Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months and soon the winter snow melted away with spring and soon the timid sleepy foliage blossomed fully into the dense green brush of summer. Charlie was growing fast and soon the now not so little boy was rounding about the eleven month mark. He was sitting up on his own and even crawling around the house. It was nearly impossible to get that little boy to sit in one place for long. It was obvious he had Alfred's adventurous spirit. He babbled to himself and others almost constantly, desperately trying to grasp the concept of words. It seemed as if he had the same talkative spirit as his father as well. "Do you think he'll say some words with an accent?" Alfred asked curiously as he lay on his stomach on the floor, Charlie curiously climbing on top of him, examining every inch of his father's body as he babbled to himself.

"Well I don't know, probably. I am around him all day and I talk to him often enough." Arthur replied as he sat on the couch, sipping his tea daintily and watching his son and husband play. "It's definitely a possibility I suppose."

Alfred rolled onto his back scooping Charlie up and holding up above himself, grinning broadly saying something about airplanes and flying. Arthur smiled warmly at the scene and at the sight of those matching brilliant grins. Charlie was really growing at a remarkable rate. When all those people had told him that children grew up fast he never really quite believed them, but now he fully understood their words of warning.

When Arthur came back to reality it seemed as if Alfred had given up on the game of airplane and was sitting upright with Charlie in front of him. "C'mon Charlie you can say it, 'Papa'." The American prompted, carefully sounding out the words so Charlie could grasp them. The baby muttered something, but it wasn't close to what Alfred had wanted him to say.

Arthur smirked playfully as he placed his tea cup down on the coffee table and got up to join the other two on the floor. "No, no Charlie 'Daddy', say 'Daddy'." Arthur prompted the little boy.

Alfred cocked one dark blonde brow at his partner, "Are you challenging me?" He inquired, playfulness dancing in his bright blue eyes.

"Hmm that depends, do you want it to be?" Arthur shot back smartly.

"Well I'll have to accept know just so I can wipe that silly smile off your face." Alfred playfully stuck his tongue out at his partner.

"Oh very mature Alfred. Sometimes I think Charlie is more mature than you and he's only ten months old." The Briton teased lovingly.

"Totally, this maturity level is twenty five years in the making." The American grinned proudly. "Alright, if I win and Charlie says 'Papa' first then you have to eat Mc Donald's for dinner."

Arthur visibly grimaced at the very thought of it. "Ugh, you know how I hate that heart attack inducing grease covered slop you American's call food." The Briton's small pointed nose scrunched up in his distaste. "But if I win and Charlie says 'Daddy' first then you have to let me cook a traditional British dinner for once."

Alfred tried his best not to grimace at the thought. Let's just say Arthur's cooking wasn't the best ever and leave it at that. If Alfred went into details of Arthur's attempts of cooking he may make himself vomit. "O-okay… but I'm not gonna eat your cooking anyway because you're not gonna win!"

Arthur smirked to himself. The Briton did have one advantage over his unknowing husband. Arthur was a writer therefore he worked from and therefore he would be home with Charlie and only Charlie was Alfred was out at his job all day. With enough encouragement Charlie would be saying 'Daddy' left and right and Alfred would be forced to sit down to a good old fashioned British dinner.

Victory was going to be oh so very sweet.

Over the course of the next few days at every opportunity Alfred was sitting with Charlie prompting him to say 'papa' before the little boy had the chance to learn to say 'daddy'. The future health of Alfred's digestive tract depended on which one the baby spoke first. "Come on Charlie say 'Papa' please say 'Papa'." Alfred practically begged his 10 month old son, but the little boy didn't seem the slightest bit interested in what his father was trying to teach him. He would look at his father curiously for a few moments, but then would find a toy or some other object much more amusing and abandon his father.

"Not having much luck now are we, love?" Alfred heard the smirk in Arthur's voice before he turned his head and saw it playing on the Briton's thin pink lips. Alfred breathed out a heavy sigh from between pursed lips as he rolled back and lay flat on the living room floor.

"I love Charlie to death, but he's got the shortest attention span. Ever." Alfred whined as he placed a forearm over his eyes.

Arthur chuckled softly as he strode over to his husband and sat himself down on the floor next to him, "Then I guess he's more like you then we realized." He teased lovingly.

"Haha, very funny." Alfred shot back, removing his arm and shooting his husband a look.

"Oh relax; my luck hasn't been much better." Arthur said as he reached out and placed a comforting hand on his husband's tanned arm. "I've tried getting him to talk for me too, but he doesn't seem very interested in what we have to say." Arthur looked to the other side of the living room where Charlie was busily playing with a few left out toys while he babbled to himself in his baby language.

Alfred glanced over at his little boy too. The baby's dark blonde hair had grown thicker and longer in the passing months. The wispy locks were becoming more uncontrollable and the cowlick at the base of his forehead becoming more prominent like Alfred's. He really was quite adorable with those big baby blue eyes staring at world with such endless wonder and curiosity. Alfred hummed a sigh as he sat up again, "Well, I guess he'll just talk when he's ready to talk."

"That's right love, now hurry up or you'll be late for work." Arthur said, affectionately giving Alfred a light thwack to the arm and prompting the younger man to get up.

"Yeah, yeah I'm going." After a few kisses good bye to both Arthur and Charlie Alfred headed for work and Arthur headed off as well even if work was just around the corner in his study. The Briton gathered up Charlie and a few of his favorite toys- including Winston the unicorn that had faithfully stuck by his side in these passing months- and brought them to the study. Charlie was more than content to sit in front of Arthur's desk and play with his toys all while Arthur typed up the chapters to his latest book.

