Landon

I headed out to my car and took off. I knew exactly where I was going and what I was going to do when I got there. I was still a little shocked that Mark had lied about his parents like that, but I wasn’t going to bring it up. As much as I wanted to give him a smack on the head for being such a wuss with the captain, and everyone at the precinct, I knew how hard this had to be for him.

What I really couldn’t wait to see was the look on his face when I told him about the new policy. I knew he would be relieved to know that the captain would take him back, no matter what his status was.

I knocked on the door a couple times before I heard Mark shuffling around inside. “Who’s there?” he asked through the door after I knocked for the third time.

“It’s me. Please let me in, Mark. I need to talk to you.”

“It’s not a good time,” he said through the door again.

“Mark, come on,” I said, raising my voice so that it boomed down the hall. “We need to talk. Why are you doing this?”

“All right.” The door opened up a crack and I pushed it open the rest of the way so that I could enter. And there he was, in nothing but a huge T-shirt that almost came down to his knees.

“What are you wearing?” I asked as I closed the door behind me. I looked around the living room and was shocked to see the state it was in. The entire apartment was a mess. There were Chinese food containers everywhere and piles of clothes all over the floor. It looked like Mark had taken all the clothes he owned out of his closet and scattered them over every inch of his apartment.

I watched as Mark’s glassy, tear-filled eyes moved down so that he was looking at the shirt he was wearing. “It’s a stupid T-shirt my cousin sent me for my birthday a couple years ago. I guess he got the size wrong when he ordered it.”

“I’ll say. It’s enormous. It looks like you’re wearing a dress.”

“Well, it’s the only thing that fits me anymore, Landon!” Mark yelled as he pulled a couple of tissues out of a box he had tucked under one arm. He wiped some tears off his face and blew his nose, then tossed the tissues on the floor. “You have no idea what this has been like for me! You have no idea what it's like to have everything taken away from you! First my parents, and now my whole freaking identity! I was a laughing stock at work yesterday!”

“Mark, you haven’t lost anything. Please, listen to me. I talked to the captain—”

“You know what’s going to happen if the captain finds out the real reason I took a leave of absence, don’t you?” Mark said, pulling more tissues out of the box, then throwing them onto the floor once he used them. “There’s no way in hell he's going to give me my job back. They don't want omegas on the police force, Landon. And if I can't be a cop, I don't know what I'm gonna do. My entire life is falling apart and spiraling out of control. My hormones are going haywire,” Mark said in between sobs. “I can't stop crying, and none of my pants fit me anymore! I can't even get dressed to go out and get more clothes so I can look decent enough to go out and buy groceries! I’m just glad all I've been craving is Chinese food. At least I can get lo mein delivered." Mark covered his face with another wad of tissues, his whole body shaking with each sob. “I hate my life, Landon. I can’t do this.”

"Mark," I said as I got closer to him. My heart was breaking from hearing him in so much pain. "I want to help you, don’t you understand that? It’s what I’ve been trying to do all this time. Whatever you need … anything at all … I’ll get it for you. All I want is to take care of you, Mark. That’s all I’ve ever wanted,“ I said, gently placing my hands on his shoulders. As soon as I did, I could see the tension in Mark’s body start to melt away. "I can do all of this for you. I can get you the clothes and the food you need. Just please come home with me. I want you to be with me, in our house."

“Our house?” Mark asked as he pulled the wad of tissues away from his face and looked up at me with his big, beautiful brown eyes.

“Yes. I want the house I live in to be our house from now on. But only if you want that too.”

“I do. I want that too,” he said, sniffing and drying his face with a tissue. “That’s what I’ve wanted all this time … but then I got so worried about my job and the guys finding out, and then none of my clothes fit me this morning so I couldn't even leave my apartment …”

“Shhh,” I said, squeezing his shoulders. “It’s okay. I know there’s no way for me to understand what you’ve been going through, Mark. And I’m sorry I acted so badly yesterday. I shouldn’t have left you in the parking lot like that. It was mean and selfish and—”

“No, you had every right to be angry. I knew you were trying to protect me. It’s just that … I was afraid of everyone finding out … what they would think and what they would say. I was so scared of losing my job.”

“Yeah, about that,” I said, brushing Mark’s hair out of his eyes. “I have something to tell you. I have a new partner—”

“Already? They’re replacing me already?” he said with a panicked look.

“Hey, just listen for a second. I have a new partner, and … Mark … he’s an omega.”

“Seriously?” Mark said, looking up at me with hopeful eyes. “How do you know? Did he tell you? Is it a secret or something?”

“Nope, it’s no secret. I haven’t even met him yet. The captain told me.”

“Wait, you’re telling me they hired an omega? Since when do omegas get to be cops?”

“Since now,” I said, smiling at Mark. “And if you want to go back to the precinct after the baby is born, I have a feeling it won’t be a problem. The captain wants you back, Mark.”

“What do you mean if I want to go back, though? Why wouldn’t I want to go back?” Mark asked, his eyes finally dry.

“Well, it’ll be completely up to you. If you want to go back, I’ll be behind you one-hundred percent.”

“Really?”

“Of course I will. I want you to be happy, Mark. That’s all I want. But why don’t we wait to see how you feel once the baby is here.”

“Okay,” Mark said with a sniff. “I guess that makes sense.”

I looked around the room, then back at Mark’s ridiculous outfit. “I want to get you back to the house. Don’t you have a pair of sweatpants?”

“I told you, nothing fits me anymore. Not over this big stomach,” he said, rubbing his hands over his swollen belly. “I can’t get any of my regular T-shirts down past my chest. Why do you think I’m wearing this awful thing?” he asked, yanking on the oversized shirt that had an image of a dog laying in a lounge chair on a beach with a tropical drink in his hand. “But I can’t go anywhere looking like this.”

