Sorry it's messy, but this is what their nights look like most of the time, lol.

Alastor's POV

Fawn's hand held mine loosely while we walked through the park.

This is one of her favorite places to come when we're out, and I don't have any objections to that.

It was a lovely afternoon, after all. Why waste it cooped up inside?

She also likes to people watch, regularly pointing out to me which women she thinks are wearing something nice, or which ones she thinks are pretty.

She always has something nice to say about everyone.

"Oh, Al look at her! Such a pretty handbag..."

"Those earrings are to die for, oh my god..."

"That skirt looks so good on her, don't you think?"

She often seems to think I have an opinion to share as well, but really, I see all these women as bland.

Not a face in the crowd shines quite as bright as hers.

But I do humor her, humming in agreement to appease her. I'll add in things like, "not as pretty as you," or "it would look better on you, darling."

These comments make her blush, much to my enjoyment.

The park itself was quite full today. It's nearing October, and the weather is cooling off, so more people are beginning to venture out.

My smile was wide as we walked, but I was beginning to feel exhausted from all the attention we were getting.

I used to love the attention, but now that I have Fawn I feel like I have plenty...

I just want to enjoy the day with her.

Alas, it's but a consequence of being the best radio host in this half of the United States.

I'm number one in 40 states...maybe one day I'll get all 48.

More and more people are beginning to say hello to her. Especially after her segment the other day, everyone and their mother wants to meet the soft voice that spoke through their talk boxes.

I'm not sure how she feels about the attention...if it bothers her, she hides it well. However, I do see how she moves closer to me when we're approached by a stranger.

Suddenly, a soft voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Hey, Al,"

I looked down at her, "yes?"

She pointed at something, directing my attention that towards it, "isn't that Lilian?"

The figure she was referring to was a bit far off, and I had to squint slightly to focus on them.

Sure enough, there was our office secretary, Lilian.

She had a stroller positioned at her side, and I noticed she was also talking to someone...what looked like an older woman.

From the looks of it, the conversation was not pleasant. Lilian looked exasperated, almost desperate.

Then, finally, the dramatic display ended and the old woman departed from the scene. She looked apologetic, and I was curious about what had happened.

Lilian's shoulders deflated, and I glanced down at Fawn. She had a soft pout on her face, seeming to be interested as well.

"Shall we go and check on her?" I suggested, rerouting our path towards the woman in question.

"Yea, that didn't look good," Fawn agreed, voicing my own thoughts.

I hummed, and soon we were nearing the place she was standing.

"Lilian, dear!" I called to her, and she jumped slightly before turning to face us.

She was visibility upset, distress written all over her face.

The poor woman, a single mother, is only about 19 or 20. Not many are kind to those types out in this part, so I make it a rule of mine to be gentle with her.

I gave her a job as our secretary at around the middle of last year while she was still pregnant.

"Oh...hello, Alastor! And hello, Fawn...how are you two this afternoon?" She greeted back, masking her emotions with a smile.

While I normally admire one's ability to do so, I was still curious about what has her so upset.

We were now directly in front of her, and her hands rested on the stroller. I glanced down at the bundle inside, seeing a little face peeking out from a swaddle of blankets.

"We're just fine, just couldn't help but notice you seemed a bit disgruntled...Is everything alright, dear...?"

She promptly waved off the topic, chuckling.

"Oh, yes yes! Just another sitter that found out my situation and decided it was not "morally correct" for them to watch my child, you know, the usual shenanigans," she said, her voice thinly veiled with sarcasm.

I briefly glared at the distant figure of the old woman, and then sighed and looked back to Lilian.

"Some people are just blockheads, Lilian, nothing to get yourself down about, darling," I said, giving her a gentle smile.

"Yea! You're badass, don't let anyone tell you otherwise," Fawn piped up beside me.

I'm used to her vulgarities, but when Lilian's eyes widened and she blinked back at the compliment, I was reminded not everyone lives with Fawn.

Just as I was about to apologize for the sudden harsh tongue, the woman smiled and giggled, "thank you! Not many people think so..." she said.

Fawn blew a raspberry from her lips, "well, people suck, that's just a fact of life. You don't need their validation to know how great you are," she said without missing a beat.

