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Chapter Text

The few things that Gustav had observed since he started working with Dr. Montgomery Montgomery were really throwing him for a loop. 

For one, the man was infuriating. Not that he was an angry person, or even pushed Gustav. But he kept weird hours, getting up at two or three in the morning to work at his desk and study his reptiles. He never said he expected Gustav to be with him, but the lengthy notes of what had occurred the night before were unnecessary and boring. Gustav found it easier to just be there in person. Which, since he was green to VFD, made night of restful sleep impossible. He had been relying on naps and coffee while attending all his training with his partner Jacquelyn. 

Another thing was that Dr. Montgomery Montgomery was a flirt. Gustav had seen him smile and wink at more people than anyone, and he was on the receiving end of both of those daily. 

Thirdly, he was incredibly handsome and charming, and Gustav was falling over himself to make the man happy. 

"And then he's up two hours later because he had an epiphany about different foods changing the color of the chameleon, with no scientific basis except that what it eats in the wild is also green. So he sent me out in the maze to find a berry bush," Gustav ranted as he paced the room he and Jacquelyn were studying in. "I was out there for three hours, it started raining, I came in soaking wet only for him to tell me that he had found the raspberries he had bought in the fridge and fed them to the chameleon and he did in fact turn red."

"You could always ask to be relocated," Jacquelyn suggested, not looking up from her handbook and notes. "I'm sure you could be placed with a different mentor."

"And end up with who? No way, I could get stuck with the sad Snicket, no one wants that," Gustav said, scrunching up his face. 

"Lemony isn't that bad," The woman said, finally setting her pen down and raising a perfect brow at her partner. 

"You say that because you get Kit," Gustav rolled his eyes, flopping into the chair beside her. "You get to spend time with the Snickets."

"They're all pretty odd too," she said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "If you're really unhappy, maybe they could switch you to the Beaudelaires. I've heard they're very nice." 

"I can't do that," Gustav groaned. 

 "Why?"

"Because he's so handsome, Jackie!" 

"Don't call me Jackie."

"Sometimes he says something flirty and winks at me and I just want him to take me on his desk," Gustav admitted, putting his head down on the table. Jacquelyn rested her chin in her hand, rolling her eyes at her partner. 

"I can give you eighteen reasons why that's a bad idea," She said, pointing her pen at him. 

"I know, I know," Gustav sat back up, sighing. "He's too old for me, he's kind of a tart, he's nuts sometimes, and he's my mentor and it would be totally inappropriate but, Jackie-"

"Don't call me Jackie."

"He called me 'love' the other day and I melted," Gustav admitted, leaning into her side despite her glare. 

"But isn't that more of a reason to ask for a new mentor? Won't this hurt your focus?" She asked, shoving him back until he was sitting up straight again. 

"So many partners are couples," Gustav said. 

"They're also not 10 years apart and its reciprocal," Jacquelyn said, looking back down at her handbook and taking more notes. "If you fail your training I'm trading you for your sister." 

"Please don't, I need you," Gustav said, leaning against her again. "What do I do, Jackie?" He whined.

"Well, for one, you need to get over your feelings. Go find someone your age that looks like Dr. Montgomery and get shagged," she said with a sigh and an eye roll. "And secondly, if you don't stop calling me Jackie, I'll break your kneecap."

"Where am I going to find someone as smooth and handsome as Dr. Montgomery?" Gustav asked, leaning away from the woman. 

"Where you're going to find them is in this handbook," Jacquelyn said, shoving the book towards him. He took it with a grumble and started to study.

Gustav tried to take his partner's advice. He had told Dr. Montgomery that he would be going out that Friday, with every intent to find someone with a tongue that wanted to shove it down his throat. 

What actually happened was he got very drunk at the dance club and got tossed out for trying to hit on the cute bartender. 

He caught a cab home and stumbled in, failing in his attempt to not make any noise.

Gustav shut the door and leaned on the table in the foyer, trying to get out of his shoes. As he leaned, he felt his balance failing and then the table was tipping and there was a crash and he was on the floor in the dark foyer.

But then the light flicked on.

"Gustav?" 

Instead of the ceiling, suddenly Dr. Montgomery was in his line of view, brows knit in concern. "Are you alright, my boy?"

"Yeah, I'm great, Dr. Montgomery," Gustav smiled at the man, letting himself be hauled to his feet and held steady.

"Can you get up to bed alright?" Dr. Montgomery asked, not daring to let go of his shoulders.

"Hm, maybe you should carry me, Dr. Montgomery," Gustav slurred, leaning into his hold.

"I think you're right sloshed, Gustav," Dr. Montgomery chuckled. "Come along, let's get you to bed. Careful not to step on the glass."

The older man wrapped an arm around his waist, keeping him standing as he helped him up the stairs. Gustav stumbled some, giggling as he did so, but the herpetologist kept him steady and also kept him from falling down the stairs. 

"You seem like you had fun tonight," Dr. Montgomery said with a laugh as they got to the top of the stairs. 

"It wasn't nearly as fun as I was hoping," Gustav admitted, leaning further into the man supporting him, throwing his arms around his neck. "I was hoping to not be home tonight."

"Well perhaps another night," Dr. Montgomery said, helping Gustav into his room. "I think you'll need a good night's rest."

"Won't you stay with me, Dr. Montgomery," Gustav asked as he flopped into his bed, batting his eyes at the man. Dr. Montgomery chuckled, smiling at the younger man. 

"Not tonight, Love," He shook his head, ignoring Gustav's pout. "You'll thank me in the morning. Just shout if you need anything. Good night, Gustav."

Gustav didn't bid the man good night, but he did curl into his pillow and fall asleep almost immediately. 

When Gustav did finally get out of bed and head downstairs, it was well into the afternoon. His head hadn't stopped spinning, but he also didn't feel like he was going to vomit anymore so he took that as progress. 

"Well good morning, Gustav," Dr. Montgomery said, looking up from where he was leaning over his desk. "Or should I say good afternoon?"

"Good afternoon, Dr. Montgomery," Gustav said, moving to sit down at the desk beside the man. 

"I've told you, call me Monty," Dr. Montgomery said, and then he threw a smirk at the younger man. "I'd think after last night, we can drop the formalities."

Gustav furrowed his brows, ready to ask what had happened last night, when a vision came swimming back of his basically asking Dr. Montgomery to take him to bed and spend the night. 

And the vomiting feeling was back. 

Gustav groaned and let his head fall to the desk. 

"Is there any chance we could forget about last night and pretend I never said anything?" Gustav asked to the desktop. 

"If that's what you'd like, Love," Monty agreed, scribbling something in a notebook. "Could I get you some tea?"

"Aren't I supposed to be the one getting you tea, Dr. Montgomery?" Gustav asked, closing his eyes. "Monty." He corrected himself, the shorter name feeling foreign on his tongue. 

"With how green you look, I'm not certain you can stand," Monty pat his back gently, and Gustav wanted to lean into his warm palm. 

But he didn't because while sober he had very good self-control. Or at least that's what he told himself. 

"Maybe just some crackers," Gustav mumbled. Monty smiled at him before going to get something for him to eat. Before he could get too far though, the doorbell rang and he detoured to answer it. 

Gustav was close to either falling back asleep at the desk or throwing up in the trash can under it when he heard a pair of heels stomping through the reptile room. 

"Gustav, you have a visitor, my boy," Monty called from the door before shutting it. 

"You smell like whiskey," Jacquelyn said, and Gustav lifted his head to glare at her. 

"I feel like I got run over," He said, but her expression was unchanged. Her arms were crossed and her lips in a scowl.

"And I'm guessing that's why you forgot to meet me at the library at noon?" She asked, raising a brow at him. 

"Oh, Jackie, I'm so sorry, I completely forgot-"

"Stop calling me Jackie."

"We can study here, if you want. Just give me a minute for the room to stop moving," Gustav suggested, and Jacquelyn huffed, sitting down in one of the chairs opposite the desk. "Ugh, I want to die."

"Based on how you look, you're already halfway there," Jacquelyn quipped, crossing her legs and rolling her eyes. 

"I tried to get Monty to take me to bed last night," Gustav admitted, covering his face with his hands. "I did what you said, I went out and tried to find someone my age and go home with them-

"I did not tell you to get loaded."

"And I still ended up back here, not having been laid, and flirting with Monty," Gustav sighed, peaking through his fingers at the woman, who was paying him little mind as she examined her nails. 

"So now that we've established you're hopeless and pathetic, could we please get on with our work?" She asked, and Gustav huffed a sigh. Of course, he loved Jacquelyn, had since they'd started in the organization together, but it was his luck to get stuck with a serious and unhelpful partner. 

"Miss Scieszka, will you be joining us for the day?" Monty asked as he pushed his way into the reptile room, carrying a tray of tea cups and a plate of crackers. 

"Well, Gustav was supposed to meet me to study our handbook, but he slept through it, it seems," Jacquelyn said, taking one of the cups of tea for herself. 

"This one is for you, Gustav," Monty said, passing him a cup with tea that looked grey instead of like the pinkish tea that his partner was drinking. He furrowed his brows at it and took a sip, almost spitting it back out. 

"Monty, this tastes like swill," He choked out, covering his mouth to keep himself from vomiting it back up. 

"It'll cure the worst of hangovers," Monty said, offering him a smile and the plate of crackers. "My partner taught it to me back when we were young and reckless."

"Who was your partner, Dr. Montgomery?" Jacquelyn asked, reaching for a cracker, ignoring Gustav's glare. 

"Ike Anwhistle," Monty smiled. "Back when we were field agents, and before he married Josephine. Fierce and formidable, that one. We spent many nights out at clubs downing drinks like there was no tomorrow. And please, call me Monty."

"That sounds awful," Gustav said, glaring at his tea cup before taking another sip. If his mentor swore by it, it was worth a shot. 

"Oh, at the time it was a blast," Monty beamed, sitting down beside Jacquelyn. "But that was how we had fun. I was in college, and young, and not quite as smart as I am now. We'd never be able to go out and do the same now, but he and I can still knock a few back at VFD parties." 

"See? He and his partner have fun together," Gustav said, and Jacquelyn rolled her eyes. 

"I'm not here to have fun, I'm here to make a difference," She said. 

"There's no harm in a little fun," Monty said, giving her a wink. "In fact, I'd recommend it. I did nothing but study for a decade of college, it gets boring."

"See? Where's the fun in being a stick in the mud, Jackie?" Gustav asked with a smirk, and he ducked when she threw a cracker at him. 

"Your partner is a serious one," Monty said later that evening when he and Gustav were caring for the reptiles. "That's good. She'll keep you focused."

"I'm plenty focused, Monty," Gustav said, doodling a picture of the lizard that was in the tank in front of him. He was new, and his marking were kind of fun. 

"Am I correct in assuming your partnership is strictly professional?" Monty asked, reaching into said tank and petting the lizard. It stuck it's tongue out once, but otherwise seemed unfazed. Interesting. 

"Jacquelyn has been my friend since the academy," Gustav said. "She and my sister Sally shared a dorm."

"But you're interested in men, yes?" Monty asked, moving on to one of the snakes that hissed at him. He twirled his mustache in thought. 

"I-I, yes," Gustav nodded, his face heating up as he looked up at the man. 

"Well that's something we have in common," Monty said, beaming at him. 

Chapter Text

"See, I told you we would both be inducted," Gustav said, and he could see Jacquelyn's eye roll behind her mask. "You can stop being so boring now. It's a party, Jackie, enjoy yourself."

"I despise you," She said, offering him a smile. "But save me a dance later."

"Of course," Gustav waved as she headed towards where Kit and Jacques were. 

The party was in full swing, everyone dancing and taking and enjoying themselves. It was nice to see the new inductees celebrating, since all he'd seen everyone do for the past months was study and worry. 

"Quite the party, huh?" Georgina asked, holding her mask to her face and snagging a snack from the bar. "You're Monty's boy." 

"Yes," Gustav nodded, glad his mask would hide his blush. "He's been a wonderful mentor. And I really enjoy being his assistant."

"He seems to be enjoying himself as well," She said, nodding down the bar where Monty and Ike were both tossing back a glass of champagne, a race it seemed. "I believe I had your sister as a mentee."

"Yes, Sally spoke very highly of you," Gustav nodded. "Too bad she had to miss tonight."

"Once you're a field agent, duty calls sometimes," Georgina said, taking a glass of champagne and heading out on the dance floor. Gustav did wish his older sister were there to celebrate with him, since she had been inducted two years prior. But she had to be in France on assignment, and she had called him that morning to congratulate him.

"Are you enjoying yourself, Gustav?" 

Gustav nearly jumped out of his skin and Monty settled himself on the seat beside him, new glass of champagne in his hand. 

"Yes, I am," He nodded. "You seem to be too."

"Induction parties are always the best," Monty said, motioning to the dance floor. "All of these new volunteers, full of hope and promise. Brings a lot of hope to the world. Why aren't you joining them?" 

"Oh, I'm not much of a dancer, Monty," Gustav shook his head. Sally had tried to teach him before, but he wasn't very good and she got fed up when he kept stepping on her feet. 

"Nonsense, Love, come on," Monty set his glass down on the bar, taking Gustav's as well to set behind them. "I'll teach you."

Monty grabbed Gustav's hand and started tugging him out onto the dance floor, despite the protests from the younger man. 

"Monty, really, I'm okay," He said, trying to dig his heels in, but then he was being swung into Monty's arms and he lost all of his fight. 

"Now, observe," Monty said as he started leading them through a dance, and Gustav was suddenly terrified. He didn't know what to do with his feet, found himself looking down quite often, stepping on Monty's feet a few times. 

"Sorry, sorry," He said as he stepped on the man's toes yet again. 

"Don't apologize, my boy, just follow," Monty instructed. "You have to learn to follow before you can learn to lead."

Gustav nodded, letting himself be swung around the dance floor until the bouncing song came to an end and the pair parted, clapping for the band. 

