Foxies - 5. Part 5

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A/N: Yes. Years later, Toma and I have finally written the Epilogue for this one. If you are reading this, you might want to start it from the beginning again, as it's been cleaned up a good deal and speckled with pictures.

::

Kender smiled as wonderful memories of Septimus and Renael’s toddler years resurfaced. He was waiting patiently with Silkes at the appropriate gate in the airport for his two old friends to arrive. It was Rena who caught sight of him first. She rushed over to give him a hug.

"Kender! It's been far too long!" She exclaimed as she pulled back to turn towards Silkes. "Let me have a good look at that husband of yours," She teased as she held out her hand to shake his. "Pleasure to meet you."

"Pleasure to meet you, as well," Silkes replied. He gave a slight nod in greeting when Rena's husband finally caught up to them.

"The name's Andrew," He greeted as he shook Silkes's hand. "You've already met my wife, Rena." He then turned towards Kender, giving him a quick man-hug. "Thank you both for all of this. We would have barely been able to have enough credits for a one-way, let alone a roundtrip."

Silkes gave them both his most charming smile. "I would rather not have my inheritance go to waste and collect dust. This is just the occasion to share such wealth, with family and friends."

"I can't believe both our boys are all grown up," Rena whimpered. "Making such big decisions…"

"Rest assured, they're not alone. Silkes and I will be right here for them, and you are welcome to visit whenever you wish." Kender pointed out.

"Absolutely," Silkes affirmed.

"I've never been so nervous in all my life," Renael admitted in a whisper as Calum hovered around him, styling his long locks into an intricate braid with thin, white ribbons looped into it. The pink-tipped, blond fox wore a pair of black slacks with a white blouse and silver vest, in contrast to Septimus's gold vest.

"All that the four of you are doing are simply signing a leaf of parchment," Calum replied with a snort. "Cean and I are witnesses of the witnesses, to boot! What is there to be nervous about? This is not a fancy ceremony. Thank goodness Cean and I planned out your reception as a gift because far be it for our dear friends to not have a celebration afterward, at the very least!"

Renael couldn't help but laugh at the indignation in the young king's voice. Everything felt like a dream to him...getting legally married to Septimus, all of their friends, past and present, being there for them…not to mention their parents! That the people closest to them were there to support them brought forth a fierce wave of gratitude deep inside him. "Calum…I can't thank you enough for being a part of this."

"What was that modern phrase that Sir Septimus said? You are my 'brother from another mother?' Cean and I were ready to tear apart time itself to be here for your wedding day, even Sofia wanted to come." Calum confessed, only to nearly panic when tears began to roll down Ren's face. "Oh, for goodness sakes!" He gasped as he handed the other blond his handkerchief. "No crying allowed! Not until after the reception and all of the portraits are completed."

"The photos taken, you mean," Ren corrected. "Though, maybe it's true that paintings withstand the test of time better than photographs?"

"Nothing physical lasts, it is only the memories that live on forever," Calum countered.

Renael gave him a tight hug. "Then, I thank both you and Cean for helping create such wonderful memories."

::

Cean looked on as Septimus paced in the hallway just outside the office that they all would enter when everyone was present. The red-tipped, black hair was pulled back into a low ponytail with a black and gold ribbon. The young king was feeling a sense of Déjà vu as he placed a steady hand on the fox's shoulder. "They will arrive soon. Remain calm." He instructed.

"Yeah yeah…I just can't help but feel anxious." Sept replied. "I mean, I only ever dreamed about marrying Ren. Now that it's actually happening, I'm a nervous wreck."

Riley let out a low whistle. "Here they come. Looks like the gang's all here." She stated as she held the door open for Lylah to walk into the office. The two of them would be the signing witnesses.

Septimus's mouth fell open at the sight of the elegant fox before him. This was really happening! He was marrying the person he had been in love with for such a long time. "Absolutely stunning…" He gasped as he took hold of both his hands.

Ren peered up at Sept's peach eyes through his golden eyelashes, a blush on his cheeks. "As are you..." He admitted.

From that moment on, and all the way through the signing of their marriage license, the two of them felt as if they were the only two beings in the world. They didn't register Lylah and Riley signing as their witnesses. They didn't register Cean and Calum bringing them the rings. They didn't even register their parents watching on with teary eyes.

But, when the young foxes kissed for the first time as a married couple, it was as if they could finally hear again because the noise was celebratory. Riley, Lylah, and Rena were all whooping and squealing. All the men were clapping politely.

Renael outright beamed up at Septimus, the love of his life, and now, his husband. "I love you, Sept."

