"Kids! We're here!" Jenny called and then Andrew heard the rapid footfalls of two kids excited to see their parents. Jenny and Kim also seemed more relaxed just at the sound of their footfalls.

Andrew turned, watching as they raced up the stairs. Leonardo was the first to run into Jenny's arms, slamming into her body and nearly taking her out. Jenny laughed, kissing the top of his head before she reached for her taller, alpha daughter and pulled her in as well. Kim watched them for a moment before she let out a heavy sigh, rolled her eyes and stepped forward.

It was a cute family huddle, and Andrew only watched for a second longer before he moved to the living room.

"It's Kim and Jenny. Do you want to say hi?" Andrew asked as Maxwell looked at him, then glanced at the doorway. He nodded and then held out his arms to Andrew. Andrew grinned, moving and picking up the man easily in his arms. Maxwell wrapped his arms around Andrew's neck as he let Andrew carry him around their house.

When Andrew rounded the corner and stepped into the hallway, Kim and Jenny stared at Maxwell. Jenny's jaw dropped before she turned a glare towards Andrew.

"Andy! What state did you leave Maxy alone in?" She demanded, upset for Maxwell's sake. Andrew gave a nervous laugh.

"A bad one. He's already gotten rather mad at me for it. It won't happen again." Andrew promised and Kim gave a snort.

"I don't believe you. This is the second time I've seen what state you've left Maxy in after you've had your rut." Kim said and Andrew turned bright red. Jenny gasped. Leonardo turned in his Mom's arms, tucking himself against her side. Alyssa pulled back, standing behind her smaller Mom and near her taller Mom.

"Andrew! You did this every time?!" She demanded and Andrew felt bad then. Maxwell's soft laugh had both women looking towards him.

"Do you really think if I didn't want it that way Andrew would keep pushing?" Maxwell suggested and it was their turn to remain speechless. Maxwell squeezed the back of Andrew's neck. "I know what I get myself into when I egg him on, don't worry. He's usually the perfect gentleman the next morning and takes good care of me. A day or so of feeling like I got run over is worth it." Kim let out a quick burst of laughter before she covered her mouth.

Andrew felt all warm inside that Maxwell was defending him in front of Jenny and Kim. He'd honestly expected to be fed to the wolves. He would have earned it too.

Jenny covered Leonardo's ears much to his disappointment as she looked between Andrew and Maxwell.

"While you are both consenting adults, and I know I am meddling, it will do you no good in the long run, Maxy. Trust me on that." Jenny's eyes held a note of warning and Kim coughed, Alyssa made a disgusted noise, and Andrew knew that both he and Maxwell were looking towards a third guilty party.

Kim's face was red now.

"I know nothing of what you said." Kim said, while Jenny uncovered her younger son's ears.

"What did you say?" Leonardo asked, clearly frustrated that he got left out. Jenny smiled at her son warmly.

"You're a little too young to know what I said. I'll tell you after Christmas, alright?" Jenny told her son, who pouted, annoyed.

"You always say that!" He complained and Alyssa reached out, patting her younger brother on the head.

"Trust me, I'm old enough to know, and I'd rather not. It's a blessing you're too young." She told him seriously and while that didn't appease him completely, that seemed to take the sting out of it.

Maxwell's small laugh filled Andrew's ears and Andrew looked down. Maxwell was watching the siblings interact, a softness to his expression that had every muscle in Andrew's body coming to taunt awareness.

That wasn't the look of a sibling looking at other siblings interacting. That was the look of a man who wanted to see that himself. Andrew glanced at Kim and Jenny who had the same exact look on their faces that Maxwell was mimicking and Andrew swallowed.

They were entering dangerous territory. Andrew was going to have to remind Maxwell that he didn't want to be pregnant on his wedding day. Though at this point, if Maxwell pushed a little bit, Andrew might fold.

Maxwell was his fated pair.

Andrew still felt a little giddy thinking about that.

"We should head out, kids. The soon to be Dr. and Mr. Beckett's need to get some rest. Especially Maxy. Thank Andrew for all of the treats." Jenny said.

"Did you speak to Maxy about the house?" Kim asked and Andrew shook his head. Maxwell tilted his head back, looking at Andrew.

"We were about to discuss it when you knocked." Andrew lied and Kim gave a snort. She scanned Andrew, knowing he was lying to her, and snorted again.

"Yeah, I'm sure you were. You stink, by the way." Kim said and Andrew coughed.

"You better not be saying that Max smells." Andrew said and Kim rolled her eyes.

"I'm saying that it's strange that I can still smell him on you if that's how you're going to behave, Andy." Kim told him and Andrew felt his eyes widen. Jenny's eyes widened too before she turned so that she didn't have to meet Andrew's gaze. She did reach out and smack Kim's shoulder.

"Kim!" She scolded and Kim shrugged her shoulders, grinning unrepentantly.