"Mind if I cut in?"

Gustav turned to see Jacquelyn standing there, holding a hand out as another song started up, a bit slower this time. 

"Of course," Monty nodded, giving Gustav a wink and a smile before heading back towards the bar and reclaiming his champagne, watching as Jacquelyn and Gustav started swaying slowly. 

"What are you doing?" She asked, and he could tell she was a raising a brow at him behind her mask.

"He asked me," Gustav said, shrugging one shoulder. "He wanted to teach me to dance. How'm I doing?"

"Well you haven't stepped on my foot yet," she said, smiling. "But really, Gustav, you're going to get hurt. We leave tomorrow for two months to Brazil."

"I know," Gustav nodded. "I'm not getting myself into anything, Jackie, I'm just enjoying myself."

"Don't enjoy yourself too much," she said. "And don't call me Jackie."

Gustav was getting some fresh air on one of the balconies, the doors open and the music flowing out into the night. 

Jacquelyn was right, they had to leave for their introductory field mission together. After they returned home, missions would be on an on-call basis. He could continue to work for Monty as his assistant, but he could find his own place if he desired and get on with his life. 

Except that he didn't want to get on with his life. 

For six months he spent day and night with Monty and his reptiles, and as much as the man drove him mad sometimes, when he was singing an old-man lizard to sleep or he was helping Gustav cook dinner, he was head over heels for his mentor. 

Maybe Jacquelyn had a point, it was inappropriate and they should be professional. 

"Having fun tonight?" 

Gustav turned and saw Monty leaning in the doorway, smiling at him. 

"Yes, I am, just getting some fresh air," Gustav, motioning to the starry sky. 

"I haven't gotten to mention, but I'm very proud of you," Monty said, striding out, glass in hand. "Being your mentor has been a great pleasure."

"Well, having you as my mentor has been a delight," Gustav said, blushing. Monty smiled at him. 

"Cheers," Monty said, and the pair toasted their glasses. "To new beginnings."

"And dear friends," Gustav added, taking a sip. 

"Have you thought about what you'll do when you return?" Monty asked, turning to look out over the mountains. 

"I'd hope I'd still have a place as your assistant," Gustav said. "I do enjoy working with you, Monty."

"Of course you'd have a place with me, Gustav," Monty nodded. "I quite like having your company." 

Gustav blushed, smiling at the compliment. The music inside changed again, and Gustav downed the rest of his drink before he lost his nerve. 

"Monty, would you please dance with me?" He asked, setting his glass down on the ground and holding out a hand. The older man smiled before accepting it. 

The song was slower, and Gustav was pressed up against Monty as they swayed, far too intoxicated for anything more complicated. He could see Jacquelyn over his shoulder, dancing inside with Jacques, giving Gustav a dirty look. 

"Monty, I have to be honest with you," He said, pulling back so he could look the man in the eye. "I've grown terribly fond of you, Monty."

"I know," Monty smiled softly. "I hope you know I'm fond of you as well. I assumed since you hadn't brought it up that you didn't want to act on it."

"I want to act on it a lot," Gustav said softly, his face heating up. "But I leave tomorrow for two months, that's a long time away."

"I'm a very patient man, Gustav," Monty said. "If you don't mind me waiting for you."

Gustav didn't say anything, just pulled himself closer until he was resting his head on Monty's shoulder. 

Many members spent the night at headquarters, Gustav included. He bid Monty goodnight after their dance, having seen Jacquelyn do the same. They had to be up early and needed a good night's rest. 

He was tossing his bag in the back of the car, taking Jacquelyn's as well as she headed for the driver's seat, when he heard someone calling his name. 

Gustav turned and saw Monty striding out of the building, still in his pajamas. He walked up to the trunk of the car, smiling. 

"I wanted to bid you a safe trip," Monty said, and Gustav smiled back.

"Thank you, Monty," He said, shutting the trunk. "I'll call as I'm able."

"I look forward to it, Love," Monty said, and then he was leaning forward and placing a soft kiss on Gustav's lips. 

The younger grasped at his waist, not wanting the kiss to end. It was soft and sweet and everything he had wanted.

But then Monty was pulling back, smiling as he motioned Gustav towards the passenger door. 

Gustav flopped into his seat, waving as Jacquelyn started to drive away, watching Monty in the side mirror. 

"I'm disappointed in you," she said, and Gustav sighed, leaning over onto her shoulder.

"Jackie, if I die on this trip, I'll die happy," He said, though his partner was glaring at him.

"Tart," she said, pushing him back into his seat as he laughed.

"And proud of it," He said.

Chapter Text

Two months was a lot longer than Gustav anticipated. 

He and Jacquelyn had gone to headquarters to give their reports, and Jacques offered them both a ride home. He and Kit had secured an apartment for Jacquelyn with another volunteer as a roommate, and Jacquelyn had rolled her eyes when Gustav said to take him back to Monty's. 

"I'm still disappointed in you," Jacquelyn said from the front seat. 

"And I still don't care," Gustav said, leaning forward between the two. "Thank you for the ride, Jacques."

"Any time, that's what a cab driver is for," He said. 

"Not only are you mixing pleasure with your VFD work, you're mixing it with professional work," she said, crossing her arms and looking out the window. 

"What made you want to be a cab driver?" Gustav asked. 

"And you're a field agent, he's not anymore."

"I greatly enjoy driving, and it's amazing what people say around the presence of a cab driver," Jacques smiled. "And it fits well in the department."

"And you're living with him already."

"Jackie, are you always such a downer?" Gustav asked as they pulled up to the house, the fountain sparkling in the sunlight. 

"Good luck, Gustav," Jacques said, putting the car in park. 

"I'll call you tomorrow, Jackie," Gustav leaned forward to place a kiss on her cheek before throwing the door open. "I'm sure I'll have lots to tell you."

"Please don't," she said, but Gustav was already out the door and grabbing his bag from the trunk. 

He slammed the trunk shut and started the trek up the walk to the house. He pushed open the large door and stepped into the entryway. The flowers were different, changing with the season, but mostly it was the same. He took a moment to take a deep breath before he headed into the reptile room. 

When he opened the door, Monty's head snapped up from where he was taking notes on a snake in a small cage beside him. 

"Gustav!" He exclaimed. "Welcome home, my boy."

Gustav dropped his bag on the floor and started jogging towards the desk as Monty got to his feet, welcoming the man into his arms and leaning down for a kiss. 

It was warm and sweet and everything Gustav had been dreaming of for two months, longer than two months even. Monty's lips were soft and his mouth was wet and he tasted like mint and tea and something sweet that he couldn't place. 

His back was digging into the desk, and his hands grasping at Monty's waist, keeping them pressed so tight a piece of paper wouldn't fit between them. 

But then the screeching Iguana let out a wail, and the two separated. 

Gustav took a moment to catch his breath, panting and breathing in Monty's breath. 

"I've been waiting so long to do that," He said, and Monty smiled down at him. 

"Was it worth the wait?" Monty asked, and Gustav beamed up at him. 

"Absolutely," he said, leaning in for another kiss.

Gustav discovered that his favorite thing was waking up next to Monty.

It was amazing, really, that this eccentric and infuriating man could be so peaceful, curled around his lover so gentle and sweet. 

The younger man always loathed getting out of bed in the morning, because Monty was warm and loving and the most sweet first thing in the morning. 

"What do you say we stay in bed all day, hm?" Monty asked, his eyes still closed as he nuzzled against Gustav's throat. It was the fourth day in a row that they'd spent the night together, four days since Gustav had come home, and every morning Monty had suggested they stay in bed. 

And every day but this one, there had been reason to get up, but Gustav couldn't think of one.

"I'll make us breakfast and we could eat it in bed," Gustav suggested. 

"That sounds wonderful, Love," Monty said, trailing kisses down his throat and over his shoulder. 

Gustav started to turn around, ready to spend the morning being loved, but he paused when the doorbell rang. 

"Don't you move," Monty said, getting out of bed and slipping into his robe. He leaned down to give Gustav a quick kiss as he tied it around his waist. "I'll be right back."

And then Monty was hurrying out of the bedroom. Gustav caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror Monty had in the corner of the room. His hair was atrocious, mused from Monty's fingers tugging at it, and there were a few dark marks on his neck. But mostly he looked dazed and happy and satisfied. 

He made a decision to start breakfast first, tired of waiting for Monty to get back. He stole one of the man's robes, sighing at the soft fabric against his skin. He started down the hall and down the stairs, but paused when he saw Monty talking with two men in suits around the table in the foyer. 

"You know I'd love to go to the Amazon," Monty was saying. "It's a fairly inconvenient time, though, Gentlemen. Is there any chance this could wait another month or so? I'm still working with a new assistant."

"Unfortunately the money is not available any later," The man in the grey suit shook his head. "You know how strict grants can be, Dr. Montgomery."

"This might be a chance for your assistant to get some hands on experience, Dr. Montgomery," The man in the black suit nodded. 

"Monty?" Gustav asked from the stairs, and the three men turned to stare at him. 

"Right, my apologies," Monty said, welcoming Gustav with a wave. "Gentlemen, this is my assistant, Gustav Sebald. Gustav, this is Dr. Herald Henry, head of the biology department, and Dr. John Smith, head of the science department. I work with them at the college."

The men nodded at Gustav, paying him little mind.

"Of course, this would be a professional trip, Dr. Montgomery," Herald said, eyes flicking to Gustav. 

"And an additional person will have to be cleared with the dean," John added. 

"Might I have some time to discuss arrangements for my projects here with my assistant?" Monty asked, and the men glanced at each other. "I'll call you with an answer today."

"Of course, Dr. Montgomery," John said, and Monty motioned them to the door. Once it was shut, he sighed, running a hand through his hair. 

"I'm so sorry, Monty, I should have stayed upstairs, I just thought-"

"It's alright, my boy," Monty said, waving him off. "Go ahead in the study, Love, I'll make us some tea. We have a few things to discuss."

"Of course," Gustav nodded, heading to the reptile room with a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"First, I must apologize for my colleagues," Monty said as he set a cup of tea on the coffee table in front of Gustav. "They don't fully approve of my life choices, though it's not a concern."

"I would have stayed out of sight if I'd known."

"Nonsense, Love," Monty shook his head as he settled into the couch opposite Gustav. "This is your home too, you may do as you wish. What they think of my personal life isn't important."

"Well, still."

"What they came to talk about was a federally funded research trip on reptiles they would like me to go on," Monty said. "Were I to accept, I would leave the day after tomorrow, and be gone for a full month."

"I could go with you," Monty said, though he could see Monty shaking his head before the sentence was out of his mouth. 

"It would be dangerous for you, Love," Monty said. "You're not nearly as versed in poisonous flora and fauna as I am. What VFD teaches you just scratches the surface. And you're a field agent, there wouldn't be a way to reach you in the Amazon. And someone has to be here to take care of my reptiles, which you know how to do by heart."

"I understand, Monty," Gustav nodded, glancing down at his tea. 

"If you'd like me to stay, I will," Monty said, causing Gustav to look back up, eyes wide. "You've only just returned home, and I wouldn't want to leave you so soon."

"Monty, you should go," Gustav said, shaking his head. "Don't worry about me, this is an incredible opportunity for you."

"But Gustav-"

"No, Monty, I'll be fine," Gustav insisted. "I'll have the reptiles here, and I'm sure Jacquelyn will come and visit me, perhaps my sister. And a month isn't that long."

"If you're sure, Love," Monty nodded. "I suppose I should call the school and let them know I'll be attending the trip. A few other professors will be attending with me, though their fields of study differ. I'll have to spend the month with Dr. Laura Bancroft, the most boring entomologist I've ever met."

"Well, hopefully the trip won't be too dreadful," Gustav chuckled. "I'll be here waiting when you get back. And besides, it's not like you're leaving right now. We have another day or so."

"I suppose we should make the most of it then," Monty said, eyeing Gustav across the table. "Perhaps here?"

"Aren't you going to call your colleagues?" Gustav asked as Monty got up and moved to the couch he was on, leaning in to kiss his neck. 

"They can wait," Monty mumbled. 

Chapter Text

The house was incredibly quiet without Monty. Even the reptiles seemed down that their owner wasn't present. Gustav felt bad when the chameleon turned blue, despite not having eaten anything blue. He picked it up and let it stay on his arm for a bit that day. 

The first few days were kind of nice. Gustav read through some of the books in Monty's library, learning as much as he could about what Monty studies. He even read some of the fiction books aloud to the reptiles he had taken a shine to. There was a snake that had started expecting story time fairly quickly, and Gustav read to him some of the non-fiction as well. 

But after a week, Gustav was getting kind of lonely. 

"Why don't you come stay with me, Gustav?" Sally asked as she watched her younger brother walk around with a watering can. "You seem a little blue here by yourself."

"I have a lot of things to take care of, Sally," Gustav shook his head as he watered the fern. "The reptiles, the plants, the house itself. And it's really not bad, I have a lot of things here to keep me busy."

"Gustav, I must ask, you're not becoming a housewife, are you?" Sally asked, raising a brow as he set down the watering can and moved to sit on the couch. "I've heard VFD rumors that your relationship with Dr. Montgomery goes beyond professional."

"Jackie told you," Gustav said, narrowing his eyes. 

"She didn't have to," Sally shook her head. "I had heard it before the two of you left on your first mission. Someone mentioned to me that they saw the two of you kiss at headquarters." 

"Okay, so maybe Monty and I are involved beyond our professional relationship," Gustav admitted. "But I'm so happy, Sally."

"I suppose that's all that matters," Sally sighed. "Is that why you've chosen to stay here?"

"Well no," Gustav shook his head. "Monty's research is incredibly interesting. I think I'd like to stay here even if we weren't involved."

"Gustav, you used to be terrified of snakes," Sally said, furrowing her brows. "I can't imagine you like this work."

