Tuesday morning I decide to get back into my routine. Having made my list for the day, I start off with a jog before heading off to workout. Today it's weight work, and I'm relieved to be able to get back to lifting. Throughout promo these last two weeks, I've neglected my weightlifting so it takes a little while for me to work back up to what I had been used to.

I grab a coffee afterwards, and I'm sure some damn pap snapped photos of me in my beanie and workout clothes. But that's my life.

Once I'm home, showered and changed, I look over my list. Turns out it's not even ten in the morning, and I've done everything on the list. Planting my chin in my hands, I look around the room. Think, Harry. Think. What else do I need to be doing?

Is it bad that the first thing that pops into my mind is Minnie? I could definitely be doing Minnie. After we'd made love yesterday, we'd showered together and watched a movie. After dinner, though, I figured it would be weird if I just stayed there forever as though I had moved in. Daisy cried when I got in the lift to go downstairs. Perhaps Minnie did, too, but she was busy shushing Daisy and burying her face in the dog's fur so I can't be sure.

Making my way to the music room, I sit at the piano and start trying to compose some of the new thoughts from my journal.

===========

The rush of disappointment that flows through Xavier when he wakes up in the morning is new to him. Yesterday's "family day" had been lovely, as they had made pink "pop-porn" and enjoyed the movie.

First they'd popped some popcorn in X's air popper. Then on the stove, Meg had mixed together some sugar, milk, corn syrup and salt. It looked disgusting, and there was so much sugar in it, but this was what the kid wanted, so Xavier didn't argue. It couldn't get worse, but then Meg added in vanilla and red food coloring and poured the goopy mess all over the popcorn, drying it on some waxed paper.

Xavier had not been excited by the prospect of tasting the stuff, but then during the movie, Titus had climbed into his lap, stuffing a piece of popcorn into his mouth. Prepared to hate it, Xavier was quite surprised to find that it was tasty. Picking up the bowl, he'd held both the bowl and Titus in his lap while they watched the movie, munching away on "pink pop-porn".

Meg's eyes could not seem to focus on the large screen in Xavier's entertainment room. Instead, they kept shifting to where her son and her -- boss? boyfriend? friend? -- were treasuring each other. She felt envy rear up, but she wasn't sure if she was jealous of Titus for getting to snuggle with Xavier or Xavier for stealing all of the Titus love.

After a dinner of homemade mac and cheese (which is about the time that Xavier recognized he'd better start working out regularly with Harry if he was going to be eating like this all the time), Titus had gotten cranky.

And although Xavier was prepared to get frustrated by the childish whining, he found that instead, he was patient with the boy. After all, he'd been the same, not wanting to go to sleep for fear he would miss something. Suddenly, Xavier had an idea. Picking up Titus and handing him to his mother, Xavier pulled over a chair and started to tell Titus a story. The boy's eyes opened wide, and he got sleepy the more he heard. Xavier pulled upon all of his acting skills, using a variety of voices and facial expressions to convey the full array of emotions. There were a few times when the child would start to wake up slightly, but then he would doze again, his head lolling against Meg's chest, so finally Xavier said, "THE. END."

Titus barely woke as Xavier took him from his mom, carrying the child out to her car and buckling him into his car seat. As the final buckle was being tightened (and Xavier was feeling quite proud of himself for not needing assistance in putting the child in the seat), Titus sleepily opened his eyes. He reached out and patted Xavier's cheek and slurred, "I lob you."

Embarrassed, Xavier backed out of the car to face Meg who looked pretty exhausted herself. Awkwardly they stood facing each other, the driver's car door open until finally Xavier leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. "Thank you for family day," he whispered.

Because Meg's vocal cords were suddenly taxed and frozen, she was unable to speak. If she could have, she would have replied with something brilliant like "every day could be family day" or "thank you for being part of our family", but alas, she was incapable of producing any sounds at all, so she simply nodded and climbed behind the wheel.

But now it's morning, and he's all alone. The day stretches before him endlessly, and he cannot imagine what he used to do before Meg and Titus were part of his life. Probably started drinking as soon as he woke up without stopping until he fell asleep that night.

Now, though, he feels lost. Dragging himself out of bed, he showers and gets dressed, throwing the duvet over his bed (which is as close as it's ever come to being "made"). But now what? How is he to fill his time?

Wandering the house, he tidies the place, but really he hasn't been home much since Meg cleaned it previously. Sitting on the couch after folding the blanket he'd used as an afghan for Meg last night, he ponders what to do next.

=========

Daisy cannot wait to get outside. She's jumping up and down on Minnie's leg, noticing the leash. Her human needs to hurry up. Not that she has to wee. They'd already been outside this morning for that. But simply because Daisy has a desire for fresh air. She's desperate to see the sky and smell unique smells.

