#have to admit Calli didn't make much of an impression on me at first

[george-weasleys-girl]

North Star Series

Prologue

George Weasley x fem!reader

Warnings: none

Summary: Beginning of multi-chapter fic. British boy meets American girl.

~•~•~

Hogwarts, Spring 1994

~•~

"How'd the date go?" Fred asked when George joined him and Lee in the common room.

"It went." George shrugged.

"I saw you two at Honeydukes." Lee said. "Looked like you were having a good time to me."

"Oh yeah, it was just like every date I go on. Things go great until we get to the sitting down and having an actual conversation part." George let out a long sigh. At some point, on every date, he would say something stupid or weird or obscure, triggering an uncomfortable silence that usually lasted until they parted ways.

"I think your expectations are too high, mate." Fred popped a piece of candy in his mouth.

George rolled his eyes, but said nothing. 'They're the ones with the expectations,' he thought. 'I just want someone who makes me feel comfortable just being myself.'

Truthfully, he hated the whole dating scene. All the pressure to impress and be endlessly funny was exhausting. Sure, he was well known for his quick wit, but he couldn't be "on" 24/7. Nor did he want to be. It was like girls didn't want a relationship with him, so much as someone to keep them entertained.

George reckoned that's why they all gravitated to Fred. The only time he was "off" was when he was asleep. It was so disheartening that girls always seemed to be disappointed that he wasn't a carbon copy of Fred. 'They look the same, so obviously they must be the same person, right?' Funnily enough no one was ever upset that Fred wasn't like him. All of it was enough to make George want to swear off dating for good.

Except he didn't fancy being a lifelong bachelor. He very much wanted to eventually settle down, get married and start a family. Preferably, with someone who loved him for his dorky, geeky self.

~•~

Ilvermorny, Spring 1994

Y/N relaxed with her newest novel on a pile of pillows in the Pukwudgie Common Room. The rain pattering against the window behind her was like a lullaby, lulling her into sleep.

"Hey, Y/N!" A cheery voice startled her out of her drowsy reverie.

"Hey, Callie." Y/N rubbed her eyes and looked up at her best friend.

"You planning on sleeping through dinner?" Callie asked.

"Is it that time already?" Y/N ran her fingers through her tousled hair and pushed herself up.

"Yup. Come on." Callie extended her hand to pull her friend up.

~•~

"We should definitely build a gigantic pillow fort," Y/N said, as they sat down to dinner. "Get the whole house in on it."

"Absolutely. Especially since you'll be off gallivanting across the English countryside next year." Callie teased. "You're so lucky."

Y/N gave her friend a rueful smile. "I wish you could go, too."

Callie waved it off and returned to the topic at hand. "Maybe we could do it on our last movie night of the year? We could get all the houses involved. Imagine it, one massive pillow fort covering the Great Hall."

"Epic," Y/N laughed."That'd be one for the history bo-."

"Hey, Y/N!" Amy Wells sat down across from them. "Word on the street is that Alex Trinton asked you to the End of the Year Dance."

"Yeah. We're going as friends."

Amy's mouth fell open. "Friends? He's, like, one of the hottest guys in school."

"Annnd we're friends." Y/N took a bite of strawberry shortcake, preferring to eat her dessert first.

"Ugh, what a waste..." Amy shook her head.

"Y/N, I have to agree with Amy on this one." Callie said. "You're 16 and you don't date."

"Not true. I've gone out with two guys." Y/N replied, matter-of-factly.

"Two or three times each. I'd hardly call that dating."

"Yes, and?" Y/N shrugged.

"You're too picky." Callie retorted.

"I'm Selective."

"Picky." Amy chimed in.

"Discerning."

"You're picky, Y/N admit it." Callie insisted.

Y/N rolled her eyes. "So, what if I am?"

"You're going to end up alone, if you don't stop being so picky." Amy pointed her fork at Y/N.

Y/N's brows furrowed together. "That's so bizarre to me."

"What is?" Callie asked.

"Why shouldn't I be picky? Why would I want to settle? Why would anyone want to settle? I think it would be far worse to be with the wrong person than being alone. At least alone you can still be yourself."

