All Wrong for Each Other

"Nope, not prostitutes," Vin assured him. "And you're right about the kids. I thought I had mentioned them, but I guess not. I don't really see any of them. I used to go visit the house about once a month, and it was always at night for booty calls, but then I met you and basically stopped going there for that."

"Really?" Caelen asked in fascination, since he'd never told Vin not to have sex with others. In fact, they'd agreed that they could keep their other sex friends, despite being married.

Vin shrugged. "I mean even though I use condoms and they are on birth control, I ended up having way more kids than I ever wanted, so I got fed up and stopped having sex with them a while ago."

Caelen frowned. "I think I might need you to explain this a bit more for me."

Vin let out a heavy sigh and flopped onto the couch in the living room. "It started when I was 18. I'm sure you can imagine the sort of girls I had plenty of access to. This is going to sound really stereotyped, but the majority of my 'business' - especially at the time - was in the ghetto. There, the girls are really easy. In fact, I didn't know it, but a lot of them grow up thinking that if they get pregnant, their baby daddies will have to give them money. It's apparently a goal to have three kids with three different men, in order to get enough child support to pay all the bills."

"That's a terrible idea!" Caelen blurted out in horror.

"Yeah, but these are girls who were raised in poverty. Girls who have no hope that they'd be able to get good jobs and support a family the normal way. Girls who are often prostitutes before they're even the age of consent," Vin explained.

"Ugh..." Caelen groaned as a queasy feeling came and went.

"Yeah," Vin agreed softly, grabbing his hand and squeezing it. "Back then, I wasn't exactly a stupid kid, it's just that I didn't know what they had planned. I thought that using condoms would be enough, but they'd use tricks to make me think I was using protection. Such as purposely taking birth control pills in front of me, without me knowing that they'd replaced the pills with sugar pills. Or scratch the condom when they put it on me so that it would break. I actually thought most condoms were shitty and prone to breaking for a long time. They'd also wait until I was asleep and get me going before I woke up enough to wonder if I was wearing a condom."

"I can't believe anyone would do such things," Caelen murmured in dismay, kissing Vin's hand that was still holding his.

Vin shrugged. "I know guys who hate wearing condoms enough that they make a show of putting them on, and then take them back off when the girl isn't looking. I guess I'm just so used to these things by now that I don't really care anymore."

Caelen sighed but nodded in understanding. "So, that led to kids."

"Yep. I have eight official kids in that they were confirmed by DNA test. They all live in the house with their mothers. Also, there are two that are confirmed as not mine, but it would be weird to kick them out when their mothers live there. Plus, they're literally babies. Lastly, I have two unconfirmed kids who live with their mother in a different house. I don't see them at all and I'm not even on their birth certificate, but their mom swears they're mine. She just doesn't really want anything to do with me and I don't insist because I don't need to worry about them being targeted."

"But you liked her enough to have two kids with her?" Caelen asked with a look of disbelief.

Vin shook his head. "They're twins. They're four - I think. I met their mother when I sort of ran away five or so years ago. I was fed up with, well, being me. I needed a break. So I took off and picked up one night stands in bars until one guy got me drunk enough that I passed out. He stole everything I had and tossed me into a field behind the shitty motel we'd fucked in. Hannah spotted me as she was cleaning windows and brought me to a room to clean up and sleep it off. Then she fed me and I was like a puppy, excited to have a person paying attention to me without having to. That led to a fun week before my dad got fed up with me not answering my phone or responding to texts. He sent out a couple of guys to bring me home, and when they found me, I was ready to go home."

Caelen ran a hand through Vin's bleached hair. "You've had a pretty rough life, haven't you?"

"Well, I mean, I AM part of a criminal organization..."

Caelen gave him a faint smile. "Yeah, but you always act like a normal person. Well, normal except you have money and can afford to drop everything and spend a few thousand dollars in Vegas whenever you want."

"Let's just say that I've had my ups and downs," Vin said with a heavy sigh. "Which brings me back to my point. There are four women living in the house I bought for them. It's only a couple of blocks away from a really bad ghetto, but I bought it there because it's down the street from the first woman's parents. Also, the others all have family close by, so it's convenient for all of them. Plus, despite being in a rundown neighborhood, it's pretty easy to keep secure."

