it was.

Saffron glanced over his shoulder to see Matt in the door way. "You find boxes?" Saffron asked, Destin had turned to look as well, before climbing off Saffron's lap and heading toward Matt.

"Yeah... looks like Corey saved them all from the last move... just folded them up and tied them together." he said softly. "I grabbed one bundle...There's a couple more down there if we need them. Plus I found packing tape, but who knows if it's still sticky..." he added with a soft smirk and reached down to ruffle Destin's hair.

Saffron got to his feet. "If not, I'm sure we can get some more." Saffron replied. "Going to stay down here or come up and help, Destin?" Saffron asked the boy.

"There's still cartoons." Destin said, pointing at the tv.

Matt smirked softly. "Then go cuddle up with Bob and watch them. Me and mom will be upstairs is you need us, alright?" he said, loving the way that sounded. "No opening the door for people... if someone comes, you yell up to us and we'll come down, alright?" he added.

"Okay." Destin said, taking Bob and heading back to the floor in front of the tv, plopping down again. Saffron paused long enough to lock the front door, including the chain. Not that he thought Destin would try to go outside alone, just being on the safe side.

Matt grabbed the stack of cardboard, sending a last look at Destin before heading up stairs. Once in the bedroom, he leaned the stack against the bed and let the bag containing the rolls of tape drop beside it. "Basement looks good. Nice size rec room plus a smaller room he was using for storage... If you want to keep the rec room, the storage room is big enough for me to use. Just have to find another place for storage... We have an attic?"

"Yeah, and I don't think it's really been used either." Saffron said, opening the closet, to start pulling out clothes. "So we can probably store a lot of the stuff up there. The ladder is in the hall." Saffron added.

Matt moved to slip his arms around Saffron's waist, pulling him back against him. "Leave that a second." he said softly. "There's something I wanted to talk to you about... and with Destin caught up in his cartoons..."

Saffron tossed the couple hangers onto the bed a moment. "What is that?" Saffron asked softly, looking back enough at Matt.

Matt sighed softly and hugged him closer. "Couple things... but.. just the one I need to talk to you about out of ear shot of the squirt." he said. "It's about my family... James said last he heard I was dead... which means so do they. When they find out I'm not... it could be trouble." he said, his face buried in Saffron's hair, his chin resting on his neck. "Depends on what they heard about Richard's funeral.... James didn't seem freaked out at seeing me, so... it might not be too bad..."

"What kind of problems?" Saffron asked softly, turning enough in Matt's arms to look back at him seriously. "And I didn't fail to hear James say that. Just didn't think much of it at the time." Saffron added softly.

"My family are witches... Strega... most call them blood witches. Basically, that means they're even more superstitious than most." Matt said softly, raising one hand to stroke Saffron’s cheek tenderly as he spoke. "I had just come into my powers and had no clue what I was doing... and at my cousin's funeral... I... I raised him. Soul and all. It wasn't pretty... he just screamed and screamed..." Matt broke off and had to take a breath before continuing. "My uncle decked me and knocked me out... Next thing I know I'm in a group home waiting to be fostered out and my mother and aunt and uncle are long gone. At the time I figured they left me behind because they suspected what I was... eventually I just stopped wondering. But now... I don’t know what my mother and them told the rest of the family about that day... but obviously they let them believe I was dead too. So if James tells them I'm alive and well...." he shrugged lightly. "I don’t know.... they might be happy... they might not. If they're not... they'll do their best to destroy me..."

"Wouldn't they find that a little hard to do? Not just in general...I mean...they'd run into some obvious trouble." Saffron said softly, turning to face him completely.

Matt smirked softly. "Angel... they're Strega... their power base is blood... and I'm family. I'm not sure how many of them are strong enough to hurt me with what they'd have available... but my nonna could. My great grandmother has held the title of matriarch for longer than any other member in the history of our family... because she's fucking strong... If she wanted me dead... she'd find a way."

"Well then we'll just hope she doesn't want you dead." Saffron replied. "Let’s not worry bout it right now though." He added softly.

Matt smirked softly and let his hand rest on Saffron's face, cupping his cheek. "That's just it, baby... I think I need to find out. If I go by James' reaction... than they don't have any clue what I am. As long as I'm careful, I should be fine. But I need to know whether or not I'm putting you and Des in danger..."

"And what are you thinking of doing, Matt?" Saffron asked softly, slipping his arms around Matt's neck. "Don't think we should take James at his word anyway..." He added.

Matt sighed softly and wrapped his arms back around Saffron tightly. "If he'd had any clue about me... I think I'd have seen some sign of it when it dawned on him who I was. I just ... I don’t know... I just thought maybe I'd call... I could use bumping into James as an excuse. I mean, up until then I just figured they all hated me and didn't want me any more... until he said they thought I was dead... Guess that's enough reason for a guy to call home to find out what's what.... right?" he asked. "We can pack up first... Just... thought maybe it was something I should do... and before James has a chance...."

