Thanks, to my beta reader Jacqueline her help is much appreciated. Now to all those people who review this FanFic, don't think I forgotten you, thanks for reviewing my story, it really helps. My sincere thanks to you. Now to all those people who have stop reviewing, what happen? I didn't scare you off, did I? Come back and at least drop me a line.

Now, a lot of you are guessing who the father could be. I won't say a word, you'll find out soon enough and those who get it right, get a cookie. Well, a virtual one, now onto the story. Remember review not only this story but as well as the many FanFictions that are out there.

And we should name him...

Chapter III

Adjusting to having a new member in such close quarters hadn't been that easy. An entire week had gone by since they had found the small child. Roxton, Ned and Veronica were gathered in the living room; the little blond child was their centre of attention. Watching the child play was a treat for them. Their eyes danced with glee as the child demonstrated his abilities in the construction department. Clutched in his hand were small blocks that Malone and Roxton had made for the child. Carefully positioning each block in a tower, the little toddler laughed at his own progress.

For Veronica, Ned and Roxton, the week had gone surprisingly fast. Each day had been a new adventure and brought new lessons for them. Even in the few days he had been with them, they had learnt so much about the child's likes and dislikes, all due to trial and error. Sitting opposite the child, Veronica carefully brushed a strand of his blond hair away from his face. She had grown so attached to the child that she never left his side. He expressed the same sentiments by following her around like a faithful puppy. Smiling broadly at the child, she watched as the two men seemed as enthralled with the toddler as she was. For Malone and Roxton, it hadn't been an easy transition, but they had surprised Veronica and themselves by how quickly they had become so fond of the child. Each claimed him as his own, in his own way. Malone had taken the child under his wing. He tried to get him to speak, teaching him words that sometimes were too much for the child's mind to comprehend, but nonetheless he cared for him. He was there when the boy needed him, like the dutiful father he would like to be.

And there was Roxton. He had come a long way, too, thought Veronica, as a playful smile crossed her tanned features. While Malone spend most of his afternoons reading to the child, Lord Roxton liked to take the child out for tours of the beautiful yet dangerous jungle. Carefully planning his outings, he took the child for long walks that showed off the plateau and yet kept the boy out of harm's way. Who knew what they got up to! But so far, it had to be said that the little boy enjoyed the attention of the two men. He clamoured for both of them to spend time with him. Now that she thought about it, Roxton had been spending more time with the child than his precious Marguerite.

Slightly cocking his head to one side, John Roxton's lips curled into a gentle smile. Watching this young child brought him so much pleasure. Letting out a chuckle as Neddy boy accidentally knocked the tower down, he remembered the now absent brunette. Marguerite! Where was she? Roxton pondered as he quickly surveyed the room. Marguerite Krux had, for the last couple of days, been keeping to herself. Not once she had seen her near the child. From day one she had expressed her dislike towards the boy. It was all a front, he knew, everyone knew it, or did they? True, she wasn't the friendliest person one could meet, but she was not the cold-hearted person she sometimes let on to be. In the last few days George and Marguerite had been retiring to bed early. They either locked themselves in their bedroom with excuses or they just disappeared. In the professor's case his excuse was lab work, and the heiress with chores. She had so many shirts to mend that the hunter now wondered where on earth she got the needles and threads.

As the child's tower of block collapsed on the floor, the three adults watching him let out disappointed sighs. Tucking herself further into her seat outside on the balcony, the aggravated heiress listened to them gasp and ooh. She had sought solace out there, with the hope of some peace. But no, today was like all the days in the past week. Ever since they found the child, they spent all the time worrying about him and hardly paid any attention to her. They were giving her a headache; she could not understand all the fussing. It was just a child! Her face expressed her irritation; her brow furrowed in annoyance and discontentment, while her eyes flashed with a little bit of envy. Today, they were gathered in the living room, discussing appropriate names for the child, who as yet was simply "the child" or "the boy." She had excluded herself from the inevitable argument; they all had their ideas of what the child's name should be. An amused expression highlighted her face. She knew them so well. Shifting into a more comfortable position in her seat, she began listening to their conversation.

"How about Tom?" beamed Veronica as she handed the child one of the blocks.

"I was thinking more along the lines of William," Roxton said, voicing his opinion from his position on the floor next to the child, where Roxton was helping him with his construction.

"Thomas, he looks like a Thomas." Ned Malone, too, had thought this over and wanted the child to be named after his grandfather.

"George is very..." George Challenger entered the room, with the hope of having a namesake. He was unaware that there was already one not so friendly horned animal, which not only shared his name, but also his stubbornness.

Marguerite could only roll her eyes. She had had just about enough of them, as well as the child. Roxton, Malone, Challenger and Veronica could barely be heard individually as the argument escalated. Their chosen names did not go too well with the other members of the group.

"Besides, you and Marguerite can name your own child William," Veronica snapped at Roxton as she protectively picked up the child, as if to claim him as her own.

That was the final straw for Marguerite. Determined to end the shouting match going on in the living room, she got up out of her seat she headed to the bookshelf to retrieve a piece of paper. "Here," she said as she tore four pieces out of the paper and gave them one each. "Write your choice of name here, then put it in this bag and we'll have someone draw one."

The four house companions looked at it each other in annoyance but complied with Marguerite's idea. It was, after all, the only impartial way to do it.

"To make it fairer, why don't you choose a name," George Challenger suggested to Marguerite.

"Fine!" she huffed. She tore off a piece of paper, and she, too, scribbled her choice of name down.

Once the papers were inside the bag, it was agreed that Veronica should be the one to draw the name. Eagerly, she slowly put her hand inside the small bag. After retrieving the winning name, her face lit up with expectation. Unfolding the small paper proved exciting enough, until she read the name. "Darcy!" She exclaimed; her tone implied dislike.

The rest of the explorers, who could only stare down at the small child, shared the same dislike.

The faintest smile crossed Marguerite's lips. She hadn't given it much thought; she just wrote the first name that came to her mind. She had, after all, been reading "Pride and Prejudice," and she had privately felt that Darcy could not have been more irritating to Elizabeth than the small boy's presence had been to her. "Fair is fair, isn't that right, Darcy," she said, addressing herself to the child. For the first time, she gingerly stroked his silky soft hair, and he looked up at her fearlessly with large, expressive eyes.

"Darcy it is," George Challenger declared before there could be more arguments.

A disappointed, and even pouty, look formed on the rest of the group's faces.

To be continued...

Hope you like it! I know it was a short one. One more thing, you may have to wait a while for the next two chapters but they are coming along, so you know what to do to speed up the process review! Review! Review!

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