Hey babes! Back again with a new one for this little universe. Been sitting on this one for a while, so I decided to finally clean it up a bit and post it.

Enjoy!

"Rosie? You here? I have that thing you wanted. Still don't get why you couldn't just go out and get it yourself, though, because it wasn't even that hard to find."

Eyes wide at hearing her youngest brother's voice, Rose spins around quickly, being careful not to jostle the baby in her arms too much, trying to keep him from fussing excessively. "Tommy? What are you doing here?"

"Did you forget?" he asks with a tilt of his head. He waves her off with a smile and steps through the living room entryway. "It's okay. I love you and I forgive you." His stops short and his brows furrow together instantly as soon as he sees Adian squirming in her arms. "Uh…why do you have a baby? Did I miss something? How long have I been gone?" He scratches the back of his head and glances around the front room, taking in all the baby items that are scattered throughout. "Seriously, Rosie. Who's the kid?"

"This is Adian," she tells him, adjusting her hold on her nephew, bouncing him a little to try and keep him calm.

Thomas tilts his head. "Is he yours?"

"No."

"So whose is he?"

Rose takes a deep breath, preparing herself for whatever his reaction is going to be to what she's about to tell him. More than likely it'll be an unpleasant one, given all that he's said in the past about his relationship with their brother. "He's Grant's."

"Grant? Grant who?"

She gives him a look as she gently pats Adian's back. "Tommy…"

Her brother's eyes go wide, bouncing from her to Adian and back to her again, his jaw dropping open. "Wait. Grant as in our brother Grant? This is his kid?" he asks, pointing at Adian. "He actually reproduced? Who in their right mind would want to do that with him?"

"He's different, Tommy," she defends her other brother who isn't there to defend himself. Though, she's not entirely sure that he would if he was with them, purely out of fear of whatever Tommy would say in retaliation.

Tommy glares hard. "How do you know if he's different, Rose? You were barely around the last couple of years before he disappeared."

She sighs, nodding slowly. "I know, and there's a part of me that will always regret not being around for you two. But he's not like you remember him. I promise."

He shakes his head. "No, this is crazy. Wait, is he here too?" He quickly glances around the space.

"No. He isn't," Rose assures him. "I'm just watching Adian for a few days." Her lips pull together tightly. "Well, I don't actually know how long it's going to be for. He and Skye—Adian's mom—dropped him off and said that they had something really important to deal with but didn't want Adian anywhere near it."

"So he's in with bad people, then?" Thomas questions accusingly.

Rose shakes her head. "No, I don't think he is. They didn't give me a lot of details, just that they have something important to take care of but don't trust Adian with anyone else at the moment."

"How long's it been, then? Since you two have been talking again?"

"A couple of months."

Thomas scoffs, taking a few steps back. "Wow. I never thought I'd see the day when you let him into your life."

Rose sighs. "Just give him a chance, Tommy. I promise you he's not at all how you remember him. He's not as hardened and bitter as you've always said he was. And he's got a family now. Well, a son." She glances down at Adian and then looks back up at her brother. "He and Skye aren't together, but I'm convinced that they have feelings for each other. They're just not willing to act on it for whatever reason either of them claims."

"I don't blame her," Tommy remarks. "Though, I guess she probably acted on those feelings already if Adian exists. Unless it wasn't a mutual—"

"Stop," she says, holding out a hand with a hardened jaw. "Don't you dare finish that sentence. Skye told me that it was mutual, that they both acted on whatever feelings were there between them. So don't you dare go insinuating what I think you were going to."

Tommy holds his hands up. "Fine, sorry. I'm just...I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of him actually being a dad."

"Trust me, I get it." She lets her eyes drift down to Adian again, the near-spitting image of Grant when he was a baby. She remembers the day she met him so clearly; she'd been so excited to have another little brother, and had no idea the hell he'd end up going through as he got older. "The last time I saw Grant before he showed up here, he was just a kid. Now he's a grown adult with a son and he seems to be doing pretty well for himself."

"He does?"

Rose nods, looking at her brother. "Mm-hmm. Skye said that he's in therapy, to help him deal with everything that Christian did when they were younger, as well as that guy that basically kidnapped him from juvie. And a bunch of other super messed up stuff that's happened since then."

Tommy blinks and runs a hand through his hair. "Wow. That's...good, I guess? That he's getting help." He slowly moves closer, his eyes traveling to Adian's form. "This is actually his son?"

Rose nods, adjusting her hold on the infant. "Yep. Adian Leo Ward. He looks so much like Grant it's crazy."

Tommy nods. "Right. I remember the few pictures we had as kids." He tilts his head. "I guess he does look a little like Grant."

Rose raises a brow. "A little? Come on, Tommy. I remember when Grant was this little and Adian's basically his twin."

He shrugs. "Guess I'll just have to take your word for it."

"Guess so. Do you want to hold him?" she offers, gently bouncing Adian.

Hesitation passes over Tommy's face. "Uh, no, that's okay. I'm not…I'm not that good with babies."

Rose sighs heavily. "Fine. Don't hold him. But I can promise you that Grant is not as bad as you always told me he was. He's changed. He's a good man and a good father. And hopefully a good husband one day too. He's completely in love with Skye, even if neither of them is willing to act on it."

"Really?"

"Oh, one hundred percent. He looks at her like she hung the moon, it's incredible."

"I think I'll take your word for it."

"Well…you can always see it for yourself when they come back to get Adian."

Thomas shakes his head immediately, taking a step back. "No. Not happening."

"Come on, Tommy."

"No, Rose. I am not going to talk to Grant, let alone be in the same room as him."

Rose sighs. "Fine. But are you sure you don't want to hold your nephew?"

"I'm sure. I actually…I'm gonna head out. I just remembered I'm meeting up with some friends, so I'll talk to you later. And please, don't tell Grant I was here, okay? I don't need him trying to track me down or anything before I'm ready to see him. If I'm ever going to be ready."

Rose nods. "I promise I won't say anything until you're ready."

"Good, thank you. I just…I think I need some time to wrap my head around the fact that he's back and has his own family before I even contemplate potentially seeing him."

"I understand." She lifts one of Adian's small fists and gives it a gentle shake. "Say bye to Uncle Tommy."

Tommy flashes a small smile at the baby. "Bye, kiddo." He looks up at her. "See you later, Rosie." He gives her a quick wave and then turns to make his way out of the house.

Rose lets out a breath and begins shuffling around the room again, gently bouncing Adian. "He'll come around, I promise. He's still a little hurt by some of the things your dad did when they were kids, so it's gonna take some time. But hopefully, he'll want to get to know you before you're all grown up, huh?"

Adian simply gurgles.

Rose smiles. "Yeah. I think everything is going to work out too. Now come on, it's about time for your nap." She drops a lingering kiss to the baby's forehead and then makes her way through the house to the guest room that's doubling as Adian's nursery.

She completely understands Tommy's need for some time to let all this new information sink in and to really weigh his options about what to do. And as much as she wants the three of them to be a family again, she knows he has to make whatever decision is best for him. Even if it means never having a relationship with his nephew.

It's not gonna stop her from hoping, though.

So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Okay. So, no Skyeward in this one, but I wanted to do something with these two since this particular scene would have been a bit awkward trying to fit into the original fic. But I promise there will be Skyeward in the next one.

Until next time,
Jellybean96 out!