A/N: Crap, I'm going to have to make it a four-part series. I was doing so good, too! Anyways, enjoy!

ALISTAIR'S POV

I wake up to the sound of the kid crying.

God, I'm tired.

I flop over in bed. I almost say that "It's crying," but I remember Rule #1 and stop myself from doing so. After a second, I mumble, "He's crying." Vander looks over at me and smiles apologetically, "It's your turn." Rule three, we'll never leave him crying.

I get up, yawning, and walk to the crib, where the little guy cries loudl. I pick him up and smell his bottom.

Nyeugh. He needs changed.

I take him to the little table set up for changing and put a new diaper on the kid, as unpleasant as it is. Once that's done, I pick him up, and once his whimpers are silenced, I put him back in the crib. He stares up at me with his big blue, metallic eyes.

He's kind of adorable, I think.

"Good night, kiddo," I say quietly, and then I walk away.

He starts squealing the second I exit the room. Rule #2… Patience… I remind myself, going back to his room. When I look in the crib, he holds his arms up to me and waves them. I grumble to myself but pick him up. He makes quiet but happy babbling noises in my ear, taking handfuls of my shirt in his little fists.

I hold him against my chest, a hand on his head to support it and one holding him up. I take a seat on an old rocking chair that came from my old place, and rock him back and forth, singing a song to him quietly that I sang to Vander at our wedding.

Little Chrome keeps a hold of my shirt and his eyes slide shut. He makes content baby noises until he dozes off. Once he lets go of my shirt, I change positions slightly, holding him horizontally across my lap, then I gaze down at him.

"How am I supposed to be your father?" I ask him quietly. He doesn't move, I don't expect him to. "How does Vander think I can take care of you? He was able to take care of a baby at 8-years-old, sure, but I don't even know what babies like…" I sigh quietly, my heart feeling heavy at harboring so many secrets away from Vander.

"I wish I could say I felt confident being your Dad, but I don't. I'm sorry." I keep rocking him back and forth. "My parents ewre shit, and I don't have a heart like Vander's. My Mom constantly ran around screaming. My Dad died slowly in bed." The baby in my arms sleeps peacefully and I know there's no point to saying anything else.

Maybe I'll feel better about it if I just confess, even if it's to a sleeping someone who wouldn't even understand if they were awake.

"When I was ten my Mom somehow got pregnant with a second kid. I was thrilled. I took care of her as best as I could with her Dad, made them food and tried to keep her busy so she wouldn't constantly be moving. And one day when she was, oh, six months in or so… Well, it was normal. I went to the market, got groceries, came back…" I sigh, "And, well… My mom was screaming about something attacking her from the inside, an alien growing in her gut… She took a knife and gouged the kid right out… And all I did was watch." Guilty tears threaten to escape my eyes.

"I failed that kid before they were even born," my voice cracks, "I should've noticed my Mom's tears. I should've seen her fear. I should've stayed home, or hidden the knives like I had to do when I was 6 and my Dad had that obsession with demons that supposedly grabbed his arms and neck. I wasn't even able to wash the blood out of the carpet." I stroke the blonde fuzz of Chrome's head quietly.

"Mom died from that. Loss of blood. Not to mention the sight of fetus parts everywhere was kind of scarring. That's when Dad went into a coma and everything just stopped except for his heartbeat and his pulse. I had to feed him and try to take care of him as best as I could until he passed for good when I was 12. I faced the reapings by myself. I lived alone for seven years, until Vander came along."

I sigh a bit, and it feels like someone dropped a thousand pounds on me. Probably because I haven't exactly told Vander any of this.

"Al?" I look up, jumping a little. Vander stands in the doorway, his face set in a sad expression. "I'm really sorry."

I shrug, actually feeling a little calmed by the warmth of the child against me. "Oh, it's okay-"

"No, don't say that. I shouldn't have forced the kid on you. If you weren't ready, you really could've just said so."

"Well…" He takes a seat across from me and looks over. I smile a little down at Chrome, his tiny breaths, calm sleeping… "I think I'm ready."

"You can't just say that to say it."

"I'm not. I promise. Everything that's happened, it's in the past with your sisters and your infatuation with Drew. It's gone, eliminated completely. You and I are together now, and we help each other, and we can do it. You just might have to be a little more patient with me." I say it and I mean it.

He nods, smiling, "I can do that." Then he gets up, "Now, let's get both of us to bed." I stand up, yawning, and nod, "Good idea."

I kiss the top of Chrome's head and put him back in the crib with a quiet, "Sleep tight, kiddo."

Then I crawl back into bed with Vander, feeling a lot lighter now that it's all out there. No more secrets. He wraps his arms around me and whispers into my hair, "I'll always love you."

"I'll always love you too…" I say quietly, "Thanks." I'm not sure exactly why I feel like I should thank him, but I'm out cold before Vander can even ask.

~.~.

One.

His first word is "Dada." His favorite food is butter: he won't eat bread without it. He starts to attempt to walk, and we help as best as we can.

Two.

He repeatedly asks me to sing to him. People around town start to notice our little family.

