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Nick and the kids had been gone for less than twenty-four hours and Kevin was already going insane. He was thankful the boys had been there since Saturday. Knowing he had two kids counting on him to keep it together made the time he had to spend apart from the rest of his family easier to manage.

Of course explaining to Mason and Maxwell what was happening, and why it was happening had ended up being harder than he had originally anticipated. He knew the boys were getting used to having the other kids and Nick become part of their world, but he hadn’t anticipated how badly they would take the news of the temporary separation. Mason had ran up the stairs and slammed the bedroom door and Maxwell had promptly burst into tears, much to the shock of Nick and Kevin. Saoirse and Odin were still too young to firmly grasp exactly what was happening, so Nick offered to talk with Mason while Kevin handled Maxwell. It had taken Kevin more than an hour to soothe the crying boy and get him to talk about the way he was feeling. At one point, Kevin almost said to hell with it and started crying alongside him, but Kevin knew that he had to be strong, not just for Nick and Odin, but now for his boys as well.

Later that night all six of them curled up in Nick and Kevin’s bed to watch movies. Kevin had Maxwell settled on his left, while Odin and Mason laid in between him and Nick with Saoirse curled up asleep in Nick’s chest. It was the first time they had tried something like this and Kevin’s heart was so full he was afraid it would break from happiness alone. He had casually cast a glance at Nick and discovered silent tears falling steadily down his golden cheeks. Kevin had felt his heart seize and blindly groped the sheets until he located his lover’s hand.

Wrapping their fingers together, he squeezed tightly hoping to give the man a small bit of comfort in a bed full of their children. Nick turned his head and mouthed I love you before turning his attention back to the movie. Kevin ached all over knowing the pain the other man was in and knowing there was very little he could do to ease any of it. He was struggling in his own mind and knew he had to hold it together until he was alone, everyone else was counting on him and he was determined not to let any of them down.

They all fell asleep, one after the other and by the time they woke up on Sunday morning Kevin’s heart was a little heavier and the urge to breakdown and cry was getting almost too hard to keep at bay.

Nick and Kevin had spent Saturday morning packing their things and after a quick lunch it was time for Nick and the kids to get on the road. Knowing they had an audience of children, they both tried to keep their emotions as under control as they could. They had cried together several nights before then and Kevin continued to assure Nick that everything would work out and they would be an even stronger couple than they were now when this horrible situation was over with.

Kevin and the boys stood on the porch as the rest of their family drove away, Kevin’s shoulders shaking with sobs as soon as Nick’s SUV turned out of the drive. Mason had taken one hand and Maxwell the other and they led him back inside the now too quiet house. They had all collapsed on the couch in the living room where they watched tv while Kevin tried his best to keep it together, but failing miserably.

At one point Kristin had called to check in and after talking to Mason she’d shown up with pizzas and a hug and offered to take the kids home for a couple of days so he could pull himself together. He adamantly refused, but did take her up on staying the night in the guest room so he could have some time to himself.

With Kristin there to watch the kids he had gone back upstairs and fallen into their bed where he could let out all the fear and stress he’d been carrying on his shoulders. He hurt, physically hurt on the inside more than he ever thought possible. It was ridiculous he knew, everything he had told Nick was true. It was only a week at a time. A week they would both be incredibly busy and then they would be back together for a week. But it was the first time they had been apart from each other in more than seven months and their first time apart as a couple. It was scary and uncertain and something Kevin couldn’t control. Not being able to control or fix the situation for anyone drove Kevin crazy. He was used to being in control and in this situation every single part of it was taken out of his hands.

Nick finally called when they made it to the apartment. It was extremely late, almost dawn and Kevin cursed the fact that Nick had to wrangle to small children halfway across the country all by himself. It wasn't fair that any of them had to do this at all.

Nick and Kevin had managed to find a small two bedroom apartment online that was fully furnished and less than twenty minutes from the house Nick and Lauren had shared. The landlord was willing to rent it month by month considering the circumstances and they were hopeful they would only need to sublet it for a short amount of time. Nick and Lauren were still only communicating through their lawyers and Kevin knew Nick was anxious about seeing her face to face and letting the kids go.