“I have an idea. Just sit tight for about an hour. I’ll be back.” I kissed Mark and ran out the door. I could barely feel the ground under my feet as I made my way to my car. I was beyond excited to finally be bringing Mark home with me.

* * *

I figured I could get Mark out of his apartment without him feeling like he was on display if he put on some of my clothes. I had to admit, it still stung a little that he was so embarrassed for people to see him pregnant. But he was my mate and I was going to do anything I could to make him happy.

I knew if I could get him to a good place he would see that these changes weren't necessarily a bad thing. He was one of the strongest men I knew and not just his body. He was brave and courageous. He was never afraid to fight anything we encountered while we were out on a case. And I knew that strength in him was the main thing that was going to get him through all these changes.

When I got back to my house I rummaged through my drawers and found an old pair of black sweatpants in the very back. They’d always been a bit loose, so I figured they’d at least get him to the car. Then I grabbed an old T-shirt I usually wore when I worked out. I wasn't a lot taller than Mark, but I was bigger in some ways. My shoulders were much more broad, and if my memory of his incredible ass was correct, my hips were wider, so the chances were good that we could pull it off with these two pieces of clothing and maybe one of my winter jackets. If worse came to worse, I could always wrap him up in a blanket.

All I really cared about at this point was helping him feel better. About himself and about everything. That was the most important thing to me, that he didn’t see any of this as him being silly or idiotic. I viewed what he was doing as nothing short of magnificent, and I knew no one would care that he was pregnant. In fact, I was pretty sure anyone he ran into would be ecstatic for him. He had it in his head that there was something wrong with becoming an omega—that he didn’t matter anymore—and that made me incredibly sad. So everything I did from that point onward was to make him feel as safe and comfortable as possible—while he got to my house, and for the rest of his pregnancy.

On my way back to his apartment I stopped by the grocery store and loaded up my car with boxes. I figured I could grab whatever he needed and put it in a duffel bag, then come back during the week after work and pack up the rest of his things.

* * *

"What's all this?" Mark asked as I walked in the front door to his apartment and tossed two boxes on the floor.

“Some clothes I think will fit you, and some boxes for your stuff,” I said, throwing the clothes on the couch, then grabbing Mark and pulling him close to me. “After we get you home, I can go shopping for more clothes, anything you want. You just let me know and I'll get it for you," I said as I wrapped my hands around Mark's waist. I could feel his bulging belly pressing against my own and it made me smile.

"So, I’m packing everything up today? Right now?"

"No, just pack what you need. I filled my car with boxes on the way back here and I’ll come back during the week and pack everything else. Then I'll probably hire some movers. It might be a little tight, but we can find a place to put your furniture. We’ll figure it out,” I said as I kissed Mark’s furrowed brow. “There’s nothing for you to worry about anymore, Mark. I’ll take care of everything.”

“You don’t have to do all that. I’m pretty sure half the stuff isn’t even worth the cost of moving it,” he said as he looked around the room. “Most of it can go to charity.”

"Well, whatever you want to do is fine with me. It's your call. Just let me know what you want done and I'll take care of it."

"I'm not a little kid, Landon. I don't need someone to take care of everything for me," he said looking down.

"Look,” I said. I was going to get this through his thick head if it killed me. “Mark, this is what I do. It has nothing to do with whether or not I think you can take care of yourself. We've been partners for five years now and best friends for four of them. You think I don’t know you can take care of yourself? I think what you've done with your life is amazing. Putting yourself through the academy after your parents died. Graduating at the top of your class. And, believe it or not, I think you being able to produce a baby inside you is beyond amazing. You may not realize it, Mark, but I look up to you. I always have. You’re smart, and brave, and you’ve got a big heart. You’re a damn good police officer and I consider myself lucky to get to work with you everyday. Hell, you've saved my life more times than I can count. I'm not doing this because I don't think you can take care of yourself. I'm doing this because I can't not do it. I'm an alpha and if you want this relationship to work you have to let me be an alpha. I want to give you everything I can possibly give you and I want to do everything I can for you. I need to do these things for you, Mark. And, right now, there are a lot of things that you need. That doesn't make you weak and it doesn't mean that you’re a lesser person than me. It just means you’re human. We can do this together. That's what a partnership is, right? When we’re out on cases together it isn’t me calling all the shots or you shooting all the bad guys. We work together. And that's how I see this. It's just a continuation of our partnership only … deeper, and stronger, and a whole lot sexier,” I said as I gripped his ass and gave it a squeeze.

I could see by the change in Mark's eyes that I'd finally gotten through to him. He didn't look angry or irritated anymore. In fact, he looked relieved. And that look in his eyes filled me with relief too. “So grab what you need, and let's go home."

* * *

Mark started nesting the minute we got back to the house. I told him he had the run of the place, that he could do anything he wanted, and he started by taking all the pillows and blankets from everywhere in the apartment into the bedroom and piling them onto my California-King-sized bed. Then he took me by the hand and we crawled into what he later started referring to as ‘the sex fort.’

We spent almost every minute I had off from work lounging around in the fort while Mark’s belly grew bigger almost by the hour. He still didn’t feel comfortable going outside, but he was happy. I could see it in his eyes, and that was all I needed.

Over the next few months, I spent my days getting used to working with my new partner. It was fun to watch Hank grow into his own style, but I had to admit I missed working with Mark every day. On the way home from the precinct each night, I would grab whatever he was craving—usually a large carton of chicken lo mein—then rush to get back home to him. It was the most amazing sight in the world, seeing his smiling face greeting me as I walked in the door. Not to mention his belly that kept getting bigger and bigger.

No matter what had happened throughout the day, seeing Mark at the end of it made me feel like the luckiest man in the world.