His brow pulled upwards the moment he entered the bedroom to the sight of his wife standing by the window, instead of resting on the bed.

Elizabeth was delicately swaying their son in her arms, leaning over Casey's face as she whispered affectionate nothings without a care in the world, completely ignorant to his presence.

"What are you doing on your feet, Love?" James questioned as he neared them with a soft step, not wishing to disturb either of the two.

Her face turned at the sound of his voice, looking at him with a cheerful gaze, greeting him with an affectionate, "Welcome back, James."

A few days days had passed since the last time he was able to see her properly, talk to her, inquire about her health. And having a good understanding of his wife's ardent personality, the notion of Elizabeth enduring being confined to a room for a prolonged period of time had troubled him greatly. However, it came as a significant relief when she had demonstrated to be quite pleased with spending her time of convalescence alone with their newborn child.

When she offered him the most beautiful, radiant smile before letting her face lean on his palm as his thumb reached to caress the soft skin of her cheekbone, a smile just as wide formed on his own lips, feeling entertained by the ease with which she had managed to dismiss his chiding. Even if he'd had the mind to insist, her dark irises were too much of a distraction for him to produce a clever response; the way in which they twinkled with innocent contentment was an attractive sight. Entirely familiar, and yet, he could see something different in their depth now, a calmness reflected inside that made his heart beat with intrigue and the base of his abdomen heat with anticipation.

It wasn't until she called for him that he remembered how to form proper sentences. "You were supposed to be resting." he insisted in a murmur, wrapping his free arm around her waist so he would be the one supporting most of her weight, minding no to crush the bundle between them.

The corners of her eyes crinkled with faint lines, her expression becoming playful.

"I had every intention to do so," she argued with a mildly affronted pout, laying her head down on his shoulder as her face pushed affectionately against his chest, "But this child refused to let me, so we decided to wait for you instead."

Both their gazes fell down to look at the child in question. Casey was awake, looking up at them with wide eyes while tranquilly resting in his mother's bosom. Seeming quite absorbed by the taste of his own fist.

James' regarded her with a knowing smirk and a faintly mocking stare, which provoked a noise of indignance to escape her.

Using a gentle finger, Elizabeth traced the small arch of the baby's nose, as a humored scowl adorned her face.

"This is treason, Darling." In spite of her complaint, her voice remained loving and soft, continuing to stroke Casey's face with absorbed interest. "But you are too beautiful for me to be upset. So I'll forgive you."

Watching the pure adoration reflected in her gaze would have made him absurdly jealous had it been directed towards anyone else, but seeing her staring solely at their child caused James an immense sense of elation he had difficulty understanding. It was a side of her that felt almost unfamiliar in its uniqueness... which made him want to see it even more, warming his insides as he listened to the weak noises leaving their son each time her finger caressed his skin.

"I believe you said he resembles an old man."

Her eyes raised to his, looking entirely offended by the recollection of her own words, until she noticed the teasing in his expression.

"He did." she declared with the beginnings of a sly smirk teasing at the corners of her lips, her tone coated with a happy lilt, "But now he looks like the prettiest thing I've seen in my life."

The reddish tone had begun disappearing from his skin, giving way to a velvet soft ivory, his features looked more defined each time James saw him, acquiring a delicate quality that captured one's attention. While he still couldn't find any similarities to either of them, he did think Casey was a charming creature, and watching Elizabeth's chin raise with pride, James felt a combination of tenderness and amusement that led him to pat the top of her head in agreeable accord.

"They look grey today." he pointed distractedly, tracing one light, almost inexistent eyebrow with the knuckle of his smallest digit. The long eyelashes framing his eyes brushed against his skin every time the child blinked.

Elizabeth understood what he was referring to immediately, staring at him with a condescending glance as she patiently resumed their ongoing discussion.

"They're green."

His eyes narrowed with more focus, as if it would somehow help him see more clearly, his cheek falling on the top of her head as he offered a short lived chuckle. To him, the light irises adorning the round face staring at them reminiscence more to the light grey one would see on a cloud during the cold season rather than anything similar to the colour he would find if he were to look in a mirror.

The continuous change of colour in Casey's eyes proved to be an interesting spectacle, one that had baffled him on those first few days. However, the midwife's assurances to his wife that it was not a rare occurrence with new born children had served to alleviate some of his concern.

"I don't think that resembles any shade of green I have ever see in my life, Elizabeth."

"But they will be green." she repeated, narrowing her eyes as she maintained the same proud conviction she'd held since the moment they saw those eyes open.

