"Well, this is it," Levi sighs, as he and George make their way into the courtroom. "Let's see how long we get to avoid him for."

"Hopefully they lock him away and throw away the key," George adds. "It's the least he deserves for what he did to you."

"I just worry that they'll be too lenient." Levi glances down at the floor, fearing for the worst outcome — that Mackenzie is given a low sentence; and he will be forced to see him again in the near future.

"All the evidence is against him. He basically admitted to what he did, anyway. They won't let him off lightly," George reassures him. "I bet he gets at least a decade."

"I don't know." Levi concludes the conversation, feeling it's inappropriate to converse when the rest of the room is silent. They find a seat in the gallery, making sure they are positioned in a spot where Mackenzie will be able to see them.

A few minutes later, the doors to the courtroom are closed; and a court clerk brings Mackenzie in. Mackenzie takes his place in his dock, glancing across to the two men seated in front of him. George and Levi fix stern, yet otherwise-unreadable gazes on him in return; this prompts him to look away, his eyes flitting back to the judge.

"Will the defendant please stand," the judge demands. Mackenzie obliges, rising from his seat, before resting his hands on the bars in front of him. The judge continues. "Mister Mackenzie Alwick, you were arrested on September twentieth of this year on suspicion of attempted murder and high culpability threat with a weapon. When you were first questioned at the police station on the same night, you denied all claims made against you firmly. You tried to paint the victim as the perpetrator, claiming that he tried to attack you; and that you acted out of self-defence. Your account of what happened had many plot holes, which forfeited its legitimacy. When the victim was questioned, it was clear that he had been deeply traumatised by your acts; and his account had no flaws, with evidence to back it up. During your trial, your story changed; you told the room under oath that you did in fact have the weapon in your possession with the intent to use it if necessary. You later proceeded to, in essence, confess to your crimes — when Mister Panayiotou-Jones was under oath. The jury found you guilty of both charges after taking the time to assess all of the evidence they had been given. You have only shown limited remorse for what you have done, which will affect the sentence you are given."

"Let's hear it, then," George whispers into Levi's ear. "Let's see what he gets."

"Mister Mackenzie Alwick, for being found guilty of attempted murder, you are sentenced to five years' imprisonment. For being found guilty of high culpability threat with a weapon, you are sentenced to four years' imprisonment. This, in total, means that you are sentenced to a total of nine years' imprisonment with no eligibility for probation or parole." The judge looks to the court clerk, and a security officer who stands by the clerk's side. "Take him down."

The clerk and the security officer approach Mackenzie in his dock; the officer opens the wooden door to allow Mackenzie out. With one man either side of him, they escort Mackenzie towards the staircase which leads down to the prison cells. Before he is fully out of sight, he turns desperately to see George and Levi watching him.

"I'm sorry Levi. I'm sorry," he calls back. "I love you."

Levi observes with furrowed brows, and tears in his widened eyes, as Mackenzie disappears out of sight. He doesn't utter a single word in response to the man who made his life miserable; and, granted, he has no obligation to do so. Even when George pats his arm to try and capture his attention, he doesn't take his eyes off the doorway from which Mackenzie exited from. He takes a moment to gather his thoughts; to calm his breathing down; to blink away his tears. Only a few moments later, does he finally acknowledge his husband.

"We did it," George tells him, reaching to place his arm around Levi's back lovingly. "We got justice. He's going to prison. He's gone. You're safe. You're free."

Levi's eyes lock onto George's; he takes a moment to search the calm, caramel irises with his own jittery moss-green ones. "He got nine years," he finally mutters, seemingly disappointed by this. "In a decade, he has every chance to ruin somebody else's life. In less than ten years, he can come after me again. He can try to ruin my life again. That isn't freedom, George — that's a painful waiting game."

"But for now, you don't have to worry about him hurting you," George reminds him. "He's locked away for the best part of a decade. Just like I told you he would. It's not ideal — the sentence is too short for the damage he's caused — but it's something. It's justice. And it should be celebrated."

