I rushed back to the lab as soon as we got back to the base. After what happened last night, I was terrified of what could happen to Kuza if he was left alone again. I also promised him I wouldn't leave again. Hopefully Ryan explained to him where I went. Regardless, I still missed him like crazy and just wanted to be back in that bed with him. Today beat me up emotionally and psychically.

Impatiently, I waited for Ryan to unlock the inner door. My key card was working for the outer one again but no one got through that second door without his consent. He pulled back the door, delivering me a less than happy look.

"How is he?" I softly asked.

"Well, he didn't have any catastrophes like last time, but he misses you a lot. He's been pretty upset all day." He replied.

"Fucking Ricky," I scoffed, "He could've done that mission without me. The others had it handled."

"It must've not been too bad because you weren't gone that long."

"There was a lot of damage done though. The city's prison got destroyed. They're bringing all the dead and injured here. You're about to get pretty damn busy." I told him.

Ryan groaned as he locked the door, "I suggest you go spend as much time with Kuza as you can before they bring me those bodies. Reese isn't coming around here anytime soon, so you get to be my new assistant."

I shrugged, "It'll give me something to do other than read and watch cat videos."

"At least you're thinking positively." He sighed, "I'm going to go get some rest. I trust we won't have any repeats of last night?"

"I promise, I'm not leaving Mike's side." I reassured him.

Ryan stepped out of my way, gesturing to the back of the lab. Kuza was in his same dark little corner on his bed. There was a table that ran along the left side of the bed and it was covered in Satanic worship items. Red candles burned around a white pentagram painted on the black surface. There was plenty more other small things like a bowl of salt and one of water. It seemed to help him feel more relaxed.

When I got close to that area, I felt my aura reset. I was balanced again. All that I could not change did not matter. Maybe it was the altar, or maybe it was the strength of his love. He seemed so tired and depressed through. The second he saw me, he lit up with a smile. I could still see it in his eyes that he was exhausted.

"Hi, Baby." I mused.

"Hi." He spoke just above a whisper. Kuza wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me into a kiss. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too. I'm sorry I left but I wasn't really given a choice. Did Ryan tell you where I went?" I asked.

"Mmhm. I'm kind of glad I didn't have to go." He muttered.

That shocked me. He's always down for ripping apart people, even demons. Then again, he's got to be worn out on demons and the supernatural. My poor baby looked so tired. Kuza had never been this way before. He's always been the tough one but now, he's almost like a child. Eventually all that evil had to catch up with him and now he's crashing and burning. I hope this never happens to me.

"I'm going to go wash my makeup off. Then we can go to sleep." I said as I began to step towards the bathroom.

Kuza grabbed my arm with both his hands, "Please don't go."

"Honey, it's okay. I'm just going to the bathroom for a few minutes." I sighed, "Why don't you walk with me?"

"Ryan said he doesn't want me leaving this area." He replied.

"Of course he doesn't. That's okay. I have some makeup wipes in my bag. Those will work just as good." I softly smiled.

He returned, "Thank you."

I never wanted kids but I guess someone on the other side wasn't accepting that. He's capable of being an adult. After everything that's happened to him, though, I do not blame him for being so clingy. He needs the love more than anything else. I had a bag of clothes and other things under the bed. It was just enough to get me by, since I couldn't go back to my room. After I cleaned off my makeup the best I could, I slipped into a long black t-shirt and booty shorts. Then I laid down next to him and snuggled up.

"There. All done." I said.

"You look beautiful, even without all the makeup." He told me while he played with one of my dreads.

"I don't like it, but thank you." I replied, "Makeup makes me look more feminine and I prefer to feel that way."

"Does it ever bother you that your sex and gender aren't the same?" He asked lightly.

"Not to the point I'd ever do anything about it. Sure, there's been plenty of times where I wish I could wear a tight dress or I wish I could know what it feels like to have sex with female genitalia, but I'm also very okay with being male as well."

Kuza moved his hand down to my arm, squeezing my shoulder, "I'm glad you are. I want you to feel as beautiful as you are."

