~Back to Pooh Corner~

[Sparrow]

Sparrow James sat on the floor in the middle of the hallway and held his two month old son on his lap. The Institute was exactly equipped for babies or their parents and they weren't many places Sparrow could go to entertain his little one. Desirae and himself weren't even sleeping in the same room yet, but Headmaster said he would work all that out in time for the wedding. For now, Sparrow and Des just had to take turns sharing a room and losing sleep with their baby.

Speaking of him... Sparrow looked down at his son with a gentle smile on his face. He looked almost identical to his mommy, except for those giant blue eyes Sparrow saw everyday in the mirror. Which at this moment, were half open- on the edge of sleep. Sparrow rocked the little one in his arms, but the child refused to drift off just yet. With a sigh, Sparrow started to sing an old classic.

So help me if you can
I've got to get back
To the House at Pooh Corner by one
You'd be surprised
There's so much to be done
Count all the bees in the hive
Chase all the clouds from the sky
Back to the days of Christopher Robin and Pooh

[Decadence]

Desirae's and Sparrow's precious newborn was not the only one having trouble getting to sleep. It was the beginning of summer, and as per usual, her sleeping patterns were already thrown off. It wouldn't be long until she was a full-blown vampire, or at least that was what Justin kept telling her every time he found her baking cookies at three in the morning.

Unable to find sleep, she instead found herself sneaking out of the home that she now shared with her best friend to the institute. She hoped to pass the time by training in the Danger Room or maybe baking, without waking Justin every time the oven started beeping loudly and repeatedly to let her know that she had, once again, lost track of the minutes and got distracted by the time that the timer went off.

On her way to the kitchen, she was surprised to find that she was not the only one awake, outside of the dormitories. She could hear a familiar voice singing softly, comfortingly. Following the sound, Isabelle was led to a random hallway where she found Sparrow James lovingly cooing his child to sleep. From a safe distance, she smiled at the adorable scene. She didn't want to disrupt the two.

Once Sparrow finished his song, she quietly walked over to them and silently sat down next to the family, though still a good foot or two away. She still didn't want to get too close. It was no secret that Isabelle was some sort of magnet for freak accidents, and she didn't trust herself close to anyone's baby.

"He's beautiful," she whispered gently, smiling at the sight of the infant with its eyes half-shut. "Congratulations," she added. "You and Desi will be amazing parents."

[Sparrow]

Sparrow hadn't heard any footsteps; then again, he wasn't using his animal instincts right now. He watched his son's eyes slowly close and softly breathed a sigh of relief. The child didn't sleep well yet, so he would have to be careful not to wake him.

Sparrow shifted the baby in his arms and turned at the sound of Isabelle's voice. Oh hey Iz, he said with a grin, happy to see his friend. Thanks. I really hope so. What are you up to this late? he asked in a hushed whisper, absently rocking his son in his arms.

[Decadence]

"Hey there, Spare-Bear," Isabelle greeted with a smile. She figured that if Sparrow was allowed to give her nicknames, she was permitted to return the favor. When he asked her what she was doing up so late, she hesitated for a moment. Justin asked her the same exact question every night, only he usually followed it up with the words, you crazy insomniac and possibly, go back to sleep, depending on how grumpy he was. It took a moment for her to realize that Sparrow's tone was not accusatory, like her best friend's normally was.

"Oh, you know me... I was planning on sneaking around in the dead of night to cause havoc... teepee the danger room, maybe break into a few dorms... but then I started craving peanut butter cookies , and I remembered that the Institute has a kitchen, so I decided to go bake some instead," Isabelle whispered secretively, shrugging playfully. "Nah, I just couldn't sleep," she explained once the joke was over.

"So how's fatherhood? Does he have a name yet?"

[Sparrow]

Sparrow laughed quietly but his smile was wide as he settled more comfortably against the wall. From the way his baby was lightly snoring, he would be here awhile.

I can't help but picture you wreaking havoc Isabelle, its who you are. He joked back. Although only I can successfully burn cookies in that kitchen. No one compares to my lack of skills in the baking department.

It's tiring, Sparrow admitted but his face softened affectionately. But I'm enjoying it. Actually, after two months of little Sparrow his name is now Xander Skye James. The X-man couldn't help but smile.

The baby stirred in his arms and Sparrow looked over at Isabelle curiously. He held his out slightly. Wanna hold him?

[Decadence]

"Oh, trust me. You can't be any worse than my best friend, Justin, when it comes to the baking department. He once found a way to burn storebought cookies," Isabelle said with a quiet chuckle. Realizing how ridiculous that sounded, she added, "Long story."

"Xander, huh?" Isabelle smiled adoringly at the tiny infant. She admired how well Sparrow and Desirae were handling the situation. Both of them seemed to be doing a wonderful job, despite their young ages. The way Sparrow was holding his son looked so natural. Isabelle began to wonder how well she would cope if she had been the one with the newborn, and the image wasn't pretty. As cute as babies were, she never dared imagine what it would be like to have one of her own. It seemed inevitible that she would drop the kid or forget it somewhere, that sooner or later she would do something stupid and lose it.

Just as those thoughts crossed her mind, Sparrow was offering to let her hold Xander. Her first thought was, What if I drop him, but then she remembered that she would only be holding him about six inches off of the ground. Despite her impulsive fear that she didn't have a maternal bone in her body, that any child that came within a foot of her would begin screaming, she didn't seem to have any rational excuses, so she smiled nervously and held her arms out for Sparrow to place the infant.

As soon as Xander was in her arms, she awaited the tears or screams or any sign that she was not welcome, but much to her surprise, the baby remained fast asleep. She let her breath out and smiled, her eyes softening with a combination affection and relaxation.

"Xander here's going to be a charmer, just like his daddy. I can already tell," Isabelle whispered as she gently brushed her fingers against his baby-soft little hairs.

[Sparrow]

Sparrow hadn't had the oppurtunity to meet this Justin yet, but the fact he was friends with Isabelle made it already easy to like him. As long as he doesn't burn the Institute down, I'm sure we'll be friends. We seem to have something in common - our terrible cooking skills. Sparrow joked.

He watched Isabelle with a gentle smile. Despite her obvious nerves, he trusted her completely with Xander. Especially as she settled the baby in the exact spot he needed to be in. It turns out even Isabelle has maternal potential, Sparrow thought proudly.

I hope so. He already has his mommy's good looks. But he has his daddy's eyes. Sparrow told her, nearly bursting with pride.