A/N: Daria and all associated materials are owned by MTV. This is for entertainment purposes only and no money or other goods have been exchanged for this. All original characters were created by me. I politely ask that you check with me first if you wish to use my characters in your own work. Thank you.

THE GREAT AND THE GOOD: HEMMING'S WAY
By Ognawk

Part 1

It was a sunny day in downtown Baltimore. A new black Mercedes pulled up outside the law offices of Davidson, Fisher, Carter & Hemming, and out stepped the owner of the vehicle, Christopher Hemming III. He was a man of average height and build, with short black hair and a neatly trimed moustache and oval rimmed glasses. He was dressed in a smart Bourdais business suit, and carried his trusty black briefcase with him. He'd founded the firm with three of his friends from his time at the prestigious Crestmore College, and they'd earned a very enviable reputation in the relatively short time they'd been existence.

Christopher walked through the front doors and gave a nod to the receptionist on his way in. He made his way to his office and closed the door, sighing with relief as he did so. It had been a hard day, but a successful one. He went and placed his briefcase on his desk before sitting down. He relaxed for a minute as he looked with a smile at the framed photograph on his desk. The image was from his wedding. There he was, looking dapper in a tuxedo, and next to him in a long, flowing white dress, his beautiful wife Melissa. They'd been married for over three years now. They'd met in high school and been friends for a while, but it wasn't until their last year at Crestmore that he'd had the courage to ask her out, and it was the best decision he'd ever made. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his secretary through the intercom.

"Hello, Mr. Hemming, there's a call waiting for you," she said.

Christopher pressed the button on the intercom. "Thank you, Clarice. Put it through please."

The phone rang a few seconds later and Christopher picked up.

"Hello, Christopher Hemming speaking."

"Christopher, my old friend, how are you doing?"

Christopher smiled at the familiar voice. "Angier Sloane, what an unexpected surprise. I sincerely hope this is a personal call and that you haven't gotten into some sort of trouble that you need me to bail you out of."

Christopher and Angier were friends from back in their time as students at Fielding Preparatory Academy. They'd gone in different directions, with Angier going to Bromwell while Christopher went to Crestmore, but they'd stayed in touch with each other.

"It depends how you define trouble," Angier replied.

"This I have to hear," Christopher said with a chuckle.

"In all seriousness, though, I'm calling to announce to you the birth of Thomas Frederick Sloane. Came through at 9.37am, Mother and baby are doing well."

"Congratulations! I imagine Kay must be relieved it's over."

"I think so. She's been somewhat cranky these last few weeks."

"Well, if we had to carry a bowling ball around in our bellies for weeks, we'd be pretty crotchety ourselves."

Angier laughed. "Yes, I imagine we would be. Speaking of kids, how's Melissa coming along?"

"Everything seems to be going pretty well so far. She's six months along now. As long as I keep the place stocked with beets and white chocolate, I think it'll be fine."

"Any idea whether it's a boy or girl yet?"

"We're waiting until the day to find out," Christopher explained.

"Ah, I see. A bit of mystery," Angier said with a smile, "Thought about names?"

"Well, if it's a boy, we're likely going with Christopher IV. If it's a girl, it'll be Cassidy."

"Excellent. Well, I must be going. Kay will be wondering where I am. Speak to you soon, Christopher."

Melissa was in the delivery room at Cedars of Lawndale, Christopher at her side, holding her hand. Melissa was screaming as she tried to push.

"Come on, Melissa, we're almost there," the doctor said.

"I hope so," Melissa replied.

"One more push, and we're there," the doctor said.

With one final push, Melissa was finally done as Christopher stroked her hand and kissed her on the forehead.

"Excellent, we're done," the doctor said as they took the baby away to clean it.

"Thank you for being here, honey," Melissa said as she slumped back, exhausted.

"Benefit of being a partner in the firm," Christopher replied with a smile, "There's no way I wouldn't be here."

The doctor returned and handed Melissa the baby. "Congratulations, Melissa, it's a girl."

Melissa cradled the little girl in her arms as both her and Christopher gazed upon their tiny new daughter squirming around, her bright green eyes looking around.

"Hello Cassidy," Melissa said, an exhausted but satisfied smile on her face.

As Christopher leaned in, Cassidy grabbed one of his fingers and giggled.

"She's beautiful, just like her mother," Christopher said as he put his arm around his wife.

To Be Continued...