Between the Times - 1. Dante/Frank

Dante sat in the front row of the temple. The reasons why a man was allowed to do so could be counted on one hand. Basically, even Frank's half-hand would have sufficed.

Dimmi's name blessing ceremony.

Most children had such a ceremony around their first birthday. One of the Great Mother's Children was called upon to be the child's protector and guide, and at the same time the child was welcomed into the community. An old tradition from times when many children died in their first year of life.

Frank held Dimmi's left hand. The boy sucked noisily on his pacifier and stared intently at the priestess.

Alice sat on Dante's right side and held the sleeping Sam. It had taken him much less effort than expected to get her and Matt to celebrate a blessing for Sam and to combine the two. How Alice had managed to get Matt to agree to choose the Warrior of Light as Sam's divine protector, though, he didn't really want to know.

Many children here in the Townsend area were placed under Antonia's protection, the patroness of agriculture. The temple in which they sat was dedicated to her. Fortunately, the sermon the priestess gave was little about this divine daughter.

Dante still didn't listen properly. He was excited. This was only the second naming ceremony he had ever attended - the first had been for Emily, but back then he had been a slave and admittedly had had completely different things on his mind. Now, however, he had a role.

Dimmi let out a low growl. He was bored, frustrated that he wasn't allowed to move. He began to chew on his pacifier and Dante knew it was only seconds before the thing would fly off and the boy would make himself be heard.

"- and now shall we seek a blessing for these two boys," said the priestess at that moment.

Relieved, Dante adjusted Dimmi, ready to rise. Sensing the change, Dimmi made a questioning sound around the pacifier. "Dwuuuu?"

"Sam Delorian Horner."

Alice rose with rustling skirts, Sam sighed in his sleep.

"Deimos Frederick Sapphire."

Dante rose from the hard bench, his butt thanking him. His feet were tingling with cold and he hoped he wouldn't be stumbling around awkwardly in a moment.

Dimmi, for his part, straightened up in Dante's arms. Something was happening and he didn't want to miss any of it. "Teeh-teeh!" His chubby fingers clawed at Dante's coat.

The priestess beckoned Dante and Alice forward. There were two kneeling cushions in front of the altar and Dante extended a supporting hand to Alice, though he wasn't quite balanced himself. They looked like a couple, Dante thought as the priestess spoke again, a couple having their twins blessed. It might be a coincidence that Dimmi and Sam were indeed born on the same day, but other than a "technically they're cousins" nothing about their real blood relationship would ever get out.

"Dante, Warrior of Light!" the priestess called out, her hands raised above their heads in a half-inviting, half-pleading gesture.

"Dante, Warrior of Light!" echoed the crowd and Dante got goose bumps.

"Dada!" mumbled Dimmi around his pacifier.

"Look down and acknowledge these two boys!"

"Acknowledge these boys!"

"Give them your protection and your blessing!"

"Your protection and your blessing!"

It went on like this for a while until a novice came and led them along a side wall through the temple, towards a side door and out into the cold. It had started to snow again.

"Don't worry, it won't be long," the novice said with a smile as Dimmi tried to catch the snowflakes.

Dante and Alice nodded silently, then followed her down the side path back to the main entrance of the temple.

Chanting began to pour out and the novice swayed a hand to the beat, apparently mentally following the lyrics.

Dante rubbed his nose in Dimmi's soft hair and searched unsuccessfully for the words in his own memory.

Alice hummed softly.

Dimmi sang a quiet "da-da-da-da-da" to himself and continued to grope for the snowflakes.

Then the novice opened the door and nodded to them.

Side by side, Dante and Alice entered the temple. Everyone else was standing and singing, most people had turned to look at them, and being the center of attention made Dante feel very uncomfortable. If Alice had presented Sam as his son, it might have been different.

They reached the altar in time for the end of the song and the priestess spread her arms in welcome. "And so this community now has two more members," she said. She smiled warmly and nodded. "Sam Delorian."

Alice stepped up beside the priestess, who dabbed for the child blessing a bit of holy oil only on Sam's forehead, then Alice turned to those in attendance, presenting the still-sleeping boy.

"Deimos Frederick."

Dante stepped to the other side of the priestess and watched, a little amused, as Dimmi spat out the pacifier - expecting the cloth in the priestess's hand to be something to eat. Then he had to hold Dimmi as he shook his head unwillingly and rubbed the oil stain on his forehead with his little hand.

With a small gesture, the priestess indicated that this part of the ceremony was over. "Welcome, Sam and Deimos."

"Welcome!" everyone else echoed, and Dante got goosebumps again as the applause began.

Dimmi winced and then clapped along happily.

At this moment, it made no difference whether girls or slave boys were being celebrated here, people simply rejoiced with them. Children were precious.

Eventually the applause died down and some of the tension left Dante. He glanced at Frank, but he and Matt were now following another priestess to get the official papers.

And then people came up to them. Most simply offered congratulations for the children, whether they'd met before or not, with the women usually saying different things than the men. There were so many free men here, it was almost surreal.

"May he find a good mistress." "May he be granted freedom." "May he lead a good life." "Health and happiness. No, what a cute little chubby one!" "May he never be drawn into fraternal strife like his patrons."

In between were compliments to the little one's mother, which made Dante smile and cringe in equal measure every time he thought of Frank or Dotty in this role. But then that too was over and he felt Alice's relieved sigh.

"My feet are lumps of ice," she murmured, and he felt that too.

"Let's go home," he murmured back, kissing Dimmi's head and getting an unobtrusive wave from Tom.