I just nodded in agreement.

The somber look in Lilly's eyes lifted slightly, and the smile on her face looked a bit more genuine.

Fawn then released my hand to bend down and see the baby better.

"I don't think I've ever met your baby, Lilian...what's their name?" She asked, and even though I couldn't see her face I could practically hear the smile on her lips.

"Her name is Hazel," Lilian replied fondly, staring down at her baby with eyes filled to the brim with love.

The women talked for a moment, and I watched them with my hands rested behind my back. Fawn was playing with the baby, letting her hold onto her fingers.

It was a heartwarming sight I have to say...and I couldn't help but imagine Fawn doing that with a child of our own creation...

My cheeks promptly heated up, and I blinked in surprise at my own thought.

Children? I don't deserve to have children...

But my Fawn would be so lovey as a mother...especially if she is mothering my babies.

I sighed contently at the fantasy.

Perhaps in another life it could have been a reality...alas, in this one, dear Fawn is barren and I am a monster.

Not realizing I'd stopped paying attention, I felt a small tug at my shirt. I looked down at Fawn, and she was looking up at me expectantly.

"What?" I questioned her, and she snickered.

"Did ya go to space?" She chuckled, "I was asking you if we could babysit for Lilian," she continued.

My eyes widened and I glanced between the women. I now wish I'd been paying attention, because by the looks of it, I no longer have a say in the matter.

Lilian was giving me a big hopeful smile, and so was my Fawn.

How the hell am I supposed to say no to that?

I kept looking between them, and then down at the baby, who was also staring up at me as if asking me to say yes.

Well, that's just not fair at all.

Rolling my eyes slightly, I relented, "oh, alright...but, forgive me, why do you need a sitter, dear?"

Lilian blushed and looked away, fidgeting slightly, "oh, I have a date tomorrow, is all...I haven't spoken to a man since...well...and ever since then no man will touch me. Like I have some sort of- of disease or something...I finally found a man who isn't repulsed by me, and it would just mean the world if you all would be kind enough to do this..."

A date? That shouldn't be too terrible...a few hours with a baby can't be that hard.

I nodded, and Fawn visibly perked up beside me, clapping her hands.

"Yay!" She squeaked, and I directed a soft smile at her.

"You're a lifesaver, Alastor...thank you so much, really...I'll bring her by work tomorrow since he's picking me up afterwords, along with her baby bag,"

Her words almost made me die from the irony, but I simply nodded, "sounds lovely, darling."

We sorted out a few more details, and then shared a few parting words before going about our business.

**

Today's reports are a bit boring...I've been sifting through them since Fawn and I arrived at the station, and there's nothing really interesting in them.

Fawn and Niffty were talking on the other side of the room. They were whispering about something, and giggling, and honestly...I don't even want to know.

This morning, my darling Fawn was very very excited to come to work.

I think I know why, since she hasn't been able to shut up about babysitting for Lilian.

It's very cute, hearing her talk about it. Normally I'm the one with everything to say, so it's nice hearing her sound so excited over something.

Speaking of...Lilian should be here any minute with said child.

She normally trickles in about 20 minutes before broadcasting starts, and that's right about...

My office door opened, and in walked the young woman with a baby in her arms and a large bag swinging around her elbow.

Now.

"Good morning, Lilian dear," I greeted her, and this gained both Fawn's and Niffty's attention.

"Good morning, Alastor!" She called back.

Before I could even blink, Fawn and Niffty had her surrounded. The women began chatting and giggling and I smiled amusedly, shaking my head as I focused back on my files.

Not long after, I'd once again tuned out the soft feminine chatter. Even though these files are boring, they still need to be sorted and they're not gonna do it themselves.

I don't even know how long I sat like that before I was pulled away from my concentration by Lilian timidly setting her bag beside my desk.

"Sorry...to interrupt, I mean...this is Hazel's formulas, extra diapers and her paci...I'm going to leave her here with you and Fawn while I go about my duties, if that's alright?"

I nodded, "that's just fine, sweetheart...I'm sure Fawn is absolutely delighted," I replied, and her face lit up in a bright smile.

"Splendid...thank you so much, again, for doing this. I'll repay you in any way I can," she said with a short bow of her head.

