"Nolan."
Nolan nearly flinched at Lucian’s voice behind him. He had been about to slip away and give the family so ti alone, but stopped at the side door at the sound of his na.
He turned, catching Lucian walking toward him. "Ye — yes, Master?"
Lucian smiled quietly at the old man, who seed to have aged a full year overnight.
"You probably already know this, but..." he said gently. "I’m not dying. And thank you — for everything."
Silence settled between them as Nolan’s eyes went wide. It wasn’t as though Lucian had never thanked him before, and it wasn’t as though Raka hadn’t already told him he would look into what Lucian actually had.
But hearing it directly from Lucian — the stubborn heaviness in his chest, the tightness he hadn’t been able to shake, lifted.
Lucian gave him a small nod, dipping his head slightly. Then, without another word, he turned and went to join his wife and son in the living area.
"Primo, wow — you’re very smart, kid," Ashley’s voice carried through the room. "You ordered everything we ate tonight out of your own savings?!"
[I save up a lot.]
"Wow... this little guy is rich!" She gasped and turned to Lucian. "Lu, did you hear him?"
Lucian humd. "He learned financial literacy early."
"What?!"
"It’s important."
"Wow..."
[Mama, don’t you have savings?]
"..." Ashley opened her mouth, then closed it. Beside her, both her husband and son carefully bit their tongues.
Lucian glanced at Primo, his eyes conveying plainly that he had asked the wrong question. Primo looked back at him and shrugged.
[If Mama needs money, I’ll lend you mine.]
Primo smiled, eyes crinkling, before adding:
[Low interest only. Special rate for Mama.]
Lucian looked up and quietly weighed his son’s very generous trap. Deciding it was not a bad strategy for keeping Ashley around indefinitely, he nodded and smiled at her.
Ashley narrowed her eyes at the two of them. "Why do I feel like I’m being set up?"
The family settled into their usual evening rhythm — idling in the living area after dinner, television on in the background. But instead of watching, Primo and Lucian were already at it again, quietly conspiring about how to ensure Ashley would never leave them.
From his spot near the side door, Nolan watched them. His eyes softened, stinging just slightly.
Seeing the three of them like this moved sothing in him that few things could.
Not long ago, when people had been infiltrating the neighborhood, his heart had felt ready to give out. Then he had learned Lucian was dying. His entire world had seed to crumble — and above everything else, he had felt powerless. Unable to do anything more to protect Ashley or Primo. Unable to stop the situation from unraveling.
"I suppose," he whispered, "the normal we’ve been praying for has always been right here."
And asking for more than this was perhaps too much to hope for.
At the end of the day, Lucian and Ashley’s lives were bound to Dominion — and so were the lives of everyone around them. The only person they could still protect from it, the only one they could give the chance to walk away from all of it, was Primo.
Nolan’s gaze settled on the little boy, who was laughing while Ashley made a fool of herself.
"I think the Madam and the Master have already realized that," he murmured, turning away with a wry smile. "And made their peace with it."
With that, Nolan quietly slipped out through the side door, leaving the family to themselves. At this point, every mont of normalcy they had mattered — because none of them knew how long it would last.
That much, at least, everyone could give them.
*****
Hours later, Ashley lay smiling as she studied Primo’s sleeping face.
The family had decided to sleep in the living room together that night — their bed simply wasn’t big enough for three. The only condition Lucian had made when they moved in was that he pick the bed himself.
"We should get a bigger one," she said, turning to Lucian. "Why did you choose such a small bed in the first place?"
So they’d have to sleep closer together?
Lucian shrugged. "I’ll order a new one."
"Hmm." She let it go, assuming he was just particular about the mattress — which, given that he used to struggle so much with sleep, she understood. She could sleep on the floor without complaint; she’d done it enough tis before.
"Did Primo grow up a little overnight?" she wondered, shifting her gaze back to him. "I already know he’s smart, but he still manages to amaze ."
Lucian smiled with quiet pride, eyes on Primo. "The feeling is mutual."
"Hehe," Ashley turned to look at Lucian before lying flat on her back.
As usual, she was sandwiched between Primo and Lucian. She stared up at the ceiling, the corners of her lips curling on their own.
"Tomorrow, you’ll do the test, right?" She asked, turning her head toward him.
Lucian was also on his back, eyes on the ceiling. He answered with a soft hum.
"I’m a little nervous," she admitted.
Lucian turned his head to look at her quietly.
"I have high hopes," she continued softly. "I hope what you have is sothing treatable — and that Raka’s miracle pills really are miraculous, so they can treat it even if nothing else can." She paused. "But at the sa ti, there’s this feeling I can’t shake."
A shallow exhale. "Every ti I feel too happy — or just content with how things are — sothing cos along and hits with horrible news."
"I pray that’s not the case this ti." She turned her head to et his gaze, smiling faintly. "Really. Just this once... I hope my prayers were heard."
Lucian rolled onto his side to face her. "I hope so too."
Even so — even with the quiet certainty growing in him that what he had was not what the first diagnosis said, nor the second opinion, nor the third — he also knew that neither of them would truly exhale until the tests ca back and Raka confird it.
A mont of stillness passed between them.
"Lucian," ca her soft voice. She held his gaze. "Regardless of what the results say." She took his hand, looked him in the eye, and smiled. "I’ll be with you. Okay?"
His eyes softened. His fingertips brushed her cheek, and he leaned in to press a gentle kiss to her nose.
"I know," he said, drawing back. "Regardless, I’ll fight."
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