Any man can be a father
Stephen smiled at Madeline as he held the little girls in his arms, Zoey clutched tightly in her hands. He'd decided to bring his little princess to work with him that morning as Cassie had a presentation in front of the Charms committee and wouldn't be finished until after noon. It wasn't a problem; it was Maddy's first time at the office, which made his basement cranny a hot spot for well-wishers and cooing women who wanted to see how perfect his little princess was.
Stewart had, he liked to think, calmed down in the days since Katie had told him. To be fair, his eyes still seemed poised to fall out of his head and he felt the need to sit down every time he thought about it, but he'd reclaimed the power of speech enough to go with his pregnant wife to tell their parents and Katie's various siblings.
Blake and Stephen were next on his list while Katie spent the day telling her girlfriends. He'd find the blond later in the day when his training was over, but right now he was treading the familiar paths of the WWN down to Stephen's office. The usual comments from the vocal fans amongst the staff slid off his shoulders with a bare nod until he found himself knocking on the older 'claw's door.
"It's open," Stephen called as he trailed tickling fingers up Maddy's tummy, smiling when she giggled in delight and grasped at his hand.
The taller man entered, shutting the door with his heel. The sigh of Stephen with his little girl made the corner of his lips twitch into a smile. That was going to be him. Katie was baking one just like that right now. Only better.
Stephen glanced up at his friend, lips curling. "Look who it is, Princess. It's Uncle Stewart. Can you say hallo?"
Maddy giggled and babbled a little bit of nonsense, grinning a big toothy grin up at her honorary uncle.
"Stewart," Stephen greeted, nodding at the empty chair across the desk, "what brings you to the tombs today, mate?"
"Got told there was some gorgeous new girl taking over your office, thought I'd come by and check her out," he teased, returning Maddy's wave. He reached across the desk and offered her a finger for her little hand to curl around.
The little girl grasped onto his finger and brought it to her mouth, gums gnawing happily away at the digit as drool coated both their hands.
"Only the most beautiful women in the world frequent my office," Stephen replied, smirking as his daughter nibbled away at the other man's finger. "Try not to be jealous."
"Jealousy's unnecessary, my friend." My wife's hotter than your wife. No two ways about it. He cracked a half smile at the mini-Cornfoot trying to gum away his finger; though he privately hoped his child wouldn't drool quite so much.
Stephen snickered as he gently pulled Stewart's finger out of Maddy's little grasp. "She's teething," he offered by way of explanation. "Therefore anything that sits still is a chew toy."
"Cheers." He conjured a tissue to wipe his finger dry. "What age do they start doing that?" he asked conversationally; he was going to need to know, after all.
"The Healer said it varies from baby to baby, but usually between four and seven months old," the older man said, grinning as Maddy's flailing little hand grasped onto his nose. "This little miss started at six months."
"So you're saying she's taking after her old man? A bit slow on the uptake?" he teased good naturedly.
"Is there a reason you stopped by, or are you just trying to make me look bad in front of my daughter?" Stephen asked with a pointed look.
"You do that by yourself, mate. But somehow I think you'll have her fooled till she's at least fourteen." He leaned back in his chair. "I might have some news."
The older 'claw raised an eyebrow. "Personal or professional?"
Stewart smirked. "If it was professional I'd've met you for lunch and charged it to the team." He paused a beat, eyes flicking to the floor and back up to Stephen. "Katie's pregnant."
Stephen was stunned into silence for a moment before a rare, genuine smile broke out on his face. "Really? That's great! Congrats, mate."
Stewart's lips fell into a grin brighter than Stephen's. "Cheers. We're not making any sort of formal announcement till she's a few months along, but close friends and family get to know"
"How did you react when she told you?" Cassie had stunned him into silence for several minutes before he'd come to his senses. It'd been a shock, but they had their little Maddy now.
"I kinda ... sat with my mouth open for a bit," he admitted, somewhat sheepishly.
"Bet Katie loved that."
