A/N refers to non-con and violent past, not graphic and story building only...

"Welcome milord. What can I interest you in today? A blonde? A brunette? Perhaps someone French?" The sleazy old woman appraised him with a sharp eye. He shifted in discomfort, not sure where to begin. He thought subtlety might not be her strong suit when it came to what he was there for.

"You misunderstand, Madame. I am here looking for my dearest sister. She was lost to my family about seventeen years ago, and I was told by a few people to come here and speak to you. A black haired girl, only fifteen years old at the time, and possibly with child? She may have gone by Mary or Margaret Heaven." I explained to the woman. She got a cagey look to her face and tapped one painted nail on her chin.

"Hmmm. Let me think. Mary or Margaret Heaven? I can't recall..." She hesitated. I slid a ten pound note onto her desk and she grinned slyly. "Wait. Now I remember. Yes, a girl by the name of Martha Heaven came to us very large with child. Sadly, she passed in child birth. Such a terrible time for us all. Such a big mess." She sneered and waved a hand. My heart sank at the news. My hope flew out the window now that the woman I was searching for was dead.

"Indeed. Dead you say? What of the babe?" I cleared my throat as she hummed and hawed needlessly. I slid another ten pound note across the desk and she smiled again.

"Oh it died. Sad affair. Buried it with the mother at the chapel in the sinner's lot. Didn't know what else to do with them." She droned on. The door burst open and a flurry of red fabric came into the room.

"Liar! You old bitch, tell the man the truth or I will." The half-dressed girl shouted at her. The man looked wide-eyed at the scene unfolding. His eyes narrowed as he realised the woman was lying about the child, that much he figured from the argument.

"The child lives? Where? Here? God forbid. Take me to it." He got up from his seat and followed a rather smug whore up the back staircase while the madam hollered after them. The girls in the house tittered and ran into their rooms mostly naked, posed in doorways, and catcalled to him as he made his way through the house. His anxiety mounted as he realised she was taking him to one of the rooms on the girl's floor.

"Ere you are milord. The name is just 'eaven. The old bitch never gave 'im a proper name. Said 'e owed 'er for all the mess and then the upkeep. Just keeps racking up 'is debt so e'll stay if you get my meaning." She leveled him a look and he nodded. She opened the door and he hissed in a breath. The smell of sex and perfume was present even in here.

A figure sat at the small dressing table. The silk dressing gown was open slightly to reveal porcelain skin and smooth lean muscles. He was small for his age, thin for someone who was supposedly getting meals from the madam, and absolutely beautiful. He had the look of his mother about him. Lush dark locks spilling down his back and wide, dark blue eyes. They regarded each other in the mirror for a moment.

"Well now. About time I get someone young and handsome. What are you here for?" He turned and stood.

"You, Heaven. Pack your bags." He watched the shocked look with some enjoyment. Then the boy crumpled into a heap on the floor, breathing heavily. He flew to his side and wrapped his strong arms around the thin shoulders.

"What...? How...? Why?" Heaven stuttered as he was hugged fiercely by this handsome stranger. I mean, they all imagined one day a prince would show up and whisk them away but... now that it seemed to be happening he was going into shock.

"I am your guardian. It took me awhile to find you, and for that I am so very sorry. I cannot imagine what you have been through. Come now, let us get you out of here. Have you any clothes you can leave in?" He looked about the room at the lingerie strewn about and then towards the door where the girl still stood watching.

"Uhm, let me see if I can find somethin' for 'im to wear." She offered and he smiled to her. If they couldn't get him dressed, then he was going to take him wrapped in a sheet rather than leave him a moment longer. He lifted him up and took him to a seat, then wetted a cloth of dubious cleanliness and wiped the tears that were now falling from his cheeks. It was smearing charcoal down his fair face in spectacular drama.

"Wot are you doin' in here?" A deep gruff voice said from the doorway. Heaven flinched and got up to hide behind the stranger. He whimpered, and the sound went straight to the lord's heart. He was terrified of this man, and the next words proved what had to be done.

"Please don't let him hurt me again." Heaven whispered. The lord cracked his knuckles and stood off against the big man in the doorway.

"I'm taking him home, where he belongs. Away from this hell hole." He growled at the man. The man snorted. He stomped forward and lunged for Heaven, who ducked away to climb on the bed out of reach.

