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They met again the following night. Hughes saw the man dubbed by his daughter as “Roy the kitten” standing around on a street corner. It was late in the evening as the police officer was in a rush to be home with Elysia. Roy’s condition still appeared awful to Hughes, despite how unconcerned he felt. There were obscured bruises peeking out from underneath his shirt collar and the shirt itself was already over-sized. Grimacing at the sight, Hughes attempted to walk by in an apathetic state only to be stopped by his conscience, presented in the voice of Elysia.

"Papa, I want you to be nice to mister kitten. he's hungry and smelly but has been very nice to me. When I was lost, papa, he founded me and helped me find you."

“OH. URRGH!! For the love of— hmmph.” The officer grumbled before walking back to the vagabond, looking none too pleased.

“Why hello there, good sir. Fancy meeting you here.” Roy the kitten grinned, looking a bit too gleeful for his own good.

“You are coming with me.”

“Only if you promise to handcuff me before you throw me in jail for tonight, officer.”

“WH-what?? No! I meant, you’re coming home… with me.” He finished weakly.

“Oh really? What would the other policemen have to say about that? An upstanding lieutenant like yourself taking someone like me home? My, my… scandalous but you are too handsome for me to refuse.”

“WHAT?? NO! Keep this up and you’ll be eating dirt again tonight!”

“I’d rather be rolling in the dirt with you than eating it.”

“Upphh… No more comebacks. You’re coming with me for a bath, which you seriously need, and one free warm dinner. Afterwards you’re back on the streets!”

“I need no favors, kind sir.” Roy’s cheerful nature suddenly turned cold. He began to walk away.

“It’s no favor,” Hughes said stiffly. “I want to invite you because I’m grateful that you found my daughter.”

“Ah. Sincerity. I see. It’s hard to see such things living and working as I do in the streets. If it is the young maiden’s bidding, I shall follow it. Lead the way.”

“Young maiden?? What did you do with my daughter during that time she was missing??” he roughly grabbed Roy’s shirt collar and shook him. The man looking positively giddy that he riled Hughes.

“You have a terrible mind. I am not remotely interested in her. I am more interested in her father however.”

At that admission Hughes let go of the man’s shirt as though he had been burned. He coughed and tried to control the blush on his cheeks.

“Of course I have a pessimistic view. I work as a police officer. I see crime everyday. What’s not to say that you wouldn’t hurt my precious daughter?” he scoffed, walking towards his home with Roy in tow.

“I would never dream of hurting her. You however should be worried,” Roy cackled as he saw Hughes’ face turn a lovely greenish tint. “Although hurt is a terrible word. Pleasure would be more appropriate. Yes. I’d rather cause you pleasu—“

“Stop! Please stop right there!! Cease such horrible thoughts!” Hughes stammered as they approached the door of his home. He fumbled for his keys when the front door suddenly opened with Elysia peeking through.

“Papa!!” she squeaked. “Oh!! You brought me a kitty!!”

“Elysia! What did I tell you about opening the door before I unlock it?” Hughes scolded her, but she wasn’t paying much attention to him.

“Good evening,” Roy said with a smile and knelt down to her level.

“Wanna meet Roy kitty?” She asked, toying with the frills of her pink skirt. “Lemme go get him! I know you two will be best friends!”

As Elysia ran off to find the black kitten, Hughes glared at Roy for taking her attention away from him. With the door shut, the house became quite inviting with a warm fireplace crackling in the corner.

“I hope you’re happy now.” He muttered, stepping out of his boots and coat. Roy followed along, toeing off the shoes that were badly scuffed.

“I’m content to be here. Happy for me would be you and me lounging together in be—“

“Whoa. What did I say about horrible thoughts?” Hughes put his hands up. “Speaking of horrible, that’s how you smell. Let’s get you in a bath, sans me of course.”

“I’ll win you over yet.”

“Yeah yeah, keep on dreaming.”