"I think she was as amazed as I was, frankly." Even thinking about the surprise made him glad he was sitting.
Stephen nodded, glancing down at Maddy then back up at his friend. "Want to hold her?" he offered. "You could probably use the practice."
"She's not going to squirm out of my hands, is she?" Oh Merlin, if their baby even looked like he might be precariously placed in his arms, Katie or one of the mothers would be stringing him up from his thumbnails till Christmastime.
He laughed. "She might wiggle, but only until she gets settled."
"Alright." Stewart came around to Stephen's side of the desk and held out his arms to take the tiny girl, trying not to betray the nervousness he felt. It wasn't like he'd done this before.
Stephen helped to arrange Maddy in his friends, adjusting them so that she was supported everywhere that she needed to be. Maddy, for her part, giggled and cooed and gazed up at the other man with big blue eyes.
"See? It's not terribly difficult," Stephen said once they'd gotten settled.
"I bet he says that to all the little girls," Stewart murmured to Maddy, being careful to support her head as Stephen had shown him.
Lips quirked as Stephen watched his best mate hold his little girl carefully. Stewart would probably be disgusted to know how awestruck he looked standing there with the cooing baby in his arms.
"If you think it's amazing now, just wait till it's your kid."
"Heh." Stewart didn't voice the thought that his child would run all over Stephen's. "Haven't thought of names, yet," he mentioned as he tickled the little tummy, "Katie doesn't seem to like that I've given it a nickname, though."
"It? Are you waiting to find out the gender?" He'd referred to their baby as an 'it' one time before Cassie had jerked him off to the Healer's so they could find out whether they were having a boy or girl. "And what's the nickname?"
"Gremlin. Grem for short. But we're not going to know till she pops it out." He gave Stephen a concerned look. "How long does that usually take, anyway?"
Stephen shrugged. "Healer said every birth is different. Some are quick, and some can take more than twenty-four hours. Cassie was in labor for fifteen hours before she had Maddy."
"Katie's going to kill me, isn't she?"
"Just remember: whatever she says during labor, she doesn't really mean it. It's the pain talking."
"God, I hope so."
Summary: Stewart shares his good news with Stephen.
Stewart had, he liked to think, calmed down in the days since Katie had told him. To be fair, his eyes still seemed poised to fall out of his head and he felt the need to sit down every time he thought about it, but he'd reclaimed the power of speech enough to go with his pregnant wife to tell their parents and Katie's various siblings.
Blake and Stephen were next on his list while Katie spent the day telling her girlfriends. He'd find the blond later in the day when his training was over, but right now he was treading the familiar paths of the WWN down to Stephen's office. The usual comments from the vocal fans amongst the staff slid off his shoulders with a bare nod until he found himself knocking on the older 'claw's door.
"It's open," Stephen called as he trailed tickling fingers up Maddy's tummy, smiling when she giggled in delight and grasped at his hand.
The taller man entered, shutting the door with his heel. The sigh of Stephen with his little girl made the corner of his lips twitch into a smile. That was going to be him. Katie was baking one just like that right now. Only better.
Stephen glanced up at his friend, lips curling. "Look who it is, Princess. It's Uncle Stewart. Can you say hallo?"
Maddy giggled and babbled a little bit of nonsense, grinning a big toothy grin up at her honorary uncle.
"Stewart," Stephen greeted, nodding at the empty chair across the desk, "what brings you to the tombs today, mate?"
"Got told there was some gorgeous new girl taking over your office, thought I'd come by and check her out," he teased, returning Maddy's wave. He reached across the desk and offered her a finger for her little hand to curl around.
The little girl grasped onto his finger and brought it to her mouth, gums gnawing happily away at the digit as drool coated both their hands.
"Only the most beautiful women in the world frequent my office," Stephen replied, smirking as his daughter nibbled away at the other man's finger. "Try not to be jealous."
