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Alex's hackles raised even more when he heard Anouk start crying, folowed by a flood of relief when Corinne agreed. "He won't want to." He said firmly, finally stepping into the flat. He closed the door behind him as he headed towards Anouk's room. "He's made that very clear." He softened...

All his life Alex had never felt a violent bone in his body, but right now a boiling, hateful part of himself yearned to lash out, the need to release the anger bubbling beneath his skin. He settled for pushing the door wider open, arms flexing with unexpressed rage. "THIS ISN'T ABOUT ME!" He...

Alex's stomach boiled, tension girding his shoulders as his mind raced in panic. Two years of doing his best to teach Corinne how to be a parent, two years of watching Anouk grow, doing far more than Corinne had had any right to ask, two years of- he couldn't. "Nobody's going to take her!" He...

It took a moment for the words to filter from Alex's ears to his comprehension, and a sharp bolt of dread shot through him as he realised what Corinne had said. "Corinne, no!" He snapped, panicking. "You can't just leave her with her father this time, that man is a monster. You- you're the...

Alex leaned in urgently, one hand on the door so that Corinne couldn't close it on him. "Corinne, that's not how children work!" He pleaded. "You can't just figure something out. You chose to have this responsibility, you can't f*ck her life up just because it's hard!"

Of all the things Alex had expected Corinne to be doing, packing hadn't even made the list. But the boxes and bags behind her were undeniable, and his heart dropped into his stomach. "You're leaving?!" He croaked, all of the questions he had planned flying out of his head. "You can't just...

Alex felt a little odd being on this side of Corinne's door, after she had been on this side of his so often. He hadn't ever actually been the one to visit her since her arrival in Aotearoa, it was always Corinne at his door, Corinne sniffing around for ways she could take up Alex's time, his...

Alex winced as Louis spoke, swallowing back his protests; the desperate instinct to cling, to keep his son close. "Okay..." He croaked. "I'm... I really am sorry, Louis. I only wanted to help you connect."

Alex's shoulders slumped further and further as Louis spoke, closing his eyes as he took it in. Had he really been lying to himself this whole time? He rubbed his face in defeat, blinking at his son sadly. "I-I'm sorry." He said shakily. "I know I should... have told you sooner. I just... I...

Alex winced, doing his best to keep control of his emotions. "I've been trying to convince her to talk to you, Louis! I was meeting her behind your back so that I could hopefully bring her to meet you! I've been trying to fix this. I don't love having her around either!" He rubbed his face...

Alex fought back a flinch, doing his best to stay steady and calm in the face of his son's anger, though he could feel his nerves fraying thin. "You weren't supposed to see her today! She was supposed to be gone before you finished work, I wasn't trying to blindside anyone." He said, hearing...

Alex bit back a spike of guilt as he got to his feet too, watching Louis as he paced. "You're not ruined." He said firmly. "Louis, you're an incredible young man, and it's all your own doing. I didn't do any of this for her." He said, knowing even as the words came out that it wasn't...

Alex winced, regret flooding through him. "She would have run if I had told you." He said shakily. "I tried, I thought I could help her change. I wanted her- I wanted you to be able to meet her, so if... if you had questions, or... anything you needed to tell her... I just... I wanted to...

As much as he had hoped for better from her, Alex felt an anxious knot deep in his chest unwind itself as Corinne left. He dropped into a seat across from Louis and ran a hand through his hair. "She just... showed up one day." He said shakily, leaning back bonelessly as he studied his son's...

It was the pain in Louis' voice that finally made Alex give in, shushing Anouk gently as he moved closer to Corinne. "It's okay chouchou, mummy is here to take you home." He paused as he was handing her over, meeting Corinne's eye. "We will talk tomorrow." He said firmly, before settling the...

It was almost a relief when Alex's desperation to control this situation was interrupted, albeit the source was the last thing he had wanted. A shrill despairing wail escaped from Anouk like a disaster warning siren, tiny hands fisted tightly around his shirt as she wept out all her distress...

There had never been any chance of this meeting being anything other than a disaster, but Alex had always hoped it would be a controlled disaster. He could arrange things, find a neutral meeting place, make sure they were both prepared. But they were here now, and it was too late. "She did...

The cat was out of the bag, and something inside Alex calcified. "No." He said firmly, meeting Corinne's eye. "Corinne, you need- this is Louis, you need to meet him." He said, pleading tone from earlier having entirely solidified. Something about seeing his son next to his mother for the...

The liquid dread in Alex's veins sharpened to ice as the door opened, his eyes snapping to Louis in horror. This was the worst, worst possible scenario - Louis had painful enough feelings about his mother abandoning him, and walking on on her trying to do the same for a second time... His mind...

Alex had known the question was coming. He had known it was coming since Corinne had shown up on his doorstep pregnant for the second time, the only difference being time and the fact that Anouk wasn't his. Despite everything his instinct was to hold Anouk tighter, as if he could protect her...