All Wrong for Each Other

Vin chuckled. "Did you cuff her and make her stand there naked for a couple of hours?"

Caelen laughed. "No! Actually, the moment the guy on point realized that she was not the person we were looking for, he seemed to get a little embarrassed himself. See, we are supposed to shout and be jarring and disruptive, in order to intimidate and take everyone by surprise, but he suddenly stammered and said: 'Uh, Ma'am? If you could please step out of the tub, wrap up in that towel, and then lie down on the floor.' Which she calmly did. Then he politely informed her that he had to cuff her - but for raids we use zip ties on anyone who isn't actually under arrest. It's simply to prevent anyone from becoming a threat. So she was treated rather courteously, even after the officers that weren't part of the raid came in to do the job of questioning everyone."

"Despite being fat, was she pretty?" Vin asked with interest, kissing him.

Caelen shrugged. "I mean, she was drenched from her shower, so it wasn't the clearest view of her looks, but I will admit that I wondered what it would be like to get a titty fuck from those massive breasts. If I could arrange to meet her in a bar, I'd buy her a drink and try to pick her up."

"Ahhh, I love titty fucks!" Vin exclaimed softly in appreciation.

"Me too," Caelen agreed with a smile. They snuggled a bit closer and drifted off to sleep.

***

A couple of days after Caelen's 30^th birthday - which was only a week after they'd gotten back from a nice sunny and relaxing vacation for their fifth anniversary - he got a call from Vin.

"I'm not going to be able to come over for a while," he stated in a heavy voice.

"What's wrong?" Caelen asked in concern.

"My father... was shot..." Vin admitted, his emotions so thick that it was hard for him to get the words out.

"Oh God! Is he alright?" Caelen exclaimed in worry.

"No... he's not. He's... dead..."

"Oh Vincenzo..." Caelen murmured in sympathy.

"He was... sniped... while out shopping... with my mother. She's a bit... of an emotional wreck... If she has her way... people will die..."

Caelen didn't know what to say, but he exhaled in a way that made it clear he was torn between dismay and sympathy.

"I'm... in charge now..." Vin continued, sounding shell-shocked.

"God..."

"My hands are not clean," Vin said after a moment of gathering up his wits. "But I have always been able to stay out of the spotlight. I did my job, but never in a way that caught the attention of the police. And sure, I've been paranoid since I was a kid, and I have had members of other organizations following me pretty much my whole life, but it was generally a casual interest. A curiosity to see if they could catch me off-guard and use me against my father, but now..." he let out a heavy sigh. "Now... I'm going to be in the spotlight with a giant target on my head."

"Oh..." Caelen exhaled, feeling like he couldn't quite breathe. "Vincenzo, I wish I could hold you right now."

"I know. I wish you could too," Vin murmured. "But I can't risk going anywhere near you until I'm certain things have settled down."

"Okay," Caelen replied in a near whisper, feeling incredibly sad. Not just because he couldn't see his husband any time soon, but because he knew that his husband needed him for emotional support, but over the phone was the only option at the moment. "I'll wait for you. As long as it takes."

"Thank you. I love you," Vin said, his voice thick and shaky again.

"I love you too," Caelen assured him, listening in silence to see if there'd be more, but after a long pause, Vin hung up.

A week and a day later, Caelen had barely changed out of his uniform after work, when Veda shouted out: "DAD! THERE'S SOME OLD GUY HERE TO SEE YOU!"

Cautious but curious, Caelen rushed to see what was going on.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Mcleod. Do you remember me? I'm Gordon Hugen, a lawyer."

Caelen nodded slowly. "I do remember you. You helped me adopt my kids."

"Good," Gordon sighed in relief. "You can call me Gordon. Can I come in for a few minutes.

Nodding, Caelen led him to the kitchen. Vincent - at 10 - was next door playing with his best friend. Meanwhile, Vanna and Veda were in the kitchen, carefully cutting up apples for the three of them - including Jayden - to eat as a snack. As a dad, his first instinct was to panic that his kids were using knives, but after taking a breath, he took note of the fact that they were using the appropriate knives for the task, and were also using them safely, as he had taught them. Exhaling in relief, he gestured out the window.

"Take those out to the backyard to eat, and when you are done, keep playing until I call you in."

