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"So she's back—your wife is back?,"

I haven't even fully walked into my house yet. Jim is standing in the hallway, drink in his hand and my robe tied around his body. His face looks deeply pained and his posture slightly slumped.

"H-how-," I begin to question how the hell he knows this, but he breaks the space between us and ropes my body against his. His lips crash against mine as he pushes my back against the door.

I don't know why I don't push him away from me now— I'm swooped up in the agonizing passion of our kiss. His lips slowly peel away from mine, but he doesn't move back. As he speaks his lips brush mine, our mustaches tickle eachother.

"I'm so sorry Freddie I-I betrayed your trust...I'm so ashamed...," His eyes search mine and for the first time in all the time we've been together, I see some tears well up as one drop spills from the rim of his eyes.

I feel like I've been punched in the gut. My whole heart is mashed up and torn between the man before me and the woman who is the light of my existence.

"Betrayed me? Darling, how...how ever so?," My finger tips catch the tears that start to spritz his face. He pushes my hand away as he finally takes a step back allowing me room to think straight.

"I..well...let's have a seat and I'll explain..," He doesn't wait for me to agree he walks into the living room, taking a seat on the couch. I follow him, involuntarily feeling my nerves begin to eat me up inside.

He taps the cushion beside him for me to sit. I oblige and sit down as he cups my hands in his. My hands usually seem so big, but they're small and slender compared to his that are large and rough.

He caresses my cheek with the back of his hand, sliding it down my face until his fingers pinch my chin.

"Freddie, I took our little darlings out tonight. I told them you were in the hospital to wake them up and-,"

I smack his hand away from my face now, feeling the bubbling rage build up. "Why the fuck would you do that?!," I hiss between gritted teeth.

"So this is you betraying my trust, hmmm?! Waking up my children and possibly petrifying them with me being hurt?!," I stand to my feet, briskly pacing the front of the couch as he stays seated with his mouth ajar.

"N-no, Love. Please, just listen! I-I haven't finished explaining-,"

"Well you better have a pretty goddamn good explanation for pulling this shit!,"

———————————————————

"Love, calm down!,"

"Calm down!??!," He huffs, posture erect, chest out, eyes blazing with fury. "Don't you dare tell me to calm down, Jim! I trusted you to watch them-,"

"But you lied about your wife! You said Rose was sick! What kind of fucked up excuse have you to lie about such a thing!?,"

You know I thought telling him the truth would be a good thing, but seeing as how the asshole will not even give me a chance to talk—

His whole demeanor changes. His chest caved in as his shoulders slump forward and he takes his seat back down beside me. Still feeling the bit of a grudge inside; I'm fighting with myself here, but after the close call tonight...I can no longer hide my true feelings.

I love Freddie Mercury. I love him and all his stupid quirks. I love his smile and the way he giggles. I love how he rests his entire body into me whenever I reach out to hold him close. Yes, he is a bit of a cry baby. Much too much for my liking, but I can't push these feelings aside any longer. I can't hurt him or his bratty little children. My heart is growing in size each minute that I'm with him; I'm becoming a little less of a monster and I like that it's due to him and his love and affection.

He rests his head on my shoulder as the two of us snuggle a little bit closer. "I'm sorry, dear. It's a bit complicated right now- I...I thought you'd understand," he lifts his head to stare at me and I can see it in his eyes that it's a tough decision he's got to make.

"She is my love...she makes me who I am. But...," his long fingers brush away the tears that I've tried to hide in the darkness of the room. "But, I don't want to hurt you, darling. You...you've stolen my heart, it's true..,"

His lip quivers as he speaks and his hand becomes much too shakey to keep caressing my skin. I grab ahold of it and kiss his knuckles, tickling his flesh with my mustache in the way that makes him crack a smile. That gorgeous full smile.

"I love you too, beautiful. Is this..are you leaving me, then?," I sniffle my nose, feeling like less of a man. I still have to tell him the full truth. I can only hope that it won't change the way that he feels.

Maybe I'll just wait. Maybe I just won't tell him at all since I backed out of the whole agreement. Either way, Paul and Thomas know and either way they'll be coming to finish the job with my neck on the line now.

