Mark walked up to Dragon Towers, to James's apartment, knocking on the door, and calling through the wood. "James! Dude, you gotta see this thing I found! It's this extremely rare fauna that, guess where I found it, growing between some stones in the street! You've gotta see it!" Mark said excitedly. The leaf he held in his hand was regarded as having a highly hallucinogenic venom in it's veins.

Mark pointed his wand at the lock as he muttered the unlocking spell. The door swung open, and he walked in happily. As he walked in and was putting his wand back into it's holster, he realized that there was a baby. Sitting in a pen. In James's apartment. The ravenclaw's mind immediately went to calculating who James would be babysitting. Annette was much too young, but his mother was a bit old. He would have also known on Christmas, and also, the baby seemed to be a few months old.

Mark's eyes grew. Who's baby was it? Why was it here? How was James involved? "James, there's a baby in your apartment." He said, his eyes not leaving the infant, as though it was going to explode.

James pulled on a clean T-shirt and tossed the one PJ had spit up on in the hamper. He zipped up his hoodie, reminding himself,"No more spinach," Jim laced up his boots as he heard the door open and Mark's voice. First there was something about a plant, then there was the pause that James knew he had spotted Paul.

James closed his bedroom door behind him as he rubbed his shoulders. "Hey Mark! How you feeling?" He asked, not seing his friend in over a week since he recovered from his poisoning. "What's going on?" James tried to keep the subject off of his infant son laying on his back, reaching up for a toy on his play gym. Jim acted as if nothing had changed, and his baby didn't exist.

Mark's jaw dropped, as he looked at his friend being cool and collected. "James! There's a baby! In your apartment! And all you can say is 'What's going on?" Mark asked with a raise of his arms, the leaf still in his hand. Mark looked from the baby to James to the baby and back to James.

"There is a child in your living room! A child! A human, living, breathing, child!" He whisper-shouted. "Please tell me your babysitting or something." Mark asked, putting his hands together.

Shit. "Yes, yes there is a baby in my apartment." James walked over to where is son sat on his back and he lifted him up, holding the back of his head. He was apprehensive to tell Mark, maybe he should lie, but it would be hard to keep up, so James sighed and turned PJ around to Mark could see the babies neck.

James pointed to the birthmark on the infant's neck, and then pointed to his identical mark on his own neck. "Mark, meet Paul John Lotusorder, or PJ, for short." James smiled, knowing Mark was going to flip-out. Jim held Paul's head against his chest and covered his ears to muffle the sound of Mark's yelling, and or fainting.

"Oh my god. You're, you're, a father?" Mark said. he dropped into his pocket and ran two hands through his hair. "So, you've got a baby. That's yours. Made of you, and some chick." Mark asked trying to understand. "Do we like this chick? Do we talk to her? Are we on our own here? Is he completely your's?" Mark fired off the questions. "When did this all happen? Did you tell your father? Did you tell Annette? Who have you told?" He continued to ask.

"Ohmygod, you are a dad. Do you know what that means? It means we're getting old! Old old! Like, Old!" Mark complained in a yelling fashion. "You had your baby before me! How's that fair?" Mark wasn't jelous. Okay, maybe a little. "Are you keeping that thing? Here? Are you moving? Do you have someone to watch it?"

Mark started to pace. This was a big deal! He had a kid! James Kane Lotusorder had a kid! A kid, a child, a living breathing thing to take care of!

"Mark! Sit down and I'll tell you the whole thing, okay?" James grabbed a bottle from the fridge and cast a small heating spell, once it was at a good enough temperature, Jim sat down in a kitchen chair and let PJ suck away at the bottle. "So, yeah, what happened is...uh" Jim was rather embarrassed, he didn't know exactly why, but his face burned red as he looked at Mark. "I don't even know where to start."