"But dad!" Vanna cried out in dismay. "I'm getting ready to watch my favorite show!" At seven, she and her sister were practically addicted to sitcoms on the Disney Channel.

Caelen sighed. "Fine, the three of you can watch your show, so long as you promise to stay downstairs until I tell you it's okay."

"We promise!" Vanna assured him even as her brother and sister both shrugged indifferently. Soon enough, they were out of the room, but this had given Caelen time to serve Gordon a glass of pop.

"Now... what brings you here?" He asked with a lightly puzzled frown.

Gordon let Caelen know that despite being a lawyer, he was still human. He sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair. "I am currently frustrated as hell, but there's nothing I can do about it. I'm here to tell you about a plea deal Mr. Matzen - I mean Vince - entered into. It seems that the FBI had been doing a very thorough job gathering evidence against Markus, and now that they were so close to having enough to arrest and convict him, he went and got killed by a sniper. So the Feds are leaning on the local police."

"Uh..." Caelen droned in confusion, but also deep concern.

Nodding as if agreeing with something profound, Gordon continued. "They won't let the police press charges against the sniper - even though the man has already been arrested - unless Vin cooperates with them. So, as it stands, Vin has agreed to enter a plea deal. He will testify against his father, confirming all of the charges the Feds had ready to pin on him. In exchange, Vin will only be charged as a minor accessory, earning between two to five years in prison. Also, the Feds will then allow the local police to charge the sniper for the murder of Markus."

Caelen groaned, wanting to shout: Why would he do that?!

Gordon patted his shoulder, seeming to read his mind.

The thing was, Caelen well knew that his husband was the type to do anything for his family. If bringing his father to justice - and presumably preventing his mother from murdering everyone in her path in an attempt to do the same - meant serving time in prison, then that's exactly what he'd do.

Rather than bemoan and lament this fact, Caelen simply sighed in defeat. "Are you, as a lawyer, absolutely certain this is the best thing for Vincenzo to do?"

Gordon sighed heavily and hung his head, but nodded. "Yes. It puts him in a place that is an ironclad alibi. No matter what anyone wants, Lucretia is going to avenge her husband. She will do this ruthlessly and with no regard to her personal safety or her future. She will temporarily take command of the family, and once the dust settles - if she is still alive - she'll probably go to jail. Honestly, she'll probably join her husband, as she is deeply loyal and considers it her duty to do so. In any case, if Vin is in prison, he CAN'T be blamed for anything his mother does. In the meantime, revenge will be had, and then when he gets out, he'll probably have to clean up a mess, but at least the inner circle will keep everything together and running as smoothly as possible."

"I see..." Caelen said, not really knowing what to say. "Thank you for telling me."

"Vin asked me to tell you not to try visiting him while he's in prison. He's dead certain that you won't bother avoiding any followers and he doesn't want you to put yourself in even the slightest risk. At this exact moment, until the situation is handled, there ARE other, um, organizations out there that won't hesitate to grab you and torture you until they figure out how to best use you. Don't do anything that exposes your connection to Vin until he is in a position to protect you."

Caelen couldn't help but smile and let out a tiny laugh. "I AM a police officer. I'm pretty sure I can protect myself. Still, I don't want Vincenzo to worry, so I'll be a good little husband and stay home. I already said I'd wait for him, so I will."

Gordon was now staring at him with bulging eyes. "He never told me you're a cop..."

Caelen shrugged. "He probably didn't want anyone to assume the worst."

"Yes," Gordon agreed vaguely. Then he growled softly. "I don't like this at all! But Vin told me to trust you, so... I'll keep you updated when I know anything."

"I appreciate that," Caelen said before exchanging contact information.

As Gordon left, Caelen watched him out the window. For a moment, he was mildly concerned when it looked like a small gray car followed him, but then he shook it off as paranoia. After all, the car had been parked in front of the neighbor and was probably a guest who just so happened to leave at nearly the same time.

The next day was a Saturday, so Caelen was playing and sparring in the backyard with his kids like normal. Suddenly, two men emerged from around the side of the house and joined them. Caelen eyed them suspiciously for a long moment. They were wearing suits, but considering that Vincenzo and his men very often wore expensive suits, that was no indication as to what sort of men these were. That said, they didn't give off any of the subtle indications that indicated criminals.

