Chapter Text
The deep fog parted, and a bitter wind swept across the deck of the ship as it bobbed on the gentle waves of the river. Despite the soft warm embrace of afternoon sunlight from above, the eternal winter's biting cold persisted. Another gust of wind batted at the ship, and Ronnie shivered, clutching her coat closer to her body. She hunkered down beside her Dads as they talked in hushed voices, eyes glued to the waters ahead.
"Are you sure you want to go, Monti?" Daddy Larry's voice was so quiet, she almost couldn't hear his soft muttering above the spray of water and soft whistling of wind. "Jack and Maurice can handle themselves, you know. They wouldn't force you to come with them."
Daddy Monti's dark blue fur rustled softly, and she caught him looking down at Larry to meet his eyes briefly, before turning away. "I know, honey. It's just..." He crossed his other winged arm over his chest, biting his lip. "...Jack's been through a lot. It wouldn't feel right to leave them alone after what he-" He paused, "-what him and Maurice have been through." Ronnie heard Larry's sharp inhale of breath, before he nodded with understanding. Montimer leaning his head onto Larry's shoulder, before continuing, voice barely over a whisper. "I want us to stay together. Being separated has never ended well for us."
Ronnie silently agreed. Every time her Dads, her uncles, her aunt Debora - anyone in her family had ever chosen to split off, it hadn't ended well. Daddy Larry nearly died trying to get medicine for her from an old lab, and Daddy Monti hadn't fared any better trying to get her Uncle Oliver out of the old house, losing his right wing in the process. Uncle Jack and Uncle Maurice had gotten hurt by a group of bats from the city, and it had taken months before Uncle Jack was able to accept Harry, who looked like the bats who hurt him. Doctor Marcus had gotten trapped in a pit and hadn't been found until Mister Ravi had fallen in with him...
And there was still no sign of Uncle Lucas, after he'd left, too.
Another chill swept across the deck of the ship, and Ronnie ambled closer to her Dads, pressing against Daddy Larry's side. His warm hand came up behind her, gently resting against the small of her back. She looked up to meet his soft smile and burrowed in a little closer.
"Daddy," She started, and both of them turned to her immediately, before looking at each other. She giggled a little before continuing. "When we get there, I think we should visit our old tree."
Montimer looked surprised. "Ron, you-?" He stopped and gave her a good-natured smile when she tapped her ears. "I should've expected that, little listener."
"It's not a bad idea." Larry conceded, squeezing Ronnie gently. She squeezed back. "If we're to go back there, I think we should go see it again." He looked into Daddy Montimer's eyes. "...back to where it all started." A large blush spread like fire across Daddy Montimer's face, and she giggled at how sappy her Dads were being.
Back to where she first met her angel...
In the end, they all decided to go with Jack and Maurice.
Marcus' gaze swept across the deck as the residents of the boat came up on deck. He felt a sense of pride bloom in his chest as he saw Jack, cradling little Harry in his arms as he talked softly with Maurice. Oliver, leaning against Debora, his mirthful eyes betraying the true nature of his pouty expression. Montimer, with his arms around his family, and the wing that he'd had designed still holding strong many months later. It was amazing that he'd been able to help everyone so much, and that, in the end, everything had turned out alright for everyone. Marcus briefly recalled a piece of wisdom from Melquisedec:
Family stays together, through thick and thin.
It was a lesson that Melquisedec had learned himself, and it was a lesson that stuck with everyone aboard the boat. The old bat stood beside Marcus, a content smile on his face, that, despite his age, looked healthy and happy, as he took in his family with soft eyes.
Marcus felt a similar sort of soft feeling in his heart when Melquisedec's gaze passed over him, too.
Given how much the group had been through, and how close they were to each other, it was no surprise that he, Ravi and Abel had been adopted into the strange family in less time than the flap of an owl's wings. But it still made him balk, just how much he knew was loved, when just a few years ago, he'd been under the impression that he was completely disposable.
But, really, he had one mouse to thank for changing his life...
"Earth to Marcus," A soft, teasing voice rumbled behind him, and he smiled, leaning backwards into strong arms that carefully settled across his chest. A soft peck was pressed into the top of his head, and he chuckled a little as Ravi let him go. "What's going through your head, Doctor?"
Marcus was sure he'd already thought it hundreds of times before, but as he turned to gaze up at Ravi's eyes... his husband's eyes couldn't be any easier to get lost in. Soft chocolate-brown complimented his chestnut-brown fur, and the way his smile made his eyes crinkle at the edges made his limbs feel goopy in a way he'd once never thought they could.
"Just... thoughts." He replied wryly, turning to look back at the group. "Thoughts about how I got here, how you got here... how we've all gotten here today." He took Ravi's left hand with his own, absentmindedly. "The chances of this all happening is a statistical marvel, if I do say so myself."
Ravi chuckled, and stayed silent, pressing his nose into Marcus' cheek and making him giggle. As the chatter on deck died down, and the air slowly grew crisp, no longer tainted by the smells of the city, they pulled away, and turned to look towards the boat's final destination; a swath of never-ending forest capped with snow-covered hills:
The Forest.
As Jack took his first steps onto the crunchy snow, he felt a jolt of familiarity at the shocking chill that ran through his body. Memories of hunting down prey played in his head, snow crunching underneath his claws as he dove down to trap them in an ensnaring grip-
That's not me. Not anymore.
In all honesty, Jack couldn't remember the last time he'd actually killed a mouse. He had a faint recollection of Larry's horrified, gagged expression, and the smell of mouse blood on his hands...
But it was a distant, unpleasant memory, trumped by far more unpleasant ones.
In the echoes of his mind, he could feel a restraining grip on his wrists, pinning him to scratchy fabric, and claws trailing down his midsection in a way that made his gut curl horribly. He could almost remember the cruel, red-eyed glare that came through the haze of his unstable mind, and the harsh, biting words that remained engraved in his memories like scars. After so long, he'd almost forgotten how simple his life used to be. Before... everything. He took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly, lifting his head to gaze up at the cloudless winter sky. It was all so familiar, in a twisted, yet comforting way.
Maurice sidled up against him, Harry perched securely on his broader shoulders. "Hey, Jackie," he smiled softly. "Is it all hitting a little too hard?"
Jack shook his head. "It's... okay." And he was surprised to realize that he was telling the truth. "This place is old, and I left a lot of things behind, so it's going to be a lot to handle..."
"But you'll never have to handle it alone."
He nodded, feeling the last of his worry slip away. "Never again. Thanks, 'Rice."
Maurice's adoring smile grew even softer, and his sweet, sweet boyfriend pulled him into a firm hug. Harry's head rested on his shoulder, his little ears flopping forward and tickling his neck. The warm contact from both of them bats buzzed pleasantly on his skin, reminding him that this was his family, forever and ever. He tucked Maurice under his chin, and inhaled in his scent softly. It smelled of baby formula, Harry's fur, and flowers, all things that made the worries in his head fall away.
"Jack! Maurice!" They turned to face Montimer as he glided from the deck of the boat onto the snow beside them, Larry close on his heels. "We're going to get Ronnie and Richie back to our old tree, so it's safe. Me and Melquisedec will join you when we get back."
Jack slowly unwrapped himself and nodded. "Thanks, Monti."
Their alpha's eyes were soft and kind as he regarded them. "No problem, Jack. I hope you both can relax a little when this is all over." He rejoined his husband, and as they trudged away in the snow, while Jack and Maurice took to the sky, slowly flapping towards the bats' den.