A/N: Final chapter! Sorry if this feels abrupt, it came to a natural conclusion :)

Chapter Nineteen

"Simon," Ste said throatily. "Please don't do this."

Walker sat on the arm of the sofa, chewing his thumbnail. "I have no choice." he murmured. Ste didn't think he sounded so certain anymore.

"You could run," Ste began desperately. "No one would find you, you could just go, now."

Walker was already shaking his head, smiling pityingly at him. "I can't hide from this, Ste."

Ste bowed his head, almost giving up all hope. "I have kids." he said very quietly.

"Cam wanted kids," Walker responded, staring eerily into space. "He's never going to have that now."

"Simon-"

"Stephen?" Brendan's voice carried through the door. Ste could hear him fumbling with his keys.

"Please, Simon. Listen to me. It's so easy to blame Brendan for everything that goes wrong for you but it won't help you in the long run, you have to move on."

"How can I? He killed my brother." Walker sneered through gritted teeth.

"Did he though? What happened?"

Walker was spared from answering when Brendan burst through the door. He ran straight to Ste, his hands finding him everywhere as though searching for invisible injuries.

"I'm okay, Brendan." Ste whispered urgently, not taking his eyes off of Walker. Brendan turned around slowly, his hand resting on Ste's knee.

"What is this, Walker? What do ye want?"

Walker shoved his hand in his pocket and tossed a photograph by Brendan's feet.

"Remember him?"

Brendan picked up the photograph, staring at it uncomprehendingly. "Should I?"

"That's my little brother Cam," Walker said deliberately. "He used to sell drugs for you, remember?"

Brendan's face remained blank. Ste could see Walker's anger growing with every passing second.

"I didn't expect you to remember," Walker spat. "Just know that he overdosed, slipped into a vegetative state and never recovered."

Ste drew in a sharp intake of breath. He reached for Brendan's arm and grasped it. He didn't know who he was trying to comfort; himself or Brendan.

"Ye expect me to shoulder the blame for this?" Brendan said incredulously. "No one held a gun to his head."

"Poor choice of words." Walker snarled, taking the safety off and pointing the gun in Brendan's direction. "You don't think I figured it out, Brendan? The threats? Of course they were fake." He laughed, the sound curling up Ste's spine unpleasantly. "That's why I'm here, now. Time to answer for your sins, Brady."

"Simon, you don't have to do this." Ste pleaded. Brendan had already blocked Ste from Walker's view, his arms outstretched.

"Yes I do," Walker's hand was steady. "Do you have any idea what it's like to lose the one person in this world that you love? The one person who means more to you than anyone?"

"Everyone does, at some point in their lives," Ste said calmly. "You can't justify this though, Simon." While Ste was speaking, Brendan untied him, keeping his eyes on Walker the whole time. He allowed it to happen without comment, his eyes were fixed on Ste's now.

"I could love you," Walker said very quietly. "When he's gone, you could be mine."

"No," Ste stepped around Brendan, much to his dismay. "I can't, I'm sorry."

"He will destroy you," Walker said vehemently. "Can't you see that?"

"It's my choice," Ste said calmly. "And I choose him, there was never going to be anyone else."

Walker let out a stuttered breath, his arm beginning to lower.

"This won't bring yer brother back," Brendan said calmly, pushing Ste behind him once more.

"It would make me feel better though," Walker replied through gritted teeth.

"For how long though?" Ste asked softly. "Trust me, it only feels good for about a second, taking the power back." Brendan stared at him in astonishment. "You have to be better than this, Simon. It'll tear you apart if you don't."

Walker lowered his arm fully now; there were tears in his eyes but he was still flushed with suppressed rage.

"Maybe I should just kill the both of you," Walker declared suddenly. "Then I won't ever have to bear you looking at me like that again with such pity."

Walker aimed his gun at Ste now, his eyes wild.

"Walker," Brendan stepped forwards, his palms outstretched. "Don't point it at him, point it at me. It's me ye are angry at."

"Brendan!" Ste made to grab the back of his shirt but Brendan shook him off. "I have to, Stephen. I have to."

"No you don't! This is bloody stupid." Ste darted to the side, backing slowly towards the door. "It's over, Simon. I bet you Doug called the police. That's why you didn't like him knowing, wasn't it? It ruined your big finish." Distantly, Ste could hear police sirens.

Walker glanced from Brendan to Ste with utter contempt.

"I would have given you everything, you know that? I could have been that man, not him!"

"You don't love me, Simon. You just want to make him pay so you play these silly little games to disguise the fact that you're scared and you're alone!"

"Fine!" Walker threw his hands up, in the process firing a shot at the ceiling. Brendan leapt towards Ste without a moment's hesitation, tackling him to the ground. "It isn't the end," He said with utmost conviction. "Not while I'm still breathing."

When Ste looked up again, encased in Brendan's arms as he was, Walker was gone.

Xxx

They remained on the floor for some time. Brendan was having great difficulty in letting Stephen out of his arms. Stephen allowed himself to be held, to be rocked gently.

With great difficultly, they answered the questions the police asked them. Brendan didn't know if Walker had fled because of them, or because he knew it was hopeless. His promise that it wasn't the end hung heavily on Brendan's shoulders. Who knew when he might materialise again. A week? A month? Years from now when they were finally settled and content?

Stephen was oddly calm. He supported Brendan all the way through the village, holding him securely around the waist and telling him to lay down when they finally got home. Brendan pulled him down with him and held him again, his lips against the back of his neck, his nose nudging against his collar bone.

They slept for a few hours, dozing on and off. Brendan woke often, needing the reassurance that Stephen was still in his arms.

When they finally woke properly, Brendan kissed him with such fierceness it nearly threw the both of them off the bed. Stephen kissed him back just as hard, his fingernails digging into Brendan's shoulders and most probably leaving marks.

Their clothes were tossed aside, taking no care of buttons or belts that simply got in the way. Brendan had him on his back in moments, kissing every inch of flesh available to him. His nose was against his belly button as he licked a trail along his groin, caressing his cock with the tip of his tongue. Stephen's head rolled back, his neck displayed in that delicious way that Brendan adored. He kissed him there, sweet, sucking kisses. It was almost unbearable, the strain of his cock pressed against Stephen's bare leg. He found himself rubbing against him, desperate for the friction.

The feeling of being inside of him, of occupying him completely, was almost too much to bear. Perhaps it was the thought of almost losing him, or the idea that it had never simply been them, just them. There were no more games to play, at least Brendan hoped not. He filled him and clung to him like there would be no tomorrow, and every grunt and groan he elicited from Stephen's lips was pure golden bliss.

When they climaxed, they shuddered against each other, whispering each other's names like a promise, unbreakable. Stephen had barely said a word since their ordeal but now he couldn't shut up, muttering Brendan's name over and over again, kissing his chest and his neck, his face and his lips.

In that moment, Brendan knew that no matter what happened next, he would not let him go. He had been foolish to let Walker get so close, to let anyone get so close. It was easy to look back on the likes of Noah or Doug and snort, but it had been real; Stephen hadn't always been his to keep. And now that he had him, he realised with a startling certainty that he still wasn't his. He was his own true person, the one who had put himself in danger only hours before, had stood up tall and proud and declared himself devoted to Brendan and most importantly, devoted to himself.

No more games to play, no more promises to be broken. This was it, and Brendan would be damned if he let Walker's parting words rattle him, or stop him from enjoying every possible second with the man he loves.