Septimus smirked widely as he peered down at silvery pink eyes. "I love you, Ren."

"Alright alright, enough with the lovey-dovey crap!" Riley burst out. "You have plenty of time for that later, it's time to party!"

"We are quite hungry," Andrew admitted sheepishly. "They didn't serve us anything on the flight except honey roasted peanuts in a tiny bag."

"Then, let us all reconvene in the reception hall!" Silkes suggested.

Sept held out his elbow for Ren to take. "Shall we, husband?"

Ren took hold of the elbow and smiled. "Certainly, husband."

Renael had never had his picture taken so many times. By himself, with Sept, with his parents, with their friends, and with the whole group. But, he braved it all, since he knew it would be worth it to have the album full of the wonderful memories of that special day.

Septimus was getting sick of the picture taking by the end, but he sucked it up. They were all grateful when it was time to finally eat. The food they were served was delectable, but then again, they were all hungry. Any food was glorious when enough hunger was involved. The entire group danced slowly to settle their stomachs. But, when they broke out the champagne, they began to dance carefree and with joy.

The cake was delicious, as well. They all went for second slices. When the night finally died down, they all departed to their rooms. The entire gang had booked hotel rooms for that night in the same hotel that the reception was held in. And, with the way some of the older foxes slightly swayed on their feet, it was a good thing, too. None of them needed to drive anywhere.

When they walked out of the elevator, Sept hefted Ren into his arms and walked down the hall to their room. He swiped the card and opened the door, carrying him over the threshold, and giving him a peck on the lips. "I have to remember to do this again when we go back to our apartment."

"You can carry me anytime you wish," Ren admitted with a soft snicker. His blond locks were quite the mess by then. When Sept laid him on the bed, he immediately tugged off the ties and ribbons, letting his hair down.

Sept helped him and let his own hair down as well. They continued to help each other with their vests and belts but began to slow down when they reached the buttons of their blouses. When their eyes met, they could practically see the heat building up between them.

The young foxes had certainly made out before and kissed passionately enough to make their toes curl. But, now that they were officially a married couple, there were no more boundaries between them. Renael thought that he'd be more nervous than ever at that moment, but all he felt were the fluttering butterflies in his stomach and the warmth of Sept's lips against his as they kissed languidly. His trembling fingers continued to unbutton Sept's blouse until he could splay it open to run his hands along his pale chest.

The peach-eyed fox was pleasantly surprised to feel the blond's hands stroking him. But, after everything the two of them had been through, he should have realized as much. They were separated as children and, when they finally reunited, they had been separated by the craziest circumstances ever. By that point, he was certain that Renael wanted them to become ‘one’ before something else happened. Septimus was more than happy to oblige. He shifted back onto his knees so that he could take his blouse off and then proceeded to rid them of the rest of their clothes.

Renael took in their nude forms. They two of them had been naked in the same room before as innocent toddlers and children. However, this time was different. They were legally wedded adults. His tail swayed behind him as he slid his hands up Sept's torso and wrapped them behind his neck, tugging him down until they were nose to nose. When he saw the tears welling in his partner's eyes, he smiled.

"Don't cry," Renael whispered, echoing the words that Septimus himself had said so long ago. "I'll steal a kiss if you even try-"

Sept's lips descended onto Ren's once more and he laid over him until he was flush against the blond fox. "Mine," He whispered into one of the blond ears, another echo of their childhood.

Ren couldn't help but chuckle as he hugged him back. "Mine." He returned.

The remaining nervousness that they both felt ended up settling down as the two of them became lost within one another’s physical warmth.

::

Years later:

::

The apartment that Septimus and Renael moved into was near the clinic where Silkes and Kender worked. Inspired and content with his current life, Ren created a myriad of artwork pieces that the local gallery displayed and sold. One of his pieces even made it into the museum. The museum itself was the castle where Cean and Calum once ruled. Sept could just imagine the curator's surprise when he came across the blond's painting…an odd scene that depicted what the ruins of the castle would look like.

After the two of them graduated, Septimus had interned at a magazine company before he was made a digital journalist. The bakery employees had been sad to see him go, but wished him the best in his new career. The editor couldn't get enough of his witty spin on the topics they assigned him to. At times, the company even commissioned a comic strip from Ren that went along with the theme. During their lunch break, they would meet up with either Silkes, Ken, or both of them. The two older men were always in demand at the hospital, but they made the effort to share that lunchtime with their sons.