The shorter dark haired man smiled at that, allowing himself to be led into a nicely furnished bath room. He tried not to look too eager to be rid of his filthy clothes, but the prospect of finally having a hot bath was all too delicious of a thought. Once directing Roy on how to turn on the bath, Hughes went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

After a nice, hot bath Roy felt brand new. Well as new as his body could feel after being soaked in warm, refreshing bath oils. The scent of a home cooked meal pulled him from the bath. He gingerly dried himself off with the plush cotton towels before dressing in the clothes Hughes left out for him. Never before had he experienced such kindness.

Then again, Roy had limited memories of what happened to him from the time he woke up alone in the city’s dark, abandoned alleyways. It was as though life for him started from that time he opened his eyes. Yet that could not be true for he was a grown man. What happened in the past that Roy could not remember? Were they painful memories? Pleasant ones? Perhaps it was not time for him to recall just yet. Either way he felt so safe and secure around Hughes and Elysia, as though they were puzzle pieces that fit in the fragments of his hazy past.

As Roy left the bath room he nearly tripped on his namesake.

“MEOW.”

“There you are Royal! I was looking all over for you!” Elysia scrambled over and picked up the squirming bundle. She nuzzled his face with her own. “Roy the little kitty meet Roy the big kitty!”

Roy smiled and stroked the kitten’s soft black fur. It looked a bit irritated at Elysia but made no attempts to jump out of her arms nor scratch her.

“So his name is Royal? Or Roy for short?”

“I don’t remember his full name, papa does! His name starts with Royal. I just call him Roy. Since you’re our new kitty I’ll go back to calling him Royal!” She reasoned and gave Royal a kiss. Lifting his paw, she used it to wave ‘hello’ to the bigger Roy.

“Elysia! Royal! Time for dinner!”

“I notice your father is calling the kitten Royal as well.” The trio walked into the kitchen where they were greeted by savory roast and steamed vegetables. Eager to eat, they sat down and watched as Hughes cut a few slices of beef and plated them.

“Ewww! Papa, I don’t like greenies.”

“Hissss!” Royal seemed to agree with her.

“See Papa!! Royal hates them too.”

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed you trying to feed your vegetables to him.” Hughes laughed, spooning a healthy pile of green beans onto Elysia’s plate. She made a face and pouted, trying to coax the kitten into taking a bite out of the offensive stringy green thing.

“Little girls become princesses faster if they eat vegetables.” Roy said as an incentive to her.

“Is that true Papa??”

“Yes, it is…” Hughes begrudgingly felt grateful towards Roy once she started eating her greens with renewed vigor. “The princesses who finish all the foods on their plate get dessert too!”

The phone rang as soon as Hughes attempted to start eating his own meal. He quietly excused himself and went to answer. Watching from the darkness of his living room, while listening to a familiar voice from work drone on the phone, he saw Roy and Elysia giggling over some silly conversation. Hughes felt his stomach churn out of jealously. Hunger pains as well.

“Hey Hughes! Can you be bothered to even listen to me??” his co-worker grumbled over the phone.

“Not really. I was in the middle of eating dinner now. You know better than to call during my quality Elysia time." he mumbled darkly, still spying on Roy befriending his sweet little princess.

“Thanks for paying attention, especially after I worked hard to secure the information you've been trying to get your grubby hands on. Besides, you told me I could call anytime I wanted to if I found what you were looking for."

"My hands aren't grubby! I didn't think you could pull it off and get the details I've been searching for. What could you possibly say that's remotely significant to the cases I'm covering aside from the ones we share?"

"Oh. I have lots to say that you'll find very important. Now, as I said before, we found the whereabouts of where your wife was possibly kept. We found remnants of burned photographs in warehouse by the docks. Seedier parts of town if you get my drift. I know that I said before no information was going to be shared with you but…”

“Say no more!! I’m coming in right now!” Hughes reached over to grab his overcoat. He stopped halfway after remembering too quickly that he had an unwanted guest over. “Wait, I’ll be over after I take care of my daughter.”

