A/N: So I've dropped the class I was writing this for, for several reasons. One of the main ones was that the professor was a homophobic asshat who deserves to be sacked! And I think he actually might have been. He actually used the word "faggots" in an email regarding my story. I think I actually hate him. Who knew University professors teaching at a secular University would have such nerve! Anyway here is the last chapter. The next update will be the epilogue. I'm happy to have finished and hopefully the next one I'm in the middle of writing will be published.

Thanks to everyone!

-- -- --

I wasn't intimidated by their presence, the detectives. They tried to be frightening at first, but Jacob and I had worked with them so closely that eventually they gave up their silly tactics and sat down with me at the table.

"Will you be willing to write a statement as to where you were the night Elizabeth died?" the senior detective, a man called Bernard Craft, asked me.

"Absolutely," I said.

"And can you provide an alibi?" he pressed. "You say you were..." he trailed off to read the previous statement, "... at your summer cottage?"

"Yes."

"Alone?"

"No."

"So you have servants who will be able to vouch for your whereabouts?"

I shook my head slowly. "The house was unmanned at the time."

"But you were not alone?" he asked and his eyes widened. "Another woman?"

Again I shook my head. "A male companion. He lives here in Boston."

Craft sat back and let out a breath, rubbing his face. He cast a quick glance to his younger partner, a man named Michael Barnes, before turning his attention back to me. "There have been rumors," he began and stopped. "You know that Elizabeth's family wants to charge you with something."

"I know," I said softly.

"The letters allocating abuse are descriptive," he said.

"She was never harmed with more than my words," I said firmly.

"Did you ever threaten to kill her?" he asked.

"No, and if the letters state such a thing it is a lie. I never wished her harm." My voice broke but I tried to compose myself, ignoring the tears pooling in my eyes once again. "I never wanted her to... I never thought she..." I had to stop for a few moments. "She didn't deserve this. If I have to pay with my reputation as a man and lawyer and whatever else her family can think of, I shall do so. Her death deserves justice."

"You're willing to let your mother and brothers take the fall?" he asked.

"I'm willing to let them be punished for their crimes," I spat. "My mother shall not control this situation. She is not God."

He flinched at my last statement and looked back down at the paper. "Tell me, Mr Hughes, what was happening while your wife was in labor? For the sake of yourself and your companion, I ask you to spare no detail."

I nodded, opened my mouth and began to speak.

-- -- --

Jacob was waiting outside for me as I stepped out of the police station. He wordlessly opened the carriage for me and we got inside. "They act as though they did not commit the very same indiscretions when they were in University," he said softly.

I shook my head. "Not all of them did, Jacob, and they are men of the law. They have every right to judge."

"They've recommended that I remove you from any current case we're working on."

"So do it," I spat. "I don't care at this point. They've asked me to bring William in for questioning."

He sighed and looked down at his lap. "This is going to destroy you, Teddy. Let me-"

"No," I said firmly. "I will speak the truth because it's the least Elizabeth deserves."

"Your brothers will be hanged. Your mother will speak against them and spare herself, I'm certain of it."

"That is up to them, Jacob. It's up to them and to your testimony. Don't spare her the evil of execution, Jacob, I beg you. Not for the cold-blooded murder of my wife and child."

His hands were trembling as he reached out to take me by the shoulders. "Spare yourself," he begged.

"Don't ask me again," was all I said as I removed his hands from my body. "You are my dearest friend but I think it is on this day that we part ways for good."

His face fell and I could see in him the very agony I felt in my body at the thought of losing my dearest friend.

The carriage came to a stop in front of William's building, but before I could push the door open, Jacob grabbed my wrist. "Never," he said.

"Never?" I questioned.

"Never. You will never lose me, Theodore. Not as a friend or a brother; no matter who you love, what you've said, what you've done. I don't care where you go, I'm not lost to you."

My throat clenched painfully and all I could do was smile and nod. He squeezed my wrist before letting it drop. "Take me off the cases and take Hughes out of the name," I eventually said. "After the trial I'm going to leave."

He nodded and sat back as I got out of the carriage. I tipped him a wave before the door shut and the carriage left again. I looked up at the building where William sat and part of me didn't want to go in. Part of me wanted to take Jacob up on his offer to pretend like I had been on an innocent holiday and that I dearly loved my wife.

