Jay pov
The Tagaytay moon was a shimmering silver coin tossed onto a bed of black velvet, and for the first time in what felt like a decade, the Black Box wasn't vibrating with the sound of gunfire, tactical drills, or corporate warfare.
Tonight was supposed to be the "Anniversary of the Resurrection"—the three-year mark since Jay had woken up and reclaimed her throne. But more importantly, it was the first night in six months that we had successfully tricked Section E into a forced "off-site retreat" at a local karaoke bar, and Alexander was reportedly tucked into bed under the watchful, albeit grumpy, eye of Kuya Angelo.
I stepped onto the master balcony, the silk of my crimson gown whispering against the marble. The air was cool, smelling of pine and the expensive cigars Keifer favored. I felt more like myself than I had in years—not just the "Starlight" surgeon or the Mariano Queen, but Jay.
A pair of strong, familiar arms slid around my waist, and the heat of Keifer's chest pressed into my back. He tucked his chin into the crook of my neck, his stubble grazing my skin in a way that made my breath hitch.
"The house is quiet, weify," he growled, his voice a low, vibration that resonated through my spine. "It's a miracle. I might actually have you all to myself for more than five minutes."
I turned in his arms, looping my hands around his neck. Keifer had discarded his blazer hours ago. His white shirt was half-unbuttoned, his sleeves rolled up to reveal the tattoos that told the story of a man who had walked through hell to keep me.
"Don't jinx it, Keif," I teased, my fingers tracing the line of his jaw. "The last time you said that, Percy accidentally set off the fire suppression system because he tried to 'sous-vide' a steak in the bathtub."
Keifer chuckled, a rare, genuine sound that reached his eyes. "Percy is currently five margaritas deep into a Celine Dion power ballad across town. He's occupied. David is with him to make sure he doesn't try to 'tactically acquire' the DJ's speakers. We are safe."
He leaned in, his lips hovering a breath away from mine. "I've missed you," he whispered.
"I'm right here," I replied.
"No. I've missed this. No bodyguards. No brothers. No surgical pagers. Just the woman who owns my soul."
The kiss was slow, deep, and tasted of the vintage wine we'd shared and the three years of survival that had forged us. It was a kiss that said we made it. He picked me up effortlessly, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, laughing softly as he carried me back into the dimly lit bedroom.
He set me down on the edge of the bed, his eyes dark with a heat that had nothing to do with the Tagaytay weather. He reached for the zipper of my dress, his movements deliberate and agonizingly slow.
"Jay, you are the most beautiful thing I have ever—"
THUD.
The sound didn't come from the door. It came from the ceiling. Followed by the unmistakable whirr of a high-speed winch.
"Steady... steady... almost there..." a voice whispered from the air vent.
Keifer's forehead hit my shoulder. He let out a sigh so heavy it could have moved mountains. "Tell me that's a ghost. Tell me the house is haunted and I need to call an exorcist."
"Pa! I can see you!"
The vent cover kicked open, and a tiny, three-year-old head popped out, wearing a pair of night-vision goggles that were definitely too big for him. Alexander grinned, his white teeth shining in the dark.
"Target acquired!" Alexander shouted.
Behind him, a grappling line dropped, and Percy—my step-brother and Keifer's best friend—descended from the ceiling like a very drunk, very clumsy spider. He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt and tactical pants, smelling faintly of tequila and bad decisions.
"Surprise!" Percy yelled, hitting the floor and immediately tripping over his own boots. David followed shortly after, sliding down the rope with professional grace, looking like he wanted the earth to swallow him whole.
The Chaos of the Legacy
Keifer stood up, his shirt open, his hair wild, looking like he was ready to declare war on the United Nations.
"Percy," Keifer said, his voice a terrifyingly calm whisper. "Why are you in my ceiling? Why is my son in tactical gear? And why aren't you at the karaoke bar?"
"Okay, look," Percy said, holding up his hands. "We were at the bar. But then David mentioned that the 'Black Box' security had a 0.5-second lag on the vent sensors during the nightly reset. And Alex... well, the kid is a natural. He challenged us."
