Chapter 41

Miroku watched Kagome clicking away on her laptop, mumbling to herself as she studied. He smiled, proud of her. She was doing so well in her schooling, keeping up exactly as he thought she would. He knew she would be able to handle it, and that wouldn't change when their son made his appearance. She could handle anything thrown at her. She was the strongest woman he knew.

Looking around the bar, he sighed. They were almost done renovating. Another week, and he will finally be able to reopen. It was a long time coming. However, Kagome didn't think she could work behind the bar anymore. She was showing now, unable to hide the baby she was growing.

Unfortunately, he had to agree. He didn't want her doing any of the tricks she had learned. One mishap, and it could be a disaster. Plus, he knew the customers wouldn't enjoy a pregnant bartender. That meant she needed a new job. He would be okay if she just wanted to stay home, but she didn't. For two reasons. She didn't want to seem like a burden, and because he worked nights, that meant they would be on opposite schedules.

Soon enough, when the baby was born, she was going to be awake during the day to care for their son. He was already going to lose time with her. It was something that didn't sit well with him. He was going to miss so much because he had to work at the bar.

When he created Safe Haven, he hadn't ever thought he was going to have a family. That wasn't the case anymore. He had a beautiful, kind wife and in just a few short months, he was going to have a son to help raise.

For the first time ever, he was thinking of hiring a manager. Someone who could run the bar for him the majority of the night. He would still be the owner, have sole decision on anything, but he would be able to spend more time with his family. That was more appealing to him than working all night long.

The problem with that, is who would he hire to manage the club. Only one person really came to mind, but he wasn't sure if she would agree. Sango had been working for him for years. She was an excellent bartender, but he didn't know if she felt up to taking on a higher role. Not much of her job would change. She would handle any small problems that arose, and any bigger ones he would still be called for. She would just have a newer and better title.

He should also hire another bartender. With Kagome pregnant, it wasn't likely that she would come back to working. At least not at the bar. Sango needed the help, but they needed to be a certain age to handle the alcohol, which brought up another problem. He had no one that could work behind the bar.

With a sigh, he looked back to Kagome, watching her work on her future. He would figure it out. He would do anything for her and handing over the majority of the responsibility to somebody else didn't seem like that big of a deal for him.

"Kagome." Miroku wiped the new bottle down with a rag, setting it up on the bar with the rest of the alcohol. He had just gotten his new shipment in, and now he was beginning the tedious task of unloading and storing. "How would you feel if I hired a manager. I would be able to stay home with you and the baby."

"Would you be okay with that? I know Safe Haven is like your own baby." She looked at him, setting her laptop to the couch beside her. She wanted to make sure he wouldn't regret such a big decision. He had put so much of himself into this bar.

"I think of it more as sending the bar off to college." Miroku chuckled, glancing at her before he moved on to the next bottle of vodka. "This place has buried its roots, and with minimal guidance will continue to flourish. The insurance covered most of the cost for repairs, so I still have a sizable chunk of money in savings. When this place opens up, that will grow."

Turning around, he faced Kagome, throwing the rag on his shoulder, and leaning against the bar. He looked around, smiling in acceptance. "A manager would be able to keep this place going while I help you to raise our son. I want to be a part of his life."

"I won't ever tell you no, Miroku. Especially when you are wanting to be a perfect father." She gave him a large smile, and he nodded, turning back towards the bottles.

"I need to hire a new bartender. That way Sango isn't overwhelmed. Maybe she has some ideas. Or one of the other girls." Miroku rambled, once more stocking the bar with plenty of the drink he detested. He heard Kagome stand, and mention she was going to the restroom. He grunted in response but kept himself focused on the task on hand.

A perfect father? The thought terrified Miroku. The closer it got to his son's birth, the more Miroku thought of his own father. The man had abused both his mother and his child for years. Miroku's biggest fear was that he would be no better than the man that had sired him.

It was irrational, he knew. He didn't drink, unlike his father that couldn't go an hour without the stuff. He also couldn't fathom raising a hand towards Kagome without getting physically ill. There was no way he could hurt his wife, or any children they had. Yet, the fear and anxiety were still there, growing stronger.

The front door opening had Miroku looking to it with a smile. Izayoi and Touga had offered to come help Miroku get the bar ready and make unboxing the supplies easier. When he saw Mattaki instead of the parents that he actually cherished, his heart fell to his stomach. "It's a little early for your next visit. I usually get a few months before I have to see you again." Miroku didn't even look at him, continuing with the job he was determined to finish that day.

Mattaki winced, and then narrowed his eyes. "I told you, I would be seeing you. I am trying to save you."

"You could save me the trouble of arguing with you. How much do you need this time?" Miroku sighed, looking towards Mattaki. For once the man wasn't stumbling, but he still reeked of liquor. Miroku could smell him across the room. He had enough to deal with, with Kouga running around. Now Mattaki was deciding he wanted to be a drunk savior.