"If you want to call them Matt, then I won’t stop you. It’s certainly up to you." Saffron replied softly. "I just hope it's not the way you think it is..." He added softly. "I don't want anything happening to you..."

"I don't want anything happening to you or Des." Matt said softly. "I'm just afraid if James figures I'm hiding from the family... he'll pull something that'll put you both in danger. Just... to be safe... I think I'll give DeBrie a shout and see about setting up a Will that would work without a body to confirm death... I'm sure he can figure something out." he added softer. "Just as a precaution.... I'm not planning on doing anything stupid and winding up dead, okay?"

Saffron smacked him in the shoulder, lightly but with enough feeling. "Yeah, you better not. I don't need YOU ending up dead...I need you HERE…with us." Saffron replied with a look.

"And this is where I plan on being, angel." he said softly. "I never want to leave." he added. "Can I have a kiss? Or would you rather smack me around a bit more? Either could be fun..." he said with a soft smirk.

"Ass." Saffron said with a slight smirk, smacking Matt in the shoulder again, before leaning up and kissing him softly. "Forgot to mention, I told Lex we're already married...he'll no doubt pass it on..." He said softly.

Matt grinned at that news. "Yeah? Cool." he said softly before kissing him again, dragging it out a little bit before breaking it with a sigh. "Back to work?" he asked softly. "Or should I bring up the other thing I wanted to talk to you about... that wasn't quite as Destin-sensitive?"

"If you’re off on subjects you want to talk about, might as well bring up the other thing." Saffron replied, leaving his arms around Matt's neck for the moment.

Mat blushed furiously and lowered his gaze as he smirked. "I uh... I really fucking love being a dad..." he said quietly. "I love us doing this together." he added, his hands rubbing lightly over Saffron's back. "I know we talked a bit but... I think I'd like to try adopting more..." he finished. "Not yet... I mean... should wait until we're settled in and I've officially adopted Des and all... "

Saffron raised an eyebrow. "Matt...you remember what I said about a year from now, don't you?" He asked softly. He didn't mind the idea of adopting, especially with Matt...but considering what would happen next year...

Matt blushed more. "Just that... I shouldn't give up on the idea of having more kids... And I haven't. It'll be tough trying to get considered, but... I'll do what ever it takes." he added softly.

Saffron watched him a moment, then sighed softly. "It'll happen." He replied softly with a slight smile, before leaning up and kissing him softly. He had no idea how to explain the whole change to Matt right now and really, it could wait a bit longer.

Matt let his eyes close as he returned Saffron's kiss just as softly as it was given, but drawing it out a bit longer. "Fuck I love you so much, Saff." he whispered, when the kiss ended.

Saffron smirked slightly. "Love you too..." He answered softly. "Why don't you go check on Destin and I'll get back to this..?" He said nodding to the closet, pulling out of Matt's arms and grabbing the clothes again.

"We just left him, angel..." he said softly with a smirk but headed for the door to do as told anyhow. "Hey... you see a portable player around here? We could use some music to help get through all this. Hell, even a radio, as long as it brings in more then just country..."

"Dining room, " Saffron replied, pulling more clothes out of the closet and tossing them on the bed, before doing up a box and began putting the pile of clothes on the bed, in the box. "There's a cd collection in the living room, but I doubt it'll be anything you'd want to listen to." He added with a slight smirk.

"I got some in the car, if there isn't... just means I'll get wet again." Matt called over his shoulder as he headed downstairs. He stopped off in the living room to find Destin lying on his stomach with Bob hugged tight, squealing in delight at the show he was watching.

Though tempted to lean in far enough to see what was on TV, Matt decided he probably didn't want to know, and continued on to the dining room to collect the player then stopped off at the kitchen for the phone farthest from the noise Destin and his cartoons were making. Drawing a deep breath he dialed the number for the office and hoped Sylvie was on. If not, then Lucy... actually... come to think of it... he almost would rather have Lucy; the woman was rather endearing in an... infuriatingly cheerful kind of way...

"Chaos Incorporated. How may we help you?" came the high pitched yet cheerful voice and Matt couldn't help the smirk that appeared.

"Hey, Lucy… it's Graves. I need a favor." he said, barely finishing off his sentence before he was attacked by rapid chatter.

"Is it true? Did you really run off and get married?! Seriously?! I heard it was with Saffron... that is SO sweet! Congratulations! I got you a card and I have a gift too, but it's at my apartment.. I'm still working on it. When will you be back? Or should I send there?"  

Matt just shook his head, his eyes sparkling as he let the questions ramble past without attempting to interrupt and actually answer any of them... she seemed to know the answers anyhow. When the voice finally stopped he gave a soft snort. "Yeah, it's all true...and we'll be back in a couple days, but we're not staying. Now... favor."