"Being able to love just one person and to be held in that person's arms makes me feel like the best damn human alive. When I was a prostitute, I didn't even understand how anyone could feel love. Back then I didn't understand the difference between sex and making love. Honestly," I sighed deeply, "Up until recently I didn't understand a lot of things. It's starting to get more clear by the day. Other days, like last night-"

I stopped my sentence on account of my phone dinging. Kuza frowned because he knew as well as I did who it was. Hesitantly, I reached over to the table and got my phone. Of course it was Ricky texting me. I knew he couldn't stay away. His little meltdown he had last night, he didn't mean it. It's a satisfying feeling to have someone crawling back to you.

Ricky wanted to know if we could talk tonight. What's the harm in it? As long as he doesn't make me leave the same room as Mike, we'll be fine. This lab is huge anyways. If we're on the opposite side of the room, we couldn't bother him too much. I told Ricky I'd text him to come up once Kuza fell asleep. That didn't take too long either. He was out pretty quickly.

As quietly as I could, I opened up the inner door. Ricky slipped in so I could close it quickly. I checked back to the corner. It didn't wake Kuza, thankfully. That was the only loud thing I was worried about.

"Keep it quiet. I don't want to wake him." I whispered.

"I understand. I'll make it quick... As quick as I can, anyways." He replied, "I thought over last night and I realized I was in the wrong. We both were trying to set aside the past and I couldn't swallow my pride. I'm done playing the games. I just want my wife back."

I took another glance over my shoulder to make sure Kuza was still asleep. Then, I set my hands on the sides of Ricky's face and kissed him. It was passionate, raw. Everything I've missed. I was so scared he would wake up though. He doesn't need to see this. It'll just shatter his heart. I broke away from Ricky and caught my breath.

"That's all I've wanted to hear for awhile now. I love you. You're my one and only. I just... I have some loyalties to tend to." I responded, referring to Kuza.

"I think we both do. My family has been a fucking mess since my dad passed and I've got to be the one to fix it." Ricky grabbed my hand while a smile crept onto his face, "What'd you say after that gala this weekend, we take a nice trip to Paris for a few days? I know how much you love it there."

"I'd love to, but it all depends on how Mike's recovery goes. I don't want to leave him that long if I don't have to."

He sighed, "That's okay. We'll make it back to Paris eventually. I won't give up on it."

I wrapped my arms around his neck. "And that's another reason I love you. You're persistent."

The slam of a door startled me. I glanced over my shoulder, feeling my stomach drop when I saw Ryan. He was supposed to be asleep. I'm so busted. Kuza started to stir a bit. If he heard voices, I'm sure he'll start to come around again. Ryan walked towards us slowly with a very grumpy expression.

"Stubborn." He said, "That's a better word than persistent. You're both fucking stubborn and you've both been warned."

"You can't deny me from seeing my own husband!" I replied.

"Your husband that you cheated on and have cursed the name of for the last couple weeks? I'm not going to let you use a shitty relationship as an excuse." He gestured back towards Mike with his cane while glaring at me, "I will chain you to that goddamn bed if I have to."

"Ryan, relax. I'm leaving. I just came to see him for a few minutes." Ricky told him.

"A few minutes? A few seconds is all it takes for something to go wrong. Stress and anxiety derail the healing process. The only time I can get him to relax is if he's around Devin." Ryan limped over to his desk. He opened the top drawer of his filing cabinet, pulling out a set of x-rays. Then he threw them down on the table beside us. "Take a good look at what his body is fighting right now. Maybe it'll help you two to see past yourselves. I'm going back to bed. After Ricky leaves, I don't want to hear that door open again."

"Grump." I muttered to myself once he was out of earshot.

Ricky leaned over and grabbed the scans. He held them up to the light. I leaned against his side to look at them too. There was so much fucking blackness on them. It looked like a plague or something. There was no way this was what was in Mike's chest. Unfortunately, it was. I thought he was fully healed. I had no clue there was actually shit still wrong with him. Let alone this! Every time I think I'm morally doing the right thing, something else comes hurdling at me.