~•~

*If you'd like to be added to the taglist, let me know*

~•~

Next chapter:

[zero-ek]

Yozora Mel.

I've been in shock all morning, and not like figuratively, i mean like the physical symptom of shock. I couldn't eat breakfast and i probably ran a whole marathon with how much i just walked back and forth all day. I've been recovering from a fever so that's probably the bigger reason but it's really just that i don't think i've been hit by this sort of news this hard before.

Even now, my heart isn't beating like it should, and i'll be the first to admit that it is kinda weird to be this shaken by some anime girl on Youtube but let me explain,

I don't think i'd be exaggerating if i say that Yozora Mel is the reason i am the way that i am now.

She was the first utaite i ever got into, not Mel exactly, but the one she was before, the (#), some 6 or 7 years ago. I don't remember how, but i came across this Sailor Moon cover she did with a couple other girls that i really liked. I started to listen to her covers from time to time, and, being in my Vocaloid phase, that eventually introduced me to the whole utaite scene, and i still follow to this day a couple that i met back then, like Kano or Nanahira.

I'm not as sure how or when exactly, since it's around the time my memory starts to get bad, but i eventually rediscovered her as Mel, and it i actually got into the whole Vtuber thing, and while she wasn't doing much music back then, it was still a kind of neat thing that someone i knew was doing, so having her there made it easier for me to stick around.

And because of that, i met AZKi, my all time favorite singer because of it (twice, even!), and i don't think i'll ever be able to let myself or anyone forget just how much AZKi's music means to me, how much it affected me on a personal level. I'm not sure that i'd ever find her if it wasn't for Mel being there, and i'd be a completely different person now because of it.

Then there was Suisei and Calli, whose music i also reall enjoy, and that led me to find the Vsinger subgenre as a whole, Kamitsubaki, Nagase Yuka, HACHI, yosumi, somunia, etc, etc... artists i came to love so much that i would've never found if it wasn't because of her, not to mention the awesome people i managed to meet because she got me to love this genre.

Even after i outgrew the whole streaming part of Vs and stuck to just the musician ones, Mel was pretty much the only one i'd still watch on the regular, she's such an enjoyable person to listen to, even if it was a topic i didn't personally cared much about or serious subject matters that are hard to touch on, i always admired how she could talk about pretty much anything always with the same amount of measure and charisma.

And then she started getting into making music again, and i was so, so happy about that she did. Although she can't really sing live, she still has so much potential as a singer, so freaking much, like not only she has an impressive range, which she can nail, albeit with some studio help (see: the Towa duet) but just by her also being a natural at voice acting, you get stuff like her cover of "Kochira, Koufuku Anshinkai Desu", which is to this day one of the more impressive performances i've ever seen.

Which i think is what made this such a heavy punch in the gut for me, i don't think i'm that shaken because she's leaving, everyone knows it will happen eventually; or the circumstances of it, which while i understand the gravity of, there's only so much information to be extrapolated there to make any assumptions. It's because she was stopped dead in her tracks at such a promising moment in her career, she had an album, wrote a couple of short songs herself, stuff i never thought i'd see from her again, and then for this year she had 10 whole covers prepared, plus the upcoming collab with honeyworks, which was a dream come true since she is a massive fan of that franchise.

I was so happy to see how strong she was going with making music again, given that her singing was how i found out about her in the first place, and what introduced me not only to a world of good music, but music that changed me as a person, that i could turn to when i was in my darkest places. I know how selfish this sounds, but i was happy not only to see her working so hard to finally realize her potential, but also so that, to me, she could be an even bigger part of this world she introduced me to.

I don't want to dwell too much on the termination bit, mainly because there's not really enough factual information given to make sense of it one way or the other. I've seen and really do appreciate the fan consensus that "it was most likely accidental" or "they didn't want to but didn't have a choice", and while i'd want to accept it as the truth so badly, i can't pretend that coming to that conclusion without anything factual to go by isn't just grasping at straws.

I have to remember that i don't really know *her* and what she would or wouldn't do. I know Yozora Mel, i know (#), and to be clear, i don't personally believe her to be the type to do something too reprehensible, but i can't forget that that is only an assumption just because i like her very much.