"I was very small then, Sally," Gustav rolled his eyes. "I have really warmed to them. This snake likes Shakespeare." He pointed to the small garden snake, and the creature blinked at him, tilting it's head and sticking it's tongue out. 

"You are very smitten, aren't you?" Sally asked with a laugh, watching him reach into the cage with a finger so the snake could get a small pet on the head. 

"What do you mean?" 

"I've never seen you so attentive and caring," She said, and Gustav scowled at her. "You know what I mean. You never cared much about school, and you couldn't keep a pet fern alive." 

"I'll have you know I was very good to my fern, she was just very finicky," He said, pulling his hand back. "But really, Sally, I've changed. I've grown."

"Oh is that so?" She asked with a smirk. "So you don't still have your green blanket? And you don't keep a diary?" 

Gustav blushed as he scowled, thinking of the nights he had sat up before his mission at his desk, writing in his blue journal and wrapped in a worn, green blanket he'd had since he was small and got lost in it. 

"I think what you meant to say is you've fallen in love," she said, and Gustav felt his stomach drop. 

Sure, Monty called him Love, but he called a lot of people Love. They'd never said those three little words, not that they had a ton of time together. Did he love Monty? He supposed it was possible. He'd spent so much time with the man, had been living with him, he didn't think he could do that and enjoy it so much if he didn't love him. 

"Aw," Sally said, crossing one leg over the other. "My little brother is in love." 

And so the month went. Gustav kept company with the reptiles in the house most days, though Sally did make a point to visit when she could. He and Jacquelyn luckily didn't have to run out on long missions, so she visited as well. He hadn't thought a month was a long time, but by the last few days, he felt like he was going crazy. 

Monty was due back late, so Gustav was making quick work of dinner and cleaning the house while Jacquelyn sat at the kitchen table, drinking tea, going over her notebook. 

"Don't you think you're going overboard?" She asked, and Gustav glanced down at his apron as he worked on his lasagna. 

"Jackie-"

"Don't call me that."

"I haven't seen Monty in a month," Gustav said. "I want him to come home to a romantic dinner with wine and candles so I can tell him I love him."

"M-hm," she hummed, making a note of something. They had a nearby case going, nothing that required travel, and but Gustav hadn't been able to focus at all. "That's why?" 

"Yes, I want to tell Monty I love him," He said, washing his hands and taking his apron off. He felt Jacquelyn's eyes rove over him, and he blushed because he was wearing a wine-red shirt and black tie with his slacks. "I mean, I'd also like him to take me upstairs and ravish me. It's been a month, Jackie, I need tonight to be amazing." 

"Men," Jacquelyn scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Can't you control yourself?" 

"Absolutely," Gustav nodded, sliding his lasagna into the oven. "But I don't want to." 

"Look at these ciphers for me, will you?" She asked, pushing the notebook across the table. Gustav leaned over the pages, taking the pencil and scribbling notes on the margins of the pages. He nearly lost track of time as they hunched over the table, trading notes and theorizing suspects. He was interrupted by the blaring of the oven, and he hurried to pull dinner out and set it on a pot holder on the counter. 

"You want me to send you home with some?" He asked, and Jacquelyn shook her head. 

"I'm actually supposed to meet Sally for dinner," she said, pushing her chair back and getting to her feet. She started piling up her notes, stuffing lose papers into a folder. "She wanted me to check on you." 

"I don't like that you two talk about me behind my back," Gustav said, scrunching up his face as he tried to pull the cork out of the wine bottle. 

"Well someone has to look after you," she rolled her eyes, reaching out to uncork the bottle herself, handing the open bottle back and setting the stained cork on the counter. "And Sally is concerned you're too in love too fast." 

"She is absolutely right, but I'm happy, so tell her to leave me be," Gustav pouted, grabbing two empty wine glasses. As he started pouring, he heard the front door open and shut. 

"Gustav?" 

"In the kitchen!" Gustav shouted, moving the glasses to the table. "It was wonderful visiting, but please leave." 

"Gladly," she said, gathering up her things as Monty came striding into the kitchen, smiling warmly at Gustav before he noticed Jacquelyn. 

"Well, Miss Scieszka, what a pleasant surprise," He said, nodding at her. 

"Don't mind me, I was just leaving," She said, smiling at the pair before picking up her pile of things and heading for the door. "Welcome back, Dr. Montgomery."

"Thank you," Monty said, striding forward towards Gustav, taking him in his arms. "Did you do all this for me, Love?" 

Monty gestured to the table set for two, wine glasses full and candles lit. Gustav blushed. 

"Welcome home, Monty," Gustav mumbled, standing on his toes to give Monty a soft kiss. "I made dinner."

"Hm, can it wait?" Monty asked, running his hands down Gustav's back, resting on the small of it. "You look very handsome, Love. You dressed up."

"I-I think so," Gustav nodded, and Monty surged in for another kiss, a heated one, his tongue invading Gustav's mouth and warming him to his very core. Before he knew what was happening, Monty was lifting him up, and he was wrapping his legs around the older man's waist, and they were heading for the stairs. 

"You didn't have to go through all this trouble, Love," Monty said, watching Gustav serve dinner, now dressed in only a robe. 

"It was no trouble," Gustav said, waving it off as he took a sip of his wine. "I wanted to make tonight special."

"Well then I'd say you've accomplished your goal," Monty smiled, taking a sip from his own glass. "Now. We have a lot of catching up to do."

"Wait, I want to say something first," Gustav said, setting his glass down. "Monty, this time without you has been the most boring month I've ever had. It gave me a lot of time to think about you, it seemed like that was all I could do, a-and I realized, Monty I love you."

"Oh, Darling," Monty whispered, reaching out to take one of Gustav's hands, bringing it to his lips. "You did all this to tell me you love me?"

Gustav bit his lip and nodded. Monty leaned in and cradled his head, giving him a light kiss that left Gustav breathless and wanting. 

"I love you too, Gustav," Monty whispered against his lips. Gustav felt his face split into a smile, leaning in to grasp Monty's cheeks and kiss him properly, passion and tongue and teeth. When he pulled back Monty was chuckling. "It'd really be a shame if you made this wonderful dinner and we let it go to waste."

"Monty," Gustav breathed. "Let's go make love."

"Well, how could I say no to that?" Monty asked with a smile, griping one of Gustav's hands tightly. 

Chapter Text

The schism wasn't easy. Break-ups seldom are, and that is what it felt like to Monty and Gustav. 

Friends, people they trusted, were suddenly denouncing their firefighting status. Sally had taken it incredibly hard when Georgina Orwell had joined the fire starters, feeling that her mentor had changed, had failed her. 

"Sally, everything will be alright," Gustav assured her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as she collapsed onto the bed. 

While ordinarily VFD headquarters would be used for gathering, many members felt it unsafe since some members were question marks about what side they were on. Monty offered to host members he knew were on the fighting side, the mansion a safe space for them. 

Unfortunately, Sally's partner Fernald was nowhere to be found, and she feared the worst. 

The two of them were bunked down in the room he shared with Monty, hiding from the questions and planning downstairs for the time being. Most of those downstairs had their partners or mentors, except Josephine, but Sally felt incredibly alone now. 

"I just hope Fernald stays hidden," Sally said, shaking her head. "He can't join them. He just can't."

"We'll find him, Sally," Gustav said, puller her close as tears formed in her eyes. "We don't want him to join them either." 

"I hate to interrupt."

Gustav looked up and saw Ike knocking on the door frame, holding a tray in his hand with two cups of tea. 

"Monty asked me to bring this up to the two of you," He said, moving to set the tray on the nightstand on Monty's side of the bed. "Don't you worry, Dear. We're going to do everything in our power to fix this." 

He put a hand on Sally's back, rubbing gently as she was nearly doubled over on the bed, her dark hair hiding her face as it fell in a curtain around her. 

"Thank you, Ike," Gustav said, tucking some of Sally's hair behind her ear as she sobbed. "Please tell everyone we're alright." 

"Go downstairs, Gustav," Sally mumbled, shaking her head. "I want to be alone."

"Are you sure, Sal?" Gustav asked, furrowing his brows. She nodded. "I'll bring you up something to eat later." 

Ike gave him a sympathetic look, and Gustav sighed at him. The older man reached out an arm as they left the room, wrapping it around his shoulders as they listened to Sally sob. Gustav shut the door to give her some privacy. 

"Poor girl," Ike said, shaking his head as they started down the stairs. "I don't quite know what I'd do if I lost Monty and my mentor. It was difficult enough when my mentor passed."

Gustav's mouth went dry at the thought of losing Monty. He didn't know how he'd continue in VFD without him. 

"Gustav."

Monty greeted him with furrowed brows as he glanced up at the pair as they entered the reptile room. He was leaning over the table to the side of the doorway, huddled with Bertrand and Charlotte. 

"Sally wants to be alone," Gustav said, and Monty pursed his lips, holding out an arm to pull Gustav against his chest, hiding his face and carding a hand through his hair. "She's very upset." 

"We're doing everything we can," Monty mumbled against his hair, and Gustav nodded, stepping back. 

"I know," He said, glancing down at the list of known VFD members, a few of them crossed out that Gustav knew were now on the bad side of the schism. 

"Ike, we could use your eyes on this list," Monty said. "I'm sure I'm missing some." 

Ike nodded and leaned closer, and Gustav excused himself to find Jacquelyn. Everyone was working with their partners, which was another reason Sally wanted some space. It hurt her to be the odd one out, though Josephine was keeping a bit to herself as well.

Gustav found his own partner with a distraught Kit and Jacques, both concerned for their now-in-hiding younger brother. Beatrice was also nearby with Quinn, recounting how Olaf had tried to shove her off of a cliff. 

"How is Sally?" Jacquelyn asked, hands on her hips as she paced. 

"She wanted to be alone," Gustav said, running a hand through his hair. "Would you mind terribly bringing her something to eat?"

"Of course," Jacquelyn nodded, grabbing a napkin and one of the tea sandwiches Gustav had prepared earlier in the night. 

"When she's ready, I'd like to talk to her," Jacques said, and Gustav nodded. 

"Are we being sent out?" He asked, glancing around. Only a few of them were reserve members, many were still active field members. And even the reserve members didn't have anything to stop them from going out on assignment.

"Right now, it's too risky," Jacques shook his head. “Without knowing who is on our side, we don't know who can be trusted outside of this room."

"Jacques and I are going out tomorrow to try and find Lemony," Kit said, glancing over at Beatrice. "But if he doesn't want to be found, I don't think we'll succeed."

"We have to try," Jacques said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "The rest of you should lay low for a while. Be on the lookout for signals."

"We have plenty to keep us busy," Quinn said, getting to his feet. "I'm going to start up a map of known safe places."

"I'll see if I can find some information on places the fire-starting side might be hiding," Beatrice said, following her partner. 

Gustav sighed, sitting down on the couch opposite the Snickets. For the first time since joining VFD, he felt useless. He wanted to help, wanted to do something, but it was falling to their older members, those who had been in the organization for a few years now. They knew those on the fire-starting side better, personally. Gustav knew their names and profiles, but little else. 

"You're looking tired, my boy."

Gustav looked up when a hand was placed on his shoulder, squeezing gently. Monty was smiling down at him, but it was the sad smile he'd been wearing all night. The smile that just said he was sorry, that he was doing what he could. 

"I am," Gustav nodded, reaching up to take the hand on his shoulder and squeeze it back.

Almost everyone had left, either to head home or head out. Jacquelyn was going to lay low, keep going to her job at the bank and keep an ear out. Beatrice and Quinn were going to try and decipher which safe places were no longer safe, and Bertrand and Charlotte were put in charge of the list of members that were not to be trusted anymore. The group was headed back to the apartment that Charlotte and Quinn shared, with promise to send word if they found anything. Kit and Jacques were taking his cab and trying to find their younger brother, and would return if they had no trace of him. 

That left Gustav, Monty, Ike and Josephine. 

And Sally, of course, as Gustav had discovered when he went to check on her and found her fast asleep in his bed. He covered her with his green blanket and turned off the lights before heading downstairs. 

The saddest thing was, though, that Gustav didn't know what would happen. He feared that Sally may move sides, given enough convincing, and what would he do then? And were they really helping anyone? Obviously some members of VFD disagreed with them, some members thought they could cause pain and destruction in the name of VFD instead. He felt a phantom pain in the tattoo on his ankle. 

"How is she?" Monty asked as Gustav walked into the kitchen. He, Ike, and Josephine were settled around the kitchen table, mugs of steaming coffee in front of them.

"Asleep," Gustav mumbled, staying still by the door. 

"Poor girl," Josephine mumbled down to her mug. Ike put a hand on her arm and kissed her temple. She was in a similar boat, having lost her long-time partner Georgina. 

"Would you like some coffee, Love?" Monty asked, moving to the cabinet to grab another mug, but Gustav shook his head. Something on his face must have been alarming, because Monty stopped and stared at him. "What is it, Love?"

"Monty," Gustav breathed, feeling a lump in his throat. He was scared. Olaf had already tried to kill someone, what if they continued? What if they used Sally, what if her closeness to Georgina and Fernald was her downfall and they killed her? All of his missions thus far had been far less personal, far less terrifying. 

"Gustav, Honey, what's wrong?" Monty asked, striding over to him and cupping his face. 

"Are we doing good things still, Monty?" Gustav asked, feeling tears prick his eyes. "Is VFD still helping people?"

"Of course we are, Love," Monty nodded. "That's not what this is about."

Gustav bit his lip.

"Monty, I'm terrified," He admitted. He felt weak, pitiful, admitting his fearfulness in front of the most fierce and formidable of VFD. "This is only the start. What happens if this gets worse?"

Monty pulled him in for a hug, tucking his head against his shoulder as Gustav let out a few sobs that were burning to be released from his throat. 

"You're safe here," Monty whispered, and Gustav gripped at the back of his shirt for dear life. 