Nick had been exhausted from the drive and the kids and were barely hanging on by the time they spoke. He had cried on the phone and Kevin had finally started singing again, enough to quiet the tears to a dull hiccup so Nick could relax and fall asleep. Kevin had fallen asleep shortly after.

The first official day of being apart, Kevin had helped the boys get started with school and then locked himself in the studio. He had tried to push all his emotions to the back of his mind and focus only on his task of recording the song. But after several hours of stops and starts, Kevin gave up. Knowing what it meant to both of them and the words Nick had so delicately threaded together with his gift made it hard for Kevin to work without getting choked up so he quit and instead opted to sit silently in the studio allowing his mind to wonder.

By the time school was done for the day he had managed to push the thoughts away as best as he could and instead focused on the boys and spending one on one time with each of them. He had built Legos with Mason and watched him play video games. Maxwell wanted to play board games and after six rounds of Uno Kevin’s nerves were fried and he set to work making dinner while he debated when he could call Nick. He didn’t want to be overbearing and knew Nick needed time to settle in and come up with a new routine, but he was desperate to tell the other man how much he loved him. He checked the clock again. It was only five which meant it was only three there. He would call after eight and not a minute before. He shook his head and went back to work. It was going to be a hellishly long week.

--

The first time Nick saw Lauren after their separation was in the parking lot of the District Seven police station. He had a court ordered mediator with him for the exchange. The terms of the agreement were Nick would hand the kids over to the mediator, Heather, and she would then give the kids to Lauren. They would switch the next morning when Lauren's time ended and the kids were free to come back to Nick.

He tried not to look at Lauren as he stepped out of the SUV. He unbuckled Odin first, giving him a giant hug and kiss and letting him know how much he and Kevin both loved him. They had all video chatted with Kevin right before Nick left to meet Heather and Odin had talked about him the entire way to the police station. He was also so excited to be in a parking lot with real police cars he didn't even notice how upset Nick got after he allowed Heather to pull Odin away. Once she had a secure grip of Odin's hand he went to the other side of the car and began the process of unbuckling Saoirse and gathering their things. He hugged her tight and dropped kisses all over her cheeks and nose before handing her and the bags to Heather.

"We'll see you tomorrow morning at ten, Mr. Carter." she said softly. She had talked to Nick earlier that morning and had some background information on the situation.

Nick nodded and watched her walk away, taking both his babies away from him and giving them to their mother, a woman who had done nothing but lie, cheat and abuse drugs and alcohol for the better part of the last two years. Nick couldn't let go of the uneasy feeling he had, but knew he was unable to do anything but play but the judge's orders and hope for the best. His eyes fell in his soon to be ex-wife and wondered for the hundredth time how he'd ever gotten in this position. She had lost weight, he could tell that much from the distance he was parked. He wished he had gotten the approval to make her be drug tested, but that was something else the judge had deemed unnecessary. Nick hoped like hell this would all work out and he would never have to deal with this again.

Lauren glared at him from across the parking lot and he watched, holding back tears as she tried to reach for Saoirse and she screamed, looking around frantically until she could see him. He felt like he couldn't breathe, watching his daughter scream for him and knowing there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. She tried to hug Odin next and he stepped away from her and he too turned back and looked at him longingly. He bit his bottom lip to keep his tears away and he gave them both a little wave. Heather moved to the car and started getting them situated.

Nick felt his knees buckle and knew he had to get back inside the car before he collapsed on the pavement. On shaky legs he walked around to the driver's seat, one hand on the side of the SUV while the other gripped the car keys. He hurried and got inside, folding himself over the wheel as the tears began to fall. His shoulders shook with the force of his sobs as he tried hard to catch his breath. He didn't know how long he sat there crying.

By the time he looked up and wiped his face, both Lauren and Heather were gone. He was half surprised an officer hadn't been out to check on him but figured they dealt with things like this all the time and it probably wasn't as unusual as it felt for him. He wiped his face as best as he could and threw the car into reverse as he pulled out and headed back to the parking lot. He needed to talk to Kevin, needed to hear the soothing drawl of his lover's voice, but he knew he needed to be home when he did it.

