Ironwood was dead tired. He slumped down into the chair in his office. Comfortable as it was, he would kill for a bed right then. But as he grabbed hold of another set of maps on the desk he knew that was beyond him.
Sighing he started going over the drawn maps and the battle lines for the drill next month his scroll atop his desk started ringing.
Picking up the damned thing he switched it open, the hard light projection showing the face of his good friend Glynda Goodwitch. Now that was curious. And though he was not in the mood to even talk, Glynda did not call for no reason.
Accepting the call, the static picture quickly turned to her face…and if her glare was anything to go by—she was pissed. Fuck! What now!?
Her lips parted and in the most forced tone she could muster she spat, "Ironwood."
His head almost jerked away, something terrible had happened, hadn't it? Ah fuck. What happened did someone die, fuck he needed to be ready—"James Ironwood," Her words cut through all his thoughts.
"Yes, Glynda?"
She sighed, her anger slipping with it, her expression only being replaced by a slowly exhausted frown, "I am pregnant."
His body lurched, his body almost completely leaning into the scroll's hard light screen. Glynda pregnant?
That Glynda?
Goodwitch? Goodwitch pregnant? Is a mini Goodwitch on the way? How? Who? Why?
He found it hard to imagine even. But just judging by the way the call had started, some poor bastard was going to die. And he sincerely hoped it was not him. So, he took a second to think before answering, "...Congratulations?"
"Idiot," She said as she palmed her forehead, "I am three weeks pregnant."
And what was he to do with the news? Track the father down? Right, three weeks, three weeks, he would have to pull out the list of people she interacted with—"James. Remember the party three weeks ago?"
"At Vale? Yes. I do remember the get-together—" His lips froze, "Oh fuck."
"Indeed James. Now. We have something to decide, don't we?"
Abortion or not…"Frankly Glynda. I don't know."
"And what does that mean Ironwood? 'I don't know' is not going to cut it."
'Do better,' she left those words unsaid. But what was he supposed to do?
His posture fell back into his chair. A torrent of emotion burst past his heart. A very turbulent torrent of confusion and worry.
The child was a mistake. An honest to God mistake. He was too drunk to even remember that night and so was Glynda, heck, they only realised what had happened when they woke up next to each other in a hotel.
Fuck, "What do you want Glynda? Frankly what you decide is most relevant here, not me." She was going to have to carry the baby for nine months. She had all the legal authority to do what she wanted.
She accepted his words and took a deep breath, "I am going to keep it."
His eyes widened, she was? Glynda was going to be the mother of his child? "You are?"
"Yes…" Her eyes shifted down onto her belly, she rubbed it, a content smile dawning on her lips, "I am a huntress. We save lives. And I don't want to smother this one."
He let loose a breath he didn't even know he was holding, a small smile crept on his lips—he was going to be a father. Glynda, not someone to miss his expression, reciprocated his relief, "For what it's worth James. I know that my child's father is at least a responsible one."
He nodded, "Well that is part of the course. If you need anything. And I mean anything. Give me a call okay?"
She laughed a little, "If you showed such concern to a girl she might even fall for you, you know?"
He rolled his eyes at her, "Get used to it."
Another sticker escaped her lips, "I will send the DNA test to you by the way."
A presentity test—unnecessary, "I trust you, Glynda. You won't lie."
She smiled at him, "While I appreciate it, James. I would much rather you have it."
There she was, the upright woman he had known forever. Too professional for anything to not be done down to the minutia, he liked that about her, "Appreciate it, Glynda."
"I know you do, James. You know, if it were anyone else. I don't think this conversation was going to be this civil."
Well, how was he? James Ironwood, the General of the Atlan Military, of course, you were going to get nothing but level-headed responses. It's all there in his name—hey, he had to name the child, "Right, what about the name?"
"I have decided on two names, Gayland if he is a boy and Gladria if it is a girl—" her words were cut off by Ironwood, and he was giving her his signature are-you-fucking-kidding-me look "Glynda. Those are derivatives of your name."
A lick of colour strolled up her cheeks, but she ignored it, "So what?"
He palmed his forehead, "You just couldn't think of the names."
She snorted, "I had gone through a good selection—" He smirked as he spoke over her, "Tell me the names then." She paused, his smirk only widened, "Go on."
Sighing she gave in, "Fine then. What do you suggest?"
If 'digging your own grave' was a person, Ironwood would be that person, but not willing to look like an idiot, Ironwood blurted out the first thing that came to his mind, "Mira if she is a girl…and Heylel if he's a boy?"
She narrowed her eyes, "And may I ask what is the significance of those two?"
Fuck if he knew, one of his subordinates who had told him about these discarded names for his newborn, but keeping his face straight he answered regardless, "Felt those names fit right."