He doesn't respond but with a deep sigh. He takes a moment to look me over, like trying to decide if I'm worthy of the sacrifice.

I really didn't think he'd have a hard time choosing.

It only strengthens my feelings for him by knowing he is truly in love with me, too. I've kept it all inside, but it's twisted my mind and heart badly and I don't want to hide away from the truth anymore.

——————————————————-

"It'll be fine, Cher. You know that he loves you— I'm the one who was closest to him through everything and you should have seen the way he's been with me through my sickness. I know he did it for you. That's how much he loves you. I felt his love for you through his actions and his care for me,"

Rose tried her hand again to comfort me this today. We sit at the kitchen table after a quick lunch, just sipping our tea.

I try to relax with the sweet aroma of earl grey- Freddie's favorite. I always loved how I can taste the citrus as it passes down my throat.

"I know him, Rose. And he's in love again. Sure, he still loves me, that's clear for me to see and feel, but I can tell he was thinking too hard about the choice he has to make. I can tell that he's confused," It hurts my heart to admit it. To admit that my husband is in love with a man that has maybe healed his heart enough with out me.

"The gangs all here, are you ready?," Roger walks into the kitchen now with Emmy not too far behind. She smiles up at her daddy, she's so adorable, I wish she'd let me near her.

"Cherie!!!!," Anita and Ronnie run to my side engulfing me in a death grip. I don't mind at all!

"We've missed you so much! Oh my god! I can't believe this!!," Ronnie cries through her tears as Anita is too choked up to say anything at all.

Rose gets up from her seat, coming around the table to join our little snug hug. "She's back for good now, girls- we're not letting her out of our sight!," she giggles breaking the tension.

Deacy comes behind all of us and wraps his arms around us, trying to get included into the hug. "John, really!," Ronnie laughs.

"Well, you lot are hogging her, now aren't ya!?," He chuckles and backs away just as the rest of the arms fall away from me.

I was shocked by the tightness in which Brian hugged me, he almost tackled me out of my chair! "So glad to have you back, Cherie!," he smiled kindly at me when he finally let me go.

I feel my heart swell a thousand times over! Looking back at the glowing faces of my family- the people I thought I'd never be blessed enough to see again. It's such a great treasure. They're my people. And their love really shows.

After some more hugging and crying, we all finally settled down enough to have an actual conversation. The topic? What else?!

"So he hasn't called today or come over at all?," Anita asks her question directed at me, of course. I shake my head, not wanting to answer the question that I've been worrying about myself.

Roger answers for me, "Nope—Uh, eh I mean, not yet," He changes his tone to a hopeful one when Rose nudges his shoulder.

"I'm sure he'll come today, Cherie. Or at the very least of course he'll call you," Ronnie whispers to me. "He probably just doesn't know how to tell your children," She finishes with a small smile, the worry lines evident on her furrowed brow.

"Oh, yeah of course. I know that," I say with a small scoff, pretending confidently to be totally okay with the fact that Freddie hasn't bothered to get in contact since he left last night. I thought he was happy about me being here...

"So now what's going to happen with Mary? And Paul and thomas?," Deacy asks, uncomfortably shifting in his seat.

"You said Freddie doesn't know about all of this?," Brian pipes up, his face scrunched up in that look he gives when he's trying to rank points in a game of scrabble.

"And what about Jim?," Anita asks the third and final question for the evening.

"What about Jim?," The doorbell rings, cutting off the reply Rose fires quick and snappy in my favor.

"I'll get it!," Anita says over her shoulder as she exits the room and heads to answer the door.

"You'll get it!," I mimic her actions, excusing myself I leave the room with her, heading toward the guest bedroom instead.

I finally just settle into bed, ready to sleep my worries away when there's a knock at the door. Naturally, I don't reply, I just want to get some rest. But the door opens anyway.

No words are spoken as he slips into bed with me. His arms wrap around my waist, his cold fingers reach the skin where my pajama top rises.

"I could never not pick you, Angel. Please come home with me...,"