“Take your time Hughes. No rush. I'll be waiting at the usual pub.”

He hung up the phone and proceeded to call his most reliable neighbor. She was always willing to stop by, mostly as a last minute babysitter. Still, even with the babysitter around, he was clueless about what to do with the homeless stranger. Perhaps he had to drag Roy along with him. Deciding that was the best course of action, he returned back to the dining room.

“Papa has to step out for some police business.”

“Awwww! Why Papa?? You just got home!”

“No worries your favorite older sister is coming over soon to take care of you. I want you to lock the door and wait until she knocks, understand?” she nodded dejectedly at his commands.

“Can Roy stay too? We can play kings and princesses!” Elysia had wandered over to the doorway, where Hughes was rummaging through the coat closet.

“No. He can’t. He’s coming with me.” Hughes grabbed a spare peacoat he had long outgrown and handed it to Roy. “Go finish your dinner and feed Royal too. After that wait in your bedroom until the babysitter arrives.”

The little girl sighed but obeyed, walking back to the table with the little kitten trailing after her. Roy, whom wandered over with her, had looked a bit disappointed, but what did he expect? This was certainly not his home nor was their an option to stay for a longer duration. He was thankful for tonight. There was no reason left to overstay his welcome.

“Thank you for your kindness. I will take my leave. I know how to get back to my alley.” Roy bowed and began to unlock and open the door. “You should stay with Elysia until the sitter arrives.”

“Wait,” Hughes stopped him. “We can walk out together. I know she will be here quickly to take care of my daughter. I am not worried.”

“Heh. Does that mean you’re not worried about her, but for me?”

“Don't push your luck. Let's get going.” Hughes turned away quickly to hide his embarrassed flush. He strangely felt a soft spot for the man and wanted to make sure at least he made it to a shelter safely. The two walked off after saying goodnight to Elysia and securing the door.

Neither spoke to the other as they walked through the town, during the brisk twilight. The street lights gently illuminated their faces. It was peaceful and Roy enjoyed the company. Hughes on the other hand, felt slightly awkward but said nothing. Roy couldn't contain his grin when he saw how the uncomfortable the other man looked. Their night time stroll was cut short once Hughes ushered Roy into a small coffee shop.

“Oh? So was the business call just a ruse? Was it a fake call that allowed us a chance for a romantic stroll and now a date at a nice little café? I knew from the looks of you, that you were quite the romantic!”

“W-wha—NO!” the straight laced papa sputtered. “You. Wait here while I attend to business! I just don’t want you freezing to death on my watch. It’s bad karma.”

Roy sat down, not bothering to order anything until Hughes came over with a hot cup of coffee. Once setting it down in front of the other man, he took his leave. After hearing his fellow officer relay about the chilling photographs and warehouse, Hughes' determination returned. He would discover what had become of his Gracia even if the details would be hard to swallow. The glow from one of the famous bars where most of the police spent their time after investigations beckoned him. There he would begin to unravel the mystery.

Sitting in the back booth was his blond co-worker, with a freshly lit cigarette dangling from his mouth.

"Yo! Took you long enough. Were you on a date?" Jean Havoc was an officer recently transferred into his precinct. He took an immediate liking to Hughes and both liked to tease the other on a daily basis. Through the chain smoker, Hughes found a chance to be light-hearted again. It was obviously a joke about the date, but Hughes wondered if the other man knew how close to the truth he might have been.

"No, why would you think that?" taking off his glasses, Hughes groaned. "No matter. Hand over the information."

"Sure." he hesitated. Hughes was a force to be reckoned with, especially in his hyper investigation mode.

"What are you waiting for? Hand it over."

"Well, only if you promise to help me track down the person in this photo." Havoc pointed out whom he was searching for to his colleague.

Hughes ripped the picture from Havoc's hand. He stared then with an odd sense of calm, he responded.

“I know this man. I rescued him from the streets today. Who is he really... and why is he beside my wife?”

To be continued…