"He's three!" I shouted, half-angry and half-impressed, pulling a silk robe over my gown.
"He's a Mariano!" Percy countered, as if that explained everything. "He said, 'Uncle Percy, I bet I can get into Pa's room before you can.' I couldn't back down from a challenge like that, Jay! It's a matter of professional pride!"
"I won!" Alexander cheered, scrambling out of the vent and leaping into Keifer's arms. "I used the 'vent-crawl'! Percy got stuck because he's too fat!"
"I am not fat, I am tactically sturdy!" Percy huffed, adjusting his Hawaiian shirt.
David cleared his throat, avoiding Keifer's murderous glare. "In my defense, sir, I tried to stop them. But then Keigan and Keiran showed up and started taking bets on who would reach the master suite first. There's a pool going in the kitchen. Current pot is fifty thousand pesos."
As if on cue, my brothers Keigan and Keiran strolled through the bedroom door, carrying a crate of beer and a bag of takeout.
"Is the party in here now?" Keigan asked, looking around. "Nice dress, Jay. Very 'I'm trying to have a romantic night before my brothers ruin it' chic."
"Get out," Keifer said. It wasn't a request. It was an ultimatum.
"Aww, don't be like that, Keif," Keiran said, handing a beer to a red-faced David. "We brought food! And Alexander hasn't seen his favorite uncles all day because we were 'busy' doing 'important stuff'."
"By 'important stuff,' he means looking for a specific type of LEGO set that was discontinued in 2019," Percy added, sitting on our expensive velvet chaise lounge.
The New Normal
I looked at the scene. My bedroom—our sanctuary—was now filled with:
My husband, who looked like he was vibrating with the urge to commit multiple homicides.
My son, who was currently trying to show his father how to 'tactically' hide a grilled cheese sandwich in a tuxedo pocket.
My step-brother, who was trying to explain to David why 'The Real Slim Shady' is actually a tactical masterpiece.
My brothers, who were currently debating which of them Alexander liked better while eating fries on our bed.
I looked at Keifer. He looked at me.
The "Monster" took a deep breath, looked at his best friend, his brothers, and his son, and then did something I didn't expect. He sat down on the edge of the bed and grabbed a fry from Keigan's bag.
"If I'm not getting lucky tonight," Keifer muttered, "I'm at least getting a burger. Percy, if you ever put my son in a vent again, I will lock you in the koi pond for a week."
Fair," Percy agreed, opening a beer. "But you gotta admit... the kid's got moves."
I sat down next to Keifer, leaning my head on his shoulder. The romance was dead, buried under a pile of fast food and tactical gear, but as I watched Alexander laugh while Percy pretended to be a 'downed target,' I felt a warmth that was better than any candlelit dinner.
"This is your fault, you know," I whispered to Keifer. "You built this Garrison. You made them this way."
"I know," Keifer sighed, wrapping an arm around me and pulling me close. He kissed my temple, his eyes softening as he watched Alexander. "A legacy of idiots and geniuses. But they're our idiots, Jay."
"Ma! Pa! Look!" Alexander shouted, pointing to the window.
Outside, Section E had apparently returned from the bar and was currently attempting to spell out 'WE LOVE JAY' using glow-sticks and the security drones in the sky. It was messy, half the drones were crashing into the trees, and the 'J' looked more like a question mark.
It was chaotic. It was loud. It was completely ridiculous.
"We are never going to have a normal life, are we?" I asked, watching Mica and Felix argue with the drone controller on the lawn.
Normal is for people who don't have an empire to run and a ninja for a son," Keifer said, finally smiling.
We sat there in the middle of the mess, the King and Queen of a beautiful, broken, rebuilt world. The grief for Aurora was a quiet star in the distance, watching over us, but the house was full of the living.
"Hey Percy," Keifer called out.
"Yeah, Keif?"
"Next time, use the door. Or I'm charging you for the ceiling repairs."
"Copy that, Boss!"
The Black Box wasn't a fortress anymore. It was a home. And as the sun began to hint at the horizon, I knew that as long as we had this chaos, the light would never go out again.