Chapter Text

The schism seemed to fizzle after that first night. Everyone on both sides were laying low, waiting for the other side to strike. Sally stayed with them for a few days, but she finally decided that she had to find Fernald, not only for her sake but for his father's sake. Captain Widdershins had raised Fernald, and he would want answers. 

Gustav made her promise to call, and she said she would. 

That left he and Monty in the big house, trying to return to normal. It felt empty now, reading to the reptiles, sketching them in his notebook, following along to Monty's rambles. It felt empty for a long while. 

Gustav was watering the plants, the first thing he did in the morning most days while Monty rushed off to work, to teach. The small clover plant was wilting a little, so he moved it to the desk where it would get more sun. It was then that he noticed a letter on Monty's desk, from the Snickets. 

No luck finding Lemony. After months of searching, they were returning home. Gustav sighed. 

He'd been in VFD for over a year now, and it was such a mess. He'd thought more than once of walking away, but he took an oath. He had to stay, he did really want to help people. 

The phone on the desk rang, and Gustav picked it up, hoping it might be Sally. He hadn't heard from her in a few days. 

"Hello?" He asked.

"Gustav, is Monty in?"

"Sorry, Ike, today is one of his teaching days. Is something the matter?"

"Quite the opposite. We'd like to invite the two of you for dinner tonight."

Gustav glanced at the daily planner Monty kept on his desk. It served little use at home, he assumed the man had forgotten it. 

"I think were free tonight, but I'll double check with Monty and let you know if we can’t make it."

"Wonderful, see you tonight!"

Gustav smiled as he set the phone down, watering the small plant that was regularly on Monty's desk beside the clovers. 

He was also expecting a call from Jacquelyn, as she phoned every other day, so when the phone rang while he was in the middle of reading to some of the reptiles, he jumped to answer it. 

But it wasn’t Jacquelyn. 

"Gustav?" A voice asked, and he furrowed his brow, recognizing the voice but not sure from where. 

"This is," he said, leaning against the desk. 

"Please tell Sally I'm sorry."

And that clued him in. 

"Fernald! Fernald, you don't have to do this, you can come back-"

But then the line went dead. 

Gustav was glad Sally hadn't called before they left. He told Monty about his phone call when he got home, and he was dreading having to tell Sally, but she had to know he wasn’t coming home officially. 

"Have I mentioned you look lovely in that sweater?" Monty asked as they climbed out of the cab and headed for the stairs to the house on the cliff. 

"Only every time I wear it," Gustav said with a smirk. 

"Hm," Monty smiled, pausing on the porch and pulling Gustav in against him. "Later I'd very much like to take it off you."

Gustav wanted to melt and say to hell with dinner and flag down that cab before it got too far and spend the evening nude with Monty in bed, but then the door opened and Ike was welcoming them in. 

"Monty!" He called, pulling the man in for a hug and leading the pair into the house. Josephine was in the kitchen cooking at the stove, a stew that smelled heavenly. 

"Welcome," she said, and Gustav sidled up to her, letting her wrap an arm around his shoulders. 

"Josephine, Darling, that smells like your beef stew," Monty said, collapsing into a chair at the kitchen table beside Ike. "What's the occasion? You only make it for something special."

"I told you he would know," Josephine said, pointing at Ike with her spoon. "'Make the stew, Josie, this is a celebration.'"

"It is a celebration, Josie," Ike said, beaming at his fierce and formidable wife.

"And what is this a celebration of?" Gustav asked, and the Anwhistles exchanged a look before Josephine waved at her husband to continue. 

"Josephine and I are expecting a baby," Ike said, practically exploding with excitement. Monty congratulated the man heartily while Gustav clutched hands with Josephine, spinning her around so her dress flared. 

"Monty, you know you're the first on our list," Ike said, squeezing Monty's arm. "There’s no one we would trust with our baby more than you."

"You know I'll love it to pieces," Monty said, exchanging a smile with Gustav. 

"I didn't know you’d been trying for children," Monty said as the three men gathered in the study for scotch and to let Josephine go to bed. She was quite exhausted in her condition. 

"We hadn't been," Ike shook his head. "This was a pleasant surprise."

"Pleasant indeed," Monty nodded, motioning for Gustav to sit on his lap. "Though I'd never wanted any of my own, I do love children."

"Josephine was a little worried, being in VFD and all, but I told her no one was more capable of keeping a baby safe than her," Ike said, gazing out at the dark lake water. "It’s actually nice to have something to look forward to after the schism. Though, I must admit, I'm quite terrified."

"Why?" Gustav asked, watching Ike get up to fill his glass from the decanter. 

"We've always been afraid to have children," Ike shrugged a shoulder. "More so afraid something will happen to both of us and we will leave our child by force."

"Ike, you know should that happen, Gustav and I will raise that child like our own," Monty said squeezing Gustav around the waist. "And they’ll never forget about the two of you."

Ike smiled at the pair over his shoulder. 

"I only wish I could return the promise someday," he said, capping the decanter and moving to stand by the window. 

"Just promise that if something happens to me, you’ll be a good mentor to Gustav," Monty said, and Gustav smacked his shoulder for even mentioning his possible demise. 

"What are partners for?" Ike asked, flashing them another smile.

It was in the afternoon a week later that there was a frantic knock on the front door, and Gustav ran from the reptile room to answer it.

Josephine stood on the other side, sobbing into her hand.

“Josephine,” Gustav said, holding a hand out to her to pull her into the house. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kicked the door shut. “Monty! Hurry!”

A few seconds later the man came running out of the reptile room, freezing for a moment at the sight of the most fierce and formidable woman he knew sobbing in his foyer before he ran forward, gripping her upper arms.

“Josie, what is it? Is it the baby?” Monty asked, but Josephine shook her head, whining as she did so.

“Ike,” she choked out. “Ike is dead.”

Monty’s hands fell, and he staggered for a moment before bracing himself with a hand on the table.

“How?” He asked, his voice barely a whisper.

“The leeches,” Josephine sobbed. “He went swimming in the lake too soon, and the leeches ate him!” She screeched, and Gustav grabbed her by her elbows to keep her standing.

“Oh, no,” Monty whispered, leaning more heavily on the table.

“Let’s go sit down,” Gustav said, swallowing his feelings. The three of them couldn’t all fall apart together until they were seated.

Chapter Text

Josephine cried for most of the afternoon while Monty planned a memorial for the remaining members of VFD they trusted, crying over and over into the phone as he informed them that Ike had died.

Almost each time he recounted the story, Josephine cried out in anguish. Gustav had been bringing her tea and toast, but she had little appetite.

“I think the worst part is that I’m alone,” Josephine admitted when Monty got through his list of calls. “I don’t keep in touch with my mentee, my mentor is long gone, and Georgina isn’t here to be my partner anymore. Ike was all I had left.”

“No, Josie, you’re not alone,” Monty said, moving from his desk to sit beside the woman. “You know we’ll always be here for you. You stay here with us as long as you like, forever if you can’t stand to go back to the house.”

“You and the baby,” Gustav added, taking one of her hands.

“Oh, the baby,” Josephine whined. “Ike was so excited about the baby.”

“And I promised Ike that if something were to happen, I would help raise that baby like my own,” Monty said, wrapping an arm around her. “It’s what partners are for, to pick up the slack. You’re never going to be alone in this.”

“My Ike is gone,” Josephine sobbed, and Monty pulled her in for a tight embrace while Gustav rubbed her back.

While Josephine had exhausted herself, Monty and Gustav were wide awake. Monty had shown her to the guest room for the night, and Gustav busied himself with cleaning up the kitchen. It had been on his mental to-do list that day anyways, and he needed something to do even though it was so late.

“Would you mind terribly making those sandwiches for the memorial?” Monty asked, poking his head into the kitchen, now in his robe and pajamas.

“Of course not,” Gustav shook his head. “I’ll need to go to the store though.”

“Well, we have all day tomorrow to plan,” Monty sighed. “I’ve already canceled class tomorrow, I’m taking a bereavement day.”

“It’s probably for the best, especially with Josephine here,” Gustav nodded, gently setting the grates back on the stove.

“Love?” Monty asked as Gustav moved to scrubbing the counter.

“Hm?” Gustav asked, not looking up from the suds building up on the counter top around his sponge. Suddenly there was a hand over his own, holding it in place.

“Stop cleaning, Love,” Monty said, and Gustav looked up at him with watery eyes.

“No,” Gustav shook his head. “No, if I stop cleaning I have to think about something else and if I think about something else I’ll think about Ike a-and I-“

“Gustav,” Monty whispered, and the younger man’s eyes welled with tears. “I miss him too.”

“It’s not just Ike, Monty,” Gustav whispered, shaking his head again, letting his hands fall to his sides. “It’s a reminder. This time it was accidental, but next time it could be on purpose, and it could be Sally, or Jackie, or you. I-I don’t know how many goodbyes I can take.”

“You knew how dangerous being a volunteer was when you volunteered,” Monty mumbled, taking Gustav’s face in his hands, thumbing away a tear.

“That was before I met you,” Gustav whispered, and Monty sighed, closing his eyes and pulling the man in for a tight hug as he sobbed.

“Ike and I were partners in so many ways,” Monty mused as he looked at the large photo of the man, the one what would eventually be hung at headquarters now that it had been deemed neutral territory. “Not only were we assigned as partners when we started at VFD, we were roommates in college, we were best friends, I was best man at his wedding.

“I don’t think I could have asked for a better man as a partner in my life in all those ways. Together we had the most fun, the most adventure, and got the most out of life we could have possibly gotten. And I’ll miss him terribly.”

The rest of the mourners clapped as Monty made his way back to his seat, letting Bertrand stand up and talk about Ike as a mentor.

“Would you like to say anything, Josie?” Monty asked, grasping the woman’s hand, but she shook her head. Monty nodded, staring ahead as Bertrand spoke.

After the speeches, Gustav set out the trays of sandwiches he made, as well as the two pitchers of iced tea and glasses.

“This is a lovely memorial you two have put together,” Beatrice said as she filled a glass.

“Well, Monty did most of the work, I just made sandwiches and tea,” Gustav said, taking a small sandwich for himself, as well as one for Josephine. She had been exhausted after the memorial and wanted to stay in her room upstairs for a nap. Gustav promised to bring her something to eat.

“Thank you both for doing this,” Beatrice said, putting a hand on Gustav’s arm. It was then that he remembered that Beatrice and Ike were related. “I appreciate it.”

“Of course, Bea,” Gustav said, leaning forward to kiss her cheek. “It’s the least we could do.”

“He’s the reason Bertrand and I met and got so close,” Beatrice mused, glancing over to where Bertrand was talking to Charlotte and Quinn, recently engaged. “I owe my marriage to him.”

“He was a wonderful man,” Gustav said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “If you’ll excuse me, I promised Josephine I’d bring her something to eat.”

“Give her my best,” Beatrice said, heading over to join her husband.

Gustav hurried out of the parlor and up the stairs, anxious to get away from everyone himself. He and Monty had spent the evening on one of the lounges in the parlor, Monty telling him stories about Ike and Gustav mourning the loss of a wonderful man and volunteer. It had been an exhausting few days, especially feeling like he had to be the support. Josephine and Monty had both just gone through bouts of crying, he’d find one crying in the hallway on the floor or sitting at the foot of the stairs. He’d done a lot of caretaking the last few days, and while he did it happily, he could stand with a small nap and some time to himself.

He pushed open the door to Josephine’s room only to find it empty.

“Josephine?” He called out, glancing around the room anyways. He heard her choke out a sob, and he looked back into the hallway to see the bathroom door ajar. He walked over, knocking on the door gently. “Josephine?”

All he got back was another sob, so he slowly pushed the door open. Josephine was sitting in the tub, and from the doorway, Gustav could see her hands were covered in blood.

He dropped the plate in his hands and it shattered on the tile floor.

“Josephine!” He said, running forward. She sobbed again, shaking her head. Gustav didn’t see an immediate injury when he glanced over her, but her pantyhose were thrown in a bunch on the floor and he could see blood on the bottom of the tub. “Monty!”

He repeated to her over and over that things would be okay, but he doubted she could hear him over her sobs. It only took a moment for Monty’s footsteps to be heard running up the stairs and in the hall, freezing right where Gustav had and where the plate was broken on the floor.

“Josie, what happened?” Monty asked, running forward and kneeling by her head. “Gustav, get me a wet cloth.”

Gustav nodded, hurrying to the cabinet to grab a hand towel and soak it. Josephine sobbed, shaking her head until Monty grabbed her face and made her look at him.

“Josephine, I can’t help you until you tell me what happened,” He said, stern but gentle.

“The baby,” She whispered between sobs. “I lost the baby.”

Gustav felt a wave of nausea come over him, and he gripped the counter for support, letting the hot water run in the sink. He shared a look with Monty, Gustav biting his lip and Monty’s eyes wavering.

Chapter Text

Josephine finally came down to the reptile room after three days.

Monty had gone back to work. As much as he wanted to be there for Josephine, she wasn’t much to be there for. They took meals up to her room and left them on her dresser, she hardly got out of bed at all.

Gustav had gone to their house after the memorial and got her some clothes, as well as set to washing the ones he had picked up for her before the memorial. Monty had found him crying over the blood-stained dress she had worn to the memorial as he tried to wash it.

He was just making a note that the iguana has gotten something in his eyes and he needed some eye drops when he heard the door to the reptile room open.

He glanced up and saw Josephine standing there, still wearing her lounge pants and a t-shirt and large knit sweater, but she was up and walking around.

“Josephine,” Gustav said, forcing a smile for her.

“I was feeling a bit lonely upstairs,” She said, moving to sit on the couch.

“Can I get you anything? Some tea, or lunch?” Gustav asked, setting his notebook down and sitting beside her.

“No, thank you,” Josephine shook her head. “Just felt like some company.”

“Well, you’re just in time, I was about to read a scene from Much Ado About Nothing to Reggie, the garden snake,” Gustav said, going to pick up the play from where he had left it on the desk the day before.

