"What the hell are you doing here?" asked Fraser, his brother and brother-in-law sitting casually and quite unexpectedly at the dining table eating their breakfast.

"Oh, didn't Caleb tell you?" asked Tristan, spreading some jam on his toast, "We came back last night."

"It must have slipped my mind" said Caleb.

Fraser had left Farang in bed on his exceptionally rare day off, and taken an over-priced taxi just to come over and feed the cats first thing in the morning. The couples' return slipping Caleb's mind just didn't cut it.

"It's not like I'm staying next door!" he said, "A text would have been appreciated, you know!"

"Where have you been staying?" asked Tristan.

Fraser's annoyance was quickly replaced by guilty silence.

"With a friend, right?" said Caleb, "Baby, I'll make Fraser a coffee, do you want anything?"

Tristan smiled and shook his head, a light kiss dropped on his hair as his husband headed to the kitchen.

"Things seem good between you..." noted Fraser, "I take it your trip went well, so why are you back so early? Don't tell me you were missing the kitties that much? I came to see them last night and all they did was sleep."

"There was a problem with the place we were staying" Tristan explained.

"We found a rat" said Caleb, handing his brother a cup of coffee.

"Well no wonder you came back then! Have you decided what to do with the rest of the day? Am I relieved of of my babysitting duties?"

"We're going out soon to find a ring, then Tristan's friends are coming over later" Caleb informed him.

"It's a public holiday" said Fraser, "the stores are all shut." 

"I'll find one that's willing to open" Caleb replied, "I've promised Tristan a ring."

"You're welcome to join us after lunch" said Tristan, "My friends are very nice... you can even bring yours along."

"Ah" said Caleb, "That might be an issue. Your brother-in-law is still playing homeless; if he brings his 'friend' he'll realize he has a place to stay after all."

Fraser hadn't expected to be outed so easily. Especially since Caleb didn't have a leg to stand on when it came to keeping his share of secrets.

"Caleb... are you sure you want to be throwing around such careless accusations?" Fraser asked him pointedly.

"I can't hide anything from my husband" he said proudly, "It's better to just be honest with him."

Fraser was dumbfounded. Of all people...

"Is he someone you like?" asked Tristan, "The one you were looking for a while ago?"

Fraser threw up his hands and took a seat at the table.

"My knight" he told him candidly, "He's been letting me stay at his place since the fire... I may not have told him that our apartment wasn't affected... do you think I'm a terrible person?"

Tristan shook his head.

"He's a wonderful provider to his daughter, always caring, protective... he makes me feel safe. And Tristan, he's so strong! He throws me around like-"

"Brother" said Caleb, "We get that you like him."

"But do you have to stay with him in order to date him?" asked Tristan, "Can't you still see each other if you move back in here?"

"He's very busy" Fraser explained, "and I'm not so sure he's looking to date anyone with all the responsibilities he has to take care of. Plus, we don't exactly speak the same language, so communication isn't our strong suit. Look, I know it isn't ideal, and maybe I'm just being selfish, but I want to be with him. Even if I had to find an excuse for him to let me stay and help out."

Tristan considered Fraser's words very carefully.

"What if you lost your job, too?" he suggested, "Then you really wouldn't have anywhere else to go. Since he prides himself on taking care of his family, wouldn't he revel in having to save you from total ruin?"

Fraser looked at him aghast. 

"Little brother" he said, "you've created a monster."

"I thought maybe a love rival" Caleb chimed in, "Someone to stoke his competitive side. I'm not sure how else we can make my big brother seem attractive."

Tristan lightly hit his husband's arm in protest of his insult, while Fraser stared at them in silent confusion. His sweet and timid brother-in-law seemed like a different man.

"Caleb, can I talk to you on the terrace?" asked Fraser.

Caleb looked to his husband. "No need" he said, "There's nothing you can't say in front of Tristan."

"Oh? And what if I want to talk to you about business?"

Caleb regarded him skeptically. Fraser would rarely run anything by him about Caffray; it was usually Bruce that would seek his final approval on whatever Fraser proposed.

"What business?" he asked him.

Fraser was trying his hardest to be subtle, but Caleb wasn't making it easy.

"Business!" he said, "Or maybe you forgot..? The account you opened very suddenly without asking anyone. The one that I was surprised to find on the day I arrived in Modesh..."

Tristan burst out laughing.

"I think he wants to ask you if I've remembered anything, Husband" he said.

"Ah..." said Caleb as realization dawned, "You don't need to worry. He knows everything already."

Fraser was shocked, horrified, and deeply apologetic for having played his part in keeping it from him.

"You... remember?!" he asked, "Then, you know?!" He looked to his surprisingly relaxed brother for assurance. "You know, that Caleb... that, he isn't really... your husband?"

Tristan cocked his head to the side.

"Well, he might not have been my husband before, but now he is" he said matter-of-factly, before taking a bite of his toast.

"And you're okay with that?!" asked Fraser, his incredulity at an all-time high. Who could react so calmly to finding out they'd been kidnapped by a lunatic claiming to be their spouse?

"We discussed it in the car on the way home" said Tristan, "No more lies between us from here on out."

Caleb nodded and filled a glass of orange juice before passing it his husband. The couple were acting far more normally than the origins of their bizarre marriage would suggest. It was too early for alcohol, and yet Fraser had never before felt such an urge for a stiff drink. You're made for each other, he thought, you're both insane.

"I'd suggest a similar approach with your knight" said Tristan, "But maybe you'd better get him on the hook first."

Fraser felt it was best not to stay too long, in case their madness was contagious.

