Jay's POV
The silence in the car on the way back from school wasn't the heavy, suffocating kind I was used to in my past life. It was fragile. I kept one hand on the steering wheel and the other resting on Keigan's knee, feeling the occasional tremor that racked his frame. He didn't say a word, staring out the window at the passing trees, his eyes red-rimmed and hollow.
"We're home," I murmured as I pulled into the Watson driveway.
I didn't lead him to the training room or the study. Instead, I steered him toward the kitchen. I pulled out a tub of Belgian chocolate ice cream—the expensive kind Keifer kept stocked—and scooped two generous bowls. I handed one to him, the cold porcelain a sharp contrast to the heat still radiating from his skin after the confrontation at school.
I hopped up onto the kitchen island, sitting beside him as I dug into my own bowl. I watched him out of the corner of my eye.
He was just staring at the melting chocolate, his spoon balanced precariously in his hand. I noticed the way his knuckles were still white, and how his eyes seemed to be looking at something miles—or years—away.
"You know," I said softly, swallowing a bite of ice cream. "I'm a very good listener. And I'm even better at keeping secrets. If you want to share anything... I'm right here, Keigan."
Keigan let out a long, ragged exhale. It sounded like he was finally letting go of a breath he'd been holding for a decade. He put the bowl down, his hands shaking.
"My father," he began, his voice so thin it barely reached my ears. "After Mom died... he didn't just take me in. He broke me."
He looked up, and for the first time, I saw the sheer horror behind the Watson name. "He used to hit me for not standing straight. He'd lock me in dark rooms for days. But the physical stuff... that wasn't the worst part. He wanted me to be like him. A monster. One night, he dragged a man into the basement. He gave me a knife. He told me if I didn't end it, he'd end me. I was nine, Jay. I saw the light leave that man's eyes because of my own hands."
He choked back a sob, the description of his trauma pouring out like an open wound. "And then... the women. He'd bring them home. He'd... he'd hurt them, rape them, right in front of me while he forced me to watch. He said it was 'education.' He said love was a weakness and cruelty was the only currency."
He looked at his hands with pure loathing. "I'm a monster, Jay. I've done things Keiren doesn't even know exist. I even hurt Keifer once, back when I first came here, because I didn't know how to handle someone being kind to me. I'm poisoned."
I didn't hesitate. I dropped my spoon and pulled him into a hug so tight I hoped it would weld his broken pieces back together.
"No, baby," I whispered fiercely into his hair. "You are not a monster. You were a child in a nightmare. You didn't choose that life; it was forced upon you."
I pulled back just enough to look him in the eyes. "I know that feeling. The coldness. The way the sight of blood starts to feel like the only thing that's real. I was the Bloody Crimson, Keigan. I thought my hands would never be clean. But then I found your Kuya. He became my anchor. My safe place. He showed me that we aren't defined by what was done to us, but by what we choose to do next."
I cupped his face. "Keifer will be your safe place too. You just need to open your heart to feel it. You are not a monster, Keigan. You are my brother. You are Keifer's world. You are a Watson, and that means you are loved."
Keigan's lip trembled. He looked at me with a vulnerability that broke my heart. "Really... Ate?"
The word hit me like a physical shock. Ate. Big sister. My heart swelled until it ached. I nodded firmly, blinking back my own tears. "Really."
He didn't say anything else. He just leaned forward, burying his face in the crook of my neck. Within minutes, the tension left his body as exhaustion finally took over.
I leaned back against the plush sofa in the lounge, keeping him tucked against my side, and before I knew it, the weight of the day pulled me into sleep as well.
------------------------------
Keifer's POV
The meeting with Mr. Ryder had run long, and my mind was half-occupied with the image of Jay's smile from that morning. I pulled up to the school gates at 3:00 PM, expecting to see her waiting. Instead, I saw Cin,Yuri, Eren, and the rest of the crew walking out.
"Where's Jay?" I asked, rolling down the window.
Cin looked confused. "She didn't come to class after lunch, Keifer. We thought she was with you."
My heart hammered against my ribs. I quickly pulled out my phone. A text from Jay sat there, sent two hours ago: Took Keigan home early. He's okay, just needs some peace. See you at the house.
I breathed a sigh of relief just as Aries, and the girls approached the car.
"Hey, Keifer," Felix whispered, leaning in. "Listen, it's Jay's birthday in six days. We need to plan something massive. The Bloody Crimson deserves a royal celebration."
I nodded, the 'business' side of my brain switching to 'husband' mode. "Alright. Everyone, let's go to the house. We can plan there. Cin, you and Keiren need to be the distraction. Don't let her suspect a thing."
