I Don't Like Horses.

Fredrick stared wide eyed at the woman kneeling before him and he had no words to express how truly shocked he was. He considered what she asked and he shifted on his feet.“You know, my lovely darling, traditionally I’m the one that’s supposed to be doing this? Did I wait too long for you?”He seemed genuinely curious, a slight bit amused. Nonetheless he shifted once more to reach down to the height his partner was at and he smiled as he kissed her so softly.“Lorena, darling, if I said I wouldn’t be proud to make you my wife, I’d be a liar. I love you so much more than you’ll ever know, and I love you even more for this, of course I’ll marry you.”He stood back up, pulling his now fiancee back up with him.“Though I suppose there’s no use for this now, is there?”The detective pulled out his own ring with a wink and a grin.“I acted too late, I suppose.”

Fredrick smiled at the comment his wife made, kissing her softly and pulling her close in a hug.“You have absolutely no idea how happy you just made me, Lorena.”

"What is it like being you?"

"I've never wanted anything more than this. I want to be a parent."

"What is it like being you?"

“By all the above, who the hell does he think he is? You’d think the damned demon would have some sense–!”“It’s not the man’s fault you know.”“Noooo! Of course not! Why would it ever be!”“You’re uncharacteristically sarcastic today, Freddy.”The man shot Alma a look as he sped up his walking. He hoped that it looked the least bit annoyed or otherwise he’d lose his strength. Though he also hoped Ally didn’t mind. When he heard Aurelio was in trouble, he had been worried immediately. It’s not often that the demon would actually need help– well at least when it’s not something that has to do with the man getting emotional. No, he was worried when Alma came in to his office, rather suddenly he might add, telling him of Aurelio and how he got tangled up in some mess that left him in trouble. And if Ally couldn’t help him, what sort of help could a mere detective give him? Though, determined to help his friend, he had agreed to help. He didn’t want to see the man hurt any more than he already was. And he also didn’t want to see how his wife reacted if he had gotten more hurt than he already was– she was fairly good with chemicals, and he didn’t want to test his luck.“I’m also uncharacteristically pissed off.”At that Alma had started to laugh and Freddy nearly let himself looked shocked, peering at her confusedly. If she was able to laugh at a time like this, it’s no wonder how she can switch moods so suddenly.“What is so funny?”“For a detective that’s supposed to know a lot you sure do get annoyed when you don’t”“…..shut up, Ally.”At that she laughed more and Freddy was inclined to join her, though he didn’t, more worried over his friend than he was amused over her finding the irony in his emotions.“You’re the one who told me the man was in trouble and now you’re laughing?! Don’t you care for him??”Alma stopped and smiled, giving him an amused look, and he wondered how the nephilym could be so calm.“I do, I just think you’re overthinking and overreacting.”She opened a door then and Fredrick felt like punching something with what he saw– Aurelio hanging up and tangled in ropes, in all sorts of angles, waving down at him, and a huge grin plastered on his face. God– he wished he could punch him in the jaw right about then.“Hiii– I could use a bit of help!”Fredrick groaned, turning back around. To think that he was actually worried– of course the prick wouldn’t be in any real trouble. And then why would he go to him if he actually was– like he said, there’s not much he could do for him. It left him annoyed, feeling helpless, and mostly angry beyond belief. He could have been dying for all he knew--“Save your bloody self, Schlussler!” He could very clearly hear both Aurelio and Alma laughing as he slammed the door and walked off.

“You know darling.”“Yes, Fredrick?”“I’ve been thinking–”“That you do.”Fredrick smiled above his newspaper, setting it down as he folded the black and gray and peered over at his wife, trying not to laugh at how she responded to him.“I’ve been thinking about the past.”The man noted the quick, worried glance Lorena gave him before her face settled back into a curious purse of her lips.“Do go on, darling.”“Mostly about Abigail, and about you an I.”“Freddy–”He smiled weakly then, shifting in his seat. There was nothing wrong with what he was going to say, he was fairly certain, though he wouldn’t dispute Lorena’s fears just yet. He wanted her to hear the story, no matter how sad.“Before Abigail died–”“Freddy you don’t have to–”Fredrick saw the cautious look from her, her furrowed brows, the way she paused and gave him all of her attention. She was nearly half way out of her seat to go over to him when he had ushered her to sit back down.“Please, darling, let me finish. I want to– Before Abigail died we were always laughing, and had such wonderful times together, and there was a day where she came to me and I thought she was hurt because she had looked so nervous–”Lorena had gotten up by then, despite his ushering, going over to sit on his desk and he moved his newspaper over so it wouldn’t get crumpled.“–I didn’t know what to think, there were at least a million things going through my head and I had no clue which were right and which were wrong, or somewhere in between. She asked me what I had thought of children, and to be quite honest, I had no idea what she was getting at, at the time. She wanted to know what I thought of starting a family and at the time I never really thought of it– and when I had, she was gone, and I never wanted to think about it again.”Fredrick felt Lorena’s lips on his forehead, the way she pulled back and wiped the tears from his eyes he hadn’t even realized had fallen, and he quickly sat back, gaining back his composure.“–Until, well, now, darling– I told you I was thinking of the past and about you and I and I was thinking that I’d like to start a family with you, because I could not bare it to see us have so much love to give and not many to give it to or share it with. I could not bare it to see us not have a family when we both know we wished for it.”His wife had gone wide eyed then, with surprise, curiousity, confusion, he had not known but she smiled and his fears were hushed down as she kissed him and Fredrick pulled the woman down into his lap.“Freddy, darling, I would love it.”The man breathed a sigh of relief, kissing her again with his hand behind her head.“You have no idea how glad I am to hear that.”“I believe I do.”