It had been a good first night with Paul, the baby had whined a little bit that morning as Jim put him into an adorable onesie Mrs. Hunter had lent him. While he dressed the infant, he keep wondering about the boy’s birthdate, and overall who his mother was, it concerned him that his son would have to grow up without his mother, even at such a young age, he was probably about 3 or 4 months, but James honestly had no clue.

This was the worst part of having the baby so far: telling his father about it. He was headed there now, but he was dreading every moment on the way there. Paul ogled as his father struggled to use the age graph on the formula container to get him something to eat. Jim was glad that the baby was being generally good so far, but he knew it couldn’t last.

He would have to aparate, or risk a 3 hour car drive with the baby, so he wrapped the baby in the blanket he had found him in and tucked the note he had found the little lad with. He swung is wand around him and he cracked into Oulton Broad Suffolk for the second time in twenty-four hours. Paul kicked uncomfortably at the noise and Jim rocked the baby like Mrs. Hunter taught him.

He knocked on his door and Eliza, the housekeeper opened it. “Oh, James! What a pleasant surprise!” She looked at the bundle in his arms. “What happened?” Eliza asked, as he walked into his childhood home. “Long story, are my parents home?” Eliza nodded. “Your father is in his office and your mother is outside painting snapdragons.”

Jim decided to go to his father first, knowing that it would be the worst of the two. “Thanks Eliza” He planted a quick kiss on the old woman’s cheek and walked up the stairs quietly. When he got to the attic where his father’s office was, he thought of turning back. He had one hand raised to knock on the door. Paul cooed, a bit of mucus dripping from his nose.

James reached into his pocket and pulled out a tissue, wiping up his son’s face. Taking a deep breath, James knocked three rapt times on the wooden door, wondering what would happen next.

Octavian had a load of paperwork to do, and found himself a little frustrated at the mass of papers on his desk.  Not to mention the clutter associated with them.  His hand ached from signing forms and writing countless responses to letters from other departments and schools.  He hated to admit it, but he loved the summer break, because he had a lot less to do regarding apparation approvals. 

He was forced to pause in the middle of his work and suppressed a large sigh when he heard a knocking at the door.  "Come,"  he said, exasperated.         

James opened the door, really wishing he wasn't here. Paul cooed in his baby carrier. "Hey Dad, i-it's Jim." He took a few steps into the attic office, where he was never allowed to play as a child, even though it had the best windows for star-gazing. He hadn't seen his father in a few days, and that's kind of how he liked it. Honestly, his dad was more of a bother than a help.

Their argument a few weeks ago wasn't helping this either. Octavian's head was bowed over paperwork. "Dad, I have something really important to tell you."

Octavian sighed once more as one of his few failures trounced into the room.  He frowned  at the sight of the boy, and set down his quill instantly and put his full attention on James.  "Wha-"  Octavian paused mid-sentence, peering at the baby James was cradling in his arm.  "James Kane, where did you receive that infant from?"  He questioned, disappointment on his face.

What was James up to this time?  Octavian hated when a bad day got worse.

"Hi Dad, nice to see you too, I've missed you so much. Have I told you how much I love you lately?" James said, sitting down on the sofa, putting PJ on the floor. He reached his arms up and grabbed a toy above his head. Jim stuck his hands in his various jacket pockets and pulled a pacifier from one of them. He pulled a hair off of the rubber bit, and put it in Paul's mouth.

"Dad, I "received" this "infant", on my doorstep." Jim lifted PJ out of his carrier and pulled his collar down to show the birthmark that he and the rest of his family shared. He then pointed to the small mark on Paul's neck. "Dad" Jim said. "He's mine, and he's your grandson."

Octavian grimaced as Jim pulled several objects from his pockets and set the child on the floor.  He was already irritable when his son told him he was a father, and it was a further issue when he was informed that James had no clue who mothered the infant in the first place. 

"You frustrate me, James Kane."

"That's it?" Jim said, his eyes bulging. "That's it, really? I tell you I have a son, my life is about to change forever and all you have to say is 'You disappoint me James Kane.'? Come on dad! Help me out here!" James almost shouted, being wary of PJ. He turned around and put the infant back into his carrier, and pulled the blankets up to his arms. Paul looked at the various mirrors hanging from the handle.

James turned back to his father. "Dad, you're not gonna be normal and say, 'how did this happen?' or 'I'm happy for you son!' No, you have to be....impossible!" James shouted, losing his temper, he slammed both hands flat on  the desk, a picture of Annette fell over on the desk. "Look at me!" Jim screamed in his father's face.

"Yes, James Kane, I believe that is it," Octavian replied quickly, wanted the ordeal to be over quickly.  After he advanced to the desk and yelled in Octavian's face, he would have simply notified James that he was to leave, but he felt sorry for him.  "I apologize, James."  He stood, frowning then of sympathy rather than regret.  "How may I...  Assist you?"  He inquired, glancing breifly at the infant.  He had the money to support James, but he was afraid that he would waste it on foolish pleasures.