Sure enough, they both flashed badges. "We're with the FBI, Mr. Mcleod. Can we have a moment of your time?"

"Why?" Caelen asked cautiously.

"We want to know why a lawyer named Gordon Hugen visited you yesterday."

Caelen shrugged. "He's a lawyer, so I assume that any business he had is strictly confidential."

Undeterred, they pressed on. "We believe that he came here to talk about Vincenzo Matzen, does this name ring a bell?"

"Dad, is he talking about daddy?" Vanna asked, perking up when she heard her dad's name.

Before anyone could answer, Veda glared at the Feds. "Why are you looking at our dad like he's a bad guy? He's a police officer who protects our whole city from bad guys!"

"Oh we know that much," one of the two assured her with a smile.

The other was still looking at Caelen. "When we saw Mr. Hugen stop here, we immediately looked up who owned this house, and then we did a quick background search on you. So, we know that you are a police officer who has worked for this small town since you were 21. You have a whole file of commendations and only a couple of minor complaints. So, we know you take pride in your job and are good at it."

"We also know that you adopted four kids about four and a half years ago."

"All public records," Caelen murmured with an indifferent shrug.

"Uh-huh. See, what we're getting at is that while the kids all have your last name now, they were all Matzen previously. Their birth certificates list Vincenzo Matzen as their father."

"Well he is," Caelen stated calmly.

"So you must know him at the very least."

"So?" Caelen challenged in a mild but firm tone.

"So we want to ask you questions about him and his activities."

Caelen shook his head. "Sorry, but he never tells my anything that would interest you."

"Oh come now, as an officer, you know how easy it would be for us to get a judge to sign off on an order for you to talk to us."

Caelen couldn't help but scoff. "By all means, go get an order. It won't do you any good. For one, I honestly do not know a single thing you would want to know. Vincenzo doesn't tell me anything and I don't ask."

The two exchanged a puzzled glance. After all, this was a person that was so important to Vin that he'd sent out his family lawyer to talk to him in private. The same lawyer that had handled the adoption.

"... And for two?" They questioned.

Caelen gave them a tight half smile. "Let me stress that I don't know anything, but since you have no reason to believe me, let me tell you that for two, even if you got an order, it would do no good. You cannot compel me to talk about my husband or anything he might have said to me during our marriage. That is called spousal communication privilege."

They both stared at him with wide eyes for a moment.

"In any case," Caelen added. "As I understand it, you already have everything you need from Vincenzo, so what do you care who his lawyer is talking to?"

The slightly less pristine of the two laughed. "When we followed Mr. Hugen, we were hoping to be led to someone important - such as a man being called in in secret to take over while Mr. Matzen goes to prison. But when we did a background check on you, we realized that Mr. Hugen was probably simply telling you - as the adopted father of Mr. Matzen's children - the current situation. We hoped in that case, you might be willing to talk to us to confirm a few things we do know, and maybe even tell us a few things we don't know yet."

The other took over. "But what you are saying, is that Mr. Hugen actually came here to tell you how your husband is doing."

Caelen didn't see a reason to deny this. "Yes."

"Okay... but why don't you live with your husband?"

Caelen was tempted to roll his eyes. "For our protection."

"How long you been married?"

"That's a matter of public record, so why don't you look it up?" Caelen challenged, not appreciating how they kept trying to get him to spill information even after he already said he didn't know anything.

They exchanged another look. Then the shorter one gave Caelen a reverse nod. "By all accounts, you are a fine upstanding officer. Doesn't it hurt your conscious that your husband is a criminal?"

Caelen gave them a cold look. "I have dedicated my life to helping people. I personally would never commit a crime, but I also accept that other people have different beliefs and circumstances. As it happens, I fell in love with a man who cannot tell me most of what he does. A man who cannot live with me because he doesn't want to bring trouble to my door. The only man in the world who can push my buttons and make me angry - not that he does often. You can ask me questions all day, but I can't tell you what I don't know."

He left it unspoken that he wouldn't say a word even if he did. The Feds were smart enough to hear it anyway. They nodded at him respectfully. "Well then, thank you for your time."

***

Vin was sentenced to and served three years in a state prison. As promised, Caelen never went to see him. Vin would call him from time to time, but they couldn't really talk about anything because the calls were monitored and he didn't want to risk giving anything away.

