A/N: Very short chapter, but I'll be posting the first part of another multipart chapter later this week. In the meantime, here is something short that is absolutely certain to be the earliest I will ever write in this verse. Probably. Anyway, here are four drabbles. Precisely one hundred words each.
i
He held the child in his arms awkwardly. He was a father now. Who would have believed it?
He didn't know how this was going to work out. He'd never expected to be a father, but he was going to do his best. He could change. Hell, he'd only smiled a couple of times at that pretty little nurse before he'd remembered himself. Married man now. Married man with a kid.
He could hardly wait till the kid grew up. He'd pass on everything he knew. The kid would have the world at his feet.
"You're my son," he whispered.
ii
She looked down at the child, frowning. She didn't feel anything. All the way through her pregnancy, everyone told her that when the child was born, she'd feel this amazing connection.
She didn't. In reality, she just felt bored. The child was small and helpless, and the nurse asked if she wanted to hold him, and really, she just kept wondering whether Francis had taken over the Fisher account.
This wasn't what she wanted. And it'd be a year before she could start getting her career back on track.
And in return...she didn't feel anything.
"It's not fair," she whispered.
iii
She held the child in her arms awkwardly. He was beautiful. Ten fingers, ten toes, perfect in every way.
She'd never been this happy. And Robert would have to marry her now, she just knew it. He was just waiting till she was legal. And Mom and Dad would come round soon enough. They were bound to want to meet their grandchild, after all.
Robert was gonna make a great father, she knew he was. They'd raise this child right and they'd raise him together and he'd grow up to be just like Robert.
"Everything's gonna be fine," she whispered.
iv
He looked down at the child, frowning. Fuck, it was so small. He'd said as much to the nurse, but she'd just laughed and said that was normal.
He'd expected his son to be something more special. This little fucker looked like being a disappointment right away.
Still, there was plenty of time for it to grow up. And at least it wasn't crying. He didn't think he could stand that for very long. Nah, he'd make a man out of it, and it'd grow up to be just like its Dad.
"You're gonna be a tough bastard," he whispered.