He sat by the tank, reading aloud all of act two, and he wasn’t surprised to see Reggie blinking at him. The snake was an enigma, and he was quite fond of him. Josephine sat to attention as well, listening to Gustav as he read. Some of the other reptiles tuned in for story time, but none were as attentive as the snake.

“You do this every day?” Josephine asked as Gustav got off of the stool, plucking the bookmark from Monty’s desk and marking the page he was on before setting the book right where he had the day before.

“Among other things,” Gustav nodded. He had started experimenting with the video camera Monty had. He actually had a lot of fun with it, though currently the only tape he had that he kept was one of Monty dancing with the chameleon, eyes closed as he swayed with the creature on his hand.

That was, until he noticed Gustav filming and set the reptile on his shoulder and reached out his now free hand to pull Gustav in for a dance, the camera set on the desk to catch their waists as they danced together.

He was thinking of working with Jackie to develop new ciphers and ways to transmit messages for the firefighting side using film.

“While Monty does a lot of research with the reptiles, I spend a lot of time taking care of them,” Gustav explained. “I clean some of the cages of the calmer ones, I feed them when they’re not Monty’s current study subject, I monitor their well-being, make sure they’re not acting strange. Plus I water the plants and I clean the house, though that last bit is usually an afterthought. Monty isn’t very messy and neither am I, and we mostly spend our time here.”

“He’s lucky to have found you,” Josephine said, wrapping her sweater around herself tighter. “I remember once, Ike and I came over because we hadn’t heard from Monty in a few days, and at the time that was very unusual. We came in and he was in here just shaking, there were coffee cups everywhere, his eyes were completely red and he’d been awake for four days. We had to stay and feed the reptiles because Monty slept for almost a full day.”

“He does need a little taking care of,” Gustav chuckled, thinking of the times he had to come downstairs and drag Monty to bed because it was nearly one in the morning and he had classes to teach in eight hours. It usually required a promise of a wonderful breakfast in the morning or a lot of neck kissing until Monty couldn’t focus anymore. “I like to think I’ve made a difference in his life.”

“He’s been alone for a long time, I’d say you’ve made a very big difference,” Josephine said, playing with her sleeves. “I-I think I’d like that tea now, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course,” Gustav nodded, heading for the kitchen.

Gustav was kissing down Monty’s neck as the man sat at his desk, the only light in the room coming from the lamp on the desktop.

“It’s late, Monty,” Gustav mumbled against his skin, and the screeching iguana clock reminded them it was midnight.

“I just have a few more things to finish up, Love,” Monty said, trying to ignore the hands wandering down his torso towards his lap.

“You can finish in the morning,” Gustav insisted, giving Monty a quick squeeze through his slacks before moving his hands up to play with his shirt buttons. “Let’s go upstairs.”

“The longer you distract me, the longer this will take,” Monty insisted, smirking at his assistant. Gustav gave him a pout, giving him one more kiss under his ear before sitting on the desk, crossing his arms as he waited. “Don’t pout, my boy, I’ll take care of you momentarily. Have patience.”

“Monty, I’ve been waiting for you for a few hours now,” Gustav said, leaning closer and supporting himself with a hand on the notebook Monty was scribbling in, forcing the man to look up at him. “Now, if you don’t take me upstairs, I’ll just have to go and take care of things myself. Is that what you want?”

“Far from it, Love,” Monty said, reaching up to wrap his hand around the back of his neck and pull him down for a warm, languid kiss.

Gustav was just starting to think that their lazy making out might turn into full blown sex on the couch in the reptile room when the phone rang behind him. Monty pulled back and sighed, resting his forehead on Gustav’s shoulder. Gustav gave him a sympathetic smile before reaching behind him to grab the phone.

“Montgomery residence,” he said, ignoring the smirk Monty gave him. He also ignored the kisses that Monty was now peppering down his neck towards the opening of his robe.

“Gustav, we have to go. I just got a message in a fortune cookie, there’s a fire in Guatemala. Kit and I discussed it, we think they’re trying to track Lemony. Jacques is on his way to pick you up.”

“Now?” Gustav asked, using his free hand to push Monty back a bit. He bit his lip, glancing over his lover in the dark room, seeing the heat in his cheeks. “I can be ready in 20 minutes.”

“Make it 15.”

Gustav hung up the phone and watched Monty flop back into his chair with a sigh.

“You have to go,” He said, his hands falling to Gustav’s thighs as the shorter man slid into his lap, straddling him.

“To Guatemala,” Gustav said, cupping his face and kissing his forehead. “Jacques is on his way.”

“You should go pack,” Monty mumbled, moving his hands to Gustav’s hips to keep him steady, keep them from tilting the chair back too far.

“My bag is always packed,” Gustav whispered. “I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone. Let’s just make the most of this.”

“Here?” Monty asked, raising his brows with a chuckle.

“Why waste the time going upstairs?” Gustav asked, and Monty tightened his grip around the man’s waist.

Seventeen minutes later, Gustav was running out of the house with his bag packed and dressed, his shirt misbuttoned. He tossed the bag in the back of the cab and slid into the back seat with Jacquelyn. She took one look at him and rolled her eyes.

“Fix your shirt, you tart,” she said, motioning to him as the cab started moving.

“I will have you know I was in my pajamas when you called,” Gustav grumbled. “I got dressed in the dark so I didn’t wake Monty.”

“Yes, and that’s why he’s standing on the porch in his day clothes waving at us,” Jacquelyn pointed out, and Gustav looked out the back windshield to see that yes, Dr. Montgomery was standing on the porch waving, his shirt still open and smiling as the cab drove away.

“Jackie,” Gustav whined, leaning against her shoulder.

“Don’t-“

“I hate leaving him,” Gustav sighed, sitting back up. “Especially now, with Josephine being there. She’s going to be alone during the day, and she’s just starting to get back to normal.”

“Perhaps when we stop we can send a message to Sally to check in,” Kit suggested, and Gustav smiled at her. “Or Beatrice, since she can’t go out anyways.”

“Why can’t she go out?” Jacquelyn asked, furrowing her brows and adjusting her hair.

“She just found out she’s pregnant,” Kit said, turning around to smile at them. “Kind of nice having something like that to look forward to.”

Gustav smiled sadly, starting to fix his shirt buttons.

“We should send Sally,” he said, and Kit furrowed her brows at him, and he could see Jacques’ raise in the rearview mirror. “Uh, this doesn’t leave this taxi, but Josephine was pregnant when Ike passed.”

“Oh,” Kit sighed, turning to share a look with her twin.

“We took her to a doctor, and they think all the extra stress of losing Ike caused her to lose the baby as well,” Gustav explained. “She spent three days in our spare room, not talking, hardly eating.”

“Then we’ll send Sally,” Jacques said resolutely.

“I’m certain she could use some company as well,” Gustav said. While it had been a month now since she returned, she was still incredibly upset about Georgina and Fernald.

“Now, last Jacques and I tried to find him, Lemony was in Guatemala, near where this fire broke out,” Kit explained. “If our hunches are correct, based on the last fire that Bertrand and Charlotte responded to in Mexico, the fire starters are trying to track Lemony.”

“If that’s the case, what do we hope to find in Guatemala?” Jacquelyn asked, kicking off her heels and pulling her feet up in the bench seat. Gustav moved the shoes out of her way, tucking them in beside his own feet. “If they’re tracking Lemony, shouldn’t we also find Lemony?”

“In theory,” Jacques nodded. “But we’re hoping by going to Guatemala we’ll find some clue to where he is going next, and head them off.”

“How, um, how do we know they haven’t gotten Lemony yet?” Gustav asked, leaning forward.

“If Olaf had gotten Lemony, he would have told us by now,” Kit explained with a sigh as she turned her face to look out the window. “Gloating is one of his favorite past times.”

“Lemony was the best at hide and seek as a child,” Jacques said. “If he wants to stay hidden, he will.”

Chapter Text

“I don’t see anything,” Gustav said, shaking his head while Jacquelyn sifted through the ash, looking for any kind of message. There was nothing left of the building, it had burned completely to the ground.

“No message I recognize anyways,” Jacquelyn sighed, standing up and brushing ash off on her skirt. “If he was here, he got out before the building burned.”

“That could put him two countries away by now,” Gustav huffed, running a hand through his hair. “Maybe Jacques and Kit found something out.”

He held out an arm for her, helping her through the bricks in piles on the ground and under the police tape. The other pair headed through town, looking for some kind of sign of their little brother. He might not leave a message on purpose, or it might be something only the three of them would understand, but if he was there, he would let them know he was okay.

Gustav slung his arm around Jacquelyn, keeping her close by. It was helpful for every cover when they acted like a couple, keeping the charade around strangers helped to alleviate suspicion as to why two strangers suddenly appeared in a random place. Perhaps they were a couple on vacation, that was easy to pull off.

The pair were just about to turn a corner when they spotted a man with a hook hand down the street, looking in the window of a bakery.

“Fernald,” Gustav breathed, pulling his partner back to keep her hidden.

“Why do you think he’s here?” Jacquelyn asked, ducking under Gustav’s arm to watch.

“I think he’s alone,” Gustav mumbled, and Jacquelyn gripped his jacket.

“Don’t,” She hissed, but Gustav was pulling away from her before she could stop him.

“Stay hidden,” he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets and heading for the bakery. He could see what Fernald was watching, the baker inside kneading a ball of dough on his counter. He had some ash on his face, but other than that he didn’t look out of place. Gustav took a deep breath. “I didn’t realize this was a sad occasion.”

Fernald’s head turned quickly, eyes wide as he observed Gustav smiling at him.

“You need to leave,” He whispered, glancing down the street.

“Fernald-“

“No, they’ll know,” Fernald shook his head. “Leave before they see us.”

“Before who sees us?” Gustav asked, and Fernald groaned. He reached out and grabbed Gustav by the arm and pulled him into an alleyway between the bakery and a clothing shop.

“I don’t know if they’re still here, but I don’t want to take risks,” Fernald said, shaking his head.

“What are you talking about?” Gustav asked, furrowing his brows as he watched Fernald survey the street.

“I don’t have much time,” Fernald whispered. “I’m doing this because my mother just had another child, and if I want to keep them safe, I have to be on the inside. And if you tell anyone what I just told you, you’ll be a target too.”

“Fernald we can keep them safe,” Gustav said, gripping him by the upper arms. “Come with us.”

“No,” Fernald shook his head. “No, if I’m with them, they won’t target my family. Just, just tell S, reactionary mask, dear.”

Gustav opened his mouth to say something, but Fernald was running out into the street. Before Gustav could grab him, a car drove down the street, and the man vanished.

“It had to be Fernald,” Jacquelyn said, shaking her head as she sat in the back of Jacque's cab.

“Even if it was Fernald, he kept mentioning others,” Gustav said. “He might have done the burning, but it wasn’t his idea.”

“Well now they know we’re on their trail,” Kit said, tousling her hair.

“I don’t think he’ll mention it,” Gustav shook his head. “And I don’t think anyone was watching. He was paranoid about it, but I know when I’m being watched.”

“One of your few talents,” Jacquelyn said, rolling her eyes as she flipped through her notebook.

“I have a lot of talents, but you wouldn’t know most of them,” Gustav said, giving her a wink. “And anyways, even if they know we’re following fires, it’s what we do. They can’t tell we’re tracking Lemony too.”

“He’s okay,” Kit said with a nod, fixing her eyes straight ahead. “There was a lemon mixed in with the limes at the market.”

“Lima?” Jacques asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Possibly,” Kit nodded. “Though I doubt he’s still there.”

“We have to check,” Jacques said, eyeing the two in the backseat through the rearview. “To Lima?”

Jacquelyn and Gustav shared a look.

“To Lima,” they echoed.

“I miss Monty,” Gustav sighed, gazing out the driver’s side window of the taxi. He and Jacquelyn were told took keep an eye on the cab while the Snickets went into town in disguise, hoping to find their younger brother covertly. Lima was met with another destroyed building, but the lemon juice stain on a map in the lobby of the nearby hotel was enough to lead them to Quito. They were hoping they were finally ahead of the fire-starters.

“You’re really very annoying, you know?” Jacquelyn asked, scribbling something in her notebook.

“C’mon, Jackie, I’m sure you know what it’s like to miss someone,” Gustav said, leveling a smile at her, lifting his feet up to rest by the side mirror out the window.

“No,” she shook her head. “My mother wasn’t around much, she was very busy as a Duchess. And I’m an only child, I never had to miss anyone.”

“You never had a boyfriend?” Gustav asked, and Jacquelyn let her pen fall to the crease of her notebook, folding it closed on her lap as she shook her head.

“I never thought I should,” she said. “I knew I would be joining VFD, there was no point. I wouldn’t be in Winnipeg forever.”

“Oh, Jackie, that’s so sad,” Gustav shook his head.

“Don’t call me Jackie,” she said, taking off her hat and tossing it in the back seat.

“When we go home, I’m going to find you someone,” Gustav decided. “Maybe someone to loosen you up and ruffle your feathers.”

“You ruffle my feathers.”

“Well someone has to do it when I’m not around,” Gustav pointed out. “Besides, as much as I love you and will take care of you forever, there are certain things I can’t take care of.”

“I don’t need someone to take care of me,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “I can take care of myself.”

“If that were true, I don’t think you’d be so tense,” He pointed out, ignoring the pen she threw at him that went sailing out the window. “I’m just saying, it might be nice for you to be romanced once in a while.”

“Is that what you call it?”

“Well, sometimes,” Gustav said, gazing back out the window. “Sometimes it is me being romanced after a nice dinner and wine and candles. Monty likes to get dressed up and go out to dinner or dancing.”

“Dinner and dancing doesn’t sound so bad,” Jacquelyn mumbled, playing with the hem of her skirt. “Might actually be nice.”

“Of course, sometimes it’s less romantic,” Gustav shrugged. “Sometimes we just get hot and can’t stand it.”