I hate the fact that i'm even having to rationalize this, it's such a sudden thing with so little explanation given...

I can only hope that Yozora Mel is remembered fondly, as sour as everything about this is, i hope she's not seen as a blemish on Hololive's history or a "thing" to be forgotten, it shouldn't be like that for anyone and just knowing that there are people out there that can think so lowly of real human beings kills me.

However badly they screw up, no one deserves that, and she doesn't either.

I trust that she'll be alright, i mean, she's been at it for 5.8 years as Mel (and 13 in total, i think), and went through worse stuff before coming back beaming like the sun. As much of a "genius" she is, especially in light of this situation, in general, she's someone who knows her stuff. I just sincerely hope she doesn't give up on singing, even if not all of her dreams can come true now, her ambition doesn't have to stay behind with Yozora Mel. she can do so much more, i know that for a fact.

[freedomfireflies]

Promises, Promises | 3. Don't Bring A Knife To A Gun Fight

Summary: Callie and Harry are trapped in a house with a murderer.

Only problem? They each think the other person did it.

Word Count: 2.7k

"Truth."

"Have you... ever done drugs?"

Harry's expression falls flat as he looks over at Callie and she can feel her cheeks heating up with embarrassment at his apparent expression of boredom.

She thought it was a good question.

"What do you think?" he snorts, letting his head fall back against the wall. "Truth or Dare."

"Truth," Callie answers timidly, although she doesn't know why. They already decided that dare wasn't really an option, given the circumstances. 

Harry studies her for a moment, mulling over the questions he could ask. "Alright... have you ever had a cock down your throat?"

Now she really is flushed, lips parting as her head goes fuzzy, and Lexi shoots him a glare.

"Alright, that's enough," she scoffs, throwing an arm over her friends' shoulders. "Asshole."

"What? It's a question?" Harry replies cheekily, smirking ever so slightly. "The whole fucking point of the game—"

"Ask a better question," Lexi grunts, rather threatening for someone so small. 

"No."

"Fine, then, we're not playing anymore," Lexi decides, now crossing her arms as Harry rolls his eyes.

The closet gets quiet for a moment before Callie begins to chew on the inside of her cheek. "Yes," she finally answers timidly. "Yeah, once."

Now, they both turn to her, eyes wide and Harry looks almost impressed.

"Uh... when?" Lexi demands to know, turning her body to face Callie completely. "And why the fuck didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know... it's not really easy to slip into a conversation," Callie smiles, shrugging some. "Senior year."

"Was it with Mike?" Lexi pushes as Harry drapes his arms over his bent knees. "It was Mike, wasn't it? Ew, he didn't make you, did he?"

"No, I offered," Callie admits, her voice so small she's surprised it doesn't break. "And yeah, it was Mike—"

"You're the best head of his life?" Harry finally realizes aloud and Lexi's jaw drops. "You? Calliope St. James are the best head that fucking asshole has ever gotten?"

A little surprised by the compliment, and the use of her full name, Callie shrugs again. "I... guess?"

"Well, I'm not fucking surprised," Lexi announces, looking proud. "I mean, look at you. You're perfect at everything—"

"It wasn't... I mean, it's not like I do it all the time—"

"And you're still good at it?" Lexi snorts. "I kind of hate you... just a little bit."

Callie has to smile at the teasing until she notices Harry still staring at her.

She feels embarrassed under his cool gaze, wondering more than anything what could be going on in his head.

But before she can ask, Lexi clears her throat. "Okay, my turn. Harry... have you ever killed anybody?"

Callie has to giggle under her breath as Harry gives Lexi a flat look.

"Very fucking funny," he deadpans, glancing towards the rest of the closet. "Have you?"

"Of course not," she replies, scoffing some as she leans back, as if the question was preposterous. "But I might tonight."

A little inspired by her friend's confidence, Callie smiles, feeling slightly calmer at her tone. 

"Really? You?" Harry retorts, looking over. "And how exactly do you plan to do that? Talk 'em to fucking death?"

Lexi glares. "Have you seen how much shit is in this house? All heavy? One swift smack to the back of the head—"

"If they don't kill you first," Harry argues, rather smugly. "And something tells me... they will."