"Oh yes... shoot." Lucy piped cheerful as always and Matt was surprised he wasn't gritting his teeth by now.

"I need a phone number. Italy...Abelie Cavallaro." he said softly, then added in the province and name of the closest town. Lucy put him on hold for a few minutes and he cracked up laughing as the sounds of CCR's Bad Moon Rising suddenly filled the phone line... he wondered if any one actually KNEW that was playing on hold...and who’d set it up…

~~

Saffron was quick to have one box filled and taped it up, before starting on another. His mind was on the conversation with Matt though and the fact he did want to have more kids. He knew he really should tell Matt about the change, but it wasn't something he talked about with any one...other then Lex. Though he was aware there really had been some gossip about it going around the office, he didn't think Matt had heard any of that...

He kept himself busy and in no time had most of the boxes already filled up and taped though there was still a lot to go through. At the moment, he sat down the bed to take a break, and check his cell phone, which really was full of voice mail and needed to be charged. He didn't feel like checking the voice mail, considering some of them were from his father and he really didn't want to put up with that right then. So he put the phone on the charger and flopped back just staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.

With a sigh and ignoring his phone ringing, Saffron got off the bed again and went back to work packing the boxes. He pulled the most hideous 80s purple jacket from the closet and tossed it in the box, turning back to the closet. But when he turned back to put those clothes in the box, the jacket was on the bed. Saffron raised an eyebrow as he dropped the rest of the clothes in his arms, into the box and grabbed the jacket again, tossing it in the box, and started to turn back to the closet..."Leave it, Shane! You know how much I HATE that jacket." Saffron said, seeing the jacket come out of the box, from the corner of his eye.


~ ~

Lucy came back on and gave Matt the number, which he wrote down then stuck to the fridge with a skull shaped magnet. "Thanks Lucy. Hey... I heard Saff and I aren't the only ones causing a stir in the romance department. Auron gone into melt down yet?" 

Lucy gave her squealing giggling and he rolled his eyes, still debating on whether to mention the hold music. "Oh... he's holding in there. He's been banned from the office until he can stop glowering and yelling, however, but really... he's holding in there just fine, considering."

Matt snorted and thanked her again, then hung up and stared at the phone number a minute. It was too early to call Italy, but he couldn't help but wonder at the odd eagerness to hear her voice again. The sound of bare feet in the hall sounded and he looked over in time to see Destin burst into the kitchen, Bob in hand and promptly wrap himself around Matt's legs, grinning up at him. "Hey kid... shows done?" he asked, receiving a vigorous nod in reply. "Then come on... let's get you dressed, then we can go help mom pack boxes."

Matt and Destin paused at the top of the stairs at Saffron's voice then headed to the bedroom door to peek inside. Matt watched the jacket remove itself from the box again to Saffron's growl and chuckled, leaning against the door jam. "Problems?" he asked lightly.

Saffron snatched the jacket back before it was pulled completely out of the box and shoved it down deeper into the box. "He's determined to keep the worlds most hideous jacket." Saffron said as he piled more clothes onto of the garment. "I hate that jacket." Saffron added.

"But he obviously doesn't. Do you really think you're going to win?" Matt asked softly. "Hey, Des... your first dad and your mom are having a fight...  who's side are you on? Does the ugly jacket stay or go?" he asked with a smirk, his eyes sparkling. "Maybe you should try it on?"

Saffron watched the jacket sliding out of the box again. "Ugh!" He gave Matt a look, before turning back to the closet. "Gods, the 80s had hideous fashion!" Saffron stated, tossing a few more things in the box.

Matt chuckled again as he gave Destin a little push into the room and the boy eyed the jacket with a curious smile as he approached the bed. Matt followed and plucked the jacket off the bed and dropped it over Destin's shoulders; the boy was immediately swallowed up by the purple jacket, and Matt had to bite back his laughter. "Maybe he'd let you use the material for something? You could make Bob a jacket out of it.... or a pillow or something for Destin to keep...."

"It’s still about the ugliest thing I've ever seen." Saffron said, glancing over his shoulder, though he picked up a rather amused feeling in the room. Saffron started pulling boxes off the shelves and found the good size wooden one, and opened it, pausing. "Oh..." Inside was Shane's badge and service gun. "Wondered what happened to these..." Saffron muttered.

Matt sat on the bed and picked a jacket wrapped Destin up to sit him on his lap, both of them watching Saffron. Destin was being rather quiet but seemed fine other wise, and Matt wondered if he'd ever felt his father's spirit so close before... or at least knew what and who it was. "Guess we should invest in a safe in here... to keep that in, along with my own weapons." Matt said simply. "Could just have a lock box in the bedroom and keep the safe in the rec room...." he said, his eyes never leaving Saff. "Oh… and Lucy says congrats and she bought us a card… and she has a gift that she's still working on....?" he added, one eyebrow cocked. "Something about that ... scares me..."

