“You can’t sell him!” Louis growled, tightening his hold around the pig’s neck. “Louis—” “But he’s part of our family!” Zayn looked unimpressed at this reasoning. “Lou, I love you. You’re my best friend. But you and this pig are not my family.” “He is though. His name is—Gareth. Gareth Malik.” “You just pulled that name out of your ass, bro.” “Did not,” Louis insisted. “I’ve been calling him Gareth all along. Ever since I moved into your guest house.” “Liar. Fine. You can keep the pig. But you’re taking care of it. I don’t want to catch it eating all my tomatoes again.” Louis hugged the pig tighter. Gareth let out a grunt. “I will! I swear. Just um—you’ll have to tell me how. Or never mind, I’ll google it. Gareth, here, will be no problem at all.” “Yeah, well, it’s Gareth Tomlinson now. So don’t make me regret it."

December 2006 Louis slowly unlocked the door and stumbled out to the kitchen, just as Jay set down a large mug of Yorkshire tea, prepared in just the way Louis liked. “You okay, poppet?” she greeted him gently. Louis gazed at her for a moment, before bringing his hands up to cover his face, his shoulders shaking violently as he burst into noisy sobs. Jay crossed to him quickly, managing to catch hold of him as his knees buckled. She eased them both down to the floor, guiding Louis into her lap and rocking him slowly, as though he were a toddler, not fifteen years old and having just presented as an Alpha for the first time. “It’s okay,” she whispered into his hair, pressing kisses there now and then. “It’s all going to be okay, sweetheart. I’m here. You’re safe. It’s okay. Just let it out, darling.” A while later, after he’d calmed down, and they were cuddled up on the sofa, Jay felt like the question needed to be asked. “That was a very strong reaction, poppet,” she began. “Yeah…” Louis agreed slowly. “Do you want to talk about it?” Jay asked carefully. Louis let out a slow sigh, curling up a little more and hiding his face in her shoulder for a moment. “I was sad,” he eventually said. “Because I guess this means I can’t be a midwife now. They’re always Omegas, right? Betas at a push?” Jay sighed softly and ran her fingers gently through his hair. “Typically, yes,” she reluctantly conceded. “But it’s not completely unheard of for Alphas to become fully qualified midwives. You just have to be extremely aware of your ruts, and make sure you use the strongest scent neutralisers on the market. Suppressants would probably be strongly advised while you’re completing your training – once you’re qualified and you’ve got a job, you can discuss with the hospital how to manage it.” “Would they definitely need to know though?” he asked. “Couldn’t I just… take the regular suppressants, use the scent neutraliser, and make sure I take time off every six months for my ruts? Like, they expect Omegas to take time off for heats, so it’s not like it’d be out of the ordinary.” “Oh, poppet…” Jay frowned. “I’m not sure about that idea, lying to your employer about something that crucial? Especially in a healthcare role?” She shook her head slowly. “I don’t think that’s a good plan at all.”