"We cannot be certain of that." he tried to reason, not wanting her to suffer a disappointment in case she was mistaken.

Even so, the short, stubborn shake of her head prompted him to quiet down; not daring to continue contradicting his wife further. Although he was of the mind that the dark chocolate of her clever gaze would be perfectly suitable as well.

The sensation of her legs brushing against his trousers once he moved to press a kiss to the side of her neck made him look down at her body more attentively. Being met with the view of her exposed cleavage bewitched him for a long moment, until the clearing of her throat demanded his attention away.

Her choice of garment caused him momentary confusion.

"Are you wearing one of my shirts?" he inquired abruptly, not truly needing her confirmation to know he was correct, but seeking it regardless.

Elizabeth merely offered a pretty, coquettish smile as she leaned forward and pressed a languid kiss against the underside of his jaw. "It's easier to feed him dressed this way, and it's very comfortable." she informed him unrepentant, continuing to move her mouth in an alluring path down his neck.

Unable to refrain himself for longer, he allowed his palm to wander down the curve of her waist, down to her leg, unintentionally creasing the worn fabric when his hand sought to caress her bare skin. The reward of her drawn noise of pleasure and approval resonated through his body.

"Of course it is."

His fingers continued their mindless movements over the contour of her leg, trying not to let his mind derail into baser desires. But she was wearing nothing but his shirt, and the knowledge did nothing to aid his body remain obedient.

Casey's loud whine sufficed to pull them apart, finding his face rearranging into a mighty scowl as his arms began wriggling uncomfortably. His wife immediately abandon his arms and restarted a light dance, swaying gently as she consoled him with soft hums.

Watching the indignant expression on his son promptly relax under Elizabeth's attentions after only a couple of heartbeats, left him unable to resist a small laugh.

Her shoulders fell in relief as Casey's whines quieted gradually and his struggling ceased, placing a kiss to the top of his head before swiftly turning to regard him with one eyebrow raised in a high arch. "I told you. He won't let me stop. He will express his displeasure the moment I dare stop paying attention to him." After warily watching the baby go back to laying pleasantly in her arms, she huffed with resignation. "Our little Lord is very demanding."

"A true tyrant in the making," he murmured, a grin still tugging at his lips as he leaned forward to brush his fingers down his stomach, stopping once his finger was caught in a tight grip.

"Such a strong command for attention..." she pondered with a mocking scrunch of her nose, "I suppose he truly might take after his father. But at least I can dismiss you whenever you throw a fit." she lamented with amusement.

Both his eyebrows lifted at that, not losing his smirk for a moment. "I would argue he has inherited your commendable skills of persuasion. One whimper from him and you have eyes for nothing else."

Her eyes rolled to one side, but she couldn't hide the affectionate smile that followed. "Perhaps... but it would seem that I'm not the only one incapable of resisting his charms."

"I'll have you know that I am a steadfast man of discipline, and..." His words stopped in the middle of his sentence when Casey let out a sad whine. Instinctively, he leaned closer as his voice softened considerably, brushing his thumb over the fist that had him captured. "Shh, now, lad... it's alright."

Nothing but a simple glance of expectation from her was needed to make his hand rise in mock surrender.

Her happy laugh was interrupted by a loud yawn that finally reminded him of the fact that she should be resting.

With a slight bent to his knees, he leaned close to her face, studying her features more properly. Her eyelids fluttered tiredly several time as she tried to hold his gaze, dark circles rimmed them.

It had only been but a few weeks since she'd given birth, and the midwife had ordered her to rest properly. But Casey required a lot of attention, especially at night, when he would wake up several times at night without fail. Taking care of him by herself should be quite taxing.

She had to be exhausted.

Yet, he held a strong feeling of reticence against mentioning the assistance of a wetnurse after she had reacted so vehemently against it.

'Casey is my child. And I am perfectly capable of caring for him myself!' Elizabeth had argued determinately, looking affronted and hurt. Refusing to listen to his reasoning.

It had been difficult to convince her he'd had no intention of putting her capability to care for their son into question. And as she had been still recovering from the blood loss of the birth, he was entirely unwilling to cause her further agitation. Thus, he conceded.

But confronted with the signs of weariness in her face, he regretted not having insisted more.

Staying with her during the day was difficult even now that the threat of Roger's assaults had been remedied. And with the steady increase of shipping and trading around the island, the frequency of criminal acts had risen as well. His obligations at port were plenty, requiring his presence at fort to manage the personnel training. Even at night, his assistance was barely permitted, and his wife would force him into a different room on the days when Casey had strong fits of crying. Leaving him feeling guilty and useless.

