End of Part One my little kittens, but have no fear. It's certainly not the end of the story. Warning, some sadness but not directed at the lovebirds really.

                Jongin yawned, enjoying being the little spoon and having Kyungsoo curled around him, holding him and breathing against his neck. It had been over a week since their unexpected wedding and neither man had yet to bring up the subject of annulment. What they had done was explore the cowboy’s favorite parts of Vegas, discover things he hadn’t seen before, ate a lot of wonderful food at both the hotel and various restaurants, went to the shows he’d come for originally, even rented a car one day since Kyungsoo wanted to see Hoover Dam and to the cowboy’s relief was a very careful driver. Everything seemed ten times more enjoyable with the older man at his side, clinging to his hand, tugging his shirt to ask a question or point something out, or slipping behind him to hide when he was feeling scared or overwhelmed. Considering how he’d mentioned he seldom went out in New York, Jongin was surprised and proud his husband seemed to trust him enough to keep him safe.

                His husband. Jongin knew their little dream bubble wouldn’t last, but every time he thought of it it was like someone twisting a knife into his guts and pulling. It wasn’t that he believed in love at first sight. He liked Kyungsoo a lot but wasn’t so far into the faerie tale he thought he was in love, yet. He also knew from watching so many couples over the years that marriage was hard work. A more realistic thought would be if Kyungsoo moved to Nevada since he’d already said he’d wanted to move out west. Maybe they’d be able to work out some sort of relationship that way, depending on where in the state he’d go, though no doubt to the south since he hated being cold. They’d be no way he’d want to move to Jongin’s little patch of nowhere, which was freezing even if they didn’t get that much rain or snow. He’d asked Boss Holland why he chose to set his ranch there when they needed so much irrigation to keep the grass growing for the horses, only to be told it was dirt cheap when he’d bought it.

                Speaking of Boss Holland, he was the reason Jongin was currently awake if not exactly functional. The cowboy had heard his phone go off with the special text alert he had only for his employer and he really needed to read it since the man had told him it wouldn’t be a problem if he stayed longer since he’d met someone, though he hadn’t mentioned they’d gotten married and still had no idea how. If Boss was trying to get ahold of him, something had to have happened. Sighing, he moved just enough to grab his phone and read the text, only to have his stomach drop. Boss Holland’s only child, his son Julian and his wife had been killed in a car accident and the funeral was in a couple days if he wanted to be there.

                Jongin was torn. Kyungsoo had a few more days before he was due to return to New York and he didn’t really want to leave him alone, but Julian and the younger Missus Holland had been just as kind as Boss and his wife when he first came to the ranch. The decision was pretty much taken from him when Cook messaged him shortly afterward with the same news, and the added comment that Tansy, Julian and his wife’s four-year-old daughter was asking for him. Knowing the little girl needed him since her grandparents were likely busy and overwhelmed and feeling like a coward, the cowboy carefully slipped out of Kyungsoo’s arms and hastily threw on his clothes they’d thrown on the floor the night before in their hurry to put a bigger dent in Kyungsoo’s stash of condoms.

                Packing was done hurriedly and sloppily, but Jongin didn’t care. He wasn’t sure which he was more concerned about, getting home to try and comfort Tansy, or Kyungsoo waking up and him ending up being too weak to leave. Deciding both, he slowed down enough to write a note to his husband, explaining why he’d left in such a hurry and leaving Holland Ranch’s address in case he’d left anything or Kyungsoo wanted to get in touch with him. He propped it up against their wedding photo, which they’d decided they liked despite the goofy look on their faces, and with once last glance at the man asleep in bed walked out the door, leaving his heart behind.

                Jongin’s trip home was all nine circles of hell combined into one. He’d managed to get a last minute ticket to Carson City, but was crammed into coach between a young mother with a screaming baby in her lap, who did nothing but smack her gum the entire time, and a sweaty obese teenage boy who kept oozing onto the cowboy’s seat and had a dubious standard of hygiene from the smell. It was a relief to get off the plane and, once he’d gotten his bag, take a taxi to the bus station. That relief was short-lived since his driver had apparently eaten nothing but beans, broccoli, and hard-boiled eggs for the last couple of weeks judging by the frequency of digestive explosions, and the fact they were promptly stuck in a traffic jam didn’t help. He finally got to the bus station and bought his ticket, only to spend hours sitting in a hard plastic seat waiting, eating stale chips out of the vending machine since he didn’t want to accidentally miss his bus, which he was pretty sure was leftover from the Civil War. He was actually surprised it wasn’t being pulled by draft horses as it chugged and belched and threatened to overheat the last few hours before it limped its way into Jongin’s adopted hometown and he could call Chanyeol for a ride out to the ranch.

                “I take it you heard the sad news then” was Chanyeol’s greeting when he pulled up to the bus station a few minutes later in his ratty pickup, Double D barking happily in the back.

                “That’s why I’m here. I heard Tansy was asking for me and I can’t imagine the Hollands’ loss. How are they holding up?”