"Okay..." Caelen murmured, not really knowing what to say.

Vin ran his free hand through his hair. "So, last night, apparently two of my women got into a really bad fight. No one really knows what it was about. Apparently, this is fairly common, not because they don't get along, but because they all do various drugs, and sometimes just feel like fighting. I was told that when any of them start fighting, the others will ask their guards to come in and help them get the children out of the way. So basically, the other two women, the two guards, and all the kids left the house while my first woman was beating up my fourth woman."

He paused to hang his head and groan. "And when they came back, they found that Ally had ended up beating Gina to death... and then promptly overdosed on something - Heroine, I think. Not sure. It could have actually been a variety of different drugs."

Caelen couldn't help but give him an incredulous look that was mixed with disapproval. "And you let your kids live there?!"

Vin made a large W with his arms. "What else am I supposed to do? They're living with their mothers in a house that is as safe as I can reasonably make it!"

Caelen held out his hands in a gesture meant to soothe. "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for."

Rather than argue, Vin braced his elbows on his knees and stared at the floor as he talked. "So anyway, when the others returned home, they apparently argued over what exactly to do. Then they called me and told me what had happened, so I rushed over there to see it for myself. I also had to pace and argue with myself over what to do, but eventually decided that as much as I didn't like it, I had to call the cops. They came in and interrogated me and everyone else."

He flopped his head against the back of the couch as he hissed in frustration. "I was treated like a suspect even though I was nowhere NEAR the place! And worse, since my name is on the house, I couldn't just decline to answer any questions! Thankfully, the others all verified several times that I was not involved in any way except for fathering all the kids."

Caelen didn't say it, but he was tempted to point out that two women had died and Vin seemed more concerned about himself than either of them. That said, he himself was a police officer and had become one because he had an innate concern for helping people. Vin had been raised to care more about himself and his 'family' than others. It was a difference in personality that Caelen had already accepted and prepared for back when they were separated for two months and he had agonized over every possibility.

With another heavy sigh, Vin continued. "As I said, there are 10 kids living in that house. Four of them belong to the two women that died. Of those four, three are officially mine, and one is not. He's the baby, and he's only six months old, so I could probably adopt him out fairly easily. I could also leave him in the house, and maybe even hire a nanny or two to come help out, but I really feel like 10 kids being looked after by just two women is a bit much. Especially since the other two already said they didn't want to do it, even though I said I'd give them the child support that was going to Ally and Gina. I guess money doesn't matter to them as much anymore since I bought the house and pay all the bills."

Caelen softened and pulled Vin into a hug so that he could simply hold him and rub his back. It took a few minutes of simply breathing before Vin was ready to get to his real point. Still it took a deep breath before he could say it.

"So... I was wondering if you would, um... take them..."

Caelen froze for a moment. "... Take them?"

"Yeah," Vin confirmed in a soft voice. "If I hire nannies to care for them, I'm pretty sure that Grace and Violet will cause trouble until they quit - or call CPS. If I put them all up for adoption, I'd have to be damn sure that the people adopting them weren't part of a rival organization. I'd actually probably have to send them out of state. Each to a different state would probably be safest. Or maybe I could buy a second house and have nannies live there with them, but that would require at least one person who was willing to live there permanently and oversee the nannies."

Caelen covered Vin's mouth with a hand when it seemed like he was going to ramble on. "So... Let me get this straight... You're wondering if I'll take in four kids in one go?"

"I mean... well... yeah..." Vin confirmed, knowing that this would make anyone hesitant.

"Oh... wow..." Caelen murmured, feeling a bit faint. Yeah sure, he wanted kids, but suddenly having four at once was a challenge that had NEVER occurred to him. "Uh... hmm... well... how old are they?"

