Author's note: I'm sorry bout this whole story. This is my resolution, just put all the chapters on chapter one. Sorry it's all scrunched up though. Oh well, maybe I'll do better next time

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own HMC and I probably never will :exhales:

CHAPTER ONE

The loud cry of a baby woke Sophie at 5am. She opened her eyes wearily and yawned. "Your turn Howl," she mumbled. There was no response, and baby Morgan continued to cry. "Howl, I know you want to sleep, but I've done it the past five nights in a row!" Sophie, despite the early hours, was getting angry at her husband's oblivious attitude to her. "That's it!" She turned over to whack Howl over the head, but found that he was gone.

"Please, shut that kid up!" came the groggy voice of their fire demon Calcifer from the fireplace downstairs. Sighing in sleepiness and frustration, Sophie climbed out of bed and over to Morgan's crib. She carefully picked up her son and cradled him in her arms. "Hush, Morgan, mommy's here now. I'll get you your breakfast," Sophie cooed. Morgan, at the voice of his mother, calmed down almost immediately. Walking as quietly as she could, Sophie carried him downstairs. Reaching into the ice box in the kitchen, she took out a bottle and brought it over to Calcifer. Calcifer gave her a tired and reproachful look.

"It's too early for this," he complained, but took the bottle and heated it up. After a few seconds he gave it back to Sophie. She took the warm bottle of milk and began to feed it to Morgan.

"Come here, please," she said to a chair in the corner and it obeyed. Sophie sat down on the chair in front of the fire with Morgan sucking his bottle happily. "Where's Howl?" She asked Calcifer after a while.

"Dunno, he doesn't tell me where he's going, he just leaves," Calcifer shrugged while grabbing a log. "Why do you ask?"

"Because he always leaves this early and never takes care of Morgan. It's like he doesn't even care that he has a son!" Sophie told him angrily.

"I'm sure he cares, he's probly just too lazy to help," Calcifer said idly.

"I'll show him lazy. I'm going to come up with a way to make Howl take care of Morgan whether he likes it or not!"

"Personally, I'd hate to be in his shoes right now," Calcifer snickered. He knew how angry Sophie could get and what she was capable of. He watched Sophie burp Morgan and take the empty bottle over to the sink. "So what's your plan?"

"Oh, you'll see later today," Sophie told him. "Howl is going to learn to be a good father the hard way."