"Why are you so determined to bring the mood down?" Lexi snaps, and Callie's eyebrows rise. "I mean, ever since we got here, you shit on the house, you shit on our hiding spot, you shit on our optimism—"

"That's just who he is," Callie interrupts softly, looking over at him as he meets her eye. "Always has been."

He smirks, almost proudly. "Nothing wrong with being realistic—"

"You're not being realistic, you're being an ass," Lexi corrects. "And if you're so convinced you're going to die, then why are you hiding in here with us?"

"Oh, I'm not convinced I'm going to die," he snorts, still smiling. "I'm just convinced you are."

Lexi scrunches her face up in disgust as Callie looks between them.

"Well... why don't you help us?" she asks timidly. "Clearly you know something we don't."

He hesitates, eyes flicking between hers for a moment as he thinks. "And what is it you think I know?"

Now she's the silent one, taking a moment to mull over her response before she leans forward. "How to survive."

Their focus stays locked on the other for a second or two before he grins again. "Fine, you want my help?"

"We do," she replies calmly.

"Fine," he agrees again, shifting slightly from his spot on the floor. "Yeah, fine. But you have to do what I fucking say, alright? Otherwise... you're dead."

Lexi makes a noise in her throat as she gives Callie a pointed look, and Callie turns her head away to hide her smile.

"Fine, Master," Lexi finally responds, as sarcastically as she can. "We shall listen to everything you say... no matter how dumb."

Harry hums, observing her coolly. "Nice. Yeah, no, really great attitude considering."

At this, they all still, the sounds in the house now a little quieter, but still filled with panic.

Callie swallows. "How long do you think we've been in here?"

"Maybe an hour?" Lexi offers. "Hour and a half—"

"Fifteen minutes tops," Harry interrupts, rather haughtily. "You guys have no fucking concept of time, do you—"

"For your information, we were up here for a while before you showed—" Lexi begins to argue but he rolls his eyes.

"No you fucking weren't, I followed you up here," he retorts. "You maybe had a one-minute head start—"

"So why did you follow us then—"

"I told you, your plan is shit, you need help—"

"We don't need help, not from the murderer—"

"Oh, you're still fucking on that—"

"Yes, we're still on that, you killed three people—"

"Guys," Callie finally interrupts, looking between them as they continue their glare off. "This isn't helping. I think the best thing we can do... is stick together, okay?"

"I'm not sticking with him," Lexi snorts, finally looking away. "I don't trust him—"

"Bite me, princess," Harry retorts, but Callie simply sighs.

"We don't have to trust each other, but at least for the time being... let's just stick together," Callie repeats. "Harry was right, if he were going to kill us, he would have by now. And if we do come across the real murderer... we have a better chance at surviving in a group of three—"

"I think he's just playing with us," Lexi finally huffs. "Waiting until our guard is down before sticking a knife through our fucking brains—"

"Does it look like I have a knife?" Harry scoffs, head tilting. "Use your fucking head—"

"You mean the head you're about to stab—"

"Guys," Callie sighs again, resting her hand on Lexi's arm to calm her down. "Look... we can't stay in this closet forever. I think... I think two of us should go out and investigate—"

"Which two of us?" Lexi immediately cuts in, eyes narrowing. "Cause I'm not going anywhere with this asshole."

"Aw, I'm touched," Harry replies, equally as sarcastic, and Lexi shoots him another peeved look. 

"Well... what if you and I go?" Callie suggests to her, and Lexi begins to nod. "Harry can clearly take care of himself—"

"Perfect, let's go," Lexi decides, grabbing her hand and pulling them up.

"Hold the fuck on," Harry grunts, standing as well. "The second you go downstairs, you both die. I'll go, one of you stay here—"

"You think either one of us wants to stay here with you?" Lexi replies, laughing. "Nice try—"

"I'll go with him," Callie decides, sending a hesitant look Harry's way.

He smirks.

"What? No," Lexi argues, turning Callie around by the shoulders to face her. "He's nuts—"

"But he's also right," she replies softly, even though Harry can still hear her. "You're safer up here and I'm safer... with him."