"I will do as you wish,"  He said, recalling the sentences James told him he should have asked, and chose the question over the joyful statement.  "How did this ordeal come about?"

"You can....assist me my show some freakin' emotion! I don't even know if you have muscles in your face that even allow you to smile! Geez!" James threw himself into the small sofa that sat in the attic office. He rubbed his eyes, this wasn't going as he had hoped. "I don't know how it happened, honestly, and I haven't had time to think about it." Jim would never cry in front of his father, Octavian would slap his shoulder and tell him that real men don't shed tears.

"I got this note" Jim pulled the piece of paper he kept in his breast pocket. He looked at the thin scrawl, and he turned the paper around a bit, he looked at the back side, PJ's date of birth and weight and all that other important stuff were on the back. Jim's eyes widened, he hadn't noticed that before. He held the piece of paper over to the desk so his father could take it.

"You can....assist me my show some freakin' emotion!"

Octavian did promise to help his son, but he was unsure as to what James meant.  Octavian was already showing a concerned frown, but his visage grew to show perplexity.  James hadn't done anything right with the whole situation; he found an infant at his doorstep that was supposedly his, but had no spouse to assist him taking care of the child. 

He wasn't sure why he smiled, given Jim's course of action, but he was a grandfather, either way, and a small grin appeared.  "Are you alright?  There seems to be some emotional turmoil in you, Jim."  He hated using his son's nickname, but thought it would comfort him.

Octavian picked up the note and understood -  if only a little more - what James meant.  "Do you know who had the infant?  The note indicates when he was born.  Can you make a hypothesis from there?" 

     

"Yeah, emotional turmoil, that's what's going on." Jim said, running his fingers through his hair. He wracked his brain, trying to think of anything from the past year, it hadn't been that great after his break-up with Tina, but he may have done something while they were still dating....he was thinking about New Year's Eve of the previous year. "Oh shit" James thought of the party he had attended while Tina was out of town, visiting her parents.

Raven black hair, thin, painted fingers, blue cotton shirt, white buttons....but no name. "I can't remember her name! I'm not even sure I asked." Then another woman popped up into his head. Red, curly hair, curvy waist, black jeans, green wool sweater, silver chain necklace. Of those two, it would have to be one of those two women. "I can't remember their names." Jim put his head between his knees. "I can't remember!"

 A knock came on the door. Eliza's white hair peaked through the opening in the door. "Sir, I have your coffee. James, I brought you a cup as well." She held up a serving tray. James lifted his head. "Thanks Eliza." He got up from the sofa, and took the lighter cup and kissed her cheek. She might as well been his mother, she basically raised him because his father was too busy to notice him and his mother was too crazy to remember she had a kid most of the time.

"Coffee Mr. Lotusorder?" Eliza, said, holding up the tray.

Octavian nodded, unsure if Jim's tone was of sarcasm or sincerity.  "Please to not curse in my office, James Kane," he ordered, turning back to his regular self, rather than the gushy, sympathetic side of him that rarely saw the light of day, except when his brother died. 

He shrugged at James's struggle to figure out who was the mother of his son.  Watching the boy become frustrated, he asked again, "How may I assist you with this matter?"

Just then, Eliza advanced into the room.  "Yes, please," he answered.  He would need a lot of caffeine to subdue his headache.  She walked over and set the steaming dark roast on his desk.  "Thank you."  With that, she turned and advanced from the room, nodding at the two men before closing the door.   

   

Once Eliza was gone, Jim turned back to his father. "You can help by just being there for me, support me while I'm having a rough patch starting out, and I don't mean with money, I mean like, real, actual, emotional support." Jim looked back at the baby carrier. "And one more thing." James pulled PJ out of his nest of blankets. He came around the side of the desk and held Paul out to his grandfather.

"Hold him. You need to be there for him as much as you need to be there for me." Paul looked at Octavian for a moment, his ice blue eyes looking over his grandfather, then he smiled and giggled, kicking a little. "See? He wants you to hold him, please Dad? For him?"

"Very well," he affirmed Jim's terms.  "You don't need funds to support Paul?  I may supply money, as long as you use it responsibly."  He didn't want James wasting any of his inherited money, it had to last him a while before he had to rely solely on his own job. 

"What?  That's blasphemy, James Kane.  I refuse to hold your child, I regret holding you enough already."  He didn't want the infant's vomit to spoil his suit like James had so many times.  He sighed.  "I will... hold your child.  But only briefly," he established, reaching out for Paul.  He held him as far as he could from his desk and jacket.  "There."   

"That makes me feel wanted." Jim said, letting go of Paul as Octavian took him. "It's bad enough you weren't at the hospital when I was born! Are we gonna be one of those weird families that always misses the birth of the first child? Because, I don't want that, that's weird."

It was actually really funny to watch Octavian hold PJ like he was toxic waste. "You have to hold him so he can see your face and touch you, that's the only way you two are going to bond at this point." James said crossing his arms and smiling as his father struggled to muster affection for his grandson.