Three.

Chrome, Vander, and I wave hello to a young couple and their son. The parents shield their son's eyes and ran away.

Four.

We run into Vander's sister Ida and her child Kelsey. Ida and Vander talk a long time, but I don't know what about.

Five.

Chrome goes off to kindergarten. He says nobody wants to talk to him.

Six.

Chrome fails to be able to make friends. People are judgmental pricks.

Seven.

Ida invites us to Kelsey's ninth birthday party. Kelsey takes a liking to Chrome and promises to look out for him.

Eight.

Chrome's teacher requests a parental conference regarding Chrome. He thinks spanking people is a good way to make friends. Oops.

Nine.

This year's the first night before a reaping that Vander can sleep well. I never realized how much he still loves Amelia. She's safe now.

Ten.

We spend our Fall and Winter holidays with Ida and Kelsey. Chrome has a big birthday party as he turns double-digits, but Kelsey is the only one he invited that shows up.

Eleven.

Peacekeepers burst into the house with a warrant to search the entire property to find proof of illegal activity and child abuse. They can't find any, (gee, maybe it's because WE DON'T ABUSE CHROME), of course. That night, Chrome can't sleep so I sing to him.

Twelve.

Vander and I spend the night before his first reaping staring at each other. Neither of us sleep. We have to help Chrome with his tie. A sixteen-year-old is reaped.

Thirteen.

Another sleepless night passes before the reapings. Chrome has a crush on a girl but refuses to tell us how it turned out when he asked her out. A seventeen-year-old is reaped.

Fourteen.

Things take a turn for the worst and Chrome has to take tesserae for all three of us. Someone from his year is reaped, but thank God it wasn't him.

Fifteen.

More people try to get Vander and I arrested with another search of our house. A Peacekeeper throws a punch at Vander. I don't fight back for fear that they'll use that as a warrant for my arrest. That night Chrome asks me to sing for him.

Sixteen.

Chrome often comes home from school with black eyes. He says that he often gets stopped on the street and asked if he's abused at home. Nobody thought to ask if he was being bullied by people his age.

~.~.

Chrome finishes tying his tie as he runs down the stairs this bright reaping morning.

"Morning Dads!" he chirps.

"Hey kiddo," says Vander. I hand Chrome some toast, which he quickly butters and eats with a smile. I take a seat with Vander and Chrome at the table.

"So, how are things going? Any other girls in the picture?"

He shakes his head.

"Any guys?" asks Vander.

Chrome shakes his head again. "No. But I decided as soon as these reapings are over, I'm applying for a job at the factories."

Vander and I exchange a look.

"You sure?"

"Yep, I'm positive! I'm a man now, and I've been lucky to be able to go to school. I need to start giving back to the people that made it all possible, so I'm going to start working."

"I guess if you insist," I say, shrugging.

"I'm proud of you, kiddo," Vander says, patting his head.

"Hey, watch the hair!" Chrome yelps, before giving us a good-natured smile.

"Oh, crap! I promised Kelsey I'd talk to her before the reaping started!" he jumps up, and hugs both of us quickly before yelling an, "I love you!" and running out the door.

"Well, I'd say we didn't do too bad of a job," Vander muses quietly, smiling gently at me and taking my hand across the table.

"We proved them wrong," I say quietly, laughing a little. "We raised a better kid than any of them did."

"I wonder where his sister is now…" he says quietly, "I wonder if she's proud of him. Did I tell you I saw her, hiding in the bushes when I picked him up?"

"No, you didn't. Are you sure it wasn't his mom?"

"Couldn't be. She couldn't have been older than 14."

"Guess not."

He smiles a little bit, "Ready to go?"

"Yep, I'm ready." He gets up and I stand as well, and we make our way to the square.

Soon the teens gather in the square. I see Amelia, standing with a man that looks at her like she's the most precious thing in the world. Next to her, a little three-year-old girl with gentle eyes like hers and blonde hair. She's also very, very pregnant. I nudge Vander and point, and he looks over, smiling a little bit, walking over.

"Amelia!" he says. She looks up, and her eyes look conflicted. "Hello Vander."

He holds out a hand to her, "I see you're well."

She wraps her arms around him instead and he hugs her back. I smile a little bit. She lets go and says, "I'm sorry for those words I tossed at you."

"No big deal. I probably deserved them. Who's the dude?"

She laughs, "This is my husband, silly. Max. And our daughter, Abigail. Max, this is my brother Vander, and…" her eyes flicker over to me and she gazes back at Vander.

"Oh, Amelia, my husband Alistair. Our son Chrome is 16, so he's in the reaping. Al, this is my sister." I shake her hand, smiling. "Nice to meet you." She nods just as Ida and Kelsey find us in the crowd. Vander's face is radiant, and I just feel happy for him, quickly eliminating any jealousy. He puts an arm around my waist as the video starts.

The girl's name is chosen, she emerges from the crowd of 14-year-olds. Then, the boy's name. I suddenly feel nervous, taking a deep breath as the escort picks a name.

"Chrome Vladamire!"

~.~.