and there is blood dripping on the front page

Years

"Pietro, I'm not going to say it again. Come here."

"But I was there! Nothing happened so I came away."

"Then come here again and put your bum down."

Little Pietro slides to Erik defiantly and drops down to the floor. Erik puts the newly bought apron on him impatiently and after some trouble he ties a clumsy bow behind his back. Pietro joyfully joins his sister who is already standing on a chair by the counter.

"We're making lasagne today," announces Erik as he's grabbing a seemingly expensive casserole dish.

Wanda points out: "But daddy's not eating meat!"

Erik rolls his eyes. Charles and his friend group from university are entertaining themselves lately by coming up with various challenges. They even built a complicated scoring and punishment system too. Anyways, the current challenge is to deprive Charles of the joys of eating meat.

"We'll leave meat out of the half of it," grunts Erik.

"Lame!" adds Pietro.

"We should at least put some vegetables in it..."

"Eh, okay. Pietro, check what kind of vegetables are in the fridge."

Meanwhile Wanda washes the prepared tomatoes in the golden sink, and handing it to Erik he starts slicing them.

"There's cucumber, the other kind of cucumber, the purple thing, and carrots."

Erik stares at Wanda with furrowed brows who, after a sigh, translates.

"Cucumber, zucchini, eggplant, carrot."

"Then give your sister an eggplant and a zucchini," he orders then turns away to place a pot on the luxurious stove. He sweeps the tomato in it from the elegant wooden cutting board.

A brief yell sounds from behind his back. He jerks his head to see the vegetables and Pietro on the floor, and half of Wanda in the sink, grasping desperately for the tap as her red locks block her sight.

Casually, Erik stops the water with a wave of his hand, and looks at the twins sternly.

"What happened this time?"

The children speak at once.

"Nothing," says Wanda.

"It was an accident," says Pietro.

Erik narrows his eyes.

The water is still drip-drip-dripping... tensely, Erik shuts off the tap from the distance, and, right on cue, a weary but ever-so-happy Charles steps in the kitchen. He stops in the doorway while he quickly processes the scene he just walked in on, then gives a kiss on the forehead of both kids with a smile.

"A bit too much speed, was it, Pietro?" His voice is gentle, and it's more of a statement than a question.

The boy looks up at him with big eyes and nods guiltily, and Charles ruffles his hair before turning to Wanda.

"Do you need my help with drying your hair, sweetie?"

"But then I'll miss the cooking!"

"We'll wait for you," Erik reassures her.

Wanda nods and marches out of the kitchen.

Pietro rushes after her, shouting: "Do you think I can run so fast that it dries your hair?"

Charles walks up to Erik with a giggle and rests his head softly on his chest. He hugs the man tightly and starts stroking his back.

"I'll read one more chapter by dinner."

"One? Honey, you could learn the whole book."

"Even in this state?" Charles blinks up at him with tired eyes.

Erik laughs and presses a kiss on his forehead. "Even in this state. In any state."

Charles raises his heels up and steals a proper kiss. With a smile, Erik pulls his boyfriend back into his arms and stares out the window above his head.

Later, as they sit around the table at dinner, light conversation fills the big house. Because of Charles munching heartily, Wanda, and then Pietro too, wants to try the vegetarian lasagne. The boy makes a face and returns to his plate, however the girl likes it so much that she announces she's not eating meat from now on either.

Erik throws an accusatory look at Charles. But the man reassures Wanda with a smile that they, her family, are supportive of her in anything she'd like to do or, in this case, eat. Erik holds back a snappy comment about how much of a model father sentence that was because, thinking of it, Charles really is one ‒ hell, he can even imagine he's a better parent for his children than he himself.

The last rays of the sundown paint the kitchen to a gold color. Guilt-tainted gratitude runs through Erik's mind for everything having happened as it did, so he can now be in this castle with Charles and the kids who not only don't have to do without but he and Charles can provide them with anything they could ever need.

Would it be like this if Magda was alive?

Behind Charles' smile and everything he does now, he feels guilt knocking. His only sin so far ‒ and ever as he plans ‒ goes against every single strict point of his values. Although it's slowly eating him up, he doesn't tell Erik about it; with his looser morals, he wouldn't understand why it presents a problem to him.

On the bottom of the ornamental closet made from dark wood sit several stocks of still fresh newspapers ‒ Charles couldn't yet bring himself to burn them and really, irrevocably alter the past at last. He's wandered on a dangerous path.

The date is quite recent. There is the picture of Erik on the front pages, above them big letters announce:

MURDER