Save the Date

Everything felt so real

"What if he starts crying 'cause 'm not there again?" Alex looked so pretty all concerned, Miles couldn't help but melt looking at him. Miles admitted that it took him a minute to realise the little one in his arms. A perfect blond baby with pink cheeks, big hazel eyes, slightly prominent ears, and a teeth-less smile that would alternate with bubble blowing.

"I 'ave me ways of dealing with that." Miles said showing Alex the contents of the baby's bag. Somehow everything made sense now, this was his son in his arms, and he would throw a tantrum every time Alex wasn't nearby. His voice and scent seemed to calm John down. Alex even stopped smoking because of it, both did.

"Me shirt..." He grinned. "That's cheatin' Mi..." He shook his head amused. "Innit me love, innit? That's cheatin'..." Alex asked in his best baby-talking voice. "I know we shouldn't baby-talk, but I can't resist, that...'cause ya're so cute. ya are...and I love ya." He said baby-talking one more time placing a kiss to Johnny's tiny nose.

"Can we go now?" Miles asked a tad impatient but still with a huge grin on his face. "Ye've been impossibly clingy lately." He mocked. But who was he to say anything when he was glued to Johnny all the time. He had been declining tours, social events, and anything else that required leaving the baby home for many months now.

"Are ya takin' nappies?" Alex asked, counting the number of questions he had in his fingers.

"Yeah!" Miles nodded. 'Damn, why is he so adorable?' Miles thought, looking at Alex closely. Who would have thought that he would be so good at this? So thoughtful - sometimes to the point of exhaustion - so caring and loving. 'Is it possible to fall in love with 'im again?' He wondered.

"What 'bout the rash cream?" Once again Miles nodded to the question, smiling reassuringly.

"It can get chilly, are ya taking his blanket? The one with the little ducks that he likes." Alex asked drawing ducks in the air. That reminded Miles how much Alex loved real ducks, ducks drawings, even fables involving ducks that he would tell Johnny every night with Miles often catching it on the baby monitor.

"Al, I've packed everything, and we're just going to the park." He reasoned. "It's two blocks awa-." Johny chose this moment to put his little hand on top of Miles' lips making him stop talking. He just forgot what he was saying and started showering the baby with small kisses to his hand. He could only imagine how it was gonna be when he started pulling everyone's hair. Fun.

Alex sighed. It seemed that it was getting harder and harder for him to let go.

"We'll be back soon." Miles promised.

"Alreight...but wait!" He said disappearing to the inside of the house and coming back minutes later. He then took Johnny's small cap off of his head and replace it with a bucket hat. "That's better."

"What?! That's exactly like mine." Miles pointed out inspecting the hat closely. "'ow did ye manage that?"

"I've talked to Alexa, haven't I? She made it exactly like yars, same fabric and all." He grinned and walked closer to Miles, pressing his forehead to his. "She were 'appy to do it for us babe." He whispered. For a moment there was silence, however in a house with kids that would never last long - Johnny started babbling happily making both men laugh.

"That's boss Al." Miles said pulling away. "Thank you."

"I'll just snap a photo and let ye go. I really need to work." He pouted.

"Well someone has to." Miles said playfully. "We 'ave a baby for God's sake." He said in a funny voice, to an Alex that was looking for his camera in the living room.

Alex came back with the device in hands, Miles did his best to pose with the baby, checking if he was looking to the camera at all. Surely he wasn't, but he didn't make anything to change it, maybe it was best to register spontaneous moments. "Say cheese!" Alex said snapping the photo. "God! Ya look so much alike it still baffles me." He said checking the result, a crooked smile on his face. "Ya can go now...I'll miss ya terribly me treasure." He leaned in to kiss Miles sweetly on the lips then turned to place a kiss on John's thin hair.

"'eard that puppet? He said we're his treasure." Miles told the baby who looked amused with any small interaction.

"Don't take too long alreight? 'ave fun!" He said regretfully, looking back to the empty house behind him, probably knowing he would have to be alone for the next half hour and probably thinking it would feel like a whole day.

"Okay love. Say bye bye to dada...bye bye!" He held the baby's hand up waving it at Alex, who looked almost melancholic watching his heart walking away with them...

The incessant ring of his phone made Alex disappear, and then Johnny. Suddenly there was no Alex and no baby to hold, even though he could still feel Alex's forehead in his own, his scent in his nostrils, and the warmth of the little baby in his arms. Everything felt so real. But he would have to think about the dream later on.

Miles shook his head and reached for his phone, by the persistent chiming someone was eager to talk to him.

"'ello!" He mumbled in his hoarse sleepy voice.

"Mr. Kane?" A soft woman's voice asked.

"Yes." He confirmed.

"This is Dr. Barney, I'm Olivia's obstetrician." By hearing the name of their surrogate his voice changed to a more welcome and docile one.

"Of course, hello Dr. Barney, is everything alright? I know I didn't show up for the last scan, sorry 'bout that, since it was routine and I had an appointment I-" But he was stopped mid-sentence.

"That's alright Mr. Kane, I just need you to come over to the clinic, preferably today, so we can discuss some findings with you. We detected an abnormality during the scan, and although there's no reason for alarming just yet, we must tell you everything we found out." Miles' heart froze. 'Abnormality' and 'Alarmed' were all he could remember from the whole thing. How should he not be alarmed? His eyes puddled with tears.

"Mr. Kane? Are you there?" Dr. Barney asked after many seconds of silence.

"Yes..." Miles mumbled back.

"It's better to bring your partner with you for this conversation. Can I see you at three pm?"

"Sure...I'll be there." He said ending the call, sobbing the minute he put the phone down. He didn't feel like telling Alan before knowing more details, also Alan wasn't the one he wanted there by his side when he was about to be drenched in bad news. He needed someone else, and it didn't help that this someone else hadn't spoken to him in months.

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Just a short one for you guys to enjoy as a teaser for the next chapter.

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