I waved her off, "no, no...no repaying necessary. Just go and have fun, but be careful."

She gave a swift nod, and then turned to go attend to her chores. I noticed Fawn was holding Hazel, making kissy faces at her before she focused on Lilian.

The women shared a few words before Lilian kissed Hazel's head and said something to her, then exited the room.

Fawn and Niffty continued gushing over the baby, showering the little thing with attention and praise.

"Fawn, darling, don't overwhelm Hazel, now," I called over, picking my documents back up. These last few were easy, then I'll be done with filing for the day, thankfully.

Maybe about 15 more minutes and I was finished with the documents, placing the file back in its place with a heavy sigh.

After I'd done that, I looked up to see where Fawn had gone. It got awful quiet, and I'm curious as to why.

And it seems it's because little Niffty has gone off somewhere...leaving Fawn to sit by herself over by the window.

My expression softened at the sight of her sitting over in the sunlight, gently rocking the tiny baby back and forth. She was looking down at her with a small smile, and I could see in her eyes that she already loves this child.

She looked up and noticed me staring, and her smile widened.

Next thing I knew, she was out of her chair and walking over towards me.

"Look, Al..." she said quietly, "isn't she so precious?"

She positioned the baby to where I could see her, and I tilted my head as I examined the small human.

Babies are...strange, to say the least. They're so tiny, and fragile...little bitty feet and hands...little bitty heart and little bitty organs.

Her large, round eyes stared at me, seeming much too large for her little pudgy face.

"Hello, darling," I greeted her how I would any other person, and held my finger out towards her, "how are you today?"

She looked at me curiously, then to my finger before a big smile spread across her face. There was one tiny tooth decorating her top gum, but other than that she was toothless.

Her hand came forward and she grasped my finger, cooing softly.

I was surprised when my heart hit my ribs hard, and I felt my chest swell.

The smile on my face softened and I brought her knuckles up to my lips, giving them a soft kiss...although, it was more like me kissing her entire hand, but it's alright.

She giggled, and released me. I looked up at Fawn, but I was surprised by the look on her face.

Her eyes were full of sparkles and she was looking at me like I'd just rescued her from a house fire.

Before anything could be said, the office door that leads back towards Tom's office opened up.

Looking over at him, a genuine smile lifted to my face. I'm beginning to feel fondly towards Tom, as well.

He and I get along so easily, it's like hours turn to minutes whenever all three of us are together.

"Howdy do, neighbors! How are you lovely folks on this fine after—oh..." he stopped in his tracks when he saw Fawn holding Hazel.

Then his smile widened, "a little one! Fawn, you never told me you have a little one," he said as he quickly came over and bent down to see the baby.

"Oh," Fawn chuckled, "she's not mine. I'm watching her for Lilian," she said.

Thomas hummed, "ahhh...well, she's very charming," he cooed towards the baby, holding up his finger towards her like I had.

The baby once again grasped his finger, giggling all the while.

Thomas got distracted playing with the baby for a moment, not that I could blame him, but then cleared his throat and stood back up fully.

He faced me,

"Al, everything is ready for you in the broadcasting room...uh," he pulled a pocket watch out and checked the time, "I actually have to step away from the studio...I'm not sure when or if I'll be back today, I need to keep an eye on something at home, but you'll be alright," he put the watch away and waved his hand.

I nodded, although I am curious about why he steps away so often. Every other day he checks the time and leaves in a rush to go "check on something" at home.

"Indeed I will be...Fawn should be able to keep me in line," I said, looking at her with a smile.

She scrunched her nose at me, and stuck her tongue out.

Thomas chuckled, "I bet she will...and don't forget this little lady!" He said, bending down to take Hazel's hand into his, "looks like you've got your hands full, Alastor, my friend," he said as he held the baby's hand.

That I do, my dear fellow.

"It appears as such...but go ahead and go check on whatever needs attending back at your abode, we'll be fine here," I waved him off with a smile.

He nodded, "appreciate it, my friend," he said before parting from us with one final wave.

I sighed, turning to face Fawn and Hazel.

Fawn was holding her above her head, blowing raspberries up at her and making silly faces.

I held back my amused chuckles and shook my head.

Have my hands full...? Indeed I do.