"Jealousy's unnecessary, my friend." My wife's hotter than your wife. No two ways about it. He cracked a half smile at the mini-Cornfoot trying to gum away his finger; though he privately hoped his child wouldn't drool quite so much.
Stephen snickered as he gently pulled Stewart's finger out of Maddy's little grasp. "She's teething," he offered by way of explanation. "Therefore anything that sits still is a chew toy."
"Cheers." He conjured a tissue to wipe his finger dry. "What age do they start doing that?" he asked conversationally; he was going to need to know, after all.
"The Healer said it varies from baby to baby, but usually between four and seven months old," the older man said, grinning as Maddy's flailing little hand grasped onto his nose. "This little miss started at six months."
"So you're saying she's taking after her old man? A bit slow on the uptake?" he teased good naturedly.
"Is there a reason you stopped by, or are you just trying to make me look bad in front of my daughter?" Stephen asked with a pointed look.
"You do that by yourself, mate. But somehow I think you'll have her fooled till she's at least fourteen." He leaned back in his chair. "I might have some news."
The older 'claw raised an eyebrow. "Personal or professional?"
Stewart smirked. "If it was professional I'd've met you for lunch and charged it to the team." He paused a beat, eyes flicking to the floor and back up to Stephen. "Katie's pregnant."
Stephen was stunned into silence for a moment before a rare, genuine smile broke out on his face. "Really? That's great! Congrats, mate."
Stewart's lips fell into a grin brighter than Stephen's. "Cheers. We're not making any sort of formal announcement till she's a few months along, but close friends and family get to know"
"How did you react when she told you?" Cassie had stunned him into silence for several minutes before he'd come to his senses. It'd been a shock, but they had their little Maddy now.
"I kinda ... sat with my mouth open for a bit," he admitted, somewhat sheepishly.
"Bet Katie loved that."
"I think she was as amazed as I was, frankly." Even thinking about the surprise made him glad he was sitting.
Stephen nodded, glancing down at Maddy then back up at his friend. "Want to hold her?" he offered. "You could probably use the practice."
"She's not going to squirm out of my hands, is she?" Oh Merlin, if their baby even looked like he might be precariously placed in his arms, Katie or one of the mothers would be stringing him up from his thumbnails till Christmastime.
He laughed. "She might wiggle, but only until she gets settled."
"Alright." Stewart came around to Stephen's side of the desk and held out his arms to take the tiny girl, trying not to betray the nervousness he felt. It wasn't like he'd done this before.
Stephen helped to arrange Maddy in his friends, adjusting them so that she was supported everywhere that she needed to be. Maddy, for her part, giggled and cooed and gazed up at the other man with big blue eyes.
"See? It's not terribly difficult," Stephen said once they'd gotten settled.
"I bet he says that to all the little girls," Stewart murmured to Maddy, being careful to support her head as Stephen had shown him.
Lips quirked as Stephen watched his best mate hold his little girl carefully. Stewart would probably be disgusted to know how awestruck he looked standing there with the cooing baby in his arms.
"If you think it's amazing now, just wait till it's your kid."
"Heh." Stewart didn't voice the thought that his child would run all over Stephen's. "Haven't thought of names, yet," he mentioned as he tickled the little tummy, "Katie doesn't seem to like that I've given it a nickname, though."
"It? Are you waiting to find out the gender?" He'd referred to their baby as an 'it' one time before Cassie had jerked him off to the Healer's so they could find out whether they were having a boy or girl. "And what's the nickname?"
"Gremlin. Grem for short. But we're not going to know till she pops it out." He gave Stephen a concerned look. "How long does that usually take, anyway?"
Stephen shrugged. "Healer said every birth is different. Some are quick, and some can take more than twenty-four hours. Cassie was in labor for fifteen hours before she had Maddy."
"Katie's going to kill me, isn't she?"
"Just remember: whatever she says during labor, she doesn't really mean it. It's the pain talking."
"God, I hope so."
Summary: Stewart shares his good news with Stephen.