Rolling her eyes she shrugged, "Right. Whatever. I have to go to work tomorrow so goodbye for now James."
"Goodbye, and goodnight to you too," As he finished his words she cut the call.
Instantly his body fell limp on the chair. It took a second of his mind to truly process what had happened.
He was going to be a father, dad, papa, dada, he cursed "Fuck me."
But a small smile slipped on his lips. Hey if fucking Jacques Schnee could be a dad he could be too.
Still, though, how was he gonna manage all of that between his work? Ahhhhh, he might have to ask the bastard for advice, won't he?
At the thought he repeated the curse, "Fuck me."
Eight months later Ironwood's feet tapped against the floor as he started down the operation room door. The wind hissed as he breathed in through his teeth.
The anguished screams coming through that door were tearing him apart, his heart jumping a pace with each scream. Fucking hell, he hadn't felt like this ever. Not even during Glenn Mountain.
They were going to be fine, he knew that. They were in the best hospital Atlas had to offer, of course, they were going to be fine.
Not that knowing any of it made it any better.
Still, he tried to keep up appearances, but to all those around him, the man looked like a coiled spring. Ready to jump at a moment's notice. He was not fooling anyone.
It was not until the red bar over the door turned green and the moans seized, giving way to the cries of a baby that the man felt his breath even out.
The doors in front of him pushed open, and the doctor walked out, removing the surgical mask from his face, "General, the mother and child are both stable. Congratulations are in order."
Ironwood's lips turned up, and the smile that slid on them made even the doctor happy, it reminded him why he liked this job, "Thank you, doctor. Can I visit them?"
The man turned around to see the three nurses walking out of the room, Atlan privacy protocols, "I don't see why not."
Nodding to the man, James walked past into the room, and she was right there, holding the child to her breasts, feeding it.
The smile on her face almost made Ironwood double-take, Glynda Goodwitch was smiling a very very affectionate smile. He almost wanted to look out the window and check if the sun was indeed rising from the east.
But that all had to be pushed back for later, he walked up to her side, and seeing him Glynda greeted, "James," Her words were singing as she spoke.
"So? Girl or boy?"
Glynda pulled her other hand over the baby's head, it was a cute little thing, a very cute little thing, "A Girl."
Her words reached his ears but not his brain. It took a moment. For him to finally process it, "I am a father?"
Glynda laughed, "Yes James. You are a father."
"Fucking hell—" Glynda, the huntswoman shot him a glare that forced his mouth close, "No swearing around our little girl."
"Oh come on," He sighed making his excuse, "She is not even going to understand it let alone remember."
Glynda was not having it though, "Do you want her first words to be 'fuck' you moron?"
He winced, yeah no, that would be too much, so he apologized, "Sorry."
"Good. Make sure to not repeat it," Her tone reminded him that yes, this woman was indeed a teacher and that too at Beacon. Training the future protectors of humanity.
"Right, do you want to hold her?" Glynda asked as she pulled down her gown removing the baby who had stopped feeding.
Rather than answering, he spread his arms wide taking the baby in a strong embrace, making sure to not let her fall.
The baby for her part looked him up and down, curious as to who the man was before smiling a very very adorable smile.
"Beautiful isn't she?" Glynda asked and he couldn't help but nod.
"She is, she even has my eyes," To him, she was perhaps the most beautiful thing in this world at that moment, but she still needed a name, "Mira, we decided on that right?"
Glynda blew her lips, Gladira would have been better, but she let it go, James was going to be making many times more compromises than her, and they both knew it, "Yep. Mira."
But there was one more thing, one which they had avoided discussing till now, "What about the surname?"
"Goodwitch," Her reply came instantly. It made a little gash in his heart that he had to agree and she could see that, "James you know she can't have your surname. Ironwood has too many enemies. Goodwitch does not."
She was right, he had too many people who wanted him dead. And this hospital had a very very strict privacy policy, it was used by a lot of the Atlan higher class after all. The fact that he had a daughter was not getting out.
But that hurt. Not being able to proudly give your name to your own flesh and blood hurt. Even the fact that he smuggled Glynda to his hospital felt like hell.
Not that he was going to let it show.
"Think of it this way, you gave her first name. I gave her my surname. Equal division."
He laughed at that, yeah. That was fair, he supposed but he had one demand, "I want constant contact with her."
A shrugged, if she denied it he would get what he wanted, one way or another, not that she wanted to, "Never thought of denying it. But keep it on the scrolls and out of the public eye."
Planting a kiss on Mira's forehead who had fallen asleep in his arms, he nodded, "Thank you, Glynda." For Mira.
The woman for her part didn't think he needed to thank her, that would just make her a surrogate mother, "No, James. You need not."
[A/N: I am hoping to see responses: how people like this first chapter, things that might be improved etc.]