Violet and Buddy sat in a coffee shop that afternoon after Jack Jack had gone home with Oliver.

"How is he?" Buddy asked, "I… I want to know about him,"

Violet laid her eyes on his face then drifted them back down to her coffee, "It'd be easy for you to know him… if you were a part of his life," she responded.

Buddy held his breath and let his eyes fall slightly.

Violet chuckled quietly, "But you don't do that do you," she took a sip of her coffee and shook her head, "You don't let people in, it doesn't matter who they are,"

There was silence for a moment.

Buddy narrowed his eyes slightly and looked back up at her, "Don't presume to tell me who you think I am, Violet,"

"Sorry, I must still be bitter you had sex with me and never called me back," she replied sarcastically, taking another sip of her coffee.

"Look," Buddy slammed his cup down on the table, "I know you don't like me, you have never liked me," Buddy spoke, "I'm pretty sure you still hated me while we were having sex. But there's more to this… us… or…. Whatever, than there was before," he replied.

Violet just looked at him.

"And where are you getting off saying I'm the one who never lets people in?" Buddy responded, "It didn't matter how I actually felt about you, you weren't going to like me no matter what. You don't let people fall in love with you."

Violet furrowed her eyebrows, "How do you actually feel about me?"

Buddy paused and exhaled, shaking his head slightly, "felt"

Violet blinked and her eyes fell a moment as she sat in the silence.

"Listen… all that aside… I want to know my son," Buddy said.

Violet brought her eyes back up to meet Buddy's before nodding slightly.

"If there's a way we can make you and my dad not have to cross paths…" Violet muttered.

"I'm sure we can think of something," Buddy spoke, staring at her.

There was something about the way he looked at her, and Violet didn't know how it made her feel. It wasn't loving or anything sappy like that, but it wasn't spiteful, or hatred, it was almost… disappoint. As if Buddy had imagined Violet to be someone completely different and when she'd become something else, it disappointed him. She didn't know if she felt indifferent or if she actually felt guilty for not being the person Buddy wanted her to be.

After all, they really didn't know anything about each other.

The next afternoon, Violet brought Oliver over to Buddy's apartment.

Buddy smiled softly and kneeled down to get on Oliver's level, "Hey, Olly,"

Oliver smiled shyly and hid behind Violet's leg.

Buddy smirked, "Are you hiding? From me?" he reached over and began tickling Oliver who squealed in a fit of laughter and a big bright smile spread across his face.

Violet never imagined Buddy to be such a natural with children. She smiled gently.

Oliver jumped on Buddy's back and tried tickle him back but Buddy reached around and pulled him off and held him in his arms, "You're just being silly now," he gave Oliver a noogy. Oliver giggled and squealed.

Violet had always had this image in her head of Oliver having a perfect relationship with his father. She never thought she'd see anything like it. She felt butterflies in her stomach and her face get warm as a tear pricked at the corner of one of her dark brown eyes.

"I'm just gonna… go use the bathroom," Violet spoke exiting the room.

She shut the door and leaned against the sink, shutting her eyes as a tear fell from her eyes. She took a few slow deep breaths.

She lifted her head and wiped the edges of her eyes.

Why the fuck did, even after five years, looking at Buddy Pine make her feel so fucking butterfly-y and love sick. It's fucking Buddy.

She bit her lip and took another deep breath.

Violet splashed a little bit of cold water on her face before coming back out into the living room, only to see Buddy and Oliver were now laying on the floor and Oliver was teaching Buddy how to play some game he'd just made up.

Violet leaned against the wall and grinned.

"And then what?" Buddy asked him excitedly.

"Then-then we… have to run away from all the big scary monsters!" Oliver jumped and threw himself into Buddy's arms. Buddy wrapped his arms around Oliver and smiled, catching Violet's eye and smiled up at her.

Violet smiled back at him.

"Will you fight the monsters daddy?" Oliver asked, pulling back to look at him.

Buddy paused and smiled, just staring at his son, "Yes… yeah, kiddo, I will,"