Sept's parents also came to visit once every couple of years, with the help of Silkes. The silver head had brought his more valuable possessions from the past, which he had planned to sell for retirement funds. Little did he know that they would be far more valuable than anticipated.

Though the four foxes never saw Cean and Calum again, they knew that the two lived long and meaningful lives. The town even celebrated some of their accomplishments. Same-gender couples weren't looked down upon in the slightest. On the five year mark of their wedding anniversary, Sept and Ren were surprised to receive a letter.

"I was under strict instructions not to give you this letter until now," Silkes told them with a smile.

"Is that Calum's handwriting?" The blond fox wondered aloud as Sept handed him the envelope. He quickly pulled out the letter to read it. "Goodness!" He gasped as he read it to himself.

"What is it?" Sept asked as he peered over Ren's shoulder to read it, as well.

Our dearest friends from another time,

Cean and I cannot possibly risk any more time traveling. What if we accidentally set something in motion that erased the two of you from existence? That is too horrid to even imagine! However, Cean and I thought up a plan that we are going to see through to the end. Before either of us passes away, we will have buried what you call a 'time capsule' for the two of you to find. We cannot give you these gifts in person, so we will hide them away when the time comes. We will bury it In Kender and Silkes's backyard. The marker will be the tree.

Your friends forever,

Cean and Calum

"The tree!" Sept gasped. "I was wondering why there was such a lavish tree in the back yard. I thought that you and pops had somehow planted it there one day!"

"I wanted to tell you, but I promised Silkes that I wouldn't until the time was right." Kender explained.

"Then, what are we waiting for!" Ren cried excitedly. "Let's go find that time capsule!"

The four of them drove over to Silkes and Kender's house, where Septimus and Silkes began to dig in front of the tree. After about an hour, they finally came across a metal box with a strange glow.

"I hate to say this, but is it safe to pull out? It looks like it's about to explode or something," Sept pointed out.

"No, it's magic," Silkes countered with amusement. "They must have sealed the contents with magic to protect it from corrosion. For a spell to have been cast for this long, they needed to have gathered at least five conjurers." He tried to lift it, but it was far too heavy for one person. "Septimus, help me."

Between the two of them, they finally managed to heft the box out of the hole and onto the level grass. "Man is this thing heavy!" Sept complained.

Ren was more eager than ever to see what was inside. He reached out towards it but stopped. "If it's been sealed with magic, does that mean that it can only be opened with magic?"

"Indeed," Silkes stated. When he took hold of the latch, it automatically unhinged for him. "Truly wondrous. They must have even made it so that only my signature aura could have the authority to open it."

Ren and Sept looked at one another for a brief moment before they both dove down like little kids beneath a pine tree on Christmas day. Together, they lifted the lid to reveal several journals and portraits.

"Goodness!" Ren gasped as he grabbed the first journal. They were all Calum's accounts on their lives.

Sept carefully pulled out the portraits one at a time and realized that they were each progressively different from the last. "It's like looking at a Fazebook timeline!" He laughed out loud. "Look, they even adopted and everything! What? A royal cat and dog?"

Tears began to roll down the blond's face. "This is so amazing…I can't believe that they saved so much of this, and all for us!"

The dark-haired fox beside him let out a snort. "Are you kidding me? They named two of their tots after us! Linus Renael and Celia Septimus. This is insane!"

In a wave of emotion, Ren piled the journals and stacked them away from him. "I miss them," He admitted with a sniffle, his tears still falling. "I miss them too much to read these just now."

"They knew you would say something like that." Silkes nodded sagely. "Which is why I am to give you this." He handed Renael several documents.

Renael's silvery pink eyes widened. "What in the world?" He hissed as he went over the contents. "Who is this child?" He questioned as he stared at the pictures of a five-year-old boy with pale blond hair that had brown tips and deep blue eyes. His ears and tail were blond with brown designs.

"That would be Caleb," Silkes explained. "He is Cean’s descendant through Sofia’s bloodline." His gaze fell on Kender for a moment before he turned to the younger two. "And he needs a home."

Sept scampered to his feet and rushed over from where he had flopped on the ground in a tired heap due to the digging earlier.

"What do you mean?" He asked as he peered at the documents.

"He's an orphan!" Ren affirmed. "How did you find out about all this?"

"After I brought them back to their time period, they asked me to follow their line down through Princess Sofia’s children so that their descendants could befriend you, as well. Unfortunately, Caleb's parents did not survive the fire that burned the complex where they lived."

"Sept, we have to do something," The blond pleaded. "Where is he, is his orphanage nearby?"