"You don't need my help today, right?" he said, "What time are you leaving? The least you can do is drop me at Farang's on your way to harass whichever jeweler you've chosen to buy a ring from."

"Baby?" consulted Caleb.

Tristan took a sip of his orange juice. "Ten more minutes" he said, "It should give you time to track down the home number of that goldsmith by the national museum."

His brother-in-law having settled their plans, the three set off together a little after nine. Tristan selected their soundtrack and rolled down his window, humming along as Caleb drove them to Farang's neighborhood.

On the car ride back from the north the night before, Caleb's knuckles had turned white as he'd gripped the wheel. Terrified by Tristan's revelation... that he'd remembered everything. His husband was sitting in the passenger's seat, a little tired, but none too different than he'd been the day before. He was starting to wonder if he'd heard him right.

"Baby..." he'd said, "Did you mean what you told Michael..?"

"Every word" came his husband's reply, "Tibur deserves someone who'll appreciate him and his lovely... loveliness." 

"About remembering... Tristan, do you remember the accident..? And what came before..?"

Tristan watched his own reflection in the window.

"I remember the truth" he said, "I just like your version better. It's the one I've chosen for myself."

"And, will you stay?" asked Caleb, "Even though you know..."

"I promised the stars, didn't I?" Tristan replied, "You told me I was the only man you'll ever love. Did you mean it?"

"Of course!"

"Then why would you think I didn't mean what I said..? You're my husband, Caleb, I am yours. I don't break promises easily... Now hurry up and take us home. I want to see the kittens before I go to bed."

Shaken by the evening's events, Caleb had followed Tristan around the apartment when they got back; scared that he would change his mind. As they slipped into bed, Tristan could sense he was being watched in the darkness.

"Husband" he said, dressed in his bunny pyjamas and wrapping his limbs around Caleb's body like a koala, "Go to sleep... I'm glad we came home in the end. Isn't it better that we're sleeping in our own bed?"

His love slept soundly, the heat of his body thawing the chill up Caleb's spine. By the time they woke up, smiling in one another's arms, the truth was no longer such a frightening thing.

"I don't think I've ever been here before" said Tristan, looking out at the closed but colorful market stalls outside Farang's building.

"Do you want to look around before we leave?" asked Caleb.

"Let's come back when it's open" he said, "When we come and talk some sense into your brother-in-law..."

Fraser slammed the car door as he got out.

"I don't need your help, thank you!" he told them through the window.

"He's embarrassed" said Caleb, "Let's see how far he gets without us."

Tristan leaned over and kissed his husband's lips. Caleb stared back at him in awe, the radiantly happy man at his side was more than he'd dared to dream of. A man deserving of every dream fulfilled. A message pinged on Caleb's phone, the jeweler was standing by for their arrival.

"Shall we find your ring?" he asked Tristan.

Tristan nodded, kissing him again before they pulled away. First a ring, and then he'd see about getting his passport back. He figured it was a fair trade; Caleb's peace of mind for his own. It's not that Tristan was planning to leave Modesh any time soon, but it would be nice to have the option.

When Tibur and Millie arrived in the afternoon, they couldn't help but feel that Tristan was acting strangely. He kept pushing his hair behind his ear, passed them their drinks very awkwardly, and sat at the edge of the couch with his hands clasped prominently on his knee.

"What's he doing..?" Millie whispered to Tibur. 

"The ring!" cried Tristan, "Aren't either of you going to mention my ring?"

"Oh!" said Millie, "Didn't you always wear one?" 

"It's beautiful Tristan" said Tibur, the usual sparkle absent from his large, dark eyes. 

Tristan had almost forgotten the events of the night before. He put aside his desire for acknowledgement, and dragged his friends out onto the terrace to play with the cats. The kittens ran to Tristan as soon as they saw him.

"The babies weren't so friendly when they first arrived, but I think they're used to me now" he told them with pride.

It was almost as if someone had been sneaking cat treats into his pockets when he wasn't looking...

Millie wasted no time in grabbing handfuls of floof and gently hugging each one in turn. She almost scolded Tibur for keeping her from them for so long, but his downcast face deterred her from speaking too harshly. Instead she very generously put Goose in his lap, and satisfied herself with only Turkey and Duck for company.

"Do you want a coffee or something to eat, Baby?" asked Caleb, poking his head out and frowning. The mama cat was sunning herself by the pool, and all the babies had been claimed; Tristan was sitting alone watching them.

"We could eat" said Millie, having skipped lunch, "let me give you a hand."

Unphased by Caleb's glower, Millie handed the kittens off to Tristan and went inside to raid their kitchen cabinets.

Tristan reached out and squeezed Tibur's hand. It was clear he was struggling to hold it together.

"Has he tried to contact you at all?" he asked.

Tibur shook his head. He'd expected him to call, to show up outside his house in the middle of the night; but Michael stayed silent. It wasn't like him to just give up. Tibur was scared it was really the end.

"Want me to do something?" offered Tristan.

Tibur shot him a curious look. "Like what..?" he asked.

"Like, beat him up?" Tristan suggested.

The thought of his petite friend throwing a punch at that well-built foreigner was enough to force a reluctant smile from Tibur's lips.

"You don't think I could?" asked Tristan, "I'll have you know, when I lived in Cabi I used to hit the gym all the time. I'm stronger than I look!"

Tibur did a double take.

"More of your memories have come back?!" he asked him, "Did those names from yesterday mean something? Does Caleb know..?"  

"He knows... I remember... but as for those names, they mean nothing to me anymore. Just like how one day, Michael's name will mean nothing to you..."