After playing Tales of Xillia for forty plus hours you start to read between the lines and in between those lines are born many a plot bunny. This plot bunny, unlike the others, decided that it would not leave me alone until it was written.

Alvin is Dad. Jude is Daddy. THIS IS NOT MALE PREGNANCY.

Enjoy! Please R&R.

"What'cha think?" Milla asked as she flung her arms out in a tad-dah fashion. To show off her new dress, she twirled in place.

Alvin chuckled, "Almost perfect."

Milla stood on her toes and leaned forward. She balled her fists as she shoved them down at her sides. "Almost!"

"Yeah kid, almost." Alvin ruffled the fifteen year olds hair. "You forgot this," he spun her around, pulled her bangs back, and put a hair clip in her hair.

Milla with the exception of black instead of blonde had her mother's hair. Right down to the green tips and that one wild strand.

"Thanks dad," Milla squealed. After about squeezing the life out of him with her bear hug she ran over the mirror. "It matches my dress!" She giggled.

"Of course. You didn't think I'd let you leave the house looking thrown together do you?" Everyone knew it was Alvin who had the fashion sense in the house. "Come on now or else we'll miss seeing your daddy get his award."

Milla nodded her head enthusiastically. She linked her arm with her dads. "Let's hurry then. I don't want that I happen. He's worked so hard!"

Alvin grinned, "Yes he has."

"Tell me again about when you two met." Milla's eyes grew large as she looked towards her dad. "Please!"

"We've told you this story of our adventure together a million times!" Alvin was exasperated. He did not want to have to tell it to her again.

"Not that time!" Milla pouted. "The second time. The time when you actually stopped lying and stuck around."

"Oh THAT story." Alvin grinned. This was a less frequently told story but one he enjoyed much more. "It's like this you see-," he said as he reminiscence about that day.

-FLASH BACK START-

Jude stepped outside of his home that was located on the outskirts of Fennmont. A huge sigh of relief left him as he leaned against the door, finally a moment of silence. He had been home for a while but had not had time to change out of his work clothes.

"What's got you looking so glum?" Alvin asked as he put an arm around an unexpecting Jude. Having felt that it was a good idea to let everyone cool off it had been a good little while since he had come around. However, they had kept in touch via letters.

"A-Alvin!" Jude could not help but come off as started. Alvin was the last person he expected to show up at his home! The letters that the other had sent were bland at best and almost always about business. Then again he probably did not have room to point fingers because his letters always involved something about Spyrites.

"Something go wrong with your Spyrite project?" Alvin asked the same question just with different words. He was trying his best to figure out why little Jude here was looking so down.

"It's slow but only because-," Jude caste a glance towards the window. He did not know what he expected to see because the curtains were drawn. Maybe he should have left them open. He now felt bad for being outside. "Look just tell me why you're here so I can go back inside."

To get a better look at Jude, Alvin glanced over his shades. "Something's going on here isn't it?" He crossed his arms over his chest. "I know there is because you're not even inviting your old buddy inside."

"My old buddy?" Jude rolled his eyes. "A buddy is someone you can trust."

"Ouch!"

Jude narrowed his eyes.

The last stretch of their journey together had certainly changed Jude. He knew he played a huge roll in those changes but still he did not figure that the other would give him such a cold shoulder. He had thought that they had all gone their separate ways on good terms; after all, they were sending letters. "So what's going on in there? Got some hot broad in there?" Alvin glanced at the window and hoped to see a silhouette.

Alvin's question hurt Jude. He was not a womanizer. "I'm not like you Alvin."

Alvin frowned. He could see how much he had hurt Jude by asking him that. "Sorry," he mumbled. He ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm a changed man," he said as he looked back towards Jude, "have been for some time."

"I want to believe you Alvin. I really do." Jude sighed. "But-,"

"Yeah I know. Me choosing the side that suites me best at the moment makes it difficult. Yada-Yada. We've been over this a dozen times." Alvin rolled his eyes as he too let out a sigh. "But back then I meant what I said."

"I haven't seen one gesture from you that would make me believe you and besides you know that I only have eyes for one person." Jude knew it was a lie, even Milla knew it was a lie- but no one else knew. It was those very feelings for Alvin that always made moments around him awkward. It was also why he at times felt more betrayed by Alvin's actions.

"I stuck with you and the lot of you at the end," Alvin paused, "didn't I?"

"Yeah I guess you did," Jude mumbled. He really did not want to go there. Going there meant having to revisit the feelings from the day that Milla had made her choice. The choice to take on the roll of Maxwell.

"So you won't tell me what's wrong or what's inside. Will you tell me anything?" Alvin had come here with the best of intentions of actually sticking around. He had, had his suspicions how Jude felt about him. Not that he had admitted it to anyone verbally but he had feelings for Jude. He was sure that Jude knew this by previous actions of his. After all, it was at his moment of realization that he had stopped chasing tale. Unfortunately, it had made things awkward for Jude and Milla.

"No because I don't want you getting involved to just run out of us."

"Us?"

Jude mentally smacked himself for saying too much. "Yes, us. Milla left behind something special. She asked me to take care of it."

This peaked Alvin's interest. "You mean like a pet? Did you two like pick up a cat or something during our travels." A pet was easy enough to take care off. After all, all you had to do was feed it, water it, and occasionally show it a bit of attention. Piece-of-cake!

"A pet would certainly have been a lot less complicated." Jude again glanced at the window. Now he really cursed himself for leaving it closed. At least the walls were paper-thin. That eased him just a bit.