James' eyes looked over to the note on his kitchen table. He grabbed the note and reached, handing it to Mark. "On Monday night, I heard a knock on the door, and he was sitting in the hall, with that note." James looked down at Paul, an pulled the bottle slightly away, watching PJ reach for it back. He gave the bottle back to PJ and continued with his story.

"Anyways I have no clue who the mother is, and it's killing me, I've changed at least 25 shitty diapers, and it sucks. But, he's my son Mark, I couldn't just drop him off in an orphanage somewhere. I actually went to your mom Monday night after I found him. So she knows, and my parents know, but that's it I haven't even told Annette, have you told Alice?" 

Jim scratched the back of his neck nervously. "I'm completely on my own here. I have enough room for him here, and I don't know, I'm attached."

James looked down at PJ and made a silly face. "Yes I am! Daddy is very attached!" Jim cooed, ignoring the odd look from Mark he knew was there on his face.

Mark rubbed his face with his hand. "Are you ready for this? Like, really ready?" He asked his friend honestly. "This is a lot of responsibility you know. But if you really want this, if you really want to take this on, then I want to help any way I can." Mark shrugged his shoulders. "Now, I don't know a thing about babies, though I know about Colin and his younger years." Mark kneeled down to PJ, using his fingers to gently pull the skin around the infant's eyes, in order to get a better look. Mark looked around his eyes, then took the bottle out of his mouth, looking in the cavern. PJ stared up at him quizzingly, as Mark stood back up. "He seems healthy enough, nothing too alarming. Got some teeth coming in, which is good to see."

Mark then took out his wand, casting, "Lumos minima." Causing a small light to appear at the tip of his wand. He then went to look in the infant's ears. "Small tubes, susceptible to ear infections, but nothing to worry about. Just be careful about drying out his ears well after bath time." He said. Mark then took the bottle away once more to look down PJ's throat. To see two healthy tonsils. The child made a noise, and Mark smiled, as he turned off the light and stood up. "He looks healthy, and good to go. Have you had him checked out by a professional? Has he gotten any shots? Any vaccinations?" Mark asked, withdrawing a book from his satchel.

"He seems to be behaviorally growing at a good rate. Fine motor functions are good, and the more you have him gripping and reaching, the better. Having him reach for things is great for him. Picking up little things, or bigger things. I recommend something gooey for him to play with. Maybe a silicone toy, something that can hold a shape." Mark said, returning the book to his bag.

"So, you talked to my mother. She knows about your baby before mine! I gotta tell her about Julie. It's been on my to do list for weeks." Mark said, leaning back on the counter, watching the infant. "I've been researching everything about infants lately, from biology to chemistry to the best temperature of milk." Mark said, trying to explain the book."PJ'll be a good boy. He's got a good dad."

"I'm ready for it, I guess I always was, and thanks Mark."

James watched as Mark went into doctor mode and checked out PJ. "Wow, I guess you have been doing your research. Remind me why you didn't become a healer when you graduated?" James laughed, knowing his friend would make and excellent Medi-wizard, he was plenty smart enough, and he had all of the skills needed for the job, it puzzled Jim on why his best friend pursued a criminal path first.

"Squishy toy, got it." Jim made a list to go shopping later. James gulped as Mark talked about Julie. "Wait? You haven't told her yet? Uh-oh..." James let Paul latch onto his finger with his tiny hand. "I might have accidentally told her on Monday...." Jim looked at Mark wide-eyed, waiting for another round of Mark-flip out.

Remind me why you didn't become a healer when you graduated?

"I thought I loved potions. I really loved what potions do. The idea of healing people. Mark shook his head with a smile. "I'm looking into going into St. Mungo's. Maybe work on the third floor, for potions and poisonings. I think I could be a pretty reliable source of help." He said with a smile. "I mean,  I just don't think crime is my forte, you know? I'm not intimidating. I'm not scary. I'm just, Mark." He said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"I might have accidentally told her on Monday...."