Minnie is dressed and ready to go out when her phone rings. Dammit. Not Charles again. But no. This time it's Jeff. Sliding the phone between her ear and her shoulder, she answers while clipping on Daisy's leash. Perhaps today she needs to find a vet?

"Minnie!" Jeff's quiet voice comes through. "I wanted to thank you again for coming to the rescue with this Xavier situation. As usual, you've handled the client perfectly. I'll be passing your bills on to him so he can pay. Any reason to suspect he will balk?"

"Nope," Minnie mutters as she adds some dog treats to her pockets. "But let me tell him first okay? I don't want the bills to just show up out of the blue." Climbing on the elevator, she shifts so she's holding the phone with one hand while pressing the button for the lobby. She'd already informed the front desk that she is on her way down so her car will be waiting.

"That makes sense. Let me know when you've told him."

"Sure, Jeff. And, uh, Jeff? We're even now, right?"

The manager chuckles, "Minnie, you never truly owed me for that situation all those years ago. I knew you were going to be successful, and I was happy to recommend you."

Minnie adjusts her purse as they arrive on the first floor, Daisy preceding her out of the box and parading as though she owns the place. "Well, you may have had faith, but I was terrified. And I will forever be grateful. BUT I'm going to call us even now."

The smile in her voice carries across the phone, and Jeff laughs along -- until he quiets and becomes rather serious.

"Don't take this the wrong way, Minnie, cause I love you like a sister....." Minnie urges Daisy to get into the backseat, but the dog refuses until the front door is opened. She knows her place in this vehicle, and it's as co-pilot to her owner.

Minnie is distracted when he finishes his sentence the first time, so she has to ask him to repeat it. "One more time, Jeff. I wasn't listening."

He sighs, as though it's a burden for him to say it again. "I said that if you break his heart, you'll owe me a shitload more than one client will be able to pay back."

Her heart drops into her stomach, which is weird because it's also pounding so fast she can't breathe. How should she answer? How did Jeff even know about this? They had been discreet, hadn't they? But then she recalls Meg's comment, and she knows that people who were paying attention most likely will have noticed.

"Jeff," she begins, "I...."

"You don't need to say anything, Minnie. I just....she did a number on him, and if he trusts you and you hurt him....I don't know if I can put him back together again," Jeff reveals with a raw honesty that inflicts pain on her heart.

Pinching the bridge of her nose as she stares at the steering wheel in front of her, Minnie takes a deep breath. She's shaken. Because she knows she's in deep. "You've known me for more than a decade, Jeffrey. Do you honestly think I would ever willingly damage another human soul?"

There's silence on the other end of the line, and Minnie wonders if Jeff needs that much time to think about her question. If so, she's really in trouble. Finally, he reluctantly answers, "No. Of course not, Minnie. I'm just a bit.....protective of him. You know?"

The conversation doesn't continue much longer. Driving off towards the park, Minnie replays the conversation in her head. "Daisy, when did I become this person?"

Sitting in her front passenger seat (which is probably dangerous, Minnie thinks. She's not even wearing a seatbelt. Did they make car seats for dogs?), Daisy tilts her snout sideways as if to say "Don't know what you're talking about."

"I used to be fine on my own. And I'm not talking about years ago. I'm saying that just two months ago I was fine on my own, Daisy. Other than my weekly walks with you, I could go an entire weekend without seeing another living soul save the brunch delivery guy from Le Pain Quotidien. And now," she pauses as she merges onto the 405. "Now I am actually a threat to Harry."

The dog huffs and shakes her head, clearly communicating that there's more to this. Her human talks a lot when they are alone sometimes, and it confuses Daisy because she doesn't know what to do about it. When her owner is with others, it appears to Daisy that her person is happier, especially when with that tall one that talks funny and plays with Daisy. But now, she can hear the sadness in her owner's voice, and she wants to lick her face until she giggles.

"Okay, fine. He's capable of hurting me too. But I don't know what's next. Am I ready to allow someone else so completely into my life?" Minnie asks, exiting the freeway towards the park.

Daisy barks, looking out of the window. She recognizes this area, and her tail starts wagging.

Laughing, Minnie reaches out to ruffle Daisy's fur. "You're right, girl. I let you into my life. So maybe I'm ready to let Harry fully in too."

===========

Meg is listlessly cleaning the kitchen counter, wiping a circle over and over as she thinks about how amazing Xavier had been last night with Titus. Wishing she had an excuse to call him, Meg gets distracted from her thoughts when Titus comes running in, towing a stuffed dog behind him.

"Want like Daisy," he demands, holding up his stuffed dog.

Confused, Meg asks, "What do you mean?"

"Tree legs," he demands, and Meg bites back a bit of a smile. Her child wants to maim his stuffed animal to make it look like Minnie's dog.

Bending down to eye level, she wraps her arms around her son's waist, holding him lightly. "Look, Titus. I know you want your dog to be like Daisy. But your dog is very blessed to have four legs, and Daisy is sad she only has three."

