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“Last night, you asked me where I wanted us to raise our kids, and I just decided that it should be here.”
“Really?” He almost seems surprised.
“Skid, the more time I spend around your friends, the more I feel that thing I’ve been missing all my life. I’ve never seen Charlie smile the way he has since we've been here. These people are your family and I feel at home here.
I can see my answer pleases him, and the way his huge hand slides around my head and forces me back onto his lips confirms it.
“Here, it is then.”
“She told ya, didn’t she?” Rogue is wearing a creepily happy smile on her face when I stroll into the garage whistling.
“Yeah, she told me, and for now it’s stayin’ between the three of us,” I warn.
“Four.” She chews her lip. “I had to send Grimm on the testing kit mission.”
“Okay, the four of us.” I roll my eyes. “Oh, and Addison needs to see a doctor to get everythin’ confirmed. I was kinda hopin’ you could find a way of gettin’ the name of the doctor all the girls use, without causin’ a news bulletin.”
“Leave it to me.” Rogue winks, picking up the clipboard with today's job list on. “Oh, and congratulations.” The smile on her face is genuine, and I match it before heading into the office to get in my overalls.
I swear my face is startin’ to ache from all the grinning I’ve been doin’ since Addison told me I’m gonna be a dad. Once I’m in my overalls I try Nora again, I missed a call from her earlier this morning and despite trying to call her back a few times since, I haven’t been able to get through.
“Skid.” Rogue sounds serious when she pops her head around the door.
“What’s up?” I look up at her and feel unnerved by the way she steps inside sheepishly and closes the door behind her.
“Has Grimm ever mentioned anything to you about us having kids?” She sits on the edge of the desk trying to be casual and failing.
“You two?” I try to keep a serious look on my face, but a laugh just bursts right on out.
“Quit it, this ain’t a fuckin’ joke!” She takes me off guard when instead of a playful slap on the chest that I expect, she slams me hard into the filing cabinet behind me.
“Grimm don’t say much to anyone. You think he’s been thinkin’ about it?” I question her.
“I don’t know, he just seemed different the other night. When I called him and asked him to grab those tests for Addison I didn’t exactly explain myself right, I was focusing on her and trying to be helpful,” she explains, the innocent look on her face almost making me forget what she’s actually capable of.
“When he got home with them, he was…” She looks over her shoulder to check no one’s there to listen. “Excited,” she whispers with a terrified look on her face.
“He was excited?” I raise my eyebrows and rest my ass on my desk beside her, doing my best not to show how amusing this is. I’ve known Grimm a lot of years and I’ve never seen him look remotely excited once.
“Exactly.” Rogue nods, chewing nervously on her nail. “He’s dropped hints before now, just stupid stuff that I’ve not paid much attention to, but with all these babies springing up outta thin fuckin’ air, I’m starting to wonder if maybe he… you know.”
“And what if he does?” I fold my arms and start to take her seriously.
I swear for a split second I see a softness in her eyes before she shakes her head.
“Then he’s gonna be disappointed because there ain’t no way I could ever be a mother. I don’t even like kids.”
“Maybe you’d like your own?” I point out.
“It’s not gonna happen, Skid, and you know how much I love him.” That softness is back in her eyes again and it brings with it the trace of a tear. “I’d give him anything, anything in this world, but I can’t give him that.” She suddenly reminds me of the eight-year-old girl me and my brother caught stealing parts all those years ago.
“Rogue, I don’t know if your man’s gettin’ those kinda ideas or not, no one really knows what goes on inside Grimm’s mind, but let me tell ya somethin’ I do know…” I push myself off the desk and wrap her up in my arms. Rogue always acts like she’s allergic to affection but she doesn’t push me away or protest the way I expect her to, instead, she rests her head against my chest, reminding me of how small she actually is. “You’re enough for him, Rogue. He loves you with every beat of that dark, twisted heart he’s got, and nothin’ is gonna change that.” I stroke her hair in my hand and smile to myself when I feel her arms wrap around me and squeeze. It doesn’t last long before she shoves me away.
“You're gonna be a real good dad, you know that?” She smiles like she’s trying not to.
“I’m gonna do my best.”
“Well, you did your best for me, and look how I turned out.” She wobbles her head sarcastically, trying to sabotage the moment and distract me from the tear she wipes out of her eye.