She wants to shudder as she says it, and Harry rolls his eyes as he crosses his arms.

"You'd be able to take care of yourself if something happened," Callie finishes and Lexi sighs. "We'll just... take a look around and then come right back."

Lexi's eyes flicker over Callie's face for a moment before she nods once. "Yeah, fine, I guess that's a good plan. But be right fucking back, okay?"

Callie smiles as she nods, hesitating for a moment before she pulls Lexi into her for a hug.

They stand in an embrace for a moment or two before Harry grunts, "Either fuck or let go."

Both girls make a face of annoyance before Callie does step back and Harry opens the door.

However, right before they can both disappear, Lexi calls to Harry, "You don't let her fucking die, alright?"

Harry's grin returns, still mischievous. "Yeah."

And with that, he shuts the door.

Callie, now feeling slightly wary in Harry's presence, begins to follow him out of the room and towards the hallway.

She follows his lead as he waits, glancing around the hallway to check before slowly striding out.

He seems pretty relaxed, she notices, but she can sense the tension in his muscles even from a few feet back.

The house is still quiet, with some chatter here and there, and they begin down the small staircase as they head for the first floor. 

"Stay behind me," he instructs under his breath, and she nods, even though his back is to her.

When they finally reach the study room... her heart sinks.

If there had been any question as to why they were truly invited to the house or what the night had in store, there isn't anymore.

Not when she sees the faces of her friends, cold and lifeless, strewn about the room.

Her hands fly to her mouth, the tears pricking at her eyes as she sees at least twenty people lying in pools of their own blood.

Who did this?

The main question on her mind and her heart hammers wildly in her chest as she looks to Harry.

His eyes are narrowed as he looks around, taking it all in. "Shit."

"What... why?" she stammers, her voice breaking as she forces herself not to look too closely. "Why would someone do this?"

"Relax, Tinkerbell, it's gonna be fine," he grunts, although he doesn't sound that convinced. "We need to get to the kitchen."

"Why?"

"Why the fuck do you think?" he hisses softly. "To look for shit we can use."

She nods again, now following him towards the next room, gingerly stepping around the bodies on the floor as she does her best not to cry.

She feels rather stunned, to be honest. The events of the night not fully catching up to her quite yet as she refuses to let her mind think too hard.

She just needs to get out.

They make it to the kitchen where Callie finally sees Jackson and Lacie, holding back a sob as she turns away.

Lacie had always been so sweet to her. They didn't talk that often, but the few times they had, Lacie had always made her smile.

She didn't know Jackson as well, but she knew he had had a lust for life. 

Now...

"Alright," Harry calls, pulling open a drawer. "Here."

She moves up beside him and peers past his arm, eyes narrowing as he begins to toss utensils around.

"I thought you said we couldn't hurt anybody with a butterknife," she reminds him, and he rolls his eyes.

"I'm not looking for a fucking butterknife, I'm looking for a real knife," he snorts, moving to the next drawer. "And it would go a lot faster if you helped."

"I'm not going to kill anybody, Harry," she practically gasps, her face flushing. "I can't... I mean—"

"So you'd rather die than fight your way out of here?" he retorts, looking over at her with furrowed brows. "I know you're fragile, Tinkerbell, but this isn't really the fucking time."

"I'm not... I just don't know... I just—" she stammers in response, feeling her palms sweat as she looks around the house, her heart dropping when she sees the blood spatter on the wall. 

"Look, it's gonna be fine," he finally sighs, turning to face her, slightly sympathetic although she can tell he's severely pissed off. "I'm sure when the time comes... you'll know what to do."

A rather ominous word of encouragement and her eyes begin to narrow when she notices him smile.

Then, he turns back to the drawers before retrieving a large chef's knife. "This should do."

He flips it around between his fingers and she feels her heart drop to her toes as it spins the air, gasping slightly as he steadies it.

He looks over at her, pleased with himself. "Problem, Tink?"

Now, she glares. "Yeah, actually. I hate that nickname."

"Aw, you're breaking my heart," he pretends to pout, leaning back against one of the counters. "I think it's adorable."

