Mason realized he was rambling when Medea spoke up about.. missing work? He looked up from his hands and blinked. "Are you sure? I can miss work no problem, but..." He knew how important her job was to her and she had a pretty high ranked position in the Ministry. "It's not necessary." He said quietly.

Nodding his head, his mind was running around in circles, trying to stay focused on what they needed to do and what the children needed from them. Stability, structure, to know that we are there for them. Leo repeated her words in his head. Wow, she sure seemed to know what she was talking about. All that time, he was worried about food and bunk beds, but what those kids really needed was a family.

Mason's attention was turned back to Medea. He saw her swallow hard and it looked as if she might break down. She looked serious. He had seen Medea serious before, but never like this. Her questioning words sent shivers down his spine, though he couldn't decide why. You love me, right? ...Truly love me?

He was frozen. He was standing three feet away from her, completely frozen. His eyes were locked on hers. Where was this coming from? Of course, Mason loved Medea more than anything and he knew it was more than just being in love. Mason tried to muster up some words to speak, but his tongue was dry. He couldn't find the words to say that would reassure Medea of his love for her.

Before I go forward I must know that we, us, is the real deal.

The real deal? What on earth did she mean by that? Marriage? That word echoed through his mind. Mason would be lying if he said he had never thought about a marriage with Medea, but... Now? In all the chaos? But then again, maybe that wasn't what she was talking about. Maybe Medea just wanted to know that he wasn't going to leave her; that he really truly loved her, like she had wanted to know before.

Getting the strength to move, Mason slowly walked over to Medea. He placed one hand on her waist and used the thumb of his other hand to brush a lock of hair away from her face. She was beautiful. "Medea... I am never leaving you. Ever. I love you more than anything in this world and I wouldn't dream of ever letting you go. I am in love with you. But words can't describe how much I love you." He paused, searching her eyes. He just hoped she loved him the same.