"The oldest is a five year old boy. The next two are both two. Ally and Gina decided that it would be brilliant to have their kids together, and by that, I mean that when Gina turned up pregnant and was added to the house, Ally fell in love with her as a best friend and wanted to go through the pregnancy thing together. Of course, she didn't tell me that, she just called me over for a booty call, so... They're both girls. And I already said, the baby is six months old. He's a boy and no one is quite sure who his father is, except that it's not me. My name is on his birth certificate though, so I do have legal authority over him," Vin explained.

Caelen frowned as he thought this over. As a police officer, he was trained to pick out details of statements that didn't make sense or needed clarification. "Wait... you said that Ally was your first woman, and that your first woman had given you a child when you were just 18. Wouldn't that make the oldest child... nine?"

"Oh, fuck, we're really getting into it now," Vin said in a resigned tone. "Alright, so, Ally DID have a kid when I was 18. And she told me that it was mine, and since we were sort of officially together when the kid was conceived, I took her at her word. I bought the house and let her move in. For a couple of years, she and Grace lived there - and then Violet - but when Grace got pregnant for the second time, I had to wonder how it was mine, since I hadn't been to see them in a while. That was when my mom told me to have all of the kids tested. To my surprise, Grace's kids were both mine, but Ally's little girl wasn't. Once she found out, she immediately took steps to get pregnant with Vincent, and then she called up the other guy she was seeing back when Lia was conceived. He was Lia's dad, but he had an uncle who was a lawyer, so they sued for sole custody and won because Ally failed three drug tests in a row."

Since this ultimately had nothing to do with the current dilemma, Caelen simply sighed and let it go. "So... you care enough about your kids to want them raised in safe homes, but you don't really want anything to do with them otherwise."

"I know, I'm a horrible father," Vin admitted. But then he looked Caelen in the eyes. "That said, I am actually hoping you'll take them. It won't be the most convenient for me - as giving them up for adoption would be the best way to ensure they're safe and have nothing more to do with me. Still... I know that if you took them, they'd be safe AND happy."

Caelen couldn't stop a tiny smile from twisting his lips at that. "You think I'd make them happy?"

"I think you'd raise them with love, but without drugs. So yes, I think they'd be happy. Plus, you live in a nice house with a nice yard in a somewhat secluded neighborhood. They could actually go outside and play without having guards looming over them. When the time comes for them to go to school, I'm hoping that they can attend a regular school and still be safe - my others have to go to a highly secure school that locks the doors and has armed guards, and the oldest one is only eight, so that tells you that there are a lot of parents worried about child safety that such a school even exists."

"Well, it IS in a highly populated city that has more than one ghetto," Caelen pointed out, assuming that the school must be reasonably close to their house.

"True," Vin murmured in agreement.

They were both silent with their own thoughts for a moment. Then Caelen rested his head against Vin's shoulder. "So, if I took these four, what about the other... six?"

"They'll stay in the house with their mothers," Vin stated. "As I said, the oldest is eight, and she's used to helping out as needed. Grace is super fertile and got pregnant literally every single time I had sex with her, so she has four kids, and they're all mine. ... Violet was initially a sex friend who didn't actually want to get pregnant, but when it happened, she volunteered to move into the house with the others so that she didn't have to worry about thugs targeting her son. He's seven. Her other child is only about a year and he's not mine."

Even though it had nothing to do with anything at the moment, Caelen was suddenly curious about something. "You said you stopped having sex with them, so does that mean you stopped having sex with all women, or just them?"

"As I once told you, not only do I occasionally act as an extra in a porn - and so I have sex with whoever I'm told to, both men and women - but I also go out to clubs with the guys on occasion and just fuck around. It's sort of a status thing; to prove I'm virile and have stamina. Not to mention, it proves that I don't think I'm too good to hang out with the men I lead. It's usually women because my men don't really want to see me fucking other men - though they know I do," Vin explained.

Caelen was actually a little touched that Vin was being so open and honest. Even after they got married, Vin was likely to give short and basic answers to all questions. For example, had Caelen thought to ask about kids before now, Vin probably would have said that he had some and left it at that. He might have admitted that he had between eight and twelve - depending on how you looked at it - but he probably wouldn't have given any details such as age and name.