Aries grinned, pulling out his phone. "I'll call Kuya, Ate, Percy and Tiger. We need the whole squad for this."
We made a quick stop to pick up Keiren from his school. The little guy was vibrating with excitement when he heard about the "Secret Birthday Mission."
The convoy of cars pulled into the Watson estate twenty minutes later. We walked through the front doors, voices hushed, expecting to find Jay in the kitchen or the gym.
Instead, the house was silent. We walked into the lounge, and the sight stopped me dead in my tracks.
Jay was asleep on the sofa, her head tilted back. Keigan—the boy who usually flinched if anyone got too close—was curled up against her, his head on her chest, his hand gripping the hem of her shirt like a lifeline. They looked peaceful. They looked like family.
"That's not fair!" Keiren whispered, though he was grinning. "I want to join!"
Before I could stop him, Keiren bolted upstairs, changed into his pajamas in record time, and skidded back down.
He crawled onto the other side of Jay, tucking himself under her arm. Mia followed suit, wiggling into the small space left on the rug beside them, leaning her head on Jay's knee.
Even in her sleep, Jay's instincts were sharp. Her arms instinctively tightened around both boys and Mia , pulling them closer. Without even opening her eyes, she let out a soft, sleepy mumble.
"Don't get shocked, Keifer... go change... have something to eat... come to sleep..."
I stood there, frozen, a lump forming in my throat.
"Damn," Blaster whispered from behind me, his usual cocky grin replaced by something softer. "She really tamed the ice prince, didn't she?"
Josh leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms. "She didn't tame him. She saved him."
Tiger and Freya stood side-by-side, watching the scene. "I've never seen Keigan look that relaxed,"
Freya noted quietly. "He always looks like he's waiting for a blow to land."
"That's the Jay effect," Ella added, wiping a stray tear. "She has enough love to cover the whole mansion."
Ion and Angelo exchanged a look. "We definitely need to make this birthday special,"
Angelo said. "She's the heart of this place now."
Cin and Eren stood by the window, watching the sunset light hit the sleeping trio.
"She called me her best friend," Yuri whispered. "But seeing this... she's more like the mother these boys never had. And the partner you always needed, Keifer."
I didn't answer. I couldn't. I just stood there, looking at my world. My wife, who had the strength of a hundred soldiers and the heart of an angel. My brothers, who were finally finding out what it meant to be safe.
I quietly unbuttoned my suit jacket, tossing it onto a chair. I didn't care about the birthday planning yet. I didn't care about the office or the threats at the border.
I walked over, kissed the top of Jay's head, and sat on the floor at her feet, leaning my head against her knee. I watched the steady rise and fall of their chests, the silence of the house finally feeling like peace instead of emptiness.
She was right. I was home.
-----------------------------
Angelo POV
I stood in the doorway of the lounge, my shoulder leaning against the frame as I watched the scene unfold. It was quiet—the kind of quiet the Watson estate hadn't known in years.
There sat Keifer, the man I'd seen carry the weight of an empire on his back without flinching, finally letting his guard down. He looked younger, softer, with his head resting against Jay's knee.
And Jay... she was the miracle none of us saw coming. Seeing them like this, surrounded by the boys she had claimed as her own, it hit me.
They didn't just fall in love. They found home. They were two broken pieces from two different worlds that somehow fit together to create something indestructible. They were perfect for each other—not because they were flawless, but because they were exactly what the other needed to feel human again.
"They look lovely, don't they?"
I didn't need to turn around to know it was Ion. She stepped up beside me, her voice a soft hum that didn't disturb the peace of the room.
"Yeah," I replied, my voice thick with a rare trace of emotion. "They do. They really do."
"He knows it, too," Ion added, nodding toward Keifer. "He knows he's the luckiest man alive." She paused, her gaze shifting from the sleeping family to me. Her expression turned serious, the warmth in her eyes replaced by a professional, yet expectant, glint. "We also need to talk, Angelo. We have a lot of things to discuss and finalize regarding the birthday... and other matters.
I let out a slow breath, my gaze lingering on Jay and Keifer one last time. I had been avoiding certain conversations, keeping my own walls up out of habit and a bit of lingering cynicism.
"I really don't want to discuss that part," I admitted, referring to the messy logistics and the 'what-ifs' of our own situation. "But..." I looked back at the peace on Keifer's face, a peace I never thought I'd see him find. "After seeing them... I think I should give it a chance. Let's talk."
------------------------------