"Daisy not sad. She happy," he pronounces, and Meg has to agree that the dog she'd seen seems to be quite content with her owner despite only having 'tree' legs.

How to respond? "You're right. She's not sad. But I suspect she would want to have four legs if she could."

But her three-year-old is undeterred, holding out his stuffed animal again. "Make like Daisy, Mama!"

Sighing, she takes the dog from his arms, wondering how she can bring herself to amputate a perfectly good leg from a stuffed animal. Just as the realization hits her that the stuffed dog won't mind missing a leg, the phone rings, indicating someone wants to visit. Dammit. Probably her parents, checking to make sure her apartment is clean and that Titus is being properly cared for. What would they say if they knew she was contemplating severing a limb from the Jellycat animal they'd given her child at Christmas?

Without checking, she presses the button to release the door. Examining the seam on the dog, and thinking back to Daisy's leg, she plans how to properly mutilate the toy.

When the knock on the door comes, Meg is in the single bedroom at her sewing machine, having finally decided to sew first and then cut off the excess. Who would have thought she would ever be trying to figure something like this out? She doesn't know whether to laugh or cry as she cuts off the stuffed dog's front leg. It's only when she hears Titus scream "ZAVER!" that her stomach fills with butterflies doing cartwheels.

Rushing towards the living room while straightening her shirt (just as she realizes she didn't put on a bra this morning), Meg slows down and reminds herself to breathe. Running a hand through her hair, she seeks to calm herself before arriving.

The screaming giggles coming from her child make her smile, and she steps through the doorway to find X tickling her kid while holding him upside down. Xavier's eyes fasten immediately on Meg's boobs when she walks out of the bedroom. Her pointy nips make his mouth water, and he cautiously sets down Titus who wraps himself around Xavier's leg.

"Hi, Meg," Xavier speaks, terrified she will kick him out for showing up uninvited.

"Hi," she nervously replies, twisting the fabric at the hem of her t-shirt. She's still holding the dog, and Titus breaks free from X to reach out for the toy.

"Yay! Like Daisy!" he screeches, heading over to where he had been having a tea party with his other stuffed animals.

Xavier's eyes haven't left Meg's face, and he swallows now, anxious, barely noticing that the child has released his leg. "Um....I wondered if maybe....you know.....you and Titus wanted to go somewhere with me today."

When Meg hesitates, he plows ahead, "It's not a big deal if you don't want to. I just kind of already....um...rented the place, but I can call some friends and they can go play. But I thought maybe....but if you can't.....I mean, maybe some of the crew members with kids would want to....um....you know.....yeah...."

"You're not making any sense," Meg tells him. "Slow down."

"Oh. Okay. Um. I rented out Sky Zone. It's a trampoline park, and I thought maybe you and Titus would want to go. Um. With me." He nervously crosses and uncrosses his arms, looking entirely uncomfortable.

"You rented it out? Xavier! How much did that cost you?" Meg is stunned. What an incredible gesture.

He shuffles his feet, "Not much in the big picture. I guess I should have asked you first, but I wasn't sure they would be able to do it later."

Stepping forward, Meg wraps her arms around Xavier, and for the first time since she'd walked in the room, they both relax into each other. His hands rub over her back and twist into her hair. She steps as closely as she can, and he slides his leg between hers. They each tighten their hugs and relax more deeply. This feels good. Right. Natural.

Suddenly, they both feel Titus' cold and sticky hands on their legs as he wraps one arm around each of them, squeezing tightly too. Meg and Xavier look down at the same time and laugh.

"Ask him," Meg prompts.

Xavier takes a knee, putting himself eye to eye with the child before asking, "Titus -- would you like to go jump on the trampolines?"

"Trampoweens? Boing! Boing! Boing!" he hollers as he starts jumping around the room on both feet, yelling "Boing!" with every hop.

"I think that means yes," Meg responds, laughing. "I'll get dressed. Give me a minute."

As she turns away, Xavier follows her into the bedroom, surprise etching over his face at the only bed in the room being Titus'.

"Where do you sleep?" he sincerely is confused.

"On the couch, of course. I felt like he needed his own room," Meg answers, reaching into her side of the closet for a new shirt and pulling a bra from the top dresser drawer.

Clearly unsure what to make of this event, Xavier shakes off his disequilibrium, instead encircling Meg's face with his hands, teasing her ear lobes with his fingers as he draws closer to her. When their lips meet, she lets out a rush of air at the softness of his kiss. This is the Xavier she always knew was hiding underneath the tough exterior. Allowing him entry into her mouth, Meg welcomes his tongue, drawing it further inside, feeling her insides warm up. He steps closer to her, but the instant his hardened cock comes into contact with her, he backs up again, gentling and releasing the kiss.

She rests her nose against his, and he tilts her head down to press a light kiss there.

"Get dressed," he whispers, "I'll wait out here with Titus."

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