(Untitled)

[prima_sequentem]

(about a year and a half after this disaster)

James Moriarty is sitting on a couch by the fire wearing a mildly ridiculous contraption and smiling a smile that is much more ridiculous than that

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[isaysimplewords]

Significantly less time has passed for Cal, who is fairly preoccupied when Milliways shows up. Trying to figure out what the fuck happened in a recent alien invasion attempt will do that.

Which is how he gets his coffee and is halfway to the fireplace when he focuses on the tableau before him enough to register what it is he's seeing.

That gets his attention.

[isaysimplewords]

He finally looks up at her, and there's no antipathy in the look. He just can't muster any up right now.

And even if he could, he wouldn't. Babies can pick up on things like that.

"I'm a sucker for kids," he says.

[prima_sequentem]

"Me too."

[isaysimplewords]

He smiles, entirely genuine.

"I can see that."

He can, too. He doesn't have a lot of experience with real maternal affection, but he sure as hell knows what the fake kind looks like, and it doesn't look like this.

[prima_sequentem]

"Oh good."

Because if he hadn't believed that, she really doesn't know what would have happened. And she never wants to find out.

[isaysimplewords]

He has no idea how to fit this information in with everything else he knows about her, but that's not a priority right now. He'll figure it out later.

He looks back down at Samantha.

"What does my double think of all this?"

(He barely even remembers Calvin as an infant. He held him once or twice, maybe, for photo ops, and the rest of the time he lumped his son into everything he was trying to forget. Which was - everything.)

[prima_sequentem]

"Well, he stopped smoking in the house, for one."

[isaysimplewords]

Cal laughs softly in relief.

"Of course he did."

[prima_sequentem]

"I was all set to tell him not to, and then I didn't have to. I love it when that happens."

[isaysimplewords]

"Not good for the baby," Cal says, nodding a little. "Even I can figure that out."

[prima_sequentem]

("No, no, these are special brownies. Since I can't smoke in the house anymore.")

They had barely found out-hadn't had time to really sit down and talk about it. She kissed him and told him how wonderful he was.

James smiles at the memory, and it's not the same smile she gives her daughter but it's still love.

[isaysimplewords]

He glances back up at her in time to catch the last of it.

. . . Huh.

[prima_sequentem]

When their eyes meet, her smile turns wry.

"I'm thinking of going back into math."

[isaysimplewords]

He grins suddenly.

"Oh, yeah?"

[prima_sequentem]

"You're going to laugh, I know you are, but I'm a great teacher."

[isaysimplewords]

That kind of remark is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Cal does laugh, a little.

"I guess the organizational skills would come in handy."