The moment Vin was released, he went home and spent at least a week talking with his 'family' and going over all his businesses to ensure that they were still running properly. He'd previously told Caelen that he'd be doing so, but to keep the next week open. He had also previously arranged for Grace to send Caelen a little present.

Thus, seven agonizingly long days after he'd been released, Vin was waiting in an airport in Hawaii for Caelen and the kids to arrive. His first impulse was to wait in the condo he'd rented, but then he decided that the risk of being noticed was small enough that he'd take it. Thus, when the plane arrived, Vin was waiting to welcome his husband.

"I missed you so much!" Caelen blurted out as he and Vin threw their arms around each other. He also buried his face in Vin's neck and inhaled his scent for a long moment. Vin's hair distracted him a couple of seconds, since it was now completely dark brown, having grown out and not been able to be dyed while in prison.

"I missed the fuck out of you!" Vin assured him as they held each other tight.

"I hated every moment you were gone!"

"I hated it too."

Neither cared that they were in the middle of an airport, inadvertently blocking about half the path, forcing everyone else to go around them. For all they cared, the entire world could have disappeared. Vin cupped Caelen's face and gave him a tender kiss that went on for nearly a minute.

Then their kids sighed in mild aggravation. "Dads!"

Chuckling under his breath, Vin pulled back and smirked at them. "Sorry, but I'm probably going to cling to your dad for at least the next three days."

Caelen laced their fingers together and leaned his head on Vin's shoulder. "Same. But maybe we should get to the hotel first."

"Condo," Vin corrected.

"What?" Caelen asked in confusion.

"Like hell I'd have us stay at a place as insecure as a hotel. We're staying in a maximum security condo with its own pool," Vin informed him.

Caelen raised a brow. "Then what's the point of being on vacation?"

"We can swim all we want," Vin pointed out. "Besides, just because we'll have every reason to stay where we're safe, doesn't mean we can't go out and do things."

"True," Caelen admitted, giving Vin a kiss. Hand in hand, they walked to the limo that was waiting for them.

About 45 minutes later, Vin looked around the condo in approval. Then he turned to give the kids a stern stare. "Listen up, half pints! Do NOT go into the pool without us! Go pick out rooms and get settled in. Then go to the kitchen and eat some of the food the housekeeper set out for us. When you're done with that, watch TV or play a game or something. No matter what, do NOT bother us!"

Caelen was half amused and half resigned as he listened to Vin, but he didn't protested because they hadn't seen each other in three years. To be honest, he might've given similar orders had Vin not beat him to it. As it was, it was taking all he had to not start something very inappropriate in front of their kids.

"We haven't seen you in three years either, you know," Vanna grumbled under her breath, but didn't try to interrupt them since she'd seen the many sad and lonely looks on Caelen's face over the years.

A hasty search of the condo soon had them secluded in the master bedroom.

"I missed you, I missed you SO much!" Caelen practically chanted as he tore Vin's clothes off.

"I missed you so fucking much!" Vin exclaimed as he demanded kisses.

Neither of them had the patience to wait a moment more, not even getting all the way undressed before landing on the bed. Vin wrapped his legs around Caelen's waist.

"Inside me, now!"

"Wait! Prep!" Caelen cried out in concern.

"I don't care about that at the moment!" Vin urged. "I want it to hurt a bit so that I feel you inside me every second for days to come!"

"Fuck Vincenzo!" Caelen swore in dismay before sighing in defeat. "Alright..." Despite knowing that Vin wanted it rough, Caelen still did his best to push into him gently. At Vin's insistence, the first round was fast and hard and nearly violent. It also lasted less than two minutes as Vin squealing out his orgasm triggered Caelen to pump him full.

They lay there panting for a few minutes, but then Caelen pulled Vin close and gave him a bunch of loving kisses. "I missed you..."

"I missed you..." Vin responded.

"When you get back up, I want you inside me, but until then, please rim and prepare me until I beg for mercy," Caelen suggested.

"Will do!" Vin promised with a devilish grin.

***

Vin looked up from the stack of paperwork he was going through. To his dismay, the never-ending stack was actually a bunch of stacks that completely covered the desk in his home office. Thankfully, the majority of it was simply letting him know about loans his underlings had given those who were desperate but also seemed like they were motivated to pay the loans back. The papers didn't need him to do anything other than look them over.