"Damn Lex was quick getting that information around. Could be anything with Lucy." Saffron said with a slight smirk, closing up the box and sitting it on the top shelf for now, even if he did have stretch up to do it. "And yus, it probably is a good idea to get a safe. Especially if we plan on more kids."

Matt stifled a groan as he watched Saff stretch, reminding himself he was holding a kid on his lap and it would definitely not be a good idea to get aroused. "So... looks like you've got most of the clothes done in here... probably one more box should do it." he said, Destin snuggling into his arms a bit more, cuddling the coat tighter around him. "Shall I start hauling these down stairs to load into the car? Rain was finally starting to slack off... should be able to drop them off at the Goodwill or something this afternoon...."

"Yeah, might as well." Saffron said, sorting through a few more shoe boxes on the shelves, and stacking them all on the top for now, before tossing the last of the clothes in the box next to him and starting on the shoes.

Matt watched a bit longer, in no hurry to move and set aside the boy in his arms. Finally with a soft sigh, Matt kissed the top of Destin's head and set him on his feet. "Go hide your new coat in your room where mom can't find it and try to toss it out on you, okay?" he whispered softly, smirking.

Destin smirked and ran out of the room, Saffron shot Matt a look over his shoulder as he tossed more shoes in the box. "As if I couldn't spot that thing anywhere..." Saffron replied. An invisible hand ruffled his hair, before the presence left the room. Saffron snorted softly, dropping the last shoes in and closing up the box, tapping it.

Matt chuckled softly as he stood and grabbed hold of Saffron, pulling him against him. "So it's ugly... it's also the only thing he has right now from his dad. As long as he never wears it in public... with us... we're good." he added with another chuckle and stole a kiss before grabbing up one of the boxes and heading for the stairs.