The color drained from his face. Shit. "Okay then. My mother officially will never trust me again. Julie told her I was a criminal, you told her I was expecting. Now, she's forever going to think that I don't tell her stuff!" Mark took a deep breath. "It was an accident. It's fine. I just need to go talk to her soon, and explain everything." Mark said.

"I think you'd make an awesome healer. And you're not just Mark, your Mark Effing Hunter, don't forget that." PJ pushed the bottle away from his own mouth. Jim put the emptied bottle onto the kitchen table and grabbed a towel on another chair and put it over his shoulder. He put PJ on his knee for a moment, her hands under the infants armpits. "Okay, I'm sorry, I was freaking out and I thought she knew!"

"I'm sure she'll understand." James put Paul over his shoulder and patted his back. With two pats, PJ burped and Jim took him off his arm. "You wanna hold him?" Jim said, looking at PJ and then back to Mark.

Mark smiled at the complement, as he put his wand back in it's holster. He then went to explain the circumstances of why he told Mark's mother about his baby, and Mark kept his cool. "It's totally cool. Really. She'll understand. She always does." Mark explained, crossing his arms. His best friend had a child. This was going to take some time to digest.

"Do I want to hold him?" He re-asked. It was like the baby was made of glass. "Dude, I'm so afraid I'll break him. Though their bones are rather flexible at this age, I seriously could snap him like a twig accidentally!" Mark explained.

"Mark, really, hold him." Jim stood up and held PJ out to Mark. "Hold your damn godson Mark Hunter!" Jim said sternly. "You hold him or I'm going to leave him on the floor and walk away." James said seriously, looking Mark right in the eye. He sat right down next to Mark. "Hold. Him." James held Paul out farther with each word.

Hold your damn godson Mark Hunter!

Mark froze. "I'm sorry? I'm the godfather?" Mark's mouth broke into a smile. I'm a godfather? Mark took baby PJ, with a smile that wouldn't fade, as he held the infant closer. "Hey there Peege. I'm uncle Mark?" He looked up at James with his mouth gaping. Mark looked back down to his godson, feeling tears form. "Damn it Mark. Hold yourself together. For your, your godson." He said through gritted teeth.

Mark swayed gently, much like his mother did. PJ reached out to Mark and Mark leaned in, as though expecting to hear the baby say something. Instead, the baby grabbed on to his nose and squeezed. Mark laughed. "James, am I really holding my godson? Is this real life?"

James laughed as Mark smiled with glee. He rolled over the arm of the couch and landed on his back onto the couch. He laughed harder as Mark started to cry. "Dude, yeah, he's your godson, if that's okay with you?" Jim said, leaning back on the couch, glad someone else was holding his son instead of him.

""Uncle Mark, Mark, he won't be calling your Mr. Hunter, that's for sure, I'll turn around and look for your dad." James said, looking over his shoulder just to be sure. He closed his eyes for a moment, the first quiet moment in hours. "It's not official though, I don't know if I'll ever get a break to make an appointment or anything." He said with a sigh, his eyes still closed.

"You think you could take care of him once or twice a week at night, he sleeps for almost 8 hours straight, he just needs a warm bottle and a firm mattress and he zonks out. But If you don't want to, I understand." Jim sat up and opened his eyes. "Oh Jesus, Julie is gonna think I'm a total sleeze, she's gonna kill me." Jim flopped back down, curling his knees up to his chest. "Ugh."

Mark smiled as he held his godson. "Yeah, we'll take him. Of course." His eyes never left the infant's. He then looked up to his friend. "Dude, you look tired. Let me take PJ on a walk? Please? You take a nap, relax, you know, be James for a little while, I'll take the kid out, we'll go and have a nice warm bottle. It's a nice day, he should really see everything with his Goddad. I'll take care of him, I promise. Please!" Mark asked.

He was slowly warming up to the kid. Maybe he could instill the importance of reading or knowledge into him at an early age. Maybe he could get the kid to be really smart like he was. Not that James wasn't. It was always just helpful to have another instilling the thoughts into him.