"Just on the edge of the town," Silkes confessed.

Several days later, Septimus and Renael signed adoption forms for the little one. For a descendant of Sofia, it was amazing that Caleb seemed to also resemble Calum. Though both Ren and Sept still felt sad whenever they perused the family portraits and the journals of their royal friends, they were able to get past the sadness in order to tell Caleb about the family he came from.

::

Epilogue

::

Kings Cean and Calum had trusts in place for their descendants in a rather organized chain. Septimus and Renael had a feeling that their little Caleb would be able to pass on the family’s wealth to at least four or five more generations beyond him. Only a month after adoption, Caleb began to call them his fathers. A year after adoption, Caleb braved his fear of fire in order to eat his first S’more with his grandfathers. Two years after adoption, Caleb came home covered in mud with a puppy in his arms that was so covered in mud that they couldn’t even tell what the fur color beneath was.

“Please, Papa, can we keep him?” Caleb pleaded, his deep blue eyes wide as he regarded Sept.

“Let’s clean you both up a bit first,” Sept decided. “You can ask daddy when he comes home from the exhibit. And, if he says no, we can always find the puppy a good family. Would that be alright?”

Caleb nodded with a pout reminiscent of his father Ren’s.

Septimus wasted no time in cleaning both child and pup in the tub. The two were quite surprised when the puppy turned out to have fur the hue of strawberry blond. It was definitely a girl. Her caramel brown eyes were already trying to win Sept over to her side.

“No, remember, no names until daddy comes home.”

“Ok, Papa.”

Sept made a slightly pained expression when Caleb stared at the ground and shuffled his feet. The two adult foxes had done their best to keep the kit from becoming too spoiled despite the fact that they wanted the child to be happy all the time. Coddling Caleb too much wasn’t going to keep him sharp and safe, after all.

The dark-haired fox let out a sigh of relief when he heard the sound of the keys turning the lock at the door. Caleb handed the puppy over to Sept as he rushed to greet his dad. Once again, the puppy’s large brown eyes seemed to stare into Septimus’s soul.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m not the one deciding your fate,” Sept grumbled as he headed towards the entrance of the house to greet his husband.

“Daddy!” Caleb called out as he leapt into Renael’s arms.

There was a time when the blond fox wouldn’t have been able to withstand such a lunge. At the age of twenty-seven, however, Ren was physically stronger than ever. The older fox had barely made it two steps into the door when he was greeted by Caleb in such a robust manner.

“Hi, buddy! Were you good for Papa?” Renael asked as he scooped the boy in his arms and kissed his nose. He blinked when he noticed the pup. His eyes sparkled with the same excitement as his son. “Oh, who’s this little one?”

“Well, we don’t exactly know,” Sept responded sheepishly. “Caleb found her abandoned near the park. She hasn’t been named in case you prefer we find another home for her.”

“Ah, I see” Ren replied after hearing his husband. He went over to kiss Sept before getting a closer look at the pup. Its big brown eyes were practically staring into his very soul.

“Can we keep him, daddy?” Caleb asked as he gently tugged at Ren’s shirt.

“Well...Just to be safe, we should make some Lost and Found posters in case she has a family already. After all, what if she already belongs to one and they miss her?” He started before smiling a little. “But, if no one claims her after a while, I’m fine with making her a part of our family, if Papa is also okay with it, and if you promise to help take care of her.”

Caleb lit right up. The last time Sept had seen the boy so happy was when Kender taught him how to ride a bike and the kid had managed to convince his grandpa Silkes to learn along with him. Nothing gave a kid more confidence than seeing a grown adult falling off his bike.

“Your dad has spoken,” Sept concluded. “If no one claims him after a month, she’s ours.”

“Chelsea! Can we name her Chelsea, daddy?” Caleb asked the older blond.

Renael nodded in agreement to Sept’s final word on the pup. “It’ll be nice having a puppy around, don’t you think, Sept?” He couldn’t help the smile on his face seeing the smile on their son’s face. “Chelsea? That’s such a cute name. Where’d you get it from?”

Caleb blushed and began to play with the hem of his shirt. “A-a new friend I met at the park.”

The community park was right across the street. Sept had only left Caleb there for ten minutes under the watchful eye of their neighbor, who apparently hadn’t deemed rescuing a puppy in mud a dangerous thing.

Septimus let out a sigh. “Was it that new friend’s idea to get the puppy out of the mud?”

“No. The puppy was crying. Made my heart hurt.” Caleb responded honestly.