Levi inhales slowly through his nostrils, before letting it go again in defeat. "You're right," he agrees. "It should be celebrated. He's gone for now. I need to be rational about this. Anything can happen in a decade ... can't it?"

"Exactly," George encourages. "Now, let's go home and do something with the kids to celebrate. How about we order some food? Anything you like. It's your victory day, after all."

Levi looks to his dear husband; in the face of all the horrific circumstances they've endured together, he still can't help but adore George beyond his own comprehension. After decades of trials and tribulations, he still couldn't imagine doing this life with anybody else. The small moments; the little gestures from George such as the offer of celebrating a personal win, is priceless to Levi.

"That sounds perfect," Levi responds, leaning in to rest a gentle kiss upon his husband's lips in appreciation of his kindness. "Let's do it."

• • •

"Thank you, once again, for looking after the kids," Levi says to his mother, once the men have arrived back in London. "We both really appreciate it."

"You don't have to thank me every single time," Penny chuckles, giving her son a hug. "How did the sentencing go? Did he get what he deserved?"

"He thinks the sentence was too short," George intervenes, as he removes his coat from his slender body, and hangs it up. "Frankly, so do I."

"But we agreed that we should view it positively rather than negatively," Levi adds, giving his mother smile. "He got four years for the high culpability threat and five years for the attempted murder. And he has no chance of getting out early."

"What? Well, that's fantastic!" Penny exclaims, harshly pressing her lips to the top of Levi's head to kiss him. "Nine years is still a good, long time for him to think about what he did. And a good, long time for you guys to be free from him. I'm so proud of you both for how you've handled all this."

"Me too, kids." Daniel pops his head around the door from the living room, to partake in the conversation which is unfolding in the hallway. "You've both done fantastic."

"Thanks, Daniel," Levi answers him. "It's been a long ordeal. But we should definitely celebrate the victory. Did you guys want to stay over for food with us? We're going to order a takeaway, or something."

"We'd love to, baby," Penny beams, coming to stand opposite him. She rests her hands on either side of his face, with the intent for him to make eye contact with her. "Your father would be so proud of you, my darling. So, so proud of how far you've come in life."

To this, Levi gives a closed-mouth, melancholy smile. "I sure hope so. It's been a fair while since he saw me. He'd probably say I've grown a fair bit."

"Not just physically. But emotionally, too," Penny asserts. "If he were here, he'd be all over you too. Celebrating you, and celebrating your family."

Levi nods in acknowledgment of his mother's words. "Thank you, Mum. I wouldn't have made it this far without you."

"That's what I'm here for, baby." She playfully squeezes his cheeks, before looking to George. "Should I get the kids down for you? So they can say hello to you both?"

"Please," George responds.

Penny makes a beeline for the staircase, heading up the steps to alert her grandchildren to their fathers' arrival home. A couple of minutes later, two pairs of tiny footsteps clamber down the stairs; and the kids launch into George's and Levi's arms in a group hug.

"We missed you," Gemma tells them.

"Yeah we did," Kieran agrees.

"Well, we missed you too," George assures them. "But we've got some good news for you both. Tonight, we're going to be ordering food for dinner — and Daddy chose your favourite pizza place!"

"Oh my gosh!" Gemma squeals, applying more pressure to her embrace on Levi. "Thank you, Daddy!"

"Thanks Daddy!" Kieran adds, excitement evident in his little voice.

"Well, we're celebrating, tonight," Levi informs them. "So you can order whatever you want, and it doesn't matter the cost. It's our treat."

"What are we celebrating, Daddy?" Gemma questions. "Did something good happen?"

Levi outstretches his arm, inviting his daughter to take his hand. She does so; and so he leads her into the kitchen, out of earshot of Kieran. Before he talks, he lowers himself down onto one knee, to reach her height. "Do you remember when I told you a while back, that I nearly got hurt by the bad man who was in London with us?"

