Melody (Ransom Drysdale)

27

"I see that you and Melody are getting along better than when I last observed you both here".  Harlan noted as he and Ransom sat at the Go board one evening after having dinner. Melody was currently hushing Audrey off to sleep whilst Joni was admiring the baby (and thankfully sparing them all from her whale calls. 

Ransom glanced over and then back down at the board. "Is this the part where you gloat and tell me that you told me so?" He now asked, moving a couple of the pieces quickly as his grandfather leant forward to make his move. 

"Certainly is, because I'm always right". 

"Not always". 

"Well, I wasn't wrong in this situation. I thought that you two living with one another could resolve your differences as well as give Audrey the stability you never had" His eyes met his grandson's, and a knowing smirk was upon his lips. "I never did it so as you'd fall in love, no, you build that from the ground up yourself, or at least you're still building..." 

Ransom said nothing as he took his turn and then glanced over at Melody again. "She's not who I pictured as the girl for me". 

"It's always the ones that are unexpected. Melody is good for you, she isn't afraid to stand up for herself, speak her mind..." 

"I know..." 

"Just don't fuck it up". 

Ransom glared slightly at the GO board. "I'm not my father. I've already decided that Audrey's not having the upbringing I had, Mel agrees". 

Harlan's smile remained intact. "And this is what I was hoping for. You to learn some responsibility". 

"Still got a long way to go" Ransom looked in thought and made the final move, winning the round they were playing. 

"And what are your feelings towards Audrey now that you're spending time with her?" 

He shrugged. "It's weird. Sometimes I don't feel anything but when I saw that footage of Cordelia on the monitor? I saw red, even more so when she tried to pin the blame on Mel. I guess I'm slowly getting used to the whole situation". 

"And what about Melody? Do you see a future with her?" 

"I've never been one to commit..." 

Harlan snorted. "I'm not saying that you have to marry the girl. If you're happy as you are then that's all that matters. She grounds you Ransom; you'd be a fool if you ever let that one slide through your fingers". 

Ransom was trying hard to remember the time where he didn't have both Audrey and Melody in his life. If he was to have one without the other, then it would be even stranger. They simply belonged together...and with him...

Aside from the usual family gatherings, he never really stayed in contact, even with his parents. Still, no one other than Harlan had really made any effort with the three of them, his mother too busy with her business and pending divorce to bother checking in on her granddaughter. His father had gone AWOL. Probably moved in with one of the many women he'd been having an affair with. 

He still stood by what he said about being better off without any of them. 

"Best get Audrey home". He looked back at Mel who was now talking to Marta, Audrey asleep in her arms as she did. He got up as did Harlan and made his way over to the pair. "Let's head off". 

"Yeah, we need to get this one to bed". She said, shifting so as she could get up. 

Ransom took Audrey from her, his daughter now whinging slightly at the inconvenience before snuggling into his neck. Ok, sure that also felt kinda good. Perhaps he could get used to this. 

**

Mel woke the next morning and looked around the room blearily. She'd spent the night with Ransom and yet he wasn't on his usual side of the bed, yet she could hear him? 

Slipping out of bed and throwing on another of his sweater's, she slowly made her way down to Audrey's room, finding Ransom sat in the rocking chair, almost half asleep and reading a book whilst Audrey sat on his lap, trying to turn the pages with her little baby hands. 

It was a lovely sight to see, even if it was 5am. 

"Hugh?" Melody now asked from the doorway and he looked over at her. She smiled. "You alright?" 

"Mmmm". He yawned and moved his head to the side to avoid being smacked in the face with the book that Audrey was now holding. "Heard her earlier so I thought I'd see if I could try get her to sleep a little longer - she thought otherwise". He narrowed his eyes in disapproval. 

Melody walked in and took Audrey from him. "Go back to bed, I'll see to her - you look tired". 

He didn't protest and rose from the rocking chair, Melody taking his place and choosing another book that was on the shelf to the side of them. "Come on, we'll read this one, let's let daddy have some more time to sleep". 

Ransom smiled to himself as he heard that on walking out, and went back to the bedroom. Even as he lay in bed, he found himself simply wanting to listen to Melody with Audrey on the monitor, talking gently to her about the book and how when the weather warmed up a little more they could go for walks in the park and other places. 

Then it hit him. 

Harlan was most certainly right. 

He couldn't let her go...not when he knew that there was a future with her in it.