"Yer not takin' my boy anywhere. He's mine. He knows it." The big man took a swing at the lord, who easily ducked the heavy handed brute. The lord landed a few quick jabs to the man's side and then lay him out with a hard punch to the jaw. It knocked him out cold.

"Nothing of the sort. He is his own man, and I will see to it he never sees you again." The words were directed to the shaking figure on the bed who watched with wide eyes. It was a promise that passed between them, and Heaven moved close to hug him tightly and whisper thank you.

"Oi, what I miss? Did ya knock 'im out? Good that. Found ya a frock 'eaven. Best I could get, sorry." The girl handed over a black dress with lace and a ribbon tie at the back. The lord blushed and turned away while they got the boy into the dress, giggling at the man who was shy in a brothel. The madam came storming up and gasped at the figure laying passed out on the floor.

"What? Did you kill him? He is a paying customer! How dare you. I will have you arrested. You aren't going anywhere young man. You owe me far too much..." She began shouting at them. The lord glared at her as Heaven slipped on a pair of boots and slipped in behind him.

"Wrong. You have given him no clothes of his own, very little food from the looks of things, and no pin money. God knows how much you have taken from him over the years, but it ends now. I have not killed the brute you sent up here, fully knowing that you no longer had rights to this boy, however I will kill you if you stand in my way from taking him as his rightful guardian. Step aside woman." He didn't shout it, in fact it was so low and serious that the madam took a step back from the venom in it.

"Good luck 'eaven." The girl said with a wave. He smiled timidly as he clung to the stranger's back while they exited the room past a fuming madam. He held on tight, flinching when the woman sighed in a huff and began yelling at the girls to get ready for their next customers. The boy was dismissed from her mind in her greed to fill her pockets and avoid the law.

"Where are we going?" The boy asked as he was helped into a waiting carriage out front. The lord helped seat him with pillows and blankets, offering him food from a basket on the seat. He took an apple gratefully and savoured the sweet juices.

"We are going to our home, or rather your home. I am actually your uncle in-law, from your mother's younger sister's marriage. Your aunt is... she died about a year ago. We had no children, and since your uncle passed without even marrying, that just leaves you and me." He explained on the way. He told the tale he had been told about Heaven's mother.

She had been married very young, really her parents signed all the papers for her and it was to an old man with lots of money that they needed more than another mouth to feed. She fell in love with the man's son from a previous marriage and when she got with his child, both her husband and parents threw her out of their houses. She had nothing and no one to rely on since her brother was on the continent and her sister was at school at the time.

She had wandered to the home of an old nursemaid who was let go when they were sent to school. The nursemaid was supposed to get her into a hostel for women like her, but when supposedly delivering her to the hostel, the man had been bought out by the brothel to drop her there instead. Fortunately, they were able to get a death and birth notice from the nearby chapel, since his mother had told the priest her sins and been buried under her real name.

That meant that Heaven could claim his rightful place, since neither the old man nor his mother's parents had thought to actually disown or divorce her! Otherwise the estate would have passed to the next of kin, and since he was not blood related the lord was going to be kicked out in favour of family. It was a particular condition on the estate and one that put him out into the streets without Heaven.

"Truth be told though I had been looking for the last five years for you, or rather your mother. Your aunt never forgave her parents for abandoning her sister. She always hoped the two of them would be reunited." He looked out the window at the passing hills morosely. He missed his wife still. She had been a good friend and companion.

"Lord Gale, what am I going to do about my name? I have been thinking about it and I simply cannot be Lord Heaven Heaven. It sounds terrible. I may not be able to read or write, but even I know it is too strange. What do you think I should do?" He was sitting in a pair of plain premade clothes that Lord Gale had picked up for him when he felt they were far enough away from the brothel to be safe. They fit him ill, but he still looked good.

"Perhaps you should choose one for yourself? Have you thought of any names you like?" He asked the boy. Heaven shook his head. Most of the names he knew had been clients, so they were out of the question.

"I can't use any of the names I know. Tell me some that you know and maybe I will choose from them." He couldn't meet Lord Gale's eyes as the man looked with sympathy. He cleared his throat.