And while Elizabeth was doing an admirable job of taking care of their son... she was still young, and likely, as inexperienced with children as he was.

"I'll look after him for now." he offered, moving in front of her and presenting his open arms. "Lay down. Like you were supposed to be doing."

Her eyes filled with concern as she reminded him, "You just arrived home, and you have not had much rest these days ...Have you even had a proper meal today?"

"Elizabeth, give him to me and go lay down."

"But..."

"Now, please." he ordered a little more strongly.

For a brief moment, she stared at him with a trouble frown, but he was grateful she acquiesced with a subdued nod and no more words of protest.

Their child seemed to understand he was about to be moved from his comfortable nest, beginning to squirm in objection.

Maintaining the steadiness of his voice, James called for his acquiesce."Casey."

At the sound of his name, Casey arrested the beginning of a fit, shifting his interest to the source of the voice, allowing himself to be moved and settling in his arms after she let go.

While placing his son's head on his shoulder he observed his wife unceremoniously collapse on top of the bed with some concern. Wondering whether he should comment on the lack of prudence of the rough action.

Arranging her limbs into an improvised pillow, Elizabeth allowed her gaze to follow her husband's form, watching him start to pace the length of their room as he held Casey with both hands, almost hiding his small body completely from view.

Instead of relaxing, Casey seemed to become more excited while in James' arms in spite of his efforts, little legs kicking persistently against his chest.

"He appears to be quite lively today." she heard him say, smiling sympathetically once his eyes returned to her.

Uncooperative, would be closer to an accurate description, was her tired mind's retort.

"Yes. He has been behaving like that all day." she warned with a short grunt of frustration that was barely muffled by the linen under her, "I have not the faintest idea what has him in such an excited mood. The only time he calms is while he is being fed."

"I suppose it's fortunate we won't have to worry about him having a poor appetite."

Tired as she was, his response lifted her mood.

"I was finally able to find some much needed sleep last night, so I thought it meant he would be more agreeable today." she confessed to her husband in a mumble, finally giving up any pretense as she watched him try to find a more comfortable grip around the bouncing body. "But he has been waking at the most unexpected of times, and demanding to be carried every time I've tried to put him down."

This time, her scowl was more playful than truly disgruntled, but it did not deter James from frowning at her with worry.

Not wanting to hear him argue for her need to have more rest while she was already laying on the bed, she chose to ignore his expression by closing her eyes for a moment. He had already resumed his walk when she opened them once again, patting their child's small back carefully.

"He is so petite." she commented softly, distracted once again by how easily James' hands engulfed her darling's body.

"Well, he is but a few weeks old, Love." he teased her gently, continuing to pace the room with the hope he would eventually fall asleep.

"Yes," she agreed happily, staring at the two of them with absolute delight twinkling in her eyes. "But he looks even smaller when you're holding him. Like an adorable, little doll." A pleased feeling settling in the middle of her chest.

"A fiery doll, I'll say." he remarked unrepentantly while remembering the enthusiastic cries from a few night ago. He had been able to hear the wails, even while working on the study downstairs, and Elizabeth had been so exhausted that night that she had not reacted from her slumber in spite of the persistent noise. James had been baffled to discover the reason for his son's desolated whimpers was that he had been pulling on his own hair and had been unable to let go.

For someone so small and defenceless, their son was admirably loud when he determined to be.

"Have I told you how much I enjoy the sight of you with our baby in your arms?" she asked suddenly, making him turn to her with curiosity, her eyes already completely focused on him. "Having a baby in your arms suits you unexpectedly well."

Unexpectedly?

His lips parted to question her teasing observation, but a moment later, a loud burping noise echoed in the room. The sound was accompanied by a small cough and the sensation of liquid warmth spreading down his shoulder and back, making his face turn into a grimace of distaste. "...He just vomited on me, did he not?" he inquired wearily, turning his shoulder and presenting his back to her at the same time he repositioned Casey to his other side so he would be able to assess the extent of the damage as well, discovering the large stain quickly expanding through the fabric of his shirt.

Even as her nose wrinkled with disgust, Elizabeth was unable to contain a giggle full of merriment.

"I'm sorry, Dear. I forgot that he had eaten just recently." She did not appeared to be honestly repentant, her face burying on the bedspread in a poor effort to hide the amused expression that he knew was there. "Maybe the maids will be able to salvage it for you."

After releasing a long exhale, he carefully cradled the child in front of him, using the sleeve of his already ruined shirt to wipe up the milk stains from his son's lips and chin.