But then I caught a glimpse of William in the high window and I knew it wasn't possible. I couldn't deny what it was, couldn't deny where I'd been and whom I had been there with. I felt like I was outside of my body as I climbed the stairs and let myself into the flat.

He was pacing in front of the window when I came in and he immediately stilled. "Teddy?"

"Yes," I said and in an instant he rushed me and clung on tightly to my arms.

"There were men here earlier, asking me all sorts of questions about you. I didn't know what to say so I refused to tell them anything." His voice was shaking slightly and he looked completely discomposed.

I rubbed my hands up and down his arms gently and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "I told them everything," I said. "I told them where I had been when Elizabeth went into labor and I told them I was with you. They want to speak with you today."

He nodded and gave a small sigh. "I don't fear any repercussions, but what will happen to you?"

"They've already asked Jacob to remove me from any active cases," I said. "After the trial I'm going to have to leave Boston."

"Okay," he said softly. "We can make do with that."

"You don't have to come with me if you don't wish to."

He laughed, his sea-green eyes filled with mirth. He rose up on his toes a bit and kissed me. "What a ridiculous thing to say."

I had to grin and he ran his thumb over my smiling lips. He replaced his thumb with his mouth and kissed me deeply, as though he were trying to kiss away all the hurt I was feeling.

"When must we go speak to the police?"

"We?" I asked.

"I'll need assistance," he said. "I can ask for someone else if you don't feel comfortable going into public with me."

I grabbed him a little more fiercely than I intended to. "I could not bring myself to refuse going into public with you; comfort be damned."

He took my hands in his and squeezed them gently. "Let us go, then, and be done with it. I've decided that I will rush my trip to Germany and leave next week instead of this winter. I will attempt to keep the journey under six weeks."

"Okay," I said softly. The idea of him leaving me was slightly terrifying but I was a grown man and would deal with it. Will took his walking cane and together we left the flat. The police station wasn't far and there was a sort of hush as we navigated the streets. I wasn't sure how fast word spread, but knowing Elizabeth's brothers, word would likely have spread fast.

When we stepped into the police station, Craft was in the waiting hall with none other than Elizabeth's father and oldest brother. They regarded me with a sort of cold surprise as Craft excused himself and approached me.

"This is the man?"

"William Meer," Will said softly. He extended his hand towards Craft.

Craft stared at him for a moment before taking it briefly. "We should get immediately to the questioning." He turned back to Elizabeth's family. "Mr Browne, will you please excuse me?"

"Of course," Elizabeth's father said with a nod.

William gave my arm a squeeze before letting me go and following Craft down the hall to the interrogation room. I stood there with my back against the wall and closed my eyes, trying not to feel their glare upon me.

"That was him, was it?" Elizabeth's father eventually spat.

"Him, who?" I asked, though I knew perfectly well what he meant.

"That devil in human clothing," he hissed.

"He is no devil, I can assure you," I ground out, speaking through clenched teeth.

"Any man that can turn your eye from my daughter onto them is not a Godly man, Theodore," he said in a dark voice.

I bowed my head and did not argue that. William was not a Godly man at all. "I'm sorry for your loss, Mr Browne," is what I eventually did say to him.

He spluttered a bit. "How dare- how dare you say that to me! You, who wished for her death so you might be released from the marriage."

My eyes snapped up to his face and I felt my own face redden with anger. "No, Mr Browne, I never once wished for her death. I never once wished her any harm. She was my wife and if I so desired release from her I would have done things the gentle way and obtained a divorce. Do not think me in league with the demons as my mother and brothers have been, Mr Browne. I am not a monster."

He stared at me and I could see the confusion in his eyes. "I wish it had been you instead of her." This time his voice was resigned and full of ache.

"If I could do anything to take back her death, I assure you, I would." I paused and then said, "I'm testifying against my family. I will see to it that they are punished."

Elizabeth's brother, Marcus, stared at me for some time. "Do you mean that?"

Marcus and I had always got on very well, having gone to University together. I looked him straight in the eye and said, "I mean that more than I've ever meant anything, Marcus. I have never known pain like this and I would do anything to bring her back. I may not have been the best husband for her; she deserved better."