"Alright, how about... Benedict?" He mentioned a name from school. Heaven grimaced and shook his head no. "Sinclair?" He shook his head vigorously. "Irvin?" The boy huffed in frustration. "Okay that's a no. Umm... what about your grandfather's name? Vincent, I believe it was."

"I haven't heard that one. So... maybe. Give me another two names while I think about it." He tapped on the empty food basket and rolled the name around in his mind.

"Alright, how about Kimball or Landry? They were my distant cousins. I liked them well enough though, good sorts." He offered. The boy made a bit of a face and then decided.

"Nope. Lord Vincent Heaven it is. You can still call me Heaven if you want, since it is a family name." He yawned dramatically and proceeded to try and get comfortable to sleep. Lord Gale shut the curtain to dim the light inside the carriage for him. Heaven smiled and closed his eyes. Gale regarded the face across from him, so like his mother and her sister. The boy was filling out more with the regular meals he was getting, taking away the gaunt look to his cheeks.

His hair was healthier too, falling in curls about his shoulders despite the leather thong he had wrapped around them low on the back of his neck. Now his shoulders curved smoothly and his hips had a bit of curve to them as he lay on his side, curled up to sleep. He was a voracious eater, now that it was plentiful and available to him regularly. Lord Gale was happy to supply him as much as he could eat, and boy the young man could eat now.

The only regret that Gale had was that he hadn't married the aunt sooner, begun looking more quickly, or found something to lead him to the boy faster. If only his dear fragile wife hadn't died on him suddenly, he might've gotten there sooner. He had no idea what the boy had endured these years, and honestly he probably didn't want to know. All he knew was that he would do absolutely anything to make that boy's life... well, Heaven. He smirked to himself.

Much later they both awoke to a knock on the door. They had arrived at their destination late into the afternoon, and both of them were now starving. Slowly they stretched, opened the door, carefully made their way to the ground and looked about. The staff had all lined up for their return, someone obviously on the lookout for them upon their return.

Lord Heaven, as he now was, looked in awe at the large manor and surrounding park. He smiled at the staff and went to meet them, the picture of cordiality and grace. He had even the stodgy old butler smiling fondly as he went down the row, asking each of the staff their name and position, then thanking them for working for him.

Lord Gale pointed out the direction of the stables, noted a little pond over the hill, and suggested he let the housekeeper, Mrs. Potmead, show him the house after they had supped. He agreed with cheer, and asked her to show him to the dining room as they were both famished. That set the staff scrambling, even though he insisted just sliced meat, cheese and fruit would be perfectly acceptable.

They wanted to show the nice young man that was now their lord how good a table they could set on short notice. So, only ten minutes later he was served on fine china plates, ate with shiny silver utensils, and drank from the most beautiful cut crystal glasses. His big smiles and genteel thank you to each footman or maid had them bending over backward for him.

He raved over the delicate dressing on the salad. He rubbed his hands in glee when they served him cheese with crusty bread. He laughed as they brought out a finely cooked steak with cut boiled potatoes and rosemary butter sauce. He never imagined his luck when they served a brandy soaked cake with fresh raspberries.

He insisted on going down to the kitchen on his tour first, and proceeded to awkwardly hug the old man who cooked the meals on short notice. Then he was taken around to the sitting rooms, the library, the lord's office, and the ballroom. Lord Gale promised to teach him how to read, write and dance before the snow fell. It seemed like a monumental task for both of them.

Lord Heaven, as he needed to get used to being called, merely looked around with interest at all the empty rooms and spotless hallways. He complimented the housekeeper on keeping the place so clean, instantly endearing him to her. He was quiet, polite, and very curious.

"What a kind soul our new master is, milord. Thank you for finding him for us." She whispered while he was poking around the billiards room. Lord Gale smiled and nodded, pleased with his luck as well. Not only had he found his sister in-law's son, but he had turned out to be a good person despite his hardships. He never spoke of that time to Gale in all their travels to get here.

For all he knew, the young man had put his past behind him.

*

"A good effort, Heaven. Once more and then we are done for the day." He looked over the sheet as the boy sighed heavily and laid his head on the parchment in front of him despondently.

"I don't want to. My hand hurts. Who ever invented this is a torturer." He moaned. Gale laughed and thwacked him over the head with the rolled up page of his previous attempts.