“Oh, fuck off,” Jacquelyn said, tossing her whole notebook at Gustav as he laughed.

“What about Larry?” Gustav asked as he and Jacquelyn walked down the streets in Quito. Their search didn’t turn up Lemony, but it also didn’t turn up a burned building, meaning the man threw the fire-starters off of his trail.

“Larry-your-waiter?” Jacquelyn asked, raising a brow. “Hm, no. He’s nice, but I think I would like someone a bit younger. He’s more Monty’s age.”

“How about one of the Denouement boys?” Gustav asked, but she shook her head.

“The three of them are too similar, I don’t know who is who, or who is on the right side,” she explained.

“What about a woman?” Gustav asked, swinging his arm up around her shoulders. “I’ve never asked.”

“While I do enjoy the company of women, it’s not in that way,” she said. “Romantically I’d be interested in men.”

“Hector?”

“I hate birds,” she said, and Gustav sighed.

“Jackie-“

“No.”

“How am I going to find you the love of your life if you’re so picky?” he asked, and she raised a brow at him. “Hasn’t there ever been anyone that tickles your fancy? Tell me, what makes you swoon?”

Jacquelyn thought as they walked, heading for the rendezvous point with the Snickets. They lost Lemony’s trail fully, which was both a good and bad thing, but they had one more stop to make before they went home.

“I guess someone exciting,” she said, adjusting her blouse. “My life is so busy, I’d need someone who could keep up. Preferably a VFD agent, since this is such a big part of my life. And I’d want someone fun, someone who I could have fun with, like I have fun with you.”

“So you’re looking for someone like me?” Gustav asked, ignoring Jacquelyn’s eye-roll. “I’m flattered.”

“No, not like you,” she said. “I’d like someone a bit more work focused, someone kind and polite and brave.”

“I’m some of those things,” Gustav scowled, pausing on the street corner to hail a cab. “So what, someone tall and handsome and strong with an exciting job and extensive VFD knowledge and straight? Sure, I can find that. What about Jacques?”

“Kit is my mentor, which means Jacques is as close to a mentor I can get as well,” she shook her head. “And unlike a certain tart, I don’t jump into bed with my mentor.”

“Well that’s why I’m shagging and you’re boring,” Gustav said, opening the door of Jacques’ cab as it pulled up and holding it open for her.

Their last stop was the VFD run carnival, where Kit would be taking her turn as Madam Lulu and letting the previous one off for a while.

“We could check out the roller coaster,” Gustav suggested as he and Jacquelyn wandered the grounds. Jacques and Kit were with Madam Lulu and had shooed them off to explore while they got some other business squared away.

“I’m not a big fan of roller coasters,” Jacquelyn shook her head, glancing at the ride.

“I saw you fly a burning plane.”

“Doesn’t mean I enjoy it,” she said, and Gustav waved her off. He started towards the food, thinking that perhaps some lunch would be a good idea. Monty wouldn’t be home when he returned, at least he didn’t think so, and he wanted some time to check on the house before they were together again.

But then he noticed his partner was frozen, staring towards the tent.

“Uh, Jackie?” He asked, turning back to stand beside her. She didn’t pay him any mind, and he followed her gaze to see a man in a costume with a whip on his belt, talking to a few people outside the tent. “Is it the whip?”

She didn’t say anything still, so Gustav grabbed her arm and started towards the tent, following as the man walked inside. He pulled her over to the seats, sitting down as the man headed into the center where there were two lions rolling around.

“That is a very good looking man, Jackie,” he said, and Jackie didn’t tell him off, but she did smack his arm. “I’m impressed with your taste.”

The man beckoned for one of the lions, which got up to follow him, leaping through a hoop when instructed, prowling over to the man to be pet afterwards.

“Lion tamer,” Gustav said with a nod. “That’s an exciting job. You should go talk to him.”

“That’s a horrible idea,” she said, finally responding to something. “What do I say?”

“Just introduce yourself, say hello,” Gustav said, pulling her to her feet. “Be yourself but more fun.”

Before she could protest, Gustav was marching her down the steps to the main arena, getting as close as they could to the trainer without stepping over the divider.

“That’s pretty incredible,” Gustav said, and the man turned to smile at them as the lion nuzzled him.

“They’re very well behaved,” he said, patting the lion on the head and sending it off before approaching the half wall. “I’m Wes.”

“Nice to meet you, Wes,” Gustav said. “I’m Gustav, and this is Jackie, my partner.”

“Jacquelyn,” She said, though Gustav wasn’t sure who she was saying it to.

“Will you two be staying for the show?” Wes asked, and she shook her head.

“Unfortunately we have to be going, but it was very nice meeting you,” she said, grabbing Gustav by the arm and starting to pull him out of the tent.

“What are you doing?” He hissed.

“We need to leave,” she whispered back.

“Hey, Wes!” Gustav called to the man, who turned and blinked at them. “Could Jacquelyn come back here say Friday and maybe see the show then?”

“Gustav,” she hissed, tightening her grip on his arm.

“I’d love that,” Wes said, and Jacquelyn turned red as she yanked her partner out of the tent.

Chapter Text

Much to Gustav’s surprise, Monty was throwing open the front door as he got out of the cab. He gathered his bags and bid the two in the vehicle a good day and went running up the steps, right into his lover’s arms.

“Welcome home, Love,” Monty mumbled in his ear, gripping Gustav tightly.

“You’re home,” Gustav sighed, melting into the embrace and just realizing how exhausted he was.

“We are on spring break this week,” Monty explained, stepping back to look him in the eye. “You look very tired, my boy.”

“I am,” Gustav nodded.

“Go ahead up, Love, I’ll bring you up some tea and something to eat in a little bit,” Monty said, hefting up Gustav’s bag and pulling him into the house.

“That sounds wonderful,” Gustav said, looking around the foyer. “Where’s Josephine?”

“She decided to go home a few days ago,” Monty sighed. “Sally is helping her. She wanted to go through some of Ike’s things and didn’t think she could do it alone.”

“We’ll go visit her tomorrow?” Gustav asked, and Monty kissed his forehead.

“Get some rest love, I’ll be up soon,” Monty said, and Gustav smiled, heading up the stairs.

He climbed them slowly, almost wanting to turn around and check on the reptiles. He wondered how well they fared with only Monty taking care of them, or if Reggie missed his story time. He was also curious to see how the iguana’s eye was.

When he got to their room, he made note of the bouquet of roses on his nightstand and smiled. Monty was such a romantic. He toed off his shoes and shucked his jacket before sitting on the bed. He could go for a nap, but being back home invigorated him a little. He took off his pants, leaving him in just his undergarments and t-shirt, as he flopped back on the bed. It smelled like Monty, and he found himself curling into the man’s pillow to smell it.

He groaned.

Boy did he miss Monty a lot while he was gone.

He flopped back so he was staring at the ceiling, feeling himself stirring. He reached down and gave himself a squeeze through his underwear, a gentle sigh releasing through his nose as his eyes fell shut.

“Well, that’s a pretty sight.”

Gustav’s eyes snapped open and he turned his head towards the door where Monty was standing with a tray of tea and a sandwich. He set it off to the side on the dresser before starting to unbutton his own shirt.

“Monty,” Gustav called, causing the man to stop as he opened his pants. The older man looked at him, frozen in place, and Gustav rolled over, crawling to the end of the bed and close enough to reach out and grab Monty by the belt loops and pull him in close. He got up on his knees to kiss Monty, finally, while one of his hands traveled lower into Monty’s trousers, cupping him through his underwear. “I can’t begin to tell you how much I missed you,” he whispered.

“You’ve gotten quite scruffy, Love,” Monty said, his hand rubbing along Gustav’s jaw where he was sporting quite a bit of stubble. “I like it.”

Gustav let out a low growl, and Monty tackled him down onto the bed.

“And her face was so red when we left, I think she’s very smitten with him,” Gustav said from where he was perched on Monty’s desk, only wearing his silk robe. Monty was in a matching robe as he wandered around the reptile room, filling waters and checking food levels.

“I’m surprised,” Monty said. “Miss Scieszka seems so serious all the time, I wouldn’t think she’d indulge in much of a social life.”

“That’s why I want her to meet someone,” Gustav explained, smirking as Monty straightened and his robe loosened, showing off the expanse of his chest. “I want her to be able to loosen up sometimes.”

“It’s good to find a balance in life,” Monty agreed, raising a brow at his lover. Gustav was staring at him outright, saliva pooling under his tongue as he watched Monty’s robe. “You’re not very subtle, my boy.”

Gustav blushed.

“What do you want, Love?” Monty asked, setting his notebook aside and striding over to the desk, boxing Gustav in with his arms. “Tell me anything you desire.”

“Monty,” Gustav breathed, his legs opening so the man could stand between them. “I want you to take me.”

“Hm,” Monty hummed, leaning in to give Gustav a soft kiss. “Later.”

“Later?” Gustav asked, pulling back some and furrowing his brows.

“Right,” Monty beamed at him. “First we need to get dressed. I want to take you out to dinner and a movie.”

“But-“

“No time to waste!” Monty said, pushing away from the desk and heading out of the reptile room, leaving a sputtering assistant in his wake.

The dinner was wonderful, and so was sitting in Monty’s car at the drive-in. The movie wasn’t particularly interesting, at least not to Gustav, who had been buzzing with arousal since they left the house. Monty had played footsie with him under the table at dinner, and they held hands through most of the meal, and Gustav really just wanted to be touched elsewhere.

He leaned over in the front seat, biting kisses onto Monty’s neck, determined to get what he wanted. He usually didn’t leave any marks, but he’d try anything to get Monty to touch him.

“I have work in the morning, Love,” Monty said, eyes not leaving the screen.

“I know,” Gustav mumbled, scooting closer and running his hand down Monty’s thigh.

“Would you like to go home?” Monty asked with a chuckle, raising an eyebrow. Gustav sat back, looking the man in the eye and hoping to get his message across.

“No,” he shook his head. “I want you to take me. Right here, right now.”

Monty smiled at him, glancing around at the other cars in the lot. None of them were particularly close, and he nodded towards the back seat. Gustav grinned and climbed over, sprawling out on the back seat while Monty more carefully joined him.

The older man crawled over him, settling his weight down and keeping a leg between Gustav’s, letting the younger man grind his hips up as they shared a heated kiss, tongues slipping between their teeth.

“I don’t think I’ve made out at a movie in ten years,” Monty said with a chuckle, and Gustav gripped his shirt, pulling at it until Monty got the idea and lifted enough for it to be unbuttoned. “Patience, Gustav.”

“No,” Gustav shook his head. “I need you, I’ve needed you for hours. Please, please-“

Gustav broke off with a groan when Monty rolled his hips down, letting Gustav know just how much he needed him too.

“You’ll have to be quiet, love, we don’t want others to hear,” Monty whispered, leaning in to kiss him again, hands trailing down to undo a belt or two.  “We’d be forced to leave and have to wait even longer.”

Gustav whimpered into Monty’s mouth, continuing to undo the man’s shirt buttons until he could push the shirt off of his shoulder, run his hands up his under shirt to trail over his torso.

Chapter Text

“So is the beard staying?” Sally asked when she opened the door. “Or is this a phase you’re going through?”

“I think it’s dashing,” Monty said, throwing an arm around Gustav’s shoulders.

“Maybe when you grow up that’ll fill in,” Sally said, and the siblings sneered at each other before she let them into Josephine’s house. “She’s in the study. But, Monty, she’s very on edge.”

“I’ll tread lightly,” Monty nodded, heading for the study while Gustav grabbed Sally by the arm and pulled her into the kitchen.

“Sally, I have to tell you something,” he said, motioning for her to sit down.

“You and Monty didn’t elope, did you?” she asked, raising a brow.

“No, nothing like that,” Gustav shook his head, sitting down as well. “Sally, when we were in Guatemala, I found Fernald.”

“Y-you what?” She asked, furrowing her brows. Gustav put a hand over hers. “I-I searched for months, and I couldn’t find him.”

“I know,” Gustav nodded. “I wasn’t looking for him, he just happened to be where we were.”

“Well is he okay?” She asked. “I-Is he coming home?”

Gustav sighed.

“Sally, a few weeks ago, he called me,” Gustav mumbled, waving his sister off when she opened her mouth. “I was going to tell you, but then everything happened with Ike, and we were taking care of Josephine and I didn’t have the chance. But then when we saw him in Guatemala, he wanted me to tell you ‘reactionary mask, dear’.”

And Gustav didn’t understand it right away until Sally’s face fell and her eyes filled with tears.

‘I am sorry and take care.’

“Sal, I’m so sorry,” Gustav said, but his sister got up from her chair and excused herself before running upstairs.

“Josie, I promise you, the door knob will not shatter,” Monty was saying when Gustav walked into the study.

“You don’t know that,” Josephine said, and Gustav saw tears streaming down her face. “You don’t know what will or won’t hurt me. No one knows.”

“Josie, I understand you’re scared-“

“I am not scared,” Josephine hissed, turning her back to look out the window at the lake. “I am alone. And if something happens while I’m alone, who will know it?”

“Josephine, you don’t have to be alone,” Monty said, reaching out to touch her arm, but she jerked it away.

“Yes I do!” She shouted. “Because if I’m not alone, I’ll end up alone anyways.”

“What?”

“First Esme refuses to speak to me, and who knows where she is now. And then Georgina, she leaves, just goes and ends up at odds with me. Then Ike, the person who made me fierce and formidable, the person who helped me face every fear I’ve ever had, he goes and dies. And now I don’t even have our baby,” she said, backing Monty into a corner as she marched towards him. “Don’t you understand? Everyone who ever cared about me or I thought cared about me is dead or hates me. Why would I want that to continue?”

“Josie-“

“Do not call me Josie,” Josephine whispered. “Ike called me Josie.”

“Josephine,” Monty said softly, reaching out to touch her but stopping before he could. “A long time ago, before Ike asked you to marry him, he asked me that should something ever happen to him, that I will make sure you’re taken care of. And I’m not ready to go back on that promise. So please, come stay with us until you feel better.”