"She deserved the world," her father spat.

I nodded. "I did her wrong by not being able to love her. But she was a good woman and was to be the mother of my child and I want to see her killers brought to justice."

"I will never forgive your family, or you, for causing my daughter pain."

"Nor should you," I said honestly.

Elizabeth's father brushed past me, tears in his eyes, but Marcus hung back. He approached me carefully and stared at me. "It was easier when I could hate you, Theodore."

"It is easier to hate myself for her death than to hate my family," I said. "Don't blame Jacob, he tried to stop them."

"I heard he was there," Marcus said in a thick voice.

"They beat him and dragged him off."

"What?" Marcus whispered and I realized that he didn't know what had happened during her death.

"My brothers," I said and bowed my head. "Jacob was trying to hold the doctor back but my brothers took him away and beat him. When he got back he was too late. He tried so hard, Marcus, so put no blame on him. He has suffered immeasurable pain from what he was forced to see and what he could not do to stop it." I paused and then added with total sincerity, "If they had to, they probably would have killed him as well."

Marcus gulped. "And you? Where were you during all of this?"

"That is my sin, Marcus. That is my unforgivable sin."

"You were with that man she wrote to us about," he said. "William Meer, the author."

I nodded and could not meet his gaze. "I was."

I knew he remembered the way my tastes had run during University and he merely gave a resigned sigh. "Perhaps if people started marrying for love, these tragedies would no longer occur."

I gave a bitter laugh. "People will always be cruel and killers will always find a way to kill, Marcus. Had I been there I would not have let an unkind hand touch your sister and I will have to live with that until my dying day."

"Do you love him?" Marcus whispered.

"Yes," I answered loudly and clearly.

"Is he worth her death?"

I shook my head firmly. "Nothing is worth her death, Marcus."

"Is he worth what the truth is going to do to your reputation and job?"

I smiled despite myself. "Yes, Marcus, I'm afraid he is."

"I still wish I could hate you," he breathed. "I still do, actually, just a little bit. But I want justice for my sister if I cannot have her back."

"So do I, Marcus" I said. "So do I."

-- -- --

They kept William occupied for four hours. I left to eat and returned, waiting quietly and patiently in the corridor until he was released. He walked out behind Craft, his face a mask of indifference but he smiled just slightly when he felt me touch his arm.

Craft stared at me for a few moments before he spoke. "You and I have worked together for years now, Mr Hughes, and I respect you for your honesty. I do not think, however, it is the best policy in this situation, especially as you are a rather public figure. You are going to be viciously torn apart during the trial by the defense. Your reputation, after this moment, is tainted."

"I know," I said softly. "It's worth it, though, to clear my name as a murderer."

"Murderer and sodomist are one in the same in the eyes of some," he said.

"But not in my eyes, Detective, and that's what's most important. After this I will not be considered a murderer or a liar and it matters to me."

"Never let it be said that you do not have courage, Mr Hughes. Perhaps not self preservation, but you are brave and honest. Someday the world will appreciate men like you. Maybe not in this lifetime, but someday."

I extended my hand but he did not take it. I nodded softly in understanding and then William and I went back home.

William immediately cooked and served up supper, although neither one of us were particularly hungry. We both seemed more interested in curling up together in the bed with the lights dimmed. He was running his fingers through my hair, letting my curls wrap around his fingers and it was soothing for me.

"I've booked passage on a boat," he said after a bit of silence. "I leave Sunday and my return date is set for six weeks."

I let out a breath and took his unoccupied hand in mine. "Alright. The trial will likely be coming to a close around that time."

"Afterwards we shall move, yes?"

"I suppose so," I said. "I wish to avoid seeing my brothers' executions if at all possible."

He ran his fingers lightly down my face, tracing them over my nose and eyes. He settled the tip of his first two fingers on my bottom lip and drew them back and forth a few times. "You have a beautiful mouth," he said.

I laughed and kissed his fingers. "You're biased."

"Hmmm perhaps," he said. "Then again, so are you."

"I cannot argue with that point."

He kissed me softly. "I shall be in agony without you, you know."

