Chapter 17

"Come on, walk to Uncle Seamus, come on you can do it."

Cassandra rolled her eyes as she watched from her perch.

Harper had been trying unsuccessfully to get her baby brother to walk to him. She watched as he tried again, by putting Caden on his feet and coaching him to walk forward. The boy stood successfully on his own before sitting down hard on the floor and staring up at Harper with innocent wide blue eyes.

"He won't do it," said Cassandra firmly.

"And why not? He's almost a year old and he isn't walking yet? I don't think that's normal."

"That's what she's trying to tell you Harper," said Rhade shifting to look at the engineer and his small son directly. Cassandra let out an annoyed huff as her "perch" moved. Rearranging herself on top of her father she continued to watch Harper fail.

"He won't do it," she repeated, "he only walks for mama."

Caden sat down again as Harper looked at the other two Rhades. "He only walks for Beka?"

"Yes," said Cassandra exasperatedly. She stood up in Rhade's lap and latched around his neck so he'd hold her. "Only mom, he's weird."

"Your brother isn't weird," said Rhade.

"I don't like him."

"What's not to like?" asked Harper finally giving up on getting the child to walk and instead gave him a ball which he happily attempted to chew on.

"He's boring."

"Just let him grow up a bit."

"But then he'll be annoying."

"You know your aunts and uncles had me to put up with?" said Rhade.

"That's different."

"How?"

"Because you're daddy."

Rhade smiled as Harper shook his head and attempted to get Caden to walk again. He tried to take the ball and was met by a small growl. Giving up yet again, Harper let the boy go back to sucking on the plastic sphere.

"Only Beka?"

"Only Beka."

"Mommy!"

The men looked behind them to see the door open and Beka walking towards them.

"Andromeda told me you guys would be here..."

"Your kid won't walk."

"Funny Harper, he can walk."

"I've been trying to get him to for..."

Harper was interrupted by a high pitched chirp as Caden dropped the ball and pushed himself into a standing position. He stood wobbling before breaking into a disjointed run towards Beka as the engineer watched in disbelief.

"That's not…that is so not fair."

Cassandra snorted when her mother lifted Caden into her arms.

"Momma's boy," she said snuggling close to her father.

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A/N: There we go! There son's name is Caden, pronounced: Kay-den. I was searching through baby names a long time ago and came across it. I chose it because it shares a very similar meaning as his father's name.
Telemachus means "distant fighter" whereas Caden means "fighter" ;) It just seemed to fit.

Jade Rhade: Was it the bolded list of people to thank that made you think it was ended? I always put the official 'The End' on everything I complete now.

Ryua Malfoy: Ah Solaris. He's gold as a child but then as he grows older I think he'll get more of Dylan's colouring but still be quite sparkly.