Heat
Chapter 10 – Suspension

Finn shook as he did a very good burgundy fish impression.

"Dad, have a drink of water." RJ offered as he got up and padded around in his askew boxers, getting over his embarrassment as Lily clutched his pants to her unclothed, huddled, form. Trying to hide herself from the older man's view.

Finn raised a finger as if to say something but trailed off. RJ gazed coolly over at his father, fixing himself a drink. Finn dropped his fist and turned on the ball of his foot before marching down the stairs and out the door.

"That was awkward." RJ said lightly.

Lily looked at him flatly.

"Don't you think you over reacted a tiny little bit?" Puck asked as she held her thumb and forefinger a fraction of an inch apart.

"I caught them with their clothes off." Puck rolled her eyes; with the way Finn was acting you'd think the man needed an ice pack on his head and smelling salts.

"Lily is in heat, you as a man should know how hard it is for a male to resist."

"He's her master!"

"Brianna was your student if I recall correctly."

"I don't want him making the same mistake I did."

"Lily is not Brianna."

"They're children."

"RJ is twenty-one and Lily is eighteen."

"I'm not ready to be a grandfather."

"Well, you got me there, you weren't ready to be a father either and you managed to cock that one up. Look. Just trust RJ to do the right thing. He's not an idiot."

"He's..." Finn bit off, his voice softening as his eyes grew glassy.

"He's what?"

"His mother's son..." Finn said softly with just a tint of shame for saying it.

"Are you worried that RJ would walk out on Lily and a baby, like Brianna walked out on you and RJ?" The blonde man didn't even need to answer. "RJ is also your son Finn." Puck said before she walked back inside her house where her husband was waiting for her and dinner.

Finn returned to his beach home and stared out at the moon on the ocean, wondering where the time had gone. He sat on the beach, watching the tide swell and ebb as the moon sank on the horizon, leaving a silver streak on the black water. Brianna wasn't a mistake, she never would be, but only because of RJ. She had given him the greatest gift of his life even if she never meant to do it. He remembered the day he was forced to tell RJ the truth about his mother, his son's heartbroken expression still stayed with him after all those years. Was RJ capable of putting that look on his own child's face? Could he put his mate and their cub through the same pain, knowing what it felt like? His heart screamed 'NO' while that dark, jaded part of him murmured 'maybe' yet somehow the two were just as loud as the other.

So he sat there, thinking, while the sun began to rise behind him.

Finally he got up and brushed the sand from his clothes made his way to JKP.

"RJ, uh... I did some thinking... and I over reacted last night." Finn said as him and his son sat at the bar in the loft, sipping their beers.

"Yeah. I mean I'd freak too but... you were kinda... I thought you were going to have an aneurism." RJ chuckled weakly.

Lily hung by top of the stairs, crouched so they couldn't see her, smiling as she listened to the two men bond... somewhat.

"Well, I don't suppose I need to teach you the birds and the bees," Finn said brightly. "But, I suppose a few pointers wouldn't be amiss."

Did he just offer to… Lily clamped a hand over her mouth as she suppressed her laughter. Oh God, I can just imagine the look on RJ's face, she thought.

"Uh. N-no thank you dad," The younger male squeaked.

Lily had to hold onto the railing to keep from rolling down the stairs in her laughter.

Finn laughed too. "I assume you're using protection right?" the father asked sobering up. RJ paled slightly.

"W-well uhm... er... I... we... oh boy..."

"Well in any case, I expect you to do the honorable thing and marry her." Finn said lightly as he took a draught of his beer. Lily nearly slipped on the staircase as her inner eye filled with visions of white dresses and bouquets, jeez Master Finn way to knock the wind out of someone.

Apparently RJ felt the same. "M-m-m-m-m-aaa-arrrriage," RJ said as he started to wobble. "I mean don't you think we ought to... m-m-maybe even date a bit more? I mean mmmmarriage is a huge thing and-and it's-it's-it's expensive." He began to babble.

"Well son, if you get her pregnant, you better not have a child out of wedlock, that's a terribly stupid thing to do, and the taxes... oy. It's far cheaper to get married then to raise a child out of wedlock." RJ began to tremble. Finn smiled genially and finished his beer before excusing himself.

Lily scrambled down the stairs to at least pretend she was doing something close to work.

"Lily. Take good care of my son." Finn said to her before he hugged her, startling a surprised squeak out of her and leaving through the door.

"You..." Swoop managed to gasp out as he laughed, doubling over. Finn grinned and wagged his eyebrows before drinking his tea.

"RJ... I managed to get rid of the guys again..." Lily cooed as she came into the main room, dressed in a naughty-sexy sheer yellow silk PJ set she had Fran pick up for her from Victoria Secret. RJ froze as he clenched the arms of his chair, his eyes wide as he took in the sight of her.

"Uh Lily... how about we cuddle and watch a comedy instead?" RJ suggested almost whining.

Lily pouted as she started to feel the familiar sensation of being trapped in under a blanket.

RJ whimpered as he caught her scent.

God, if you love me, or even have any remote amount of sympathy for me, you'll strike me dead... Now.