"I know. Oh how I know," I breathed and buried my face in the crook of his neck. "Must you really go?"

"Yes. When I take care of this, my love, we shall have the world at our feet without another interruption. We shall hole ourselves away in my beach house and live until death."

"Live until death," I repeated and kissed his neck. "I like it."

"I thought you might," he said with a small laugh.

-- -- --

Sunday came far too quickly for my liking. As I watched the ship depart from the port I realized I was more alone than I had ever been. My mother and brothers were currently in prison, I was staying far away from Jacob and Samantha only to spare them the pain, and my wife was dead.

Her family, while they had stopped blaming me for her death, continued their hatred of me for making her so miserable, and I could not begrudge them that.

My manor had been labeled as a crime scene for the first week and a half that William was gone, which was fine with me because sleeping there would have caused me severe nightmares. My brothers and mother had eventually been released from prison on a bond, but I refused to see them. They were staying with my father's sister just north of the shore.

I received several angry letters from the elder of my two brothers, James, and one from my mother but I put them into the fire without reading them.

It was terribly lonely in William's flat without him, but sleeping in his bed with his scent all around me was a comfort. Craft came by one morning and let me know that the manor had been cleared of all evidence and that I was welcome to go back to it.

It took me three days to make the journey. Hiring a carriage, I rode up to the manor and was surprised to see Jacob there, sitting outside on the low wall. He met me with a lofty smile and a wave as I walked up.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Waiting for you. I was here yesterday but I didn't really expect you until today."

We walked up the steps and I unlocked the door. It smelled the same as it always had, although the air inside was stale and sweltering. The servants had all been released with pay until the trial was over so nothing was kept up while I had been away.

Jacob opened a few windows in the parlor as I went to the liquor cabinet and poured us each a scotch. "Samantha's been asking after you every day," he said as he accepted the drink. "I told her I didn't know where to find you."

"You knew where I was," I argued.

"I know. I thought perhaps you needed this time to yourself."

I remembered my last words to him and I shook my head. "You really oughtn't associate yourself with me, Jacob. It won't do you any good."

He shrugged and glanced out of the window. "Samantha and I have been talking about moving. She's not yet with child so we were thinking of relocating. I've been offered a position in a firm in New York."

My eyes widened. "Really? Do you want it?"

"Yes and no," he said. "I think the change will do us good."

I heard what he didn't want to say aloud and I bowed my head in shame. "You're losing clients because of me."

"I don't give a shit about them," he swore angrily. "This isn't about the money, Teddy. This is about people who were fiercely loyal to you until this. They know it's not your fault and yet they put blame on you because they feel your wrong in your personal choices. It's unfair."

"People are the same here as they are in New York."

"In New York they are strangers, Ted. And strangers' opinions won't cause me as much pain as the opinions of those I've grown to love deeply."

I settled in a chair across from Jacob and looked at him for a long time. "I'm leaving as soon as the trial is over. William and I are moving to North Carolina. He has a home there near the beach."

"Are you going to practice law again?"

"Possibly," I said. "I think I'm going to take time off to decide what really makes me happy."

He nodded slowly. "Have you heard from your brothers or mother?"

"Both," I said stoically. "I've put their letters on the fire."

"Your mother has already secured herself a plea deal. She will testify that your brothers forced her hand in the decision and in return she's allowed free passage to live with her brother."

"My uncle?" I asked with wide eyes. "My uncle in Paris?"

"The same. She's trading her citizenship."

"She was always more interested in self preservation," I said miserably. "It doesn't surprise me and she never loved my brothers enough."

"Do you think she would have taken the blame for you, Ted?"

I shrugged. The truth was yes, yes I did believe that, but it caused me far too much pain to say it aloud. I may not have wanted my child, but regardless of gender or action, I would have died for it.

"Elizabeth will rest in peace," he said.

"And you?" I questioned. "Are you at peace?"

"I don't know that I ever will be again," he confessed. "At night I hear her screams. Samantha knows but she doesn't ask. I haven't slept properly since that night."

"Do you blame me?" I asked, my voice wavering just a little. "If I had been there they would not have-"

"Yes they would have," Jacob said fiercely and reached forward to grab my wrist. "They would have hurt you the same as they hurt me and they would have tried to convince you it was for the best."