"I'm almost done with chapters twelve through seventeen, only a few more paragraphs to go." Arthur spoke into the phone to his editor, Ruby. "Of course I'll e-mail them to you as soon as I'm finished…" Charlie squealed with delight from his perch as he held a bright colored toy car wheeled it back and forth. His sparkling blue eyes looked up to his father as if saying 'Look what I can do'. Arthur smiled broadly at his little boy in acknowledgement that he saw. "Yes, yes… alright, I'll talk to you later Ruby. Good-bye." Arthur hung up the phone and looked over his desk at the blonde haired boy sitting on the floor. "Look at you darling, having fun?" Charlie flashed his father a wonderful toothless grin. Arthur smiled again as Charlie returned to his toy and the Briton returned to his writing.

It was relatively silent for several moment and it forced Arthur to look up from his work to see what was making little Charlie so quiet. The little boy's face was serious, his chubby cheeks puffed out as he concentrated on what he was trying to do. "What's the matter love, do you need to be changed?" Arthur inquired even though he knew Charlie couldn't answer.

"Da…" He muttered out. "Da… Da…" Arthur's thick, prominent brow arched in question at his son's odd behavior. "Da… Da…" Arthur's pen fell from his hand and clattered to the carpet covered floor beneath him. Was… was Charlie trying to…? Arthur flew up from his seat, kneeling down in front of his darling son.

"C'mon love, you can say it. Say 'Daddy', say 'Daddy'." Arthur prompted.

Charlie's little plump lips worked along with his mouth, his blue eyes seriously focused as he tried his best to grasp the word. "Da… Da…"

"Daddy…"

"Da… da…dy… da…dy… daddy!" Arthur could have sworn his heart exploded with the way pride made it swell. As soon as that simple word left Charlie's perfect pink lips Arthur was a goner, his head all the way up on cloud nine.

"Yes, yes! Daddy! That's right my dear, sweet, precious little boy!" Arthur cried with delight as he scooped the baby up in his arms and danced and skipped about the room, too elated to care he looked like an absolute moron.

Charlie squealed and laughed, clapping his small chubby hands together and repeated the wonderfully approved word time and time again. Arthur laughed as he had never laughed before, smiled as he never hand and continued to dance with his son carefully cradled in his arms. Oh just wait until Alfred heard this. He'd drop dead on the spot.

Alfred was busily signing away on one paper or another, looking over documents, calling a co-worker or two and getting on with his day when his cell phone started buzzing away in the pocket of his khaki pants. Arthur? Why would Arthur be calling him? Maybe something was wrong? The American's stomach fell slightly as he pressed the green receive button and brought the phone to his ear. "Hello…?"

"I think you ought to listen to your son." Arthur's voice sing sang, the smirk apparent in the smugness of his tone. The Briton placed his cell phone by Charlie and the little boy gladly obeyed his father's wish.

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" He squealed over and over again happily, clapping his hands together.

"I win; bring your appetite home tonight." Arthur said triumphantly, the ideas of what to cook already floating through his mind.

"Oh… oh my god he-! He said his first word!" The grin on Alfred's face easily spread from ear to ear, his bright blue eyes glowing with a mixture of excitement and pride. "Oh man…. That's it I'm coming home, no way am I going to miss my son saying his first words."

"Come now Alfred you don't need to do that." But of course Arthur knew there would be no stopping his husband. Once the American got an idea in his head there was no hope of stopping him. In all honestly Arthur really did want his husband home. Of course it was just to be able to enjoy this momentous occasion… or it may have been to rub the Briton's victory in Alfred's face just that much more. Of course Alfred was home within the hour (After a lot of pleading with his boss) and the couple was able to share a loving afternoon with each other and their newly somewhat literate child.

As the day slowly turned into night a horrible burning scent began wafting from the kitchen as Arthur worked on his 'Meal'. Alfred struggled to keep himself occupied and distracted from his imminent fate by playing with Charlie and prompting the little boy to say 'papa' but the baby seemed much happier saying his new word 'Daddy'. "Oh c'mon Charlie… you can't even say 'papa' before he dies from Daddy's cooking?" Alfred hurriedly begged his son.

"Oh belt up, you won't die. You're so horribly cruel, insulting my cooking when I try so hard to make something nice for you." The Briton huffed between his pouty, puffed out cheeks as he worked at the stove top. Alfred frowned softly, furrowing his dark blonde brows at the comment. Unfortunately though a loss was a loss and heroes lost with dignity even if it meant the end of their digestive health.

Still whether Charlie was saying 'Daddy' or 'Papa' it didn't matter because either way the Kirkland-Jones parents were still as proud and elated as they could possibly be. Charlie was growing quickly and soon the baby would be talking more, walking, going to school and the like. Alfred and Arthur only hoped it did all rush by too quickly and they would be able to savor these priceless memories of them and their darling son Charlie.

A bit of a short chapter, but I wanted to make this one cute to make up for all the drama I've given you guys in the last chapters.

In any case…

WE'VE ALMOST REACHED 200 REVIEWS, JUST 10 MORE TO GOOOOO! I can honestly not thank you guys enough for all the love and support and feedback you've given me over the course of this story. I have never before made a fan fiction that was this popular and I'm positively elated to know that people like my work. Thank you so much darlings, you're absolutely glorious all of you!