I bounced to the door in excitement when I heard the knock. Edmund's hands were full of bags and I grabbed the one he was balancing in his arms. He was looking about him with a certain amount of awe when we went to the kitchen. It was early in the day so he could get a feel for the appliances and see what I was missing for him to cook.

"Wow. This is a great kitchen. You have never used it?" He stroked the counters and stared at the appliances in delight. I shrugged.

"Well I've used them... just not properly. I set off the smoke alarms a couple times is all." He laughed with me and started opening cupboards to see what was inside. Sadly, all he found were some various snack foods, one set of dishes, a few random utensils and cleaning supplies. He licked his lips and tried not to look too sad as he smiled at me.

"Let me put the groceries away and I will make a list for us, okay?" He said gently. I nodded. I helped him put the food in the refrigerator carefully. He told me where the different foods should go, like the vegetables go in the crisper drawer to stay fresh longer. I had chocolate bars in the meat drawer that kept it separate so it didn't drip or contaminate other food, so I told him he could move them somewhere else.

He hummed a little to himself as he wrote down a list of essential kitchen items. I liked watching him work at it. His brow lowered as he concentrated on it, making him look stern and serious. His writing was neat on my notepad and his hand fluidly used my ornate Pelikan fountain pen. It was a Souveran, and I had gotten it to sign the contract securing my new life away from my parents.

It seemed fitting that he detailed what I needed to survive with it. I nodded as he explained some of the items on the list, not really caring why he wanted them there but happy to have help. There should have been a course or two on survival training for the individual living alone. It would have been more helpful than Philosophy or History in my case.

"Are you ready to go? We can take my car if you prefer." He ripped the list off the pad. I bit my lip and took it from him when he handed it over.

"Sure, whichever is fine. Are you parked out front?" I asked. He nodded and I grabbed my wallet, keys, cell phone and jacket before following him out the door. I made sure it was locked behind me before showing him out of the building.

"I still can't believe you live here. This place costs a fortune. It's kind of a thrill to be able to go inside for me." He was grinning like a kid that won the lottery and I was staring at his handsome face.

"I'm glad I could fulfill a wish for you. Is... is this you?" I looked with interest at the beat up Golf Rabbit that sat in the guest spot. He nodded with a grimace.

"Yeah I don't take it out much. Usually I use the transit system to get around." He opened the door and I gingerly got in. In sounded loud when he started it up. My eyes must have been as big as saucers. He took me to a large mall and we went into the department store. I usually ordered my things online and had them delivered.

Here they had all sorts of boxes of things to choose from. Edmund filled a cart, asking my opinion now and then on pattern or colour choices. Once he was going to buy a cheaper set just because it was on sale. I saw his longing look at the more expensive one and put it in the cart with a wink. He shook his head at me.

I also made him buy a set of dishes, saying it was so we could eat together. Just because it happened to be the one he couldn't take his eyes off of made no difference. When we were checking out, there was a child next to us holding a small stuffed animal looking thing. He held it out to his mother, who had it scanned and gave it back to him.

"What is that?" I asked him. He seemed confused with what I was pointing to.

"You mean the teddy bear?" He replied. I cocked my head at him. He was watching me carefully for my reply.

"Yes? What is it for? Why did she buy it for him? Does it have a purpose?" The questions flooded out of my mouth. He raised a brow at me.

"They are for comfort. She bought it because she loves him and wants him to have a symbol of that love. Have you ever had one?" He glared at me when I shook my head no. I handed over my debit card and paid for our stuff as he stood there and steamed in anger. Was he angry at me? I was confused.

"Are you mad at me?" I asked quietly as we walked away from the register with our cart of bags. He shook his head and stopped to hug me fiercely.

"No. I'm not mad at you. Sweetheart I'm mad at your parents or whoever raised you for being cold, selfish pricks. Everyone deserves to have a teddy bear or stuffed animal. Especially you." I blushed and grinned at him. Then I protested when he told me to wait right there. I nervously stood with our cart until he came back with a big bag tucked under his arm.