“No,” Josephine shook her head. “This was our home. I need to be here to be close to Ike.”

“Then let me stay here with you-“

“I need to be alone for a while,” Josephine said, turning back to the window. “I need to grieve in peace.”

“What about Sally?” Gustav asked, and Josephine turned to look at him as if noticing him in the room for the first time. She smiled gently at him.

“You and your sister are very kind people,” she said. “But I want to be alone right now. Tell Sally that I appreciate her help.”

“Josephine,” Monty said, sighing as he tried to convince her to let one of them, someone, stay to be with her.

“Please go,” she said, not looking away from the window.

“I feel like I’m going to a funeral at a circus,” Jacquelyn said, glancing to her side at the Sebald siblings, both of whom were not happy as they took their seats.

“I’m sorry, Jacquelyn, I’m just so out of sorts about Fernald,” Sally shook her head.

“I’m pretty bummed about Josephine,” Gustav sighed. “And so is Monty. He’s really worried about her.”

“They why didn’t we cancel this?” Jacquelyn asked. “This isn’t nearly as important and we could have just stayed in.”

“Because you need this, Jackie,” Gustav said, reaching across his sister to squeeze his partner’s hand. “One of us should be sort of happy. We need to live vicariously through you.”

The lights in the tent dimmed over the audience as Wes strode out, taking a lap for the applause before standing in the middle of the ring.

“Welcome everyone to the show,” he said, scanning the audience. “Now, please be prepared to meet Rome and Leo.”

Wes motioned to the entrance where two lions sauntered out, manes bouncing as they moved.

“Now, for their first trick, I’ll need a lovely assistant from the audience,” Wes said, scanning the crowd again. Gustav and Sally waved, motioning to Jacquelyn who tried pulling on their sleeves to quiet them. “You, miss, would you like to assist me?”

Jacquelyn’s eyes got wide as she nodded, getting up from her seat and heading towards the partial wall. Wes helped her over with hands on her waist and an easy smile.

“And your name Miss?” He asked with a smirk. “Jackie?”

“Jacquelyn,” she said with a nod.

“Alright, Jacquelyn, I’ll need you to stand right here and hold this hoop up above your head,” Wes said, taking her hand and leading her to the center between two slightly raised platforms and handed her a silver hoop, helping her lift it so her arms were straight. “Now, be amazed as Rome and Leo jump over my lovely assistant and through the hoop.”

Gustav almost couldn’t watch as Wes gave the command, sending them both leaping over his partner. She had her eyes shut tight, and they opened when the crowd cheered.

“So, Jacquelyn,” Wes said when the arena cleared out. She was still on the floor, having helped him with his whole routine. Gustav and Sally moved down further to be closer to her. “You’re very brave to be a volunteer for my routine.”

“Well, I am a volunteer,” she said, and Wes paused as he moved his props to sit beside the wall.

“I knew there was something I liked about you,” he said, looking her up and down. “Well, something other than the obvious.”

“I’ve been a volunteer for a little over a year,” she nodded. “Kit Snicket, she’s my mentor.”

“Kit’s a great person,” Wes said. “And that’s your partner, if I remember correctly.”

“Yeah, Gustav, and his sister Sally,” she said, wringing her hands together.

“Listen, I’m not sure if this is too forward, but would you like to go get dinner with me tonight?” Wes asked. “I usually have a few different volunteers for my show, but I wanted to spend more time with you, and now that my show’s over, I’m not quite ready to see you leave again.”

“I, uh,” she glanced over at Gustav and Sally, who were nodding and motioning her on. “I think that sounds lovely. Let me just go let my friends know.”

“Of course,” Wes nodded. “I have to change, I’ll meet you outside the tent in a few minutes.”

“Okay,” Jacquelyn said, heading over to where Gustav and Sally were waiting.

“So?” Gustav asked.

“He wants to take me to dinner tonight,” Jacquelyn said, and Gustav leaned over the divide to hug her tightly.

“I want to know everything,” he said, beaming at her. “Come over tomorrow, I’ll make cookies.”

“I’m coming over tomorrow,” Sally said, and Gustav rolled his eyes at her.

“Just go, before you say something embarrassing,” Jacquelyn said, heading for the opening of the tent. The Sebalds followed her, pausing outside the tent in the night air.

“I want details tomorrow,” Sally said, giving her friend a hug.

“And remember, there’s no shame in putting out on the first date,” Gustav said, and Sally smacked his arm.

“That’s embarrassing enough, now go,” Jacquelyn shooed them off, and the two ran off as Wes came striding around the corner.

“Cookies?” Monty asked as he walked into the kitchen, having slept in late. He saw Gustav pulling a tray out of the oven. “What’s the occasion?”

Monty had been asleep when Gustav got home the night before, and the younger had been careful not to wake him. He’d been having trouble sleeping lately, after everything that happened with Josephine, and Ike, and the schism. The past few months weren’t going well.

“Jacquelyn went out on a date last night, and she and Sally are coming over today to tell us all about it,” Gustav said, offering his lover a grin. “Be careful, they’re very hot.”

“I remember Ike coming back to our apartment after his first date with Josephine,” Monty said with a smile as he took a gooey cookie off of the tray, careful to not let it fall apart in his hands. “It was nearly three in the morning, they had gone out dancing all night. He told me he loved that woman so much already.”

“Ike seemed like a romantic,” Gustav said, moving the rest of the cookies from the two trays to a plate for them to cool off.

“It was something we had in common,” Monty said, taking a bite of cookie. “We used to come up with ideas for dates that were so ridiculously over the top, I’m certain we scared a few suitors off. When he told Josephine he loved her, he had me write it in the sky over the field where they were picnicking. Luckily she didn’t scare easily then, since it was only their second date.”

Gustav smiled, moving around the island to put a hand on Monty’s shoulder and give it a squeeze.

“So many things have changed,” Monty sighed. “Would you mind terribly if I went to visit Josephine today?”

“You go right ahead, I’ll take care of things around here,” Gustav said, giving Monty a kiss on the cheek and snagging the plate of cookies before Monty could grab another. “If she’ll talk to you, tell her I’m always here for her.”

“Of course,” Monty nodded, and Gustav could feel the man’s eyes on him as he sashayed out of the room.

Chapter Text

“So how was date three?” Gustav asked as he sat down at the table Jacquelyn was waiting at. They were at the Anxious Clown on the shores of Lake Lachrymose, not only to catch up but to order something to drop off to Josephine.

Not that she would see anyone, but Gustav wanted to make sure she was eating.

“We went to Café Salmonella for dinner and to Briny Beach for a walk after,” Jacquelyn said, shrugging a shoulder as Larry stepped up to the table to take their orders. “It was nice.”

“Oh, come on, I didn’t drive out here for nice,” Gustav said, reaching across the table to shove her shoulder. “How was the kiss? Was there a kiss? Maybe a little public display of affection and some sand in some places?”

“It was just a kiss,” Jacquelyn said, glaring at her partner. “He drove me home and walked me to my door and we kissed. It wasn’t anything special.”

“A first kiss is always special,” Gustav said. “So third date and a kiss? Is this going somewhere?”

“Wes and I are going out again tonight,” Jacquelyn said, smiling as Larry left their drinks. “He’s taking me for a boat ride on the lake.”

“How romantic,” Gustav said, taking a sip of his drink. “So is tonight going to be the night?”

“Not everyone jumps into bed with someone after their first kiss,” Jacquelyn said with an eye roll

“Now that’s not fair, it was months after our first kiss,” Gustav argued, ignoring the glare he received. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder and it makes the sex so much hotter.”

“You are shameless,” Jacquelyn said, though she smirked as she looked down at her glass.

“Oh come on, Jackie, I make your life more fun,” He said, giving her a grin. “Besides, I think it would help you loosen up. Wes seems like a very nice guy, and he’s exciting, I bet he’d be great and making you relax and enjoy things for once.”

“I enjoy plenty,” Jacquelyn said, stabbing her straw into her drink. “I just don’t want to rush things. I’ve never been that intimate with a man before, and I think Wes is a very kind person, but I’m not ready to be so close to him.”

“At least give him the chance,” Gustav said, taking one of her hands. “Don’t keep him at arm’s length just because you’re scared. Let him get to know you and love you like I do.”

“I’ll try,” Jacquelyn smiled at her partner.

“Why don’t you bring him over for dinner?” Gustav asked, thanking Larry as he dropped off their plates. “It’s been a while since we had anyone over for a dinner, I think Monty misses entertaining.”

“Only if you promise to behave,” Jacquelyn said, pointing at him with her fork. “The last thing I want is you scaring him off.”

“Oh, relax, if anything will scare him off, It’ll be the snakes,” Gustav said, waving her off.

“Josephine?” Gustav asked as he knocked on the door. He had a meal for her in the bag in his other hand, and he was hopeful she would at least open the door. “I was in town getting lunch and I brought you some!”

He could hear her moving around inside, though she didn’t call back to him. He set the bag down beside the door and sighed.

“I’ll leave it on the front porch and leave if that’s what you want!” He called, giving her a moment to react, to ask him not to go, but her voice didn’t come. He turned and started down the steps, but paused when he heard the door open. He turned and saw Josephine peeking out at him, not saying anything but watching him. He didn’t dare say anything, worried he’d scare her back into solitude.

“Thank you, Gustav,” She whispered, reaching out to grab the bag. “You’ve been very kind to me.”

“Josephine,” Gustav said, taking a step back up onto the porch. “I can’t say enough how much Monty and I love you, and how much we still want to make sure you’re doing okay. You’ve been so good to me and Sally, that means the world to me.”

“Would you like to come in?” Josephine asked, putting a hand on the door. “I have a light bulb burned out, and I’m worried it’ll shatter if I touch it.”

Gustav smiled up at her.

“Of course.”

“I also fixed the sink, it was dripping, but she is worried about calling a plumber,” Gustav said as he and Monty rolled out the pasta on the countertop. “She said it’s impossible to know if a stranger is a part of the fire-fighting side, and she’s worried about inviting strangers into her home.”

“Thank you, Love, for checking in on her,” Monty said for probably the tenth time since Gustav had arrived home.

“You know I love Josephine too,” Gustav said, wiping his hands on his apron and moving the sheet of dough to the pasta press bolted to the counter. “She’s family. And she needs us. I tried to invite her tonight but she’s too afraid to leave her home yet. I told her I’d bring groceries tomorrow.”

“You are an angel, my boy,” Monty mumbled, leaning over to kiss the crown of his head, avoiding the flour that peppered his hair. “Remind me to thank you properly later.”

“You could thank me properly now,” Gustav said, giving him a smirk, laying the thin pasta out on the counter and picking up a knife. As he started dragging it down the dough, the doorbell rang. Monty picked up one of his hands and kissed the back of it.

“As much as I would love that, we have guests,” Monty said, hurrying off to the entrance hall, hanging his apron on the hook by the door as he passed. Gustav continued to work with the pasta, cutting thin strips and moving them to the side to dry.

One thing Gustav loved about Monty was how easily these things came to him. Gustav didn’t grow up making hand-made pasta, he didn’t spend time in the kitchen with his mother, not even Sally did. Their mother always ushered them out, claiming they were in her way, but Monty taught him to make all kinds of things, and Gustav found he really enjoyed cooking.

He had become a mentor in so many other ways, outside of VFD. He had taught Gustav how to be an adult, helped him open a savings account, taught him how to fix a leaky faucet, how to change the oil in the car. Monty had been alone and taking care of himself for so long, he really had to learn to be an adult on his own, with minimal help. On top of all that, he taught Gustav how to love and care for others. It wasn’t that he didn’t love or care about his family, but it never seemed real that life was precious. It wasn’t until VFD and Monty that Gustav was able to appreciate people and relationships so much more, to the point that he worried for those that he loved all the time. He always worried about Jacquelyn when she was digging into something for VFD, and he worried about Sally almost all the time now, despite her being the older of the two. He worried about Josephine, about Fernald, about the Snickets.

And about Monty.

“Our guests have arrived, Love,” Monty said, leading the couple into the kitchen. Gustav smiled at them as they walked in behind him, pushing his feelings of dread down into the pit of his stomach where they liked to sit and stew. “I’ll go grab a bottle of wine.”

Monty paused to kiss Gustav on the temple as he passed him on his way to the dining room where the wine cabinet was.

“Sally was right, you have become a housewife,” Jacquelyn said with a smirk, watching Gustav wipe flour off of his cheek to no avail as his hands were coated as well.

“If being a housewife means I get red wine and romantic dinners, then I’m perfectly content with that,” Gustav said with a smirk as he turned around to wash his hands. The pasta would dry for a little while before he cooked it, and they would move to the reptile room for wine and maybe some cards.

“So how long have you two been volunteers?” Wes asked, sitting down with Jacquelyn at the kitchen table.

“We joined at the same time, a little over a year ago we were inducted,” Gustav said, taking off his apron and hanging it on the hook by the dining room. “Monty has been a volunteer for over 10 years.”

“You make me sound old, Love,” Monty said as he strode in with a bottle of wine, stopping to grab the glasses he had set out.

“I like to think of you more as experienced,” Gustav said, taking out the bottle opener and passing it to Monty, letting his eyes get heavily lidded as he gazed over the man.

“It’s wonderful to meet others on this side of the schism,” Wes said with a nod. “It’s hard to tell sometimes.”

“Oh, no business talk,” Monty waved him off, passing out glasses of wine. “Tonight, we drink and be merry.”

“She’s beautiful, Beatrice,” Monty said, leaning over the bassinette in the nursery.

“Hi, Violet,” Gustav whispered, waving at the infant as she glanced up at the men hovering over her.

“She looks like you,” Monty added, smiling at the woman standing in the doorway. “She looks like she’s thinking all the time.”

“Monty, Gustav, I want you two to know you’re first on our list,” Beatrice said, stepping fully into the room to put a hand on both of their shoulders.