"It is of no importance." he decided in dismissal.

Saliva continued to sprout freely from his son's mouth while he gurgled happily, looking more and more awake as he attempted to bite on his fingers. The corner of James' own mouth moved upwards as he brought the child closer to his face, "Of course you find this entertaining." he tried to scold unsuccessfully, only provoking the wriggling to intensify and his noises to become louder. "...I am sincerely beginning to worry you'll become as mischievous as your mother."

Elizabeth voiced an noise of protest at that, but then he heard her to muffle another loud laugh when their child started flailing his arms and legs so vigorously he almost managed to land a kick to his jaw.

A baby who was barely a few weeks old yet already determined to land a punch... "A peril indeed." James muttered to himself, bringing his body back to his chest, as he attempted to unbutton his shirt without losing his secure hold of the relentless child.

Taking pity of his disgraceful situation, his wife raised from the bed and took Casey from him.

After disposing of the ruined garment, he quickly moved to the adjacent room in order to fetch a new one, still able to hear her quiet laughter from the other side.

"I think you can now appreciate how I found myself surpassed." she called out teasingly as he returned to her side donning a fresh shirt.

"Regardless, you still need to sleep." he repeated determinately, extending his arms to take the child back.

She appeared surprised by the action.

"But if he gets hungry again…" she started to say with no conviction, squeezing her baby's body just a little tighter.

"I'll be certain to bring him back to you." he reasoned easily, looking entirely unaffected by her intense gaze, leaving her no chance to argue. "Just sleep, Love." he offered with an face full of sympathy, "And do not worry. I'll keep watch over him."

Her acquiesce was swift once a wave of tiredness sapped her of any remaining energy, no longer feeling capable to continue standing once her lids fell heavily a few times. The weight of her exhaustion was undeniable, and as much as she loved her baby, she knew her husband was correct.

"Fine," she mumbled reluctantly, lifting him up and placing a kiss to his plump cheek.

"You're so sweet and dear, my Darling." she praised in a sweet mumble, keeping her attention on the perfect face peeking at her from underneath a cream coloured bonnet, "And I love you so much, but I truly do need to close my eyes. Only for a short moment." she apologized earnestly, finally allowing James to take him from her arms.

The moment her arms were empty, she felt the pressing need for sleep much more intensely. Walking back to the bed and letting herself fall back on the bed, sinking deep into the layers of linen with a deep, pleased whine.

"Please be more careful, Elizabeth." she heard him request.

She merely hummed back in response, her eyes already closed as she relaxed into the soft surface without the need for further encouragement.

...

James watched quietly over his wife's curled form as her breath slowed, becoming soft and shallow in mere seconds. He waited until he was certain she had fallen asleep before resuming his futile efforts to make their son rest as well.

There are still considerable amounts of documentation that needed revising before the next cargo was due to depart.

However, Casey demonstrated no interest in falling asleep. And so, he decided to take him along before he could threatened to begin with his whining once more.

"If you are going to refuse so resolutely. Then you will have to help me with my work." he informed him. This time, his little hand caught on one of the buttons of his recently changed shirt, tugging at it with surprising strength.

His hand brushed over the top of his head with affection, "Alright."

...

It took him several attempts to find a position that the child would approved of, but once he did, his son had behaved surprisingly well.

James allowed his gaze to wander away from the documents to check on the child every so often.

Once he arranged him between his bent legs while he laid on the sofa inside the library, Casey had decide to calm. Remaining perfectly content as long as his hands would periodically attend to him in some manner.

It was in that same position that Elizabeth found them once she wandered into the room some hours later, still wearing his shirt, now creased and dishevelled. Her hair an admirable mess, yet, her constitution already showing much improvement. The usual pretty shade of pink returning to her lips, the dark shadows under her eyes becoming less violent.

"How is it possible that he is so quiet for you?" she questioned, attempting to sound affronted, but visibly delighted by the sight in front of her. Immediately picking the baby in her arms, she greeting him with enthusiasm, kissing his cheek and brushing her nose against his before bouncing him lightly against her chest, "I missed you." she declared with enthusiasm.

Moving her attention from Casey to give him a wry look.

"Thank you, Dear."

The relaxed smile adorning her beautiful face was everything he cared for.

Author's note: I'm sorry, I'm suck a fxxing dumbass that I locked myself out for months because I had the cookies of the site turned off and I coulnd't figure it out until just now...

But hey! on the bright side you are getting a bunch of chapters in one go hahaha.