"Ugly jacket." Saffron muttered as he finished taping the last box and looked around the bedroom a moment. Grabbed the last box and began emptying the dresser. As long as he stayed busy, he didn't really think about anything else.

~~~~

Matt was standing in the kitchen staring at the phone number stuck to the fridge. Saffron was just finishing putting the supper dishes away and Destin was sitting at the table coloring and chatting away. The ugly purple coat hadn't been seen again since Destin had hidden it away in his room, and Matt wondered if Saff would ever manage to get rid of it... somehow he rather doubted it. Finally, he heaved a sigh and dialed the number, letting the sound of his son’s voice and the scratch of crayons on paper calm him.

Saffron put the last dish in the drainer and let the water out of the sink before grabbing the dish towel and drying his hands. He turned, leaning against the counter and watched Destin a moment, before glancing at Matt as he dialed. With a sigh, he tossed the towel back on the counter and headed over to the table, sitting down beside Destin, who showed Saffron what he was coloring. Saffron wondered where Destin had gotten all the Halloween coloring books. "You can hang it on the fridge when you're done." Saffron said softly, glancing back toward Matt.

Matt smiled softly at Saffron and gave him a wink as he listened to the ring. An unfamiliar male voice answered in Italian, and Matt automatically answered in the same, asking to speak to Abelie. The man asked who was calling and Matt hesitated a moment before replying, "Mattias Cavallaro." The silence that greeted him at that surprised him slightly as did the quick recovery and request for him to hold please. Phone in hand, Matt wandered towards the table to see what Destin was coloring, his hand going out to stroke over Saffron's hair softly as he waited.

Destin continued to color, swinging his legs back and forth; Bob sitting on the table next to the coloring book. Saffron turned his head, glancing up at Matt a moment with a soft smile, before glancing at the clock on the wall. It was almost seven thirty, though it seemed much darker out side, since it was still raining. "You'll have to finish that in a bit, Destin. It'll be your bed time pretty soon and you need to take a bath." Saffron told the boy softly.

 "Do I have to..?" Destin whined.

"Yes, you have to. Mom says so." Matt said softly with a smirk as the phone was suddenly answered. The familiar voice on the other end made his heart clench almost painfully as Abelie Cavalarro asked who he was and what he wanted. With a soft sigh, Matt leaned back against the wall behind them. "It's me, Nonna.... Mattias." he said softly in Italian and was met by more silence. "I'm sorry if you don't want to hear from me... I just .. I bumped into James the other day and some thing he said made me think.. maybe you hadn't contacted me for a different reason then I’d believed..." Silence again, although he could hear an odd muffled sound from the other end. "I thought it was time for me to know, Nonna...  have I been disowned?"

Saffron half watched Destin coloring, and half kept an eye on Matt. After a moment or two, he sighed softly and leaned over, kissing Destin on the top of his head before getting up. He placed a hand on Matt's arm for a moment as he passed him, on the way to the laundry room just off the kitchen, since he had to put a load in.

Matt let his fingers trail over Saffron's hand as he left, listening to a silence that as suddenly broken by a sound he'd never expected to hear; a soft sob. "Nonna? Are you alright?" he asked as he moved to sit beside Destin, his hand going to stroke the boy’s hair. In response, Destin leaned against him, still coloring.

"Mattias... nipote... is that really you?" came her reply and he smiled softly, switching to English.

"Yes, nonna... it's really me. When no one from the family came for me... I thought I'd been disowned.... but James said he thought I was dead...." Matt said softly. 

Abelie immediately tore into a rant, rapid fire Italian that he had trouble keeping up with, but from what he managed to catch, seemed to be about her granddaughters; his mother and aunt; and the story they'd told her about both boys dying in an accident and being cremated. It took a bit, but he finally managed to get her to calm down, by which time, Destin's coloring had slowed somewhat and he was leaning against him a bit more. The news that no one had told her or apparently anyone, about Richard's rising from his coffin or Matt's return from the dead, brought a great sense of relief. "Nonna... I'm sorry... but I need to go. I need to get my son into the bathtub before he falls asleep." Another burst of rapid Italian, this time excited, demanding to know about this son, and Matt chuckled softly. "His name is Destin... my wife's name is Saffron. " he told her and gave her both the house number and his cell number and told her he'd call back soon to talk more. When he finally hung up the phone he was smiling broadly. "Come on squirt... go tell mom you're ready for that bath and she can stop hiding now, dad's off the phone." 

"I'm not hiding." Saffron said over his shoulder as he closed the lid on the washer and turned it on. He came out of the laundry room as Destin jumped out of the chair with the page he'd been coloring and handed it to Saffron. Saffron smirked slightly and hung the picture on the fridge. "Come on kiddo, upstairs." Saffron said. Destin ran back over to the table, grabbing Bob's foot and dragging him off the table and paused long enough to hug Matt, before running out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

Matt watched him go then got up to follow. "Good news, angel... my great grandmother doesn't want to kill me. As a matter of fact, she's furious with my mother and aunt for telling her I was already dead... If she'd known I was alive she'd have sent someone to bring me home. I'll have to tell her I'm glad she didn't... other wise, I'd never have met Marilee or you... or Destin." he added softly, stealing a kiss. "I told her I'd call her again soon and gave her the number here... We'll have to make sure Des knows not to talk too much about death or zombies or ghosts when he gets to talk to her...."

Saffron paused in the door way as Matt stole a kiss. "Probably shouldn't mention you married the current Death Elemental either...or who my mother was." He replied. "But at least you know she doesn't want you dead." He added, kissing Matt back. "Would you mind gathering up those crayons, while I get your son in the bath?" He added, nodding to the scattered crayons on the table and cardboard pencil box Destin kept them in.