“We’re honored,” Gustav smiled at her, leaning in to kiss her cheek. “You didn’t choose the Quagmires?”

“Don’t tell anyone, but Quinn told me they’re expecting,” Beatrice beamed. “I love them, but it’s better to leave Violet with someone without other children.”

Monty nodded. Most couples who had children left them with childless members to avoid children being split up later, and to make sure their children had the attention they would need should their parents perish.

“You know Monty and I love you and Bertrand,” Gustav said, lifting Violet up out of the bassinette. “We’ll love Violet like our own.”

“Beatrice!”

The trio turned and saw Bertrand standing in the doorway, a piece of paper crumpled in his hands.

“What is it, Love?” Beatrice asked.

“Quinn and I are being sent out,” He said, showing her the letter with a coded message. “It’s another fire. We think they’re still trying to find Lemony.”

Beatrice sighed.

“Come stay with us,” Gustav said, settling Violet down in her bassinet. “You and Charlotte, we can help.”

“We insist,” Monty added, and Beatrice and Bertrand exchanged a look before nodding.

“I’m worried about what happens when they find Lemony,” Beatrice said, gazing out the window of the parlor. She and Charlotte were having morning cups of tea while Violet napped, a very quiet infant she was.

“You’re worried they’ll kill him?” Charlotte asked.

“Well, yes,” Beatrice nodded. “But more than that, if they do find him and kill him, will that be it?”

“How do you mean?” Gustav asked from where he was writing in his journal, this one his notes on the reptiles for himself. He loved Monty’s disorganized scraps of paper and sticky notes, but it was easier for him to organize his thoughts if he kept his own notes.

“I fear that just killing Lemony won’t be enough,” she shook her head. “I fear they will turn on VFD as a whole once Lemony has been killed. They know we stand with what he did.”

“I think it’s too early to tell what will happen,” Gustav said.

“It feels wrong to bring a child into this mess,” Charlotte sighed, rubbing a hand over her lower abdomen, a habit she had formed though her stomach was not very prominent.

“I only hope that this ends before Violet becomes of age,” Beatrice shook her head again. “It’s not her fight, she had nothing to do with it.”

“What is all this worrying we’re doing here?”

Gustav glanced back towards the archway leading to the foyer and saw Monty standing there, a tray of French toast in his hands.

“We can talk about what might happen all we want, but all it’s going to do is worry you,” Monty said, striding in and setting the tray on the coffee table. He started setting out plates from the tray for breakfast. “The best thing we can do is what we always do, which is be prepared for anything and hope for the best. Now, you both should eat. It’s important for you and your children.”

Chapter Text

“You still look so beautiful,” Gustav said, moving a loose curl out of Jacquelyn’s face as they knelt beneath headquarters. Her dress was a little dirty, but otherwise still a beautiful ivory. She smiled as she reached up to take Violet, the one-year-old whining at being away from her mom. She passed her to Gustav, who passed her down the line to Josephine.

Charlotte climbed down next, Isadora in her arms. Quinn passed down Duncan, then Quigley, before running off towards the wedding-crashers.

“Let’s get moving,” Jacquelyn said, bouncing Quigley as he started crying.

The closest hatch was under the carnival, but that would be the first place they would go if they got away from headquarters, meaning a longer walk for the group towards the Quagmire estate.

The tunnel was quiet, almost eerily so in comparison to the fighting and fires going on above them at headquarters. They had gotten through the ceremony and when everyone was drinking and having a ball during the reception, fires bloomed and fights broke out. Monty had pushed Gustav towards the exit hatch and told him to help get the little ones out and he would see him at home.

“Mama, mama,” Violet chanted, looking around at the adults and seeing that Beatrice wasn’t one of them.

“You’ll see Mama soon,” Josephine said, smoothing back the girl’s wispy hair.

The walk was long, made less bearable by the fact that they were transporting four babies. Charlotte would often take whichever of her children was crying, but as soon as one stopped, another started. Gustav didn’t envy her, having to take care of three babies at once.

Though he did quite enjoy when he got to cradle Isadora as she made pleased little noises, reaching up to pat his face and chest. He had never much fancied a domestic life, but all day he had been questioning his desires in life.

Helping Jacquelyn into her dress and giving her away had made him wonder if perhaps he would like to get married one day. It was a little different for him because he and Monty were already living together, already had a life together, while Jacquelyn and Wes were just starting theirs.

But the thought of promising to have Monty for as long as they both lived made his stomach flutter.

And now, carrying children around, it made him wonder if he wanted kids. Not triplets, as that seemed very difficult, but a child or two with Monty suddenly sounded incredible. There were so many children in the world that may need a home, and he was certain that Monty would feel the same way. He loved children, and just maybe they could have the domestic future that Gustav never wanted.

“It’s this one,” Charlotte said, carefully juggling Quigley with Jacquelyn, settling both boys in the woman’s arms before she climbed up the ladder and pushed open the hatch. Once she was up, she reached an arm out for Violet, letting the little girl sit on the floor beside her as Josephine climbed out.

The group was finally settled in the Quagmire estate, putting infants down for naps and locking all the doors and windows.

Quinn had a key. He would use it when he came home.

Gustav and Jacquelyn had just finished putting a heavy credenza over the hatch in the floor when the phone rang.

“Quagmire residence,” Josephine said as she answered the phone on the desk. Charlotte came running in, all the babies down for their much-needed sleep. The three lingered, frozen and waiting for some kind of news. Hoping for the best, but anticipating the worst. “For you, Gustav.”

Monty. It had to be Monty, no one else would ask for him specifically. He hurried forward and took the phone, a smile already growing on his face.

“Monty?” He asked, hope in his voice. But a woman started speaking, and his stomach fell.

“No, sorry Mr. Sebald. I was asked to call you by Dr. Montgomery. He’s in Heimlich Hospital in surgery.”

“Surgery?” Gustav asked, his voice cracking with panic. “What happened?”

“We’re unsure, he was not conscious enough to tell us. He mentioned you, and the man who brought him in gave me the phone number to reach you. He had a fairly sizable wound in his abdomen.”

“I-I’ll be there as soon as possible,” Gustav said, trying to take a deep breath. What would he do if Monty died? If he was all alone again? After being with Monty for two years, he didn’t know if he could handle that.

He hung up the phone and turned around to face the women, all of their faces a version of fear and sympathy.

“Monty’s in surgery,” He said, biting his lip. “A-At Heimlich Hospital. I have to go.”

“I’ll go with you,” Jacquelyn said, smoothing down her dress.

“No, you stay,” Gustav said, shuddering in a breath. “Please, all of you, stay here and stay safe.”

“But Gustav,” she said, reaching out to grab his arm.

“For me, please,” He said, his voice lowering. There was a part of him that knew this could be a trap, that they could be luring him to Heimlich Hospital, and if there was even a chance of that, he was going in alone.

Monty was hurt, and he wasn’t about to lose anyone else to this damn schism.

“Call us,” Josephine insisted. “And let us know what’s going on.”

“I promise,” Gustav nodded. She knew what he was thinking, but if there was a chance Monty could die, he had to be there. Monty was his partner in another sense of the word, and that was what partners did.

Luckily, when Gustav walked into the hospital, he saw Bertrand sitting in the waiting room. His eyes lit up, and his leg stopped nervously shaking when he spotted Gustav. That meant that Bertrand had brought Monty in, and it wasn’t a trap.

But unluckily, that meant Monty was hurt.

“Bertrand what happened?” Gustav asked, rushing forward to meet the man.

“I-I don’t know, there was a lot of smoke,” He shook his head. “Beatrice and Quinn were helping evacuate, but when I was trying to get out, I found him on the floor. I don’t know who did this, or why, or how.”

“What have they told you?”

“Nothing, they won’t tell me anything,” Bertrand shook his head. “I-I’m not his partner.”

“Mr. Sebald?”

The two turned to the receptionist’s desk, and saw a rather pointy looking woman sitting there with glasses perched on her nose, staring at them.

“Yes, that’s me,” Gustav nodded, and the woman adjusted her glasses. “How is Dr. Montgomery?”

“Still in surgery,” The woman said. “He lost a lot of blood. Someone will be out to update you soon, now that you’re here.”

“I think I’m going to be sick,” Gustav breathed, and Bertrand put a gentle hand on his back, trying to be supportive but also keep him from falling over. “What if something happened to him?”

“Nothing is going to happen to him,” Bertrand shook his head. “Go sit down, I’ll get you some water.”

“Will you also call home?” Gustav asked, remembering he promised to update the girls. “At the Quagmires. Let them know what’s going on?”

Bertrand nodded, hurrying off to finish his errands and leaving Gustav by himself in the waiting room.

Their work was dangerous, and logically, Gustav knew that. People died doing what they do, they lost people to the schism, he feared for that every day. But the thought of losing Monty almost made him want to give it up.

He was a field agent, he was supposed to be the one doing dangerous things. But today, when the wedding was interrupted, Monty still chose to jump right into the fray and send Gustav to safety. He was a reserve, Monty was supposed to be safer.

Gustav knew in the pit of his stomach that it was supposed to be him. That if someone was going to get hurt, it should have been him, not Monty. He should be in surgery now. He was younger, more fit, he could handle it.

This was it. He wasn’t going to do this again. If Monty made it through this, he was making them quit. He couldn’t lose the love of his life, he was too selfish for that.

But that was why he joined, wasn’t it? To help people? That wasn’t selfish. He wasn’t selfish. He just wanted this one thing, this one person, to be safe. Was that too much to ask?

Why couldn’t he be selfish just this one time?

“Here,” Bertrand said, nudging his shoulder and handing him a cup of water. Gustav took it and held it in his hands, but didn’t drink it. “The girls will wait for another call, they’re all fine.”

“Thank you,” Gustav said with a sniffle.

“Jacquelyn is worried about you,” Bertrand said, and Gustav huffed a sad laugh.

“How do you handle it?” Gustav asked. “Your partner being in the organization too? Don’t you worry?”

“Every damn day,” Bertrand nodded, taking a deep breath. “But I trust that if something happens to her, she was doing something she felt strong enough about to risk her life. And I trust Quinn to be her partner in that sense and protect her as she protects him. The way I do for Charlotte.”

Gustav nodded, because he knew that. The four of them relied heavily on each other, and it took a lot of trust and giving up control. Any of them could die, and they had to make peace with that.

“Am I selfish for wishing I had stayed and sent Monty away?” Gustav asked, and Bertrand shook his head, his hair falling loose from the fights and the fires. “I just want him to be safe.”

“Because you love him,” Bertrand said, and Gustav nodded. Of course he does, more than any other person he’s ever loved. “It’s different, for us. Beatrice and I, we joined as equals. But Monty meant so much more to you before that.”

“He does,” Gustav sniffled. “He’s my whole world. We work together, we live together, I don’t want to go back to that house alone. I couldn’t take being by myself again, not after everything he’s done for me. I don’t want him to die for me too.”

Gustav tried to blink back the tears in his eyes, but he was unsuccessful. Instead, he just clamped them shut and let his tears overflow while Bertrand tried to hug him and comfort him as best he could with an armrest between them.

“Mr. Sebald?”

Gustav opened his eyes and looked up, a doctor staring down at them. He was in his lab coat and scrubs, no blood or evidence he had operated on Monty.

“Yes?” Gustav asked, hopeful.

“Dr. Montgomery is out of surgery,” he said, and Gustav let out a sob of relief. “We were able to stitch his wound and give him blood. He’s still sedated, but you’re welcome to see him.”

“Oh thank heavens,” Gustav breathed, feeling his stomach flip for an entirely different reason. No longer fear, but relief. “Bertrand-“

“I’ll call home,” he said, already following Gustav’s line of thought.

Gustav got up to follow the doctor back, through the hallways of the hospital to the recovery wing. He let him into Monty’s room, and Gustav nearly started crying again at the sight of Monty in the bed.

He was pale, far too pale, and he had an oxygen mask over his mouth. There was soot in his hair, and Gustav could see the minor scratches on his face and neck.

“He might stay asleep for a while,” the doctor said. “But if you need anything, just holler.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Gustav nodded at him as he left, then strode forward to Monty’s bed.

He started with his hair, running his hands through it and loosening the soot and dirt. He smelled like antiseptic and smoke, and Gustav’s hand was starting to turn black the longer he played with Monty’s hair.

After a quick break to wash his hands in the nearby sink and to grab a towel, he went back to Monty’s side. He used the towel to gently wash his hair until it wasn’t as sooty, then ran his clean hand over his face. A gentle swipe down the nose, a caress of his cheek, a soft, barely there touch on each little scratch to see how bad they were.

He didn’t know how long he sat there and touched Monty’s face, but as he ran his fingers over the scratch on Monty’s neck, the man groaned.

Gustav let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding as Monty stirred, his eyes easing open and searching for, eventually finding, Gustav.

“Hello, Love,” He whispered, his voice raspy from smoke. He grimaced and reached up to move the mask on his face, despite Gustav’s protests otherwise. “I’m fine, I don’t need this.”

“Monty, you took in some smoke-“

“Nothing that hasn’t happened before,” Monty shook his head and turned his groggy smile to Gustav. “I’d much rather kiss you than wear that.”

And the dam broke.

Gustav leaned in to kiss him softly as tears streamed down his face, all of his relief and fear and sadness poured into one kiss. Monty was the one to break it, his brows furrowing as he looked at his partner.

“Don’t cry darling,” Monty said, trying to bring a hand up to Gustav’s face, but he wasn’t quite strong or coordinated enough yet. “I’m okay.”

“Monty, please don’t leave me,” Gustav sniffled. “I never, ever want to lose you, or have to go through life without you.”

“Gustav, Honey,” Monty whispered. Gustav didn’t let him finish, climbing up on the bed with him and curling against his side. Luckily it was his good side, so it didn’t hurt. “I’m here, Love. I’m with you.”

And Gustav sobbed.