"Yeah, Daddy," Gemma replies.

"Well, today we found out that the bad man is going to go to jail for it," Levi explains. "And so that means he won't be able to try and hurt me, or Daddy, or anyone ... for nine whole years."

"So he's stuck with the police people?" Gemma finds amusement in this, laughing sweetly.

"Yes, that's right," Levi tells her, sharing in her light hilarity. "So that's why we're celebrating tonight. We're celebrating the fact he is being punished for trying to hurt me."

"That's a really good thing," Gemma says, wrapping her petite arms around her father's neck to cuddle up to him. "Was it scary, Daddy?"

"Was what scary, darling?" Levi glances at her, puzzled.

"Was it scary having to talk to him today, to tell him he had to go to jail?"

Levi snickers at the innocence of the question. "That's not quite how it works. Do you remember not long back, when Grandma picked you and Kieran up from school because Daddy and I had to go to London? Well, that was because we had to go to something called a court trial. And what happened there, was that the police people gathered up loads of people who were involved when the bad man tried to hurt me. And the police people asked all of them questions, to try and find out exactly what happened. I had to go and tell them what the bad man did to me. And then, in the end, the police people decided that the bad man should be punished. So today, Daddy and I went back there to find out what punishment the bad man would get. That's why you were with Grandma again today. She looked after you while we went to the important meeting. And we got good news, so that's the best thing. And that's why we're celebrating tonight."

"Oh. I get it now." Gemma grins, before withdrawing from her father. She gestures with her hand, for him to stand up; so he does so, before they head back into the hallway where everyone else is.

"Have we decided what we're ordering?" Levi asks, earning the attentions of everyone in the room. "Because I know for a fact that I'm ready for this."

"I think we've just about got it sorted," George responds, reaching into his pocket to grab his phone. "So I'll go and call the place and get it ordered."

"Okay, darling," Levi answers, before leading the children into the living room so they can sit down together. "Goodness me. What a day."

"It's been a great day," Penny adds. "And I'm very excited about dinner. Thank you for letting us stay over."

"It's not a problem, Mum," Levi assures her. "After all, it's the least we can do after all you've done for us over the years."

"And you know I'd do it all again in a heartbeat." She gets herself settled down onto the sofa, by Daniel's side, and decides to change the subject. "So, how has George's therapy been coming along?"

"Great," Levi informs her. "In his last session, he got referred to bereavement counselling. It all kind of came out about his mum, apparently. He'd never spoken about it in full until that session. It's doing him good, whether he wants to admit to it or not. And it's another small victory."

"That's wonderful to hear," Daniel cuts in. "I always knew you guys were perfect for each other. It's amazing to see how you've both grown into the men you both are."

"Thank you," Levi speaks graciously. "And, I suppose I don't say it often ... but thank you for proving me wrong for all these decades, too. You really have made my mother so happy. And I'm sorry for all the prejudices I had against you when I was younger. I was a dumb kid."

"You had every right to be apprehensive," Daniel reminds him. "After everything you'd gone through with your parents and your so-called "stepfather" in the past. It's enough to scare anybody."

"But you should know that I do consider you as a father," Levi follows up, trying to gauge Daniel's facial expression once he's said the words.

Daniel tries to fend off the uncontrollable smile that settles on his lips; alas, he cannot. "Well, if it's any consolation — I consider you as my son, too, kid. And George, too."

To this response, Levi can't help but let go of the anger he holds over the shortness of Mackenzie's prison sentence. He knows that the frustration may return at some point — but in this moment, all he can focus on is the boundless love he feels towards his family; and the boundless love he feels reciprocated back to him, from his family.

And in the midst of so many hardships, he most-certainly counts the little moments of joy as another small victory.

• • •

Bit of a lighter one! Hope you enjoyed reading. xx