"Listen to me, Boy. You should let that girl go, the one you married." Mattaki took a step forward, stopping when Miroku held up a hand. "It's for her own good. You will be just like me. You may not see it now, but it will happen."

"You don't know me. How you can stand there and tell me how I will be is ridiculous, and morbidly amusing. I will not be anything like you. I could never hit Kagome or…" Miroku stopped himself, not wanting his father to know anything about his son.

"Or what?" Mattaki shook his head when Miroku refused to answer. "I know you hate me. That is fine. But I followed in my father's footsteps and he followed in his father's footsteps. It's a curse, one that will eventually kill us. If you have any kids, they will lead the same path."

"Now you are spouting nonsense. There is no curse. You chose to pick up the bottle and never put it down. Not once in my life has a drop of alcohol touched my lips. I have control. That is the difference between you and me. My wife means more to me than alcohol ever could." Miroku rolled his eyes, reaching into his wallet and pulling out his cash. He threw it on the bar, motioning for Mattaki to take it.

Mattaki walked up to the bar, ignoring the money for the time being. "Poor me a drink. I don't care what kind." He met Miroku's gaze, urging him to do so. The sound of a gasp caught their attention, and they looked up, seeing Kagome staring at them with wide eyes. Mattaki immediately noticed her belly and shook his head. "You are already too far gone."

"You don't know anything. Your mind is so full of the bile you drink that you can't think clearly." Miroku shook his head, turning his gaze back to Mattaki.

"Poor me the drink."

"One drink and you will leave? You will take the money, and never come back?" Miroku was tired of his father popping up uninvited. He was tired of the bastard ruining his day, and he wasn't going to have it anymore.

When Mattaki nodded, Miroku got to work pouring a single shot. He noticed Kagome come to stand beside him but didn't look at her. Sliding the glass over to Mattaki, he watched with disgust and hatred as the man grabbed it.

Mattaki twirled the shot glass slowly, not actually picking it up. Looking up to Miroku, he slid it back to his son. "You drink it."

"I don't drink." Miroku looked at the glass with disgust.

"If what you said holds true, you should be able to drink it and never have the urge to drink again." Mattaki met Miroku's stunned gaze, sadness in his eyes. "If you truly have no fear of falling into the same path I did, drink the shot. Prove it to me, and yourself."

Miroku looked at the drink, his entire body stiff. His breathing was harsh, his vision narrowing on the drink. Could he do it? Could he really take this one shot and still never look at the stuff again? Kagome meant everything to him. He believed that he could never hurt her the way his father had hurt his mother, but if that was true, then Mattaki had a point.

Miroku should be able to take the shot and not fall into the same path as his father and grandfather.

But he couldn't do it. He refused to take the chance. He knew it wasn't because he doubted his love for his family, which meant he really did fear that he would end up like his father. He met his father's gaze, seeing the knowing look there, and felt his stomach roll. He feared that if he took one drink, he would beat Kagome. "No." Miroku took three steps back, harshly bumping into the back bar.

Kagome snatched the shot from the bar and threw the clear liquid onto the man that had just upset her husband. "Get out. What kind of a father are you? You show up here, wanting money, to get him worked up, and for what? Your messed-up view of saving him? He won't ever be anything like you, even if he were to drink."

Mattaki shook his head, wiping the vodka from his face. "A wasted shot, Little Girl. You should mind your own business." Miroku had heard that tone before, and something in him snapped. He shot forward, slamming his fist into his father's face.

Jumping over the bar, he grabbed the man up by his shirt, seething. "Never use that tone with her again. She is not my mother, and if you so much as think of laying a hand on her, I will kill you." Anytime his father was getting into beating mode, his tone changed. It was a warning that only Miroku had been able to distinguish. Not even his mother had noticed, and he could only assume it was because he was on the outside looking in.

When he let go, Mattaki dropped to the floor, hand going to his bleeding nose. He coughed, the sound thick and wet. "You might not even need the booze to be like me." Mattaki shook his head once more, looking at Kagome as she rounded the bar and grabbed Miroku's hand, keeping him from doing any further damage. "You'll see, girly."

Kagome waited until Mattaki left, then turned to Miroku. She grabbed his face, cupping his cheeks and making him look at her. "You're not him, Miroku." He shook his head, not saying anything. She grabbed his hand, placing it over her belly. He tensed, but she held his hand there, trying to get everything Mattaki said out of Miroku's head. "You are going to be a loving father. I know your heart, Miroku."

Miroku kept his eyes on her belly where his hand was. He opened his mouth to say something but was stopped as the door opened once more, the sound of Touga's laugh reaching their ears. Miroku pulled away, putting distance between them. "I need to finish this, and you need to study." Translation: Stay away.

Kagome watched him turn back to the bar and plaster a smile on his face as Izayoi and Touga made their way to them. He kept what just happened a secret and kept up a façade so good that his parents never noticed his dark thoughts. Kagome did though, and she was more than just a little worried for him.