"Nothing they could have said would have made me feel that course of action was the best one," I spat. "Nothing."

"I know," he said soothingly. "Ted, you and I might have been killed by your brothers if we had tried to stop them. I almost was."

I sniffed and looked away. "I hate them. I want to see them hanged."

"They did it to gain her favor," Jacob said.

"They are adults and know right from wrong. They know killing is wrong, despite what my mother preached to them," I said, feeling no remorse over their fate.

He nodded and released his grip. "When will William return?"

"Three weeks from now," I said. "He's sent one letter thus far and one telegram. He's as anxious as I am to rid ourselves of this mess."

"I cannot blame either of you," Jacob said softly. "The people, they say he's abandoned you to your sins."

"I don't care what they say," I said tiredly. "What matters is that I know the truth."

Jacob sat back and sipped his scotch for a while. "Perhaps when summer comes back, Samantha and I will plan a trip to visit you. If you'll have us," he added quickly.

"You will always be welcome in my home, Jacob. Always."

-- -- --

I saw my mother one time before her ship departed for Europe. She was waiting by the dock and I happened to be there by accident. I never intended on seeing her off, but I had walked by the docks to see if William's ship was early.

The trial had ended the night before, with two guilty verdicts for my brothers. They were spared the noose, but sentenced to live in prison with no hope of parole. It was a great injustice according to Elizabeth's family, however I felt a small measure of relief knowing that there would be no more death.

My brothers, feeling completely betrayed by my mother, said nothing in their defense as they were hauled away to live behind bars and I could not bring myself to ask for a last meeting with them.

I was, of course, brought onto the stand to defend myself in the case and my character was destroyed. I was called a sodomist and I denied none of it. That night Jacob removed the Hughes from the sign on the office door.

When I ran into my mother unexpectedly, I stopped. Part of me wanted to turn the other way and not look back but I was still her son. I tipped my hat to her as she made a formal curtsey and we stood beside the dock railings together.

"I doubt I will see you again," she said quietly, looking out at the still waters.

"No, I can't say our paths will ever cross."

"I daresay you hate me for what happened," she said softly. "I just hope you realize I had done it for you."

"I cannot pretend that I will ever understand why you thought that was the only resort," I said, anger causing my words to stab at her viciously. "There were humane ways to deal with an unwanted wife. I barely consider you my mother now that I know what you are capable of."

She laughed suddenly, the dry laugh of an aging woman, and she shook her head. "My dear Theodore, you say this as though you didn't think me capable of such unkindness. You know me better than anyone, Theodore. I showed you my true self since the day you came out of my body."

"I've always known you were capable," I amended, "but I never expected you would lower yourself to the status of a common murderer."

"I murdered no one," she said softly.

I shook my head and looked away from her. "That was your defense."

"And what of the rumors about you, my son? The dirty, filthy rumors you helped validate on the stand. Are those true?"

"Yes," I said softly. "They are more than true. I wear them proudly."

"Ah, such the proud man that I raised."

"I'm learning to be meek, Mother. Slowly, but surely."

"That will bring you nothing but a disgraceful death, meekness."

"That remains to be seen," I said.

She backed away from me as the ship began to board. "Perhaps in another life," she called as she started towards the ramp.

"Only if I sin so very much more in this lifetime," I whispered and then smiled. I really had become so poetic.

-- -- --

His ship was three days late, which had me in a near blind panic. From morning until deep into the night I spent at the docks, staring out into the open waters, waiting.

I could see him standing alone on the bow as the ship came into port and when he made his way down the ramp, his cane extended out in front of him, I almost started sobbing. As it was, it took all of my restraint not to take him into my arms right then and show him how much I had missed him.

We took a carriage back to his flat and the moment the front door clicked shut I could no longer control myself. I took him desperately, hard and fast on the chaise beside the closed window. The smell of him, the feel of his skin under my fingers, was enough to send me rocketing over the edge when I finally climaxed.

He feathered kisses all over my face as I attempted to catch my breath, still lying half on top of him. He carded his fingers through my hair before letting his palms come to a rest on my cheeks. "How I missed you," he whispered. "I haven't slept a single night since I left."

