The elevator doors opened and Leo and Mouse stepped out into the lobby of EliteStar, the modeling agency Henry co-owned, where he spent his days working. Mouse remembered that it had been a scant year ago, nearly to the day, that she'd stepped out of the same elevator, looking for a job as a nanny.

Henry and Leo had been strangers to her then. Who knew so much could change in twelve short months? Leo, holding her hand, led her down the carpeted hallway, a five-year old child who had definitely left toddlerhood behind.

"Leo!" The receptionist, Adam, smiled at the child. "How are you? Look how big you are, wow. You in kindergarten yet?"

Leo shook his head. "I start in September," he told Adam with a smile. "My tooth's starting to get loose, though, wanna see?"

Adam leaned over his desk, and Leo used his tongue to push his bottom tooth, which gave slightly.

"Pretty soon, yeah," Adam agreed.

Mouse smiled. "Come on, big guy, let's go find daddy, okay?"

Adam and the pretty girl next to him sat back, and Mouse realized that it was possible to come to attention while in a seated position. Their response to her was almost humorous. When she'd come as a potential employee, they'd barely given her the time of day. The presence of the pretty ring on her finger, though, announcing to the world that she was affianced to Henry, changed everything.

She was the boss's fiancée, soon to be his wife, and her opinion mattered now, she supposed. She'd have to be kept at arm's distance, and everyone would have to stay on her good side. It was kind of lonely. Except that these particular people hadn't been too friendly to begin with.

Leo let go of her hand and began running toward his father's large, sunny, cluttered corner office. He threw open the door and announced his presence exuberantly, roaring, "Daddy, we're here to take you to lunch!"

Henry looked up from his computer with a grin. "I guess I'm lucky I wasn't on the phone," he said, holding his arms out to his son. Leo leapt into them, laughing. The laughter morphed into giggles as Henry blew raspberries into his neck and tickled his ribcage with his fingers. Mouse watched everything from the doorway with a happy smile.

"And how is my beautiful Mouse?" Henry asked, finally putting Leo down so he could hug her and give her a kiss.

"I'm great," she answered, giving him a smile, running her fingers through his crisp, black hair. "And starving, too."

"Okay, just gimme a sec to finish this email," Henry said, sitting back down and commencing typing once more.

Mouse nodded, and she and Leo entertained themselves by looking around his office for a few minutes. Mouse hadn't been there in a long time, so this was her first time to see the photograph of her and Leo that he had hanging next to one of the windows, the one he'd taken on the High Line the previous summer.

"Wow, this is really beautiful," she said, stepping back to look at it carefully. She took in the line of her neck, how her body curved around Leo's as she held him. His arms and legs looked chubby and adorably baby-like in the photo, and already were so different in person. The boy in the office with her on this late spring day had longer limbs, and in general looked leaner and less round than the child in the photograph.

"It is, isn't it?" Henry murmured, coming up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her against his chest. "I actually have a lot of pictures like this, of people, you two mainly, but not all, and the city in the background?" He turned his head to look down at her as he spoke. "I'm thinking of putting together a show in a few months, if I can get enough stuff, and find a space willing to put it on."

"Oh, I'm sure you won't have a problem," Mouse said, patting his arm. "You have so many contacts in the business--"

"Yeah, but those are mainly in fashion," Henry said. "I'd need gallery space for this, you know, more artsy?"

"Well, don't you two look cozy."

Mouse started and turned abruptly, stepping out of Henry's arms at the sound of the familiar voice.

Madeleine stood just inside the door, looking as cool and elegant as ever. Her hair was a few shades lighter, cut in a fashionable bob. She smiled at Henry and Mouse. "Hello," she said, her posh accent sounding cool and clipped.

Leo, who had been playing under Henry's drafting table, came out and went swiftly to Mouse, reaching for her hand.

"Madeleine, hello," Henry said, staying where he was by Mouse's side. They had not parted on good terms, and there would be no pleasantries exchanged, no kisses or "How have you been?"s.

"I've been well enough, thank you," she responded with a small smile, as if he'd asked. "I've been in Paris since January--splitting my time between Paris and Milan, actually," she said, waving a manicured hand back and forth. "I thought I could use a change of pace, you know."

She was looking at Mouse's left hand, the one with the engagement ring on it. "I've been rather out of touch with the goings on here in New York for the last few months," she said. "I just got back a few days ago, and I heard your happy news, Henry." She took a couple of steps into the office. "I thought I should come and see for myself, you know."

She gestured toward Mouse's hand. "It appears congratulations are in order." She gave Mouse a rather hard look. "What have you been up to, Mouse, was it?" She cocked one stylish eyebrow. "How have you been spending your time, hmm?" And she managed to inject suggestion, innuendo, and lasciviousness into that one, small, sound. "Been a naughty girl, have we? With Henry?" She looked Mouse up and down in such a way that Leo was frightened enough to take a step back, unable to help himself.

Henry's eyebrows went up in shock. How dare she talk that way in front of Leo?

But before he could say anything, Mouse spoke up. First, she placed her hands firmly on Leo's small ears, making sure they were well covered, moving them slightly so there would be ambient noise produced by her palms against his flesh as well, guaranteeing that he wouldn't hear her words.

"As a matter of fact," she said with a smile, "I sucked him off like he was my favorite lollipop every chance I got, in between fucking his brains out." She removed her hands from Leo's ears. "Thanks for asking," she finished cheerfully.

She turned to Henry. "Can we go? Please? I really am starving." She turned back to Madeleine. "I might even have to have a go right here if I don't get some food in me, like, right away."

Madeleine took a step back, looking as if she'd tasted something terrible.

"Mouse?" Leo was asking. "Why did you cover my ears? Did you say something bad? Did you?" He turned to his father, who had yet to say a word. "Daddy? What did Mouse say?"

Henry looked down at his young son, starting to grin. "What?" He shook his head. "No, son, she didn't say anything bad, she must have covered your ears by accident, right, Mouse?" He looked at his fiancée.

"Right," Mouse agreed. "You know how sometimes I grab you in funny places? That's what happened." She looked over at Madeleine again, who still hadn't moved. "I don't have anything to say to her, anyway, you know?"

"Good," Leo said. "Me either." He reached for Mouse's hand, and his father's. "Let's go now."

Henry looked at Madeleine, still grinning. "After you," he said, nodding toward the door. "We have lunch plans, and as you heard, Mouse here is quite hungry," he added.

Wordlessly, Madeleine walked out the door, and the four of them walked down the hall together, silencing everyone who saw them. They took the same elevator down to the ground floor, though no one said a word, even the normally loquacious Leo.

When they got to the street, Henry turned to Madeleine.

"Well, I don't imagine we'll be seeing each other again for a while, so good bye, Madeleine, and good luck with everything," he said.

"Bye," Mouse and Leo added.

The three of them left her on the sidewalk, staring after them, as they walked down 34th Street, still hand in hand. It was Henry who finally started to laugh, picking Leo up and swinging him around, making him start to laugh as well.

"Daddy, what?" Leo shrieked. "Why did you get so happy?"

"I don't know," Henry replied, swinging his son up onto his shoulders, finally. "I'm just really, really enjoying today, you know? Being here with you, and Mouse--" he broke off and kissed Mouse on the mouth. "I'm just happy."

Leo patted his father's head from his place on his shoulders.

"Good, daddy, me too," he said.

"Me too," Mouse echoed, putting her arm through Henry's as they walked. "Me too. Now let's eat, I'm starving."

And this made Henry start laughing all over again.