As they left the temple, Dimmi continued to babble diligently the syllables he had learned so far and Sam slowly woke up.

"Papa," Dante whispered to Dimmi encouragingly. "Pa-pa."

But Dimmi squeaked an enthusiastic "ta-taaah" when he saw Tom and stretched out his arms. Grinning, Tom accepted the boy. Dante and he both knew that Dimmi wouldn't want to stay with anyone other than his pas for more than two minutes, if that. And two minutes Tom could do.

"I'm really looking forward to a comfy chair and something warm to eat," Tom then said, tickling Dimmi's cheek with his free hand.

"Oh yes, and Henry's cake," Dante added. His stomach began to rumble, but his mind was still elsewhere. With the little blond boy in Alice's arms, for example.

How long would it be before it didn't hurt so much anymore? How long until the first thing he thought of when he heard the word 'son' was Dimmi? Until he no longer had a constant 'what if' in the back of his mind?

When he thought of John, it would probably never stop.

~

Frank was finally warm again after the freezing cold temple and sated to boot. The Horners' large celebration room was warm and full and cozy. The Mitchells were here, surprisingly some of Matt's paternal family and a few friends from all of them. It was noticeable that no one from Dante's side was here, but on the other hand, he was already a stranger to the group, where everyone knew everyone else and spoke the same harsh dialect.

Maisie made a joke which made Frank laugh. Then he glanced at Dante. He didn't look like he felt like laughing at all.

Winter depression, everyone said. But Frank knew better. The situation with Sam and Alice was getting to Dante. It would get better, he knew, but things like that took time.

Alice's best friend Ellen sat down with Dante and told him something; he listened seriously and attentively.

From the other end of the table, where Matt was sitting with his cousins - or whatever they were, Frank hadn't understood exactly - there was booming laughter.

"Free men," he heard Carolyn mutter in annoyance and refrained from commenting. Instead, he caught Henry's gaze - it was time for the cake.

He signaled Henry to wait another two minutes and stood up. As he wasn't a fan of cake himself, he would take Dimmi and keep him busy so that Dante could enjoy his slice of cake in turn. The boy had eaten like there was no tomorrow and was now getting grumpy. But first Frank had to pee urgently.

The long table was cramped with chairs and he somehow squeezed himself out into the open. As Dimmi protested by slapping the tabletop of his highchair, he tousled his hair and then laughed at one of Nick's remarks.

Dimmi whined again.

"Give me a minute, Dimmi, Pa has to-"

"PAPA!"

Frank froze in mid-motion. From the way it suddenly got several levels quieter, he hadn't misheard.

"PAPA!" Dimmi's face showed the desperation that already sounded clear in his voice. "Papa," he repeated, calmer now that his Pa was looking at him, but with his arms outstretched as a prompt.

"Dimmi..."

"Papa..."

"Just pick him up," someone murmured. Sarah? He wasn't sure, but he wasn't particularly interested in the answer either.

He picked Dimmi up anyway. "Pa has to go to the bathroom." His voice sounded strange, but how could it not? His heart was just melting with love.

Dimmi would probably have followed him to the moon, the way he snuggled up to him and curled his fingers into his sweater. "Papa," he mumbled sleepily and then yawned.

So Frank kissed the little head and then turned to Dante, who smiled deeply touched.

Frank looked down at Dimmi, who was sleeping in his crib. Papa. Fully conscious and purposeful. His first word.

Dante stepped up to him, wrapped his arms around him from the side.

He returned the embrace. They stood there silently for a moment, looking at their sleeping son. "Are you jealous?" Frank then wanted to know as quietly as possible. He didn't want Dante to be jealous, but sometimes traces of it were visible.

It took another moment for Dante to answer. "Maybe a little."

Frank nodded, kissing Dante on the forehead.

"It's silly," Dante mumbled, a little embarrassed.

"Do you think so? After all, you really are related to him." Come to think of it, it was really odd humor of the Great Mother to have Dimmi pass for a mini-Frank.

"You and Dimmi, well that was love at first sight." Dante lifted his head and gave Frank a weak smile, then patted Frank's chest, "I can't compete with that."

Frank huffed a laugh and pressed a kiss to Dante's mouth. "Give him a few more months and his baby brain will have forgotten he ever had another home."

"That won't change the fact that he loves you more than he loves me." Dante sounded a little resigned, but Frank still saw nothing but affection on his face.

He shrugged a little helplessly and watched as Dimmi fumbled for his pacifier in his sleep and put it back in his mouth. "I love this little being so much... it's incredible," he said slowly.

"It's fascinating," Dante whispered in agreement, but with considerably less enthusiasm than Frank was showing.

This was another reason why Frank now turned fully to his boyfriend, gently cupping his face. "Before you think the little guy is the new number one: he's not. Never get the idea of comparing love for your child with love for your partner. It's not possible. Do you understand?"

Dante nodded slowly.

Still, Frank wasn't sure he really understood. "I love you, Dante. Before you came here, I thought it was almost unattainable for me to be truly free. I didn't even dare to think as far as having a family of my own."

"I know. I know, Frank, but the situation is just so... so... complicated. Emotionally, I mean." Dante sounded depressed.

"I know, Spicy. It gets better." Frank breathed a kiss on Dante's mouth, then another and a third before Dante turned away, looking again at the sleeping child.

"You can't promise me that," he contradicted silently.

"No," Frank admitted hesitantly and reluctantly. "Not directly, no. But we can still improve things together." He snuggled up to Dante's back and covered Dante's hands, which were resting on the edge of the crib now, with his own. "You and me and Dimmi. As a family."