This more than anything told Caelen that Vin was feeling vulnerable and shaken at the moment. Deciding to try to cheer him up, he changed the subject. Especially since he wouldn't be able to answer the question until he gave it more thought.

"Hey... there's still some time left before your birthday ends," he pointed out in a soft voice. "Why don't we go to bed so I can give you whatever birthday sex you want?"

Clearly depressed, Vin got up and silently followed Caelen to bed. For the first time since they met, Vin couldn't get into the mood, and so, they simply held each other and slept. Even so, it was a deep and refreshing sleep.

In the morning, Caelen watched Vin sleep for at least an hour. They had been married just over five months now, but as they'd known going in, Vin only managed to come over on weekends. It was usually only Saturday nights, but this weekend was different since Vin's birthday was on a Friday. That meant that it was now Saturday, which they had planned to spend together doing not much of anything. Maybe go out for dinner.

Instead...

Caelen kissed Vin awake. Even before he opened his eyes, Vin smiled and happily returned the kisses. When he did open his eyes, it was so he could see where he wanted to nuzzle and nip at Caelen's neck.

"Wait, before we get all hot and heavy, I have something I want to say," Caelen said, lightly pushing Vin away.

Vin's expression immediately turned solemn. "Yeah?"

Caelen gave him a soft smile. "If you promise that you will drop everything and help me if I need it... I'll take them..."

Vin suddenly felt like all the air had been stolen from his body. "... You... mean that...?"

"I do," Caelen confirmed with a nod.

"God..." Vin muttered, covering his mouth with a hand. "I don't know why, but I'm suddenly nervous..."

Caelen chuckled. "Funny, shouldn't that be me?"

Vin kissed him. "You're honestly way too good for me."

Caelen wiggled his head and looked toward the ceiling. He wanted to deny it but couldn't quite do so. Instead, he smirked. "I know I promised you as much birthday sex as you wanted, but what if I give you a raincheck on that? Let's get out of bed, eat breakfast, and then go get, um... my new kids...?" He trailed off, not entirely sure how to refer to them.

Vin kissed him again. "Raincheck it is."

To Caelen's surprise, about an hour and a half later, rather than driving up to a basic house like he expected, they drove up to Vin's house.

"This shouldn't take long," Vin assured him with a kiss.

"Okay..." Caelen droned in confusion.

They entered the house and Caelen quietly followed as Vin searched a few rooms. Most of the rooms were empty, but a couple had guys loitering in them. The entertainment room had a bunch of video game consoles in it that were being played by nearly a dozen men who drank beer and ate snacks as they played.

"Hey Boss!" They greeted Vin when they spotted him.

"Anyone seen Gordon?" Vin asked.

"I think he's outside with your dad," a guy replied, pointing out the window.

Relieved, Vin led Caelen out back.

"Vince!" Markus cried out happily when he saw them coming. "It's actually been a while since I last saw you, but I heard you had a snafu with your women last night."

"Yeah, I'll get into it later," Vin promised. "I'm actually here for Gordon."

"Oh?" Gordon and Markus asked in unison. "Someone pressing charges?" Gordon added curiously.

"No, that fortunately got cleared up," Vin assured him. "I actually need to know something. So, when a child is born, legal rights and responsibilities are divided up between the parents listed on the birth certificate, right?"

"Well, with priority usually being given to the mother when custody is in dispute," Gordon answered.

"Yeah but they're dead, so that doesn't matter at the moment," Vin stated. "The moment they died, I gained full custody, right?"

"Yeah, unless their maternal grandparents fight you, but they'd have to prove you're unfit, which really isn't likely," Gordon said.

"Alright, so, from a legal standpoint, my husband - as their stepfather - would have authority over them too, right?"

"Uh..." Gordon droned as he and Markus stared at Vin in surprise. His mouth opened and closed a few times in less than a second, and then he cleared his throat. "Husband?"

"Yeah, we eloped to Vegas at the end of September," Vin confirmed.

"Why didn't you say so sooner?!" Markus blurted out. "And fuck! We haven't been able to welcome him into the family! Ohhhhhh.... I am NOT gonna be the one to tell your mother!"