"Go on. The sooner you finish, the sooner I will let you go outside and play with the dogs." That perked him up and he picked up his dirty quill once more. He tried to carefully scratch out the letters like Gale had shown him, but he had a tendency to push too hard and splatter the ink on the curves. He slowed down, but then got impatient to finish and hastily blotted up all the little droplets he had scattered across the page. That just smeared them and made a mess of the sheet, but the letters were pretty good all things considered.

"Can I go?" He bounced in his seat and stared out the window. Gale sighed, realising he wasn't going to have the boy's attention any longer today anyways.

"Alright, go on." He laughed as the young lord jumped out of his seat for the door and scared a maid as he went running down the corridor. He was a lively one, hardly like the careful boy that first arrived. He ran in the fields, played with the dogs, and tried to get on a horse any chance he got. He was doing fairly well with his studies. He knew his alphabet now, could read some children's books aloud and was a quick study with his numbers.

Gale watched from the window, waving back when the boy saluted him from the garden gate. He was playing fetch with them. Gale admired how tall he had gotten in the few months of being there, happy to have been the cause. The boy was going to make a fine young man. He turned to his work on the other desk in the room, and made sure the estate continued until Lord Heaven was ready to take the reins.

Aside on the desk was an invitation that had come from a neighbour to a country soiree. It was a meet and greet for Heaven, really, but he had yet to ask the lad if he wanted to go. Perhaps he just wanted to protect him from the possible questions and curiosity of the neighbours. Maybe it was just that he didn't want to encounter another family he was avoiding. Either way, he knew he should bring it up soon, so he brought it down to dinner with him.

"It really is beautiful outside, Gale. You should come and play with us now and then." He offered as he grabbed a chicken leg from the platter. Gale shook his head.

"Can't. I have to keep this place running until you are ready to take over. Speaking of playing though, we received an invitation to a neighbourhood party. Do you want to go?" He handed the paper over to him to look at. He knew the boy still had troubles with some words, but tried to get him to practise every chance he got.

"Sure, I suppose. What is this word? Is that their name?" He pointed to the paper and Gale chuckled.

"Yes, rather a mouthful. It is pronounced Fit-swill-yum. You try it." He listened as Heaven sounded it out and he pointed to the syllables as he said it. Then he chucked the page aside and dug into his food. At this rate he was somewhat worried the boy might get fat with all the food he managed to eat in a day. So far he had just filled out and gotten taller.

"I suppose you want me to come inside and work some more this afternoon." Heaven mentioned as he finished his glass of water. Gale nodded and tried not to be swayed by his sorrowful look.

"Yes, so don't give me the puppy eyes. Keep to our routine and you will be very good in a few more months. I was thinking of introducing some fun stuff after that. Like fencing or boxing. What say you?" He nonchalantly looked over at the excited look on his face.

"You mean you are going to teach me how to fight? Will you show me how you did that punch to the jaw from...." He stopped suddenly. His face went pale and his eyes dropped from Gale's. "Sorry. I...." He got up suddenly, leaving the last of his food and walking out of the dining room as Gale called his name. He was hurt more than Gale thought if this was what happened if he so much as hinted at his past.

Gale let him go that afternoon. No one saw hide nor hair of him until he came wandering back from the wood near dusk. He looked sad and far away, which worried the staff. Gale tried to reassure them, but he knew that he had no power to stop what Heaven was going through. He waited in the sitting room with a platter from the kitchen, supper was a small and private affair tonight. He knew Heaven would not want to face the serving staff.

"Thank you Gale." He heard whispered from the doorway.

"For what?" He asked a little surprised.

"For... time. And space I guess." He looked down at his booted feet and shrugged.

"Of course. Whatever you need Heaven. It is my pleasure." He smiled at the look the boy gave him. Admiration, that was a rather awkward thing to receive. He gestured the boy in to have some food with him, and of course he couldn't say no to the delicious dishes the cook made. He sat staring at Gale for a moment before somewhat reluctantly filling his plate. Gale distracted him with stories from the estate, farmers' squabbles and lost chickens that turned up in strange places.

He was laughing in no time, and eating with his appetite returned. Gale realised he was quite fond of the lad. He would do much to hear him laugh. They were become fast friends through fate. He would be sorry for the day he might have to leave. He promised himself it would be as soon as Heaven showed the slightest interest in taking over stewardship of his own estate.

Perhaps the lad would even eventually marry.