“So, including the puppy, you made two new friends today, huh?” Renael smiled a little at his son, ruffling his hair. He felt a tug at his heart hearing Caleb’s reasoning for rescuing the pup before pulling him into a hug and nuzzling into his hair. “You’re such a good boy with a kind heart, Caleb”

“Thank you, daddy.” The young boy responded. He patted the top of his father’s hair to feel the curly texture. “Chelsea has curls like yours, but with brown hair. It’s pretty.”

Ren watched as that small hand reached out to pat his head, his smile widening when he heard what the kit had to say about his new friend. “Really now?” He asked with a chuckle. “Saying such things makes you sound like Papa.”

As much as Septimus would have liked to believe that he was far more eloquent when he was Caleb’s age, he knew it wasn’t the truth. Just as his husband pointed out, he really was a cheesy little kid. Renael had always been beautiful to him. As the dark-haired fox peered down at the puppy in his hands, she looked right back up at him, as if in sympathy.

The older blond looked towards Sept, who was still holding the small pup. “I’ve got an idea. How about all four of us go to the park tomorrow? We might run into the pup’s family if anyone is looking for her and we might see your new friend again?”

The dark-haired fox had been subconsciously petting the puppy the entire time. When his husband mentioned possibly finding the caramel-eyed pup’s human family, a pout formed on his face that had rivaled the one Caleb had earlier. The little thing had already grown on him.

“See, this is why I said we shouldn’t name her so fast,” Septimus grumbled. “We’ll always have a little ‘Chelsea the Second’ hole in our hearts where she used to be if we have to give her to another family.”

---------

Large hazel eyes lit up on the little girl’s face as soon as she saw Caleb. “Caleb!” She called out as she ran to meet him. When the children hugged, Sept and Ren noticed that she was about two inches taller than their son. But, they had little doubt that their Caleb would grow as tall as Cean some day.

“Daddies, this is Chelsea,” Caleb announced. “Chelsea, these are my daddies.”

“Nice to meet you, Chelsea,” Septimus greeted.

“Nice to meet you, too!” Chelsea responded with enthusiasm. “My mom and dad are over there,” she added as she pointed towards a bench where a couple looked on from a few feet away.

Renael sent them a nod in greeting, which the other two adults returned. Chelsea rushed over to ask for permission to play with Caleb, and the two kids rushed straight to the swings. The sight of his Caleb pushing Chelsea on the swing caused a bittersweet ache in Ren’s heart. For a moment, he saw a memory flash before his eyes...the last time that his husband had pushed him on the swings when they were children.

Chelsea-the-Second gave a little yip as she squirmed against Sept’s grip. “Looks like someone wants to offer you some comfort,” Sept mused as he handed the puppy over. “Come to think of it, I’ll be right back.”

Ren watched as Sept walked over to Chelsea’s parents. He couldn’t hear the conversation clearly from where he stood, but the blond knew that his husband would soon let him in on his antics. Sure enough, the dark-haired fox appeared almost triumphant when he returned.

“I have good news and better news,” Septimus explained. “The good news is that Chelsea’s dad is the CEO of a company nearby, so there’s a good chance that she’ll never have to move away until possibly college. Caleb won’t ever have to go through what we did.”

The blond gave his partner a rueful smile. “Alright, then what’s the ‘better’ news?”

“The better news is that they’ve been keeping an eye on the stray Chelsea-the-Second and she has indeed been abandoned here in the park,” Sept remarked with childlike excitement. “That means that she’s well and truly ours!”

Renael couldn’t help but laugh.

“What?”

The blond was laughing so much that he couldn’t give a reply. He handed the puppy over and shook his head. No matter what changes life would throw at them, Renael was grateful to have Septimus by his side. The love that had sparked between them as innocent toddlers had only grown and grown.

“I’m glad we can keep the puppy,” Ren finally responded as he reached over to give his husband a kiss on the cheek. “I love our family. Not to mention, I love you.”

Septimus felt his heart skip a beat. He glanced over at their son on the swings and felt a bout of nostalgia. Renael and himself were only a little older than Caleb when they shared their first kiss. The memory made a small smile form on his face.

Sept found himself thinking that, if he could go back in time, he’d tell the lonely little Septimus that had stopped going to the playground because the swings reminded him too much of his distant young love, that everything would be alright...that the two of them would not only reunite, but wed, and form a family together. He’d have told him that there were tough times ahead, but there were days that the happiness he shared with Ren overflowed.

He’d have told him that, even separated, the love between them never, ever left.

“I love you, too,” Sept replied softly. “Ceaselessly.”

END

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