Matt smirked softly. "Sure, babe. Tell Des I'll tuck him in when he's done with his bath. And as soon as he's tucked in... I think mommy and daddy need some alone time..." he added with a wicked smirk, letting his hands rub lightly over Saffron’s backside as he stole another kiss.

Saffron snorted softly, but slipped away from Matt, with a smirk, before heading upstairs. Destin was already in the bathroom, pulling out a box of bath toys from between the counter and toilet. Saffron smirked slightly and went over to the tub, turning the water on and setting it warm. Destin grabbed a bottle of bubble bath and proceeded to dump a large amount in the water, then wiggled out of his clothes, grabbed a bunch of toys and tossed them in and proceeded to climb in the tub still in his socks. "Destin! Your socks!" Destin giggled and sat down, pulling off his soaked socks, and handing them to Saffron.

Matt quickly put away Destin's crayons and coloring books, taking a minute to admire the picture tacked on the fridge before pouring himself a coffee and heading into the living room. It had been a long day and he found himself stifling a yawn; The clothes had been packed and donated, along with a couple boxes of books and things from the other rooms and basement, and several pieces of furniture now bore bright yellow post it notes, stating that they were to be donated as well. Unless Goodwill decided to send a truck to pick them up, Matt would haul them out of the way when they moved their own things in and deliver them himself.

They still had most of the basement and the attic to go through, as well as the garage, which they hadn't even opened, leaving the hearse parked in front of it instead, but none of that was anything to hurry about. He stood for a moment, looking down at the toys scattered here and there, then quickly picked them up and tossed them towards the toy box, listening to the sounds of Destin and Saffron upstairs.

Saffron let Destin play in the bath and make an 'effort' at washing up while Saffron went through the things on the counter, in the shelves, and drawers. "Destin, hun, you're getting water on the floor." Saffron told him as he watched him from the corner of his eye. It suddenly hit him how fast this had all fallen together. It hadn't been but four days and yet it seemed this was how it'd always been. Even between him and Matt. Saffron realized, despite the circumstances, he was actually happy for once.

He grabbed a shoe box from the bedroom and boxed up the things from the bathroom counter and drawers that could go and glanced at Destin who was drawing on the wall with soaps that were shaped like crayons and designed to do just that. "Destin, you're supposed to be washing up."

"I did!" Destin replied.

Saffron snorted softly, before going over to the tub and kneeling, grabbing Destin's shampoo. "Cover your eyes kiddo." Saffron told him. Destin dropped the soap and covered his face with his hands and Saffron wet his hair then quickly washed it. That done, Destin pulled the water in the tub now that he was all clean and Saffron grabbed a towel as Destin climbed out of the tub. Saffron wrapped him up, grabbing a second towel and rubbed it over Destin's hair, making him giggle.

Saffron and Destin left the bathroom after Saffron got him dressed. Hitting the hall, Saffron heard the yelling outside and frowned. "Destin, go on into your room, hun." Saffron told him, nudging him into the room and going to the stairs.


~~


Matt stepped out onto the front porch to finish his coffee and watch the rain which still fell. It had cleared up briefly in the early afternoon, giving them enough time to get the boxes out of the house without getting soaked, but the clouds had moved back in soon after they'd returned home, bringing more rain with them. He hoped tomorrow would be nicer out so Destin could get outside and play a bit before they had to leave for Boston. The poor kid had been couped up in the house all day and would spend way too long in the car for the trip.

He was leaning against the support beam sipping the last of his coffee and considering whether he should go in for another one when he noticed the car traveling down the street rather fast on the wet roads, before suddenly skidding to a halt half way off the road onto the lawn. A second later a furious looking James slammed the driver’s door and stalked towards him through the rain. "You're fucking up my lawn, James... I hope you plan on paying for damages..." Matt said simply.

"Fuck the lawn, do you have any idea what you've done?!" James snarled stomping across the lawn toward the porch. "I just got a call from Italy. Nonna is leaving and coming to the States! What the fucking hell did you do?!" James demanded.

Matt raised an eye brow at that news, standing up straight. "She's what?!" he asked in shock. "No fucking way... I didn't think she traveled... period!" he said, then suddenly felt a lump of worry hit his stomach. If nonna was on her way, that meant she wanted to meet him and his family... which meant she'd see all the death imagery that surrounded them... what was she going to think of all of  it? "Oh fuck..." he muttered softly, then ran a hand back through his hair before glaring at James. "Get your fucking car off my lawn... you can be damned sure I'll tell her whose tires gouged the shit out it when she sees it too...."

"You fucking idiot!" James snapped in a yell. "Do you have any fucking idea what you've done!" He added. "You're ruining every god damned thing! Just like you always did! Fucking half breed freak!"

Matt's hands clenched into fists as he glared, taking a quick step towards James, then suddenly stopped and smirked. "Awww… poor James..." he said snidely, his fists loosening as he realized why James was so pissed. "I hate to break it to you ... but you were never getting your hands on that ring ... Nonna or no nonna." he said simply, his arms crossing over his chest as he moved to lean back against the post again. "And now... I think you can kiss the car and money goodbye too... you greedy little shit."

James' eyes flashed, and he took the step forward. "Don't think for one moment you or that little bitch of yours is going keep me from getting the ring." He snarled. "I'll make sure Nonna knows exactly what you are!"