"I'm not wrong!" Kim said and Maxwell let out a laugh. Everyone turned to look at him, growing silent as they stared at him. He was the one who it affected the most, so his opinion mattered more.

"Never mind that nonsense, what was this about a house? This house?" Maxwell asked, turning to look at Andrew. Andrew stared down at him warmly, giving him a gentle squeeze.

"No. The house we moved out of at Richard's suggestion. Kim and…everyone is worried about living so far away from prying eyes. And down winding roads. I suggested that Ben, Amir and Mehar move to our vacant house for the time being until everything is…cleared up." Andrew said. It didn't take Maxwell long to understand what he was implying.

Maxwell slid his gaze to the two kids nearby, then to Kim and Jenny.

"Did you speak to Ben about it already?" Maxwell asked Kim, not even bothering to ask Andrew. He'd known where Andrew had been now after his moment of weakness. Kim nodded.

"He's fine with it, so was Amir. They just also said that Amir's grandparents might move in as well, if you were fine with that." Maxwell nodded.

"Totally fine with it. I'm just worried the house might be too small for them." Maxwell said and Kim smiled.

"Ben said that the family home was too big, so it might be good for them to get a feeling for what 'too small' is for them as well." Maxwell nodded, then turned his head towards Andrew. He smiled at him.

"I was fine with you suggesting it. Thank you for including me in the discussion though." Andrew knew that if he hadn't, he would have been a dead man. He just smiled instead of saying that out loud.

"I always will." He said, leaning in and pressing his lips against Maxwell's forehead. Maxwell seemed to melt under the attention.

"That's our cue to leave. Alright. Have a good night you two. Uh, see you at the Christmas party in two days?" Kim said, unsure and Maxwell let out a dark chuckle.

"Don't worry, the party will be going forward. We just might be coming in and out of the party." Maxwell said, speaking of his family as a unit.

The couple saw the family out, and Maxwell ordered some of their security team to make sure that they got home safe and locked up just fine. Kim didn't even protest that and Andrew didn't make a comment on it either.

Once the door was locked and they were alone, Maxwell shifted in Andrew's arms.

"Kim is worried that they are going to target us now." He said and Andrew nodded.

"Severely worried. So are your parents." Andrew told him and Maxwell nodded slowly.

"Good. They should be scared." Maxwell said and Andrew gave him a strange look.

"What about this makes you think that they are scared?" He asked and Maxwell smirked.

"Well, they are going for the shitty, petty attacks that can be brushed off as accidents. That's scared people behaviour. If I was in their shoes, I would make it so fucking obvious that they were attacks that the public would fear for their lives, but I would be so far removed from it that no one would be able to pin it on me. They are cowards. I'm sure Dad is already working on it." Maxwell said with all the confidence of a son who came from a Dad who had many people who could 'handle' it.

Andrew just shook his head and was grateful that he was marrying into the family and hadn't made them an enemy.

"I'm glad your family likes me." Andrew said quietly and Maxwell grinned.

"Lean down so I can kiss you." Maxwell ordered and Andrew did just that. The kiss was brief, soft, and held deep affection for Andrew in it. "Should we just go back to bed and rest?" Maxwell asked against Andrew's lips. It was a damn siren call that Andrew couldn't resist.

"I think we've both earned it. Everything we're worried about will be there tomorrow." Andrew told him and felt Maxwell smile.

"Then let's go, Dr. Knox. I have a man I need to press myself against." Maxwell told him and Andrew shivered.

"You need to recover." Andrew warned and Maxwell leaned in, pulling Andrew's bottom lip into his mouth to nibble on. Andrew shivered.

"I can recover just fine if you're gentle." Maxwell said, releasing his lips and batting his pretty blue eyes at Andrew. Andrew groaned.

"Max. According to Jenny I've already beaten you up enough. Just cuddling, alright?" Andrew said, hating that he had to negotiate with him.

"How about you just…slide it in and don't move? Please? I just want to feel connected." When he sounded so damn sad, how was Andrew going to resist him? "You could even do it without a condom on." Maxwell suggested and Andrew narrowed his gaze at the sly man.

"Max." Andrew said warningly and Maxwell laughed.

"I warned you." Maxwell told him, his eyes sparkling with mischief. He was right, Maxwell had warned him. He just didn't expect that it would start so soon.

Andrew hadn't built up his defenses yet. That was probably why Maxwell was striking now. Little demon. Andrew felt lips tug up into a smile.

"No, but I'll do it with a condom on." Andrew conceded and Maxwell pouted.

"Boo. You're no fun." Maxwell told him and Andrew huffed.

"I could not do it. Is that what you want?" Andrew asked and watched as Maxwell actually panicked a bit. It was clear he really did want it.

"I-It's okay if you wear a condom." Maxwell muttered, annoyed. It seemed that Maxwell hadn't built up his walls enough yet either. Good. Andrew was going to give as good as he got.