Clef sits on his half of the bed, Ross under his arm with Keys snuggled into her mothers side, fast asleep. "She looks just like you, sorta acts like you too."

"Does she? I never noticed." Ross plays with her child's hair, watching her breathe silently. "She's so clever, I'm surprised she immediately trusted you and Jack so whole heartedly."

"She knows we're going to be a good and happy family. Jack and I will be good dads to her, shes such a sweet kid."

"For the first year I worked at the site I always had her to my chest, everyone in the office adored her, even Cimmerian thought she was a darling. This was back when I just did paperwork though, once I started moving up I had to start leaving her with Lilith."

"Wish I had been there, I've missed out on a lot." Silence settles over the three for a minute before Clef speaks again. "Who exactly is Lilith? She looks just like you."

"That's.... a long story. But to make it short, after you left, a reality bender ripped my being in half. Lilith is all the rage I bottled up for years, all that anger and wishes for death.... she's the worst half of me." She frowns, feeling Clef give her a squeeze. "She's everything I hated about myself, the blood on my hands, my sadness, everything.... I wish she was dead."

Clef raises his eyebrows at Rosses declaration. "Oh? But you two have been hand in hand for so long, have you always wanted her gone?

"Not always, at first I was grateful to even have a person to be with..... then she got violent. It doesn't happen often anymore, I'm stronger than her now, but there's still times."

"That.... sounds very familiar. Has she ever hurt Keys?"

Ross shakes her head. "If she hurt my baby she wouldn't be alive right now. Keys has been the only thing keeping me going for years now, I love her more than anything."

Clef smiles a bit, Ross finally has what he hadn't been able to give her since their sons fight, and he was happy..... but he wanted more.

"Rossie?"

"Hm?"

"Would you want more? More kids I mean."

"I've learned not to get my hopes up Alto, just because my 'punishment' is bearing children doesn't mean I can still do it."

He nods. "Is there a reason you named Lilith after my first wife?"

"It just felt right. One of those things, you know?"

"And her sight?" When Ross doesn't answer him for a minute he raises an eyebrow. "Oh? You not proud of something?"

Ross glares up at him. "I'm not a saint, never have been, never will be. I'm not above using violence to protect my children."

Alto chuckles, giving her a squeeze. "You'll never change Ross, even if you're not all together. We'll figure something out to do with her, she tried to take a chunk out of my shoulder earlier."

"So thats why I woke up to something slamming against the wall, I was wondering about that." Ross shifts herself and Keys so she can get a better look at Alto. "Did she hurt you?"

"Nah, I can take you in a fight so she was nothing." He grabs the blanket and pulls it over them. "Bed time, Rossie. I'll take you to work in the morning to sort stuff out."

She pulls the blanket over Keys, making sure she's covered. "Alright.... thank you."

Tell him the truth, keep him happy.

"I love you, Adam."

"I love you too, Eve."

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Keys eats her cereal while her mother and Alto got ready for work, listening to Jacks stories about the site. "So that's how you and mom met? You chucked stinky green goo at her?"

Jack grins. "Yup! She would have kicked my ass for that if it wasn't for Kondraki and Mikel holding her back. I asked her on a date later that day and she rejected me."

"Wasn't gonna be the last time either, your mother rejected him for a long time before she decided to give him a chance." Alto chimes in, pouring some coffee into his cup. "Years later and now we're here."

"Mom always tells me if someone doesn't stop trying to get you to go on a date with them to break their nose."

"And that is very good advice! No is a full sentence, but I am very well aware that if your mother wanted me to stop she would have made me stop."

"Jack! Can you come help me with this!" Ross called from the bedroom, trying to get the males attention.

It doesn't even take Jack a second to chug the last of his coffee before he rushes out of the kitchen, leaving Alto and Keys exchanging a funny look.

Jack barely steps into the room before Ross shoves his against the wall, surprising him. "Rossie-"

"Shut up!" Ross shoves his shoulders deeper into the wall to pin him down. "If I find out that you hurt my daughter while I'm gone you'll see how Lilith and I are related, got it!"

Jack quickly nods, already knowing he would never hurt the child. "I don't want to hurt Keys, I'd never-"

"I don't trust you Jack Bright, that's something you're going to have to earn, especially after the whole, you know, kidnapping me thing." Ross steps back, letting him off the wall. "I'm only even staying here because of Adam, I can't lose him again."

"And I can't lose you or Alto, so we can agree on something."

"What is your infatuation with me? I can hardly call it love."

He watches Ross turn away from him and go to their bed. "I've been in love with you since you almost ripped my throat out, the first day we met. I was just telling Keys about that, you're still as beautiful as that day."

Ross sits down on the bed and starts to put on her shoes, not knowing how to respond to him.

Jack hops in front of her, crouching down to her eye level. "Come on Ross, give me a chance, let me take you on a date when you feel better, just you and me. I can treat you well, you know that. You trust Alto, Alto trusts me, I trust you. Please Ross? I know I'm not a good man, I'm a drunk and I'm the reason TJ can't grow up, but I'm trying to do better." He takes Rosses shoe from her hand, making her look at him. "I love you, I'll keep doing better for you."

Ross groans, putting her hand into Jacks hair. "Jack, don't do better for me, or anyone else for that matter. Do better for you. Once I see change.... I'll give you a chance, okay?"

He drops her shoe and hugs her, burying his face into her neck. "Thank you thank you thank you, I won't fuck up I promise."

She wraps her arms around her friend, gently stroking his head. "I do love you Jack, just in a different way than you want."

"Love can change, I know it does." He mumbles into her neck, content with their position. "You'll learn to love me Ross, I know it."

————————————————————

Ross kisses her daughters head. "Now you be good for Jack, I'm only going to be gone for a few hours, okay darling?"

"Yes mama, can we watch a movie when you get home?"

"Of course we can, pick one out while I'm gone."

Keys hugs her mom one more time before she hugs Alto. "Bye Alto! I'll see you in the morning!"

He hugs the teen back, chuckling. "See you in the morning Bug, keep Jack in line for me would ya?"

"Yessir!"

The pair finish up their goodbyes with Jack and Keys, Ross practically dragging her husband out to the car.

"Konnys giving you a ride home, yeah?" Clef crawls into the drivers seat, slamming the door.

"Yes, because I know he's the only one who won't ask questions." Ross sits down in her own seat, buckling up.

"Questions are bad, especially right now." He mutters, starting to drive.

"Jack wants to take me on a date when I feel better..."

"Yeah, he told me. He's a good guy Eve, he's just..... broken right now."

"He's been broken, Alto. I'm not a rehab for broken men, you know this."

"I never said you were." The two sit quietly for a few minutes.

"I'll give him a chance when he proves that he's changing, and not a moment before. He needs to drink less, talk about his emotions, and stop trying to force me to kiss him."

"Those are good boundaries, write them down and talk to him when Keys goes to sleep." Alto takes one hand off the wheel and reaches for hers. "He's a good man, he's going to be a great dad to Keys."

She holds his hand, squeezing it a bit. "Swear on your love for me?"

"I swear on my love for you."

————————————————————

Cain types on his tablet at a diary entry, getting the days emotions and problems out of the way. His father hasn't come to visit him today, and he's upset about it. When Clef came to work on the site he made a promise to Cain that he'd visit him everyday, even if it was just for coffee and a chat. He's only broken that promise a few times, but today felt off to him.

He hears the door open while he finishes up his diary entry. "Hello father, I didn't think you were gonna show." Cain looks up to his dad with a smile until he notices the woman with curly hair and mismatched eyes, very similar to his and his brothers. "Mom?"