Twenty minutes later he was pulling into his parking spot. Grabbing his phone, he took the stairs two at a time, the exercise mixed with his emotional distress causing his heart to beat irregularly. He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and downed half of it before throwing himself down on the couch and picking up the phone. He hit the familiar button and waited patiently for Kevin's sweet voice. He sighed with relief the moment he heard the voice come on the line.

"Hey baby." Kevin said softly.

"Hi." Nick breathed out, his whole body relaxing knowing Kevin was on the other side of the phone.

"How are you holding up?" he questioned.

Nick sighed. "As good as I can be without you here with me. Besides leaving you on Sunday, that may be one of the hardest things I've ever done. They were crying Kev, screaming for me and all she could fucking do was stand there and smirk at me. I didn't think I would make it out of the parking lot. "

"I'm so sorry baby. I'm sorry we have to do this, that you have to do this. I'm sorry I couldn't be there with you today to make it easier for you." Kevin said softly, his own voice thick with emotion.

"You're there for me now, I need you now more than I needed you then. And while I would give just about anything to feel your arms wrapped around me right now, we have two other boys that need you right now." Nick said as he stretched his legs out on the couch and allowed himself to get comfortable. The fact that he was virtually childless for the next twenty-four hours was suddenly forefront in his mind. He couldn't remember the last time he hadn't been solely responsible for someone else.
​
"I love that you think that, that you say things like that almost as much as I love you." Kevin said.

"What do you mean?" Nick asked.

"That you talk about the boys as ours, that we're all together. As much as we've talked about it, it still catches me off guard, in the best way possible when I hear you say things like that. Makes me happy, makes me feel complete, baby."

"Good." Nick said softly. "Because that's exactly how you make me feel every day."

"What are you going to do the rest of the day?" Kevin asked, his voice and words soothing away every fear and worry that had gripped Nick since he'd left the drop off.

"You know, I was just realizing I would be completely on my own and the only thing I want to do is sleep. Long hours of sleep without being woken up by screaming." he said with a small laugh.

"I think that's a great idea, baby. You could use the extra sleep and it will make the time disappear and before you know it you'll be able to go pick up our babies. When does she get them again?" Kevin asked.

Nick's smile grew as Kevin referred to the kids as their babies. He could understand what Kevin was meaning when he spoke of the other including the kids. It did make his heart beat a little quicker and his belly feel flush with love and admiration for the other man. "She gets them back on Thursday and then I pick them up on Friday morning and then you will be here on Saturday and everything will be right in the world, at least for a week."

"Exactly baby. Go get some sleep. I'll wait for you to call me so I don't wake you up. Don't worry about what time it is, I'll want to hear your voice, but don't get up early in my account. I want you to sleep as long as you can, and that's an order mister. "Kevin said mock sternly.

Nick giggled. "And what if I ignore it and stay up all day playing video games instead?"

Kevin tried to keep his voice hard but Nick could hear the laughter trying to break through. "Well then Nicky, you'll have to be punished when I get there on Saturday."

Nick felt his face flush and he swallowed hard. "What if I want that?" he asked, dropping his voice down an octave.

Kevin laughed this time. "None of that, Maxwell is asleep in my lap and Mason is sitting here playing video games."

"That's no fair, you stated it." Nick insisted with a huff. Leave it to Kevin to get him aroused and then leave him hanging while they were several hundreds of miles away.

"I did no such thing, you brought this on yourself. Go to sleep now and maybe I'll help you with your… Problem this evening." Kevin said sweetly.

Nick sighed loudly. "Fine."

"Aww baby don't be like that. I love you." He tried again.

"I know, I love you too. I just miss you." Nick whined.

"I miss you too baby. Now go to sleep so I can tell you all about how much I miss you this evening."
​
They said their goodbyes and Nick hung up the phone. Pushing himself up off the couch he stumbled down the hallway to the bedroom and shed his clothes. When he was left in nothing but his boxers he climbed under the crumpled sheets and pulled the thick blanket up over his head. He tried to block out all other thoughts but Kevin arriving on Saturday and soon he was fast asleep.