Carter walked into the large foyer of Brooklyn House exhausted, scratching his thin beard.

In the fifteen years he had lived in the Brooklyn nome, he had never heard the place so quiet but it was four in the morning. Everyone was asleep.

"How's Zia?" A bright voice called with just a hint of a London accent that defiantly refused to go away.

Carter smiled wearily at his sister who was climbing down the stairs with two bottles of hair dye: one blue, one pink.

"Still in labor." Carter informed her as he sat down at the kitchen table.

"I just came home to rest and get some food. Where's Walt?"

"Putting the boy to bed" Sadie said, joining him. She looked forlornly at her dye. "I want to know which of these I should use, already."

She sighed. "Oh well. How you holding up, Carter?"

"Fine. Tired. Really need a drink."

Sadie grinned and produced two bottles of beer. "On that point, I have got you covered, brother dear."

Carter smiled appreciatively. They opened the bottles and drank.

"Hey, Sadie..." Carter ventured.

"Yeah?" Sadie replied.

"I'm going to be a dad." He said in awe, as if just realizing after nine months.

Sadie grinned. "I know. Exciting, isn't it?"

Carter nodded uncertainly. "But scary."

Sadie took his hand. "Carter, you are a right annoying pain in the arse brother..."

Carter snorted.

"...but you will be an amazing father. I promise you."

Carter smiled gratefully.

"What's it like? Being a parent?"

As if on cue, little feet crashed down the stairs and a small, three year old boy with chocolate milk skin and a thin buzz of black hair ran toward them, shouting energetically.

Sadie looked wryly at her brother. 'Patience trying, for one thing." she turned to her son. "Julius Walter Stone, what are you doing out of bed? Didn't your dad tuck you in?"

The boy toddled into his mother's lap.

"I,um, I" he babbled "I thought I heard uncle!"

Carter chuckled "I'm right here, champ."

He waved and Julius waved back, grinning delightedly.

Sadie sighed "Yes, yes, say hi to uncle Carter. Now, bed." she hefted him up.

"Dear lord, you're enormous. Well, I best put the boy to bed."

"Okay..." Carter's phone rang and he picked it up. "Hello? Yes, this is he. Hello. Really? Thank you! Yes, I'll be right there!"

he closed the phone, eyes gleaming. "Zia had the baby! A girl! I'm going over now."

He dashed for the door.

"Excellent." Sadie called after him. "I can finally dye my hair."

A few days later, Carter and Zia both came back in a taxi, a small brown form swathed in a pink blanket in Zia's hands.

Sadie, Walt and their son were there to greet them. Bast was with them, back for a visit to meet the baby. She peered over their shoulders, looking like she wanted to give the "new kitten" a bath.

"Look Jules" Walt said holding his son up so that he could see. "This is your new cousin."

"Her name's Alexandria" Zia said, cradling her tenderly. "Alexandria Ruby Kane."

Walt frowned. "Why that name?"

Carter coughed and blushed. "No reason."

Sadie smirked slyly. "Considering you two visited the nome in Alexandria and nine months later she was born, I think I know why."

Zia laughed as she, Bast and Sadie went upstairs to get the baby settled and to put Julius down for a nap. Bast still looked like she was thinking about that bath.

Walt and Carter settled on the couch, Walt shaking his head disbelievingly.

"Seems like just yesterday we were just kids." he said "Now you and Zia have a baby and I'm looking into kindergartens for my son."

Carter smiled. "I know. Remember how Julian used to hog this couch?"

"Yeah, and Shelby would draw while he watched ESPN. Gods of Egypt, she's in college now."

"Or Felix and his penguins? Wow, he's a father now too."

They sat in silence, wondering where the time had gone. They almost felt like boys again, learning to navigate school, girls, and running the nome. At the time, all of those things seemed daunting. But now the challenges ahead seemed even more insurmountable.

"Carter?"

"Yeah."

"This is going to be hard, isn't it?"

Carter smiled softly. "Yeah."

A/N: I write something new again for once! I decided to do this because I loved how Brooklyn house was like one big family and I wanted to do something about that continuing on into the future. Plus the idea of Carter and Sadie having to deal with each other on top of the challenges of being married and raising kids was too amusing to me to pass up. Hope you liked this chapter and thank you for reading/ect.!