"Nor did I," I breathed. I reached up and pushed the window open a bit for the breeze which was slightly cooler now that Autumn was approaching.

I heaved a breath and then rolled over onto my back. It was a bit cramped on the chaise but I had never felt so comfortable in my life. At this moment I did not know how I managed to ever feel at ease without him by my side.

"I love you," I breathed as I turned my face into his neck.

He laughed softly and nuzzled the top of my head with his cheek. "Do you now?"

"Mmm, yes, I do," I replied.

"That's a good thing, Teddy, because I love you too." He wiggled so that an arm came around me and he whispered a long string of German into my ear that I didn't understand. He kissed me again and then, somehow in that haze of relief to be near one another again, we made it to the bed.

We threw the covers back and lay against the pillows, enjoying everything about being together again. His hand found mine and held on loosely. "How did the trial go?"

"It was quick, much quicker than I had imagined. My mother traded her testimony for freedom under the condition that she return to France and give up her citizenship. My brothers were convicted on her testimony, despite the testimony of Jacob that they were merely acting under her orders. They were sentenced to live out the rest of their lives in prison."

"So they will not hang," he said softly.

"No," I said. "There will be no more death."

He smiled at me, leaning up on his elbow so that he hovered slightly over me and he ran his fingers into my hair. "You are much changed, Teddy, from that man I met in the pub months ago."

"I suppose I am," I said carefully, unsure if he found that to be a good thing or a bad thing.

He laughed and kissed the tip of my nose. "You are still the same man, Teddy, there are just parts of you that are awake."

"All thanks to you," I said honestly.

He sighed softly and put his head down on my shoulder. "I suppose now is the time to discuss moving."

"The sooner the better, for my sake as well as yours," I said. "Although I have been cleared of murder, I have been found guilty of a far greater sin."

"Loving me," he said, his voice low and sad. He kissed me again. "I fear someday you will regret me. I fear, perhaps irrationally, that one day you will look at me with contempt for all you've given up for my kisses and my embrace." He cleared his throat as I tried to argue. "If that day should come it will be the first time I'd find myself grateful for being blind."

My throat tightened with those words. I could feel his fear inside my chest and could not find words to comfort him. I wanted to sing eternal promises of love forever, but I could not bring myself to say the words. How was I to know what the future held? Perhaps there was a contempt lying dormant inside of me.

I prayed, perhaps for the first time ever, that there was no bitterness in my soul. I drew him down to my chest and kissed the top of his head, a rough, possessive kiss. "Tomorrow I will have my old Manor packed. I put it up for sale yesterday and I've been assured it won't stay on the market long."

"I'll send word to have the beach cottage ready for our arrival," he said, his words muffled against my chest as he nuzzled the front of my shirt. "Perhaps then, for some time, we shall find some peace."

-- -- --

By mid afternoon I had packed and shipped off everything I meant to keep from the manor. Most if it was old trinkets and heirlooms with no real value besides those of sentimentality. There was a gloom over the house so deep that I almost didn't notice the sun shining down upon me as Will and I sat near the pond of goldfish.

What used to be a place of sanctuary for me now brought only bitterness and grief. "I regret every hurtful word I ever spoke to or about her," I said as I dipped my fingers into the pond.

Will sighed beside me and touched my shoulder. "That's what life is about, isn't it? Memories and regrets."

"I suppose it is," I said. "Just a bit." I fell quiet as I watched Will. He was dipping his fingers into the pond and smiling every time one of the curious fish took a nibble at him. "This was the first place I really thought about you," I said suddenly into the silence. "I sat here and wondered why I was thinking about you so much."

He chuckled softly. "You were thinking about why you were thinking about me?"

"In short, yes," I said, chuckling a little as well. I turned to face him fully and grabbed his face, turning it up to the sun. The light glinted off those beautiful eyes and I almost lost my breath. "The first thing I ever noticed about you was your eyes. They were so striking, so green. I see them so vividly in my dreams."

He smiled and touched my cheek with the tips of his fingers. "I only see shadows," he said, "but I see you very clearly."

I kissed him, no longer caring at all if anyone could see us. "I suppose it's time to go, isn't it?"

He took my hand and we stood up. "Our new life awaits."

(Next chapter: The Epilogue)