"So it's complicated? Did she leave you with some kind of booster technology? You know like Elise and Teepo." Alvin did not understand how that could be more complicated but he was grasping at straws.

"If I tell you will you go away?"

"Probably not," Alvin clasped his hands together and put them behind his head. For such a tense topic, he looked relaxed.

Jude rolled his eyes. He should have figured Alvin would say something like that. The other was so stubborn at times. "Before she completely assumed her responsibilities as Maxwell she entrusted me with her most precious accomplishment." He paused for a moment to debate once more if he really wanted to tell Alvin. He really did not but the other was not going to go away unless he did. Besides this was something he would not be able to keep a secret for long.

Jude was just about to finally, truly answer Alvin when sounds of a fussy baby reached his ears. He gave a brief glance to the other before he headed into the house.

Alvin looked curiously towards the open door. "You know Jude I meant it. I want to stick around." He said as he stepped into the house. It was not as if Jude would kick him out. He had not been invited in but he had not not been either.

"It's not just me Alvin. You get me you get her," Jude said as he came from the nursery. He was doing his best to sooth a fussy baby girl.

"Threesomes are nice," Alvin chuckled as he closed the door. "I've got two arms. One for each of you."

"If my hands weren't occupied I'd-I'd either deck you right now or else throw something at you." Jude growled. He was exhausted and frustrated and Alvin's joking around was not improving the mood.

Alvin was about to make another joke when he turned around and saw what had in his arms. He was about to ask who the mother was but there was no need once he saw the hair.

"You just going to stand there and stare or what?"

"How?"

"Of all the dumb questions you could ask. Seriously I would think you would know how to answer that one." Jude probably would not have been so snappish if not for the baby in his arms. She always cried, making him feel like a failure.

"I know how babies are made! I just mean HOW? She's a spirit and you're a human." Alvin stammered. He watched the two interact and frowned. "Kids don't come with instructions which totally sucks. So um, the basics," he mumbled as he took the little one from Jude.

"She wasn't always a complete spirit."

"Okay you got me there. But when. She never looked like she gained a pound. I know a dozen women that would kill for luck like that." Alvin looked into the little girls eyes. His face softened as he immediately fell in love with her.

"I didn't ask for details." Jude felt oddly at ease as he watched the two interact. It was almost as if Alvin was meant to be a part of this family. He thought back to when Milla had handed him their daughter and how she had told him to let her go and for him to be happy. It did not need saying that, that was her way of telling him to peruse Alvin.

Alvin gently laid her down on the changing table. How hard could it be to change a diaper? "You know things like this don't happen when you wear raincoats kid. Didn't your mom teach you these things?"

"While you may think to carry those things I do not." Jude crossed his arms of his chest. He watched as Alvin attempted to change her diaper. "It isn't like that is on an adventures necessities list. In addition, it was not as if we were going to find one lying in the bottom of a treasure chest."

"Even if we did find one lying around in a sack that had been left behind or in a treasure chest I don't think I'd take my chances and use it." Alvin felt triumphant as he finally got the diaper on the kid.

"What's done is done and she is here." Jude hoped to steer the conversation away from where it was heading.

"I'll say it again Jude. I'm an honest man now with a business. I'm here to stay." He carefully lifted the little girl up from the changing table. "And from the looks of things you could use an extra pair of hands."

Jude looked around his place. It was then that he realized how ridiculously messy it was. Between trying to be a single parent, being a doctor, and researching Spyrites he had little time left for cleaning house and making the place a home. "You better not be jerking me around, I mean it Alvin!"

"So what's her name? I cannot call her hey you for the rest of her life."

"Milla Mathis." Jude was amazed at how quickly Milla had settled down. "If you want to put her down to finish her nap that's her room." He pointed to the room on the right.

Alvin nodded his head and headed towards said room. "So why didn't she tell you about that little lady?" He asked as he reentered the living room.

"I asked that same thing. Her response was she didn't want me to try and stop her from completing her mission." Jude let out a sigh. "So where will you be staying?" He did not know why it mattered but it did.

"Here, there," Alvin shrugged his shoulders as he approached Jude.

For every step forward, that Alvin took Jude took one backwards. He was not entirely sure why things suddenly felt awkward. "Sometimes I wonder who is more adult when it comes to the two of us." He crossed his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes.

"You leave the money making up to me. That I can do," Alvin winked. He did not let Jude backing up discourage him. Eventually Jude would back into something.

"I guess you can stay here," when Jude saw the look in Alvin's eyes he quickly added, "but you're sleeping on the couch." He swallowed the large lump that was growing in his throat.

"Oh come on Jude," Alvin paused, "you aren't scared of me are you?" Using the wall for support, he leaned over Jude. His lips were inches from the others.

"Stop it," Jude tried to push Alvin away. "Just because I had a crush on you doesn't mean you can waltz in here after all this time of you not being around and have things your way." Irritation was evident by his expression.

"Ouch," Alvin frowned. "Guess I should have seen that one coming."

-FLASH BACK END-

Milla hopped from foot to the other. Not could not contain her excitement she let out a high pitch squeal. She knew exactly what came next. "And then you two kissed!"

"Yeah kiddo," Alvin grinned. He had actually gotten a lot more that night than just a kiss. "But, look just because things worked out for your daddy at such a young age doesn't mean you need to go rushing into things."

Milla blinked and stuck on her tongue. "That's just ewww dad!" With that said, she ran off to find her daddy. "Save me a seat dad!" She called out as she stopped to wave at him before disappearing behind the curtain.

Alvin nodded his head. He could only hope and pray that she stayed that way well into her thirties.

-FIN-