Saffron headed down stairs and toward the front door, glancing back to see Destin looking around the corner at the top of the stairs. "Destin luv, just go on back into your room." Saffron told him as he reached the door. Destin disappeared again and Saffron turned back to the front door, before pulling it open.

Matt glared darkly at James, not moving from where he was. "And what exactly am I, James?" he asked, his voice dangerously cold sounding. "You're a miserable little shit of a con man, from what I can tell. Trying to steal a ring from a four year old boy." he said, pushing himself away from the post with a foot until he stood glaring down at James. "My wife and I have high paying jobs at a well known company that works with the police on occasion to catch miserable little fucks like you." he growled. "I own my own home as does my wife, and now we own this one as well, plus we now have a son... and more children to come, I'm sure. So tell me James... what exactly am I... aside from being your better? ... And nonna's favorite of the two of us...?"

"I already know what happened at Richard's funeral," James snapped back. "Our cousin Amelia told me. You think it'd be hard to prove to Nonna?" He glanced past Matt as the front door came open. Saffron eyed the scene,

 "Should I call the cops or can you take care of this, Matt?" Saffron asked.

Matt just continued to glare at James, his mind racing. "Yeah... call the cops, babe." he said simply, his gaze never leaving James. "You have no fucking clue what you're talking about, James. Richard's funeral was a fucking nightmare... I spent weeks in a mental hospital afterwards recovering.... of course, being abandoned by my family certainly didn't help, but then... mom always was a fucking nutcase. Makes me wonder just what Amelia told you though. And why you'd fucking believe her... she was, what...? Seven.. eight, at the time? And not even there, that I remember..." He snorted again. "Go on. Tell Nonna whatever fairy tales you want to. She can learn the truth for herself... and then I'll fucking hurt you for trying to cause shit." he growled softly, trying to hide his growing fear behind his usual arrogant bravado. "And if you EVER talk about my wife that way again... you'll regret it every waking moment of your fucking life...."

"Do you really think you stand a fucking chance against me?" James snarled, taking a step forward again. Saffron rolled his eyes, but leaned back in grabbing the hall phone off the table by the living room, and calling the sheriffs dispatch. James caught sight of that and snarled, but turned, heading back for his car.

"Try me, cous..." Matt said simply, not bothering to raise his voice. "You ever hurt my family or fuck with us in any way... and I'll show you just how much of a fucking chance YOU stand against ME." he said. He was aware of the neighbor who'd dragged him out of the rain for tea standing on her porch, phone in hand watching the confrontation nervously, and Matt wondered if she'd already called the cops for them... if so, he wondered how Nonna would take having to bail her great grandson out of jail as soon as she arrived in town.

"What ever." James snapped as he reached his car, yanking the door open and proceeded to flip off Matt and the neighbor on the porch, before getting in his car and backing off the lawn. He hit the street and reached the street sign, just about the same time the police cruiser came around the corner.

Saffron had just hung up the phone, when he stumbled slightly as Destin slammed into his legs. "Destin, you were supposed to stay up stairs." Saffron said softly, picking the boy up.

Matt watched the car then turned, kissing Saffron gently before rustling Destin's hair. "I'm going to go chat with the cops a minute... I'll be right back." he said softly before pulling on his still damp running shoes and heading down to meet the cop who was already half way to the steps. They spoke softly a moment as Matt explained about James tearing up the lawn and basically threatening him, the cop taking notes as he did. He assured Matt they'd speak to James,  then headed over to the neighbor to speak with her as well. Matt glared at the torn muddy tire tracks on the edge of the lawn by the sidewalk and snorted before heading back up to Saff and Destin. His calm exterior and bravado was on the verge of breaking completely as he ushered them back inside and the news of his nonna's impending arrival truly hit.

Saffron closed the front door, locking it out of habit anyway, before turning to look at Matt. "Are you okay?" Saffron asked him softly as Destin leaned against him, clutching Bob.

Matt just shook his head and leaned back against the door, feeling defeated. "No... fuck no..." he said softly. "She's coming HERE, baby..." he said, running both hands back through his hair. "She'll see my car, and all the zombie shit... and my tattoos!!" he said with a groan. "Fuck... and we have to be in Boston for the burial!" he said then suddenly looked at him. "I can't go with you... take the car and go with Des... I'll... figure out what the hell to do..." he said then suddenly just slid down the door and landed on his ass on the floor. "Damn.." he said softly. "Why am I both fucking terrified... and looking forward to it at the same time? I could go with you...  She never told me she was coming so she won’t actually be expecting me to be here...."

Saffron blinked, before shaking his head, "Matt...I think we could take care of all the zombie shit and the hearse...you don't have to worry about it so much." Saffron said softly. He set Destin on the floor, and Destin headed straight to Matt.

Matt snorted softly as he drew his knees up and let his head lean back against the door, then dropped one knee to catch Destin and pull him into his arms. "Yeah ... yeah I know... I'm just... I love this woman, Saff. She was the only bright point in my family that I remember aside from my cousin Richard. She was fierce and loving and... and you did NOT fuck with her or no matter how big you were, she would hand you your ass..." he added with a soft smirk. “I never let myself think about her before because I knew how much it would hurt to miss her. It was better to think she'd disowned me and then put her out of my mind with the rest of them... And now she's coming here..." he said, hugging Destin tightly before looking up at Saff with a soft smile. "One phone call from me, letting her know I was alive... and she's on her way here. The woman has got to be in her nineties and from what I remember hasn't gone farther then the closest village in decades..." he said then chuckled softly. "But she's getting on a fucking plane and crossing the ocean... to see me..."