                “Barely. Tansy isn’t quite sure what happened. She knows her Mama and Daddy are in heaven and can’t come back and she misses them, but she isn’t sure why everyone is so sad when heaven is supposed to be beautiful.”

                “Poor kid. Let’s hope she keeps that beautiful idea. It might help her when it really hits.”

                “Yeah. So, how was your trip?”

                “The businessmen didn’t change, but…” Jongin hesitated, suddenly scared of what his best friend would say about his “Vegas Experience.”

                “But what? Nini, you’re starting to make me worried.”

                “I… met someone. His name is Do Kyungsoo, he’s Korean, a year old and a bit shorter than me, looks like a squishy little owl, or maybe penguin without his glasses since he can hardly see, and ignites fireworks every time we kiss.”

                “Well good for you! It’s about time you got some vacation action. Or are you guys going to try dating? Where’s he from anyway?”

                “New York City. We met on the plane and he offered to let me share his hotel room. And, it was more than a bit of action.”

                Jongin toyed with his wedding ring and waited to see what Chanyeol would come up with on his own.

                “So, you finally got laid. Even better. You can still sit on a horse, right?”

                “Yeol, it wasn’t just that. You make it sound cheap.”

                “Then what?”

                Sighing, Jongin held up his left hand. “We’re not sure what happened the first night we were there, but we woke up the next morning newlyweds, and we just sort of went with it. He’s a sweet man, but I’m expecting that now the vacation’s over he’ll be sending me annulment paperwork. I couldn’t face him when I had to go, but I wrote an explanation as to what happened so he knows I didn’t just ditch him, and left the address so he can send anything he needs to.”

                “You really like this guy, don’t you?”

                “Yeah, I do. He wants to move out west and I know I’m being foolish but I keep hoping he’ll decide to move nearby. He hates being cold though.”

                “You never know, and you’re a furnace. You could always keep, Kyungsoo was it? warm at night.”

                “That would be a dream come true.”

                Two weeks after he’d left Las Vegas and more importantly his husband, and Jongin had pretty much readjusted to life at Holland Ranch. Everyone was still sad after their loss, but had picked up and learned to accept their grief, and Tansy, the little ray of sunshine who had lost the most since they were parents but believed they were happy in heaven watching everyone was managing to coax the others to smile again, if only for her sake. Jongin tried, but even for his favorite girl on earth only got a tiny one.

                “What wong Kai?” Tansy eventually asked her favorite playmate one afternoon when Jongin was cleaning his gear after working with the two-year-olds. She had a noticeable speech impediment that the speech therapist was working on with her in hopes she’d be ready for regular school next year, not that that stopped her from chattering everyone’s ears off. She’d given up trying to call the cowboy by his real name, pouting until he asked her if she could pronounce his stage name instead. She had no trouble with k sounds, more r’s, s sounds, and some others including most foreign sounds so happily called him Kai.

                “I’m just missing somebody I met when I was gone that’s all” Jongin took off his work glove and gently ruffled the tangled blonde head before going to put his stuff away. “I’m taking Peaches out to Doc’s see how her chest is doing, when maybe stopping at Chanyeol’s since he said he had something to show me. You coming with me?”

                “Yeth! Who you mithing Kai?” Tansy asked, helping Jongin by carrying Peaches’ bridle while he lugged the rest over to his stubborn mare’s stall, where she waited patiently for the treats she always got whenever she tangled with barbed wire.

                “His name is Kyungsoo, and I miss him more every day. I had to leave him when I heard about your parents. I was hoping he’d contact me, but I haven’t heard a word.”

                “Oh. Maybe he waiting to thuprith you.” Tansy sounded like she really knew something, but Jongin chalked it up to wishful thinking. It was the first time he’d mentioned his husband to the little girl, and she knew he liked boys the way the other boys liked girls, but she was four. There’s no way she’d ever understand what happened while he was in Vegas. He didn’t even understand it, and he was an adult.

                “I can only hope.”

                Jongin quickly saddled and bridled Peaches, who he swore was pouting until he relented and gave her the carrots he had in his pocket. He then picked up Tansy and set her on the mare’s back, making sure she was clutching the saddle horn tightly as he climbed up behind her and took the reins. They started out in a nice, sedate walk til they got close to the main house and he could whistle to let someone standing on the porch know to let the Hollands’ know he had Tansy, then the three of them ambled off to Doc’s clinic, the little girl chattering all the way.

                Peaches’ checkup was quick and went well, her latest escapade leaving her with nothing more than a bald spot on her chest where her latest scar was, then Tansy practically dragged Jongin inside to see Doc’s latest coyote bait rescues, a mother cat and her six now three-week-old kittens. They’d been dehydrated and completely covered in fleas but were recovering nicely, and had already been promised to Holland Ranch as “barn cats” once the kittens were stronger. Jongin however had a suspicion that the main house would soon have seven furry new residents since Tansy was just old enough to start learning to care for animals, with supervision of course. The little girl also adored cats and had her grandparents she now lived with wrapped around her finger as much as she had everyone who worked at Holland Ranch.