He handed it to me. I reluctantly took it. Now he was blushing and I found it the sexiest thing I'd ever seen. I opened the bag. It was so beautiful. A big chocolate brown teddy bear with a bright red bow around its neck. I pulled it out. It was so very soft. I held it close to me, just like the little boy had. I closed my eyes. I felt it now. The reason the little boy held the teddy. The reason the mother bought it.

I didn't know when I started to cry, but two large arms wrapped about my shoulders and held me the whole time. My teddy got damp and I would have felt humiliated if Edmund wasn't blocking me from everyone's view. He pulled me gently to the car and rocked me in his arms until my crying stopped. I was hiccupping in distress as he stroked my hair.

"Shh, everything is going to be alright. I'm here now. I'm not going anywhere. Let's go home now. Okay?" His warm voice penetrated my daze long enough to get me seated and buckled in. I stared out the windshield as he loaded our things into the trunk and backseat. I might've been upset about not helping if I wasn't so shocked.

By the time we got back to my place, I had found some composure. I helped him with the purchases and let him in the door with my keys. I showed Henry my new teddy bear with a big smile and he helped us get the elevator up. My cheek kept nuzzling the soft fur the whole way. Edmund didn't complain a single time, even though he carried most of the packages.

I refused to put down the bear even when I helped him open the boxes. It tucked under my arm as we ripped open tape and pulled off plastic bags. I put the packaging into the garbage and recycling as necessary. He washed the pots and utensils we bought before starting dinner.

I watched him chop vegetables, dice herbs and slice meat. I was impressed with his skill. We chatted and I checked out his arse each time he turned to the stove to toss things into the fry pan. It smelled delicious very quickly. He tried to get me to chop some mushrooms but I refused to put down the bear. I asked him to make them really small because I liked the flavour but not the big squishy pieces.

He smiled at me while he stirred a sauce together in a pot and seared the meat in a pan before placing it on a baking sheet. It went into the oven to cook. He didn't even use a cook book and he was making the most amazing food! Even as he made our dinner he was building something called a casserole in a deep dish.

That one had ground meat in it and layers of cheese with shredded cabbage. He put the sauce in the pan over it and put it in the oven when he took the meat out. Then he changed the temperatures on everything. I was fascinated but fearful at the same time. He pressed a few buttons and a timer popped up on the oven screen.

The meat was sitting on the counter cooling. He tossed some things in with the vegetables that seemed strange, then he sliced the meat into strips, tossed it into the frypan and served it on the plates. I was handed a freshly cleaned fork. My mouth watered at the amazing smell wafting from my plate. I thought it smelled good grilling, but it was nothing compared to the finished product.

I took a tentative bite. I moaned in ecstasy at the explosion of flavour on my tongue. It was the best stir-fry I had ever tasted. Every bite was perfect. The meat was juicy and tender, the vegetables ever so slightly crisp and gently grilled. The sauce was perfectly balanced. I had never tasted anything like it. My teddy bear sat on the counter and watched as we ate our meal.

Then Edmund took out the casserole and put it into containers that we had bought, as well the leftovers he made of the stir-fry. Both were put into my fridge for later and I gave him a huge hug. He tipped my head back and kissed me. I closed my eyes and enjoyed it. It was the first kiss I had gotten that I really enjoyed. I opened my mouth to him when he asked.

His tongue traced patterns on my own tongue and licked my teeth. It made me snicker when he touched the roof of my mouth. He grinned into the kiss and fisted into my hair to make me gasp. That opened my mouth back up wider and he devoured it roughly. I was panting from the intensity. He seemed to check himself, and drew back to stare at me thoughtfully.

"Let's do things properly. Will you be my boyfriend, Brendan?" He asked me very quietly. I nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes please. I would like that very much."

A/N ~So it begins... our Daddy and his boy have finally met >.<