"Then don't think about the over abundance of zombie stuff in the house; we can store it all the in the attic. And wear long sleeves if you're that worried." Saffron said with a slight smirk. "It'll be fine, Matt..." He said softly, more serious. "Come on Destin, it's time for you to get into bed." He added.

Matt didn't loosen his hold on Destin. Instead he pried his shoes off again and managed to struggle to his feet, still holding the boy. "No... forget the zombies. This is me. I won't hide from her... I just.... I don’t want her to be disappointed in me, baby... I don’t want to see her look at me when she finds out what I am..." he added softly, then kissed Destin's hair and set him on his feet. "Go on up, Des...I'll tuck you in a second, okay?"

Destin hesitated before heading upstairs after hugging Saffron's legs. Saffron watched him go, before turning back to Matt. "Maybe it won’t be like that at all Matt..." He replied softly, touching Matt's cheek.

"I can't lie to her, Saff." he said softly. "I never could... no one could. Whether she just intimidated the shit out of you or used a spell... she always knew when you told a lie. The best I can hope for is that answering as truthfully yet vaguely as I can, will be enough..." he said, pulling Saffron into his arms. "But we still have to go to Boston tomorrow. She'll have James to deal with when she first gets here anyhow, which shouldn't be until the afternoon, most likely. And that's assuming she has her passport in order and can get on the plane at all..."

Saffron snorted softly, leaning against him. "I get the feeling she probably won’t have any trouble at all getting on the plane. If you want to stay here and wait for her, Matt, I think I can handle a shadow portal to Boston. And I can always get a ride back." Saffron added softly.

Matt snorted softly. "No. I'll go with you. We planned this already... and we have to give everyone a chance to see us and bitch and oogle, or they'll come HERE to do that." he added with a soft smirk. "Plus you have to get your car and some of your things... unless you want to trust Red to pack your shit up and drive it out here the next time he needs to escape your father..?"

Saffron snorted softly, "No, that would bring Nate with him and I wouldn't want to torture you." He replied with a slight smirk, before kissing Matt. "Go on and tuck Destin in, or he's likely to be peaking around the corner in a moment.' He added.

Matt smirked softly and pulled Saffron closer and kissed him back, dragging it out until he heard a soft giggle from the top of the stairs. "Mommy and daddy time when I get him tucked in, right?" he said softly, letting his fingers trail down Saffron's back. "You can take my mind off all my worries..." he added in a husky whisper.

"Oh I think I can take care of that..." Saffron said softly with a slight smirk, before slipping out of Matt's arms, to start shutting off the lights down stairs for now. Destin had pulled back from the top of the stairs and they heard him running back into his room.

Matt watched Saffron a moment before heading up stairs, the icy cold panic he'd felt moments ago already fading thanks to his family. Smiling softly he headed into Destin's room to find him sitting up in the middle of his bed hugging Bob, the blankets bunched around him. "Hey kiddo." he said softly. "Sorry I kind of freaked out downstairs... I didn't mean to scare you or anything."

Destin shook his head. "Didn't scare me.” He said simply, before flopping back down in bed, still hugging Bob.

Saffron made sure the backdoor was locked as well, as the front and the door to the garage, and turned off the kitchen lights after throwing the clothes in the dryer, before heading upstairs.

Matt smirked softly as he bent down to tug the blankets up around Destin, then sat on the edge of the bed beside him, one hand brushing his hair away from his face tenderly. "Really? I think if I saw my dad that scared and upset... it would scare me a bit... But then... I never had a dad." he said. "Maybe you're just stronger then me..." he added with a soft smirk.

Destin scrunched up his face a moment, then shook his head. "Nope, didn't scare me." He replied with a grin. Saffron snorted softly from the door way and Destin giggled.

Matt smiled softly and leaned down to kiss the boy’s forehead lightly. "Good. Then you won't have any scary dreams, will you?" he asked simply and tucked him in a bit more. "We're going to go meet your aunt and uncles... and apparently, your cousin, as well... Plus your grandma and grandpa and a shit load of other people. Then when we come home... you get to meet my grandmother. Well... my great grandmother, which means she's your great great grandmother... we just call her nonna, which is Italian for grandmother.. it's easier." he added with a soft smirk.

"That's a lot of people." Destin stated with a yawn.

Saffron came over, making sure the nightlight was plugged in, before leaning over and kissing Destin. "Yus, it is, but you'll be with us." He said softly and Destin nodded.

"Yeah. I'd offer to scare them away for you if they bug you, but... I may need to hide behind you where your grandparents are concerned.... they don’t like me too much. Especially your grandad... but you, I bet you'll have him eating out of your hand in no time." Matt said softly. "And we won't stay long... just long enough for them to see you and say hi, then we have to hurry back here to meet nonna." Matt said then grinned. "Gods bless her little heart for that escape,,,"

Saffron snorted softly with a slight smirk. "Good night, Destin." He told the boy.

"Night night mumma." Destin replied.

Saffron blinked, but just smiled. "Everything's turned off and locked up down stairs. I'll be in the bedroom." Saffron told Matt.

Matt nodded, smiling softly as he watched Saffron go then turned back to Destin. "We'll be fine tomorrow." he told the boy softly. "You watch my back and I'll watch yours and we'll both watch your mom's, okay?" he asked and Destin nodded. He leaned down to brush his lips over Destin's hair. "Good night, son... sweet dreams." he whispered.

Destin yawned again but hugged Matt before settling down under the blankets again, and snuggled Bob, closing his eyes, and was already falling asleep.


~~