                “Thage and the babies okay?” Tansy asked Doc as she peeked into the nesting box in a quiet corner. For some reason, the little girl had named the mother cat Sage, even though she couldn’t pronounce the ‘s’, and had been studying her grandmother’s spice rack for the last week to try and pick names she liked for the rest. Since she couldn’t read, this meant climbing on the counter and smelling each one, then asking what it was. Jongin personally found it cute, though Missus Holland was a bit worried her granddaughter might slip and hit her head.

                “They’re fine Tansy. In fact, another week or two and you can probably take them home if you promise to keep them warm and feed them often.”

                “Okay Mither Doc! We go to Elfie’s now.” Chanyeol’s name even more of a mystery to Tansy. So, since the bar owner looked like an over tall version of one of “Thanta’s Helpers” to the little girl, he’d been nicknamed Elfie.

                “Apparently there’s something Yeol really wants me to see. I’m sure we’ll see you soon Doc” Jongin shook the vet’s hand before following Tansy back out to Peaches, where she’d been waiting tied to a hitching post. The cowboy set the little girl back on the horse, and after taking his own spot again pointed Peaches toward Happy Virus so he can finally know what was so important.

                After tying Peaches to the rail in front of the bar and making sure she could reach the water, and noting an unfamiliar and too shiny black truck in the small parking lot, Jongin took Tansy’s hand and they walked into the bright purple building with the orange blobs the not-so-artistically talented Chanyeol insisted were blown-up “happy viruses” but truthfully just looked like lopsided polka-dots. As always it took a minute to adjust to the lighting, then the pair took seats at the bar, where Yeol’s invaluable assistant Sara Jo waited to see what they wanted.

                “What will it be today you two?” the tiny, curly-haired brunette asked.

                “Milk pleath Thara. Where Elfie?” Tansy answered first, only to add “Kai wanth milk too. We on Peatheth.”

                “I guess I’m having milk too, but she has a point. Where is Yeol?”

                Sara Jo pointed a thumb to the swinging doors. “He’s in the back with his guitar. Someone needs help with a confession of some sort and wants to sing. Heaven help us all if they’re like most of the drunks on karaoke night.” She poured them both glasses of milk, gave Tansy a straw and the coloring book and crayons Chanyeol kept behind the bar just for her, and headed in the back for something.

                Jongin winced. Yeol wasn’t a bad guitar player, but there was a distinctive lack of singing ability among the residents and wondered who it was. The bar was pretty empty who whoever it was must have been eager to get there early. Most of the older folks already had someone, and the few younger liked to go to a bigger town for dates, so he just had no clue. So, he sipped his milk and helped Tansy choose a picture to color.

                The two were working on a picture of a mother duck and her ducklings when Jongin picked up the first bars of an old Dolly Parton song. There still wasn’t anyone other than Sara Jo stocking clean glasses and the two old men permanently installed in the corner, drinking cheap beer and playing checkers, so he figured it was just a rehearsal. The mysterious singer was starting now, actually managing to sound good even over the cheap, tinny karaoke machine’s cordless mike. He then nearly broke the purple crayon (Tansy’s choice) he’d been using when Kyungsoo stepped out, dressed in the same jeans and sweater he’d worn the day they met. He smiled, even as he continued singing, something about love and butterflies but Jongin wasn’t paying the least bit of attention. His husband was holding the mike in one hand and had the other against his chest, where the light caught and the cowboy noticed he too was still wearing his wedding band. Hope swelled in him so fast he thought he’d explode and could hardly wait for Kyungsoo to finish so he could touch him and make sure he was real.

                Finally the song was done and Jongin rushed over to pull Kyungsoo into his arms, crying in joy over seeing his husband again.

                “Well, I guess this means you missed me too Love. Don’t cry though. You don’t want to upset little Cupidette over there.”

                Jongin glanced over at Tansy, who now had a huge smile on her face. “I told you Kunthu wath gonna thuprith you Kai.”

                “What are you doing here Soo?”

                “You have some explaining to do Mister Kim, like why you didn’t wake me and let me know what happened? A note isn’t acceptable, so I had to do some googling and make a few phone calls. What you did say was where to send anything you forgot, so I did.”

                Jongin was puzzled since all his belongings were accounted for. “What did I forget?”

                “Me you beautiful idiot. A man’s place is at his husband’s side, or did you forget “for better or worse til death do us part?” You should’ve told me so I could’ve come with you. Since neither of us has started any legal paperwork, it’s probably safe to say we’d rather stay married, yes?”

                “You really mean that?”

                “I didn’t check out early, fly back to New York, get into an argument with Baek, buy a snazzy black truck, load it with my stuff, and drive two days if I didn’t mean it. Now, if you really don’t want me I could leave, but I’d rather not since I just got here.”

                “Soo, you’re here! Pinch me, this can’t be real.”

                “I refuse to pinch my husband. Now kiss me like you mean it!”