"And I think you're a menace," she replies, turning around now to head back to the stairs. "Let's go."

"Relax, Calliope," he sighs from behind her, and she rolls her eyes at her full name. Of course he finds something even more annoying to call her. "We're fine—"

"You don't know that," she scoffs softly, glancing around before moving through the study room. "The house might be big, but that just means there's more places for them to hide—"

"Again, if they wanted to kill us, they would have—"

"But would they? Like Lexi said, maybe they're waiting for us to feel safe," Callie argues quickly before moving to the stairs. "You don't know what they're thinking—"

"Do you?" he calls from behind her, and she feels her face flush. "No, you don't. So I think it's better to trust that I know what I'm talking about—"

"Say something worth trusting and maybe I will," she replies with her back still to him as she moves up the stairs. "Until then... shut up."

She hears him chuckle, but she chooses not to react as she finally reaches the bedroom.

It's quiet, just like how they left it, and she feels a sense of relief as she takes a deep breath and heads for the linen closet. 

She knocks once, whispering, "Lex, it's us. We're coming in."

However, there's no answer, and she and Harry exchange a look before Callie slowly turns the handle.

Her eyes see the tie first. Knotted around the closet bar as it holds Lexi up midair.

Her mouth opens, ready to scream, but Harry quickly moves behind her and slaps his palm over her mouth, pulling her back into his chest as he presses his nose into her cheek and hisses, "Don't."

She can feel her body shaking, her eyes glued to her friend hung up in the closet. Her eyes trail down, taking in every gruesome detail, from the bruising on her neck, to the paleness of her skin, and the lifeless look in her eyes.

She whimpers into Harry's hand, ready to accept that he's about to kill her next, but he just drags them back away from the door until they meet the wall.

He's breathing heavily, she can feel it on her neck as the tears begin to slip out, but he doesn't move to hurt her.

He just holds her still.

"Don't... make a fucking sound," he instructs, his tone close to a growl. "If you scream... they'll hear you."

Her eyes widen before she nods once. They... maybe it wasn't Harry, but she can't be sure. Not really.

But she chooses to believe he's still on her side. At least for now.

They still don't move for a moment before his grip slowly begins to loosen and he lets go.

She takes a gentle step forward, glancing over her shoulder to meet his eyes. "We were only gone for two minutes."

His arms cross as his expression hardens, shaking his head as he looks at the floor. "They only need one."

She wants to look back into the closet, but she can't, instead focusing on Harry's shoes as a way to distract herself.

After a moment, he sighs, looking up at her. "Do you have something you want to tell me?"

Her pulse quickens as she meets his eye, her face flushing. "What? What do you mean?"

He hesitates a moment before pushing off the wall and taking a step towards her. "Do you... have something... to tell me?" he repeats slowly, arms still crosses as he examines her. "Because I don't think you've been entirely honest with me... have you?"

She searches his face for his implication, debating whether or not she's thinking the same thing he is.

"See, I know a little secret about you, Calliope," he continues, beginning to smirk again as his head tilts. "Would you like to hear it?"

Her eyes narrow at his condescending tone, and when she doesn't answer, he hums, dipping his head down until his lips brush her ear.

"I know that it was you who sent out those invitations," he whispers. "And I know that it was your plan to kill Derek."

Her heart drops.

"And I know that somebody beat you to it, didn't they?" he continues smugly, sensing her discomfort.

She swallows as he finally grins.

"And you have no idea who it is."

Next:

~ Promises, Promises | 4. Will the Real Calliope Please Stand Up?

Previous:

~ Promises, Promises | 2. Trust Nobody

Full Masterlist

[eyebrowpunk]

Calliope’s streams are great because half the time she looks and sounds like she’s being hunted.

[irepookie]

Infinity Chapter 4-

Meet The Family (PT.1)

Summary: QUEEN AU where Rog (aka Rowan Queen) is a young single dad struggling to make it into music industry.

Warnings: not really. Just fluff, sappiness and swearwords here and there

Disclaimer: I don't own the pictures. The boys are based on Queen, but Piper, Gina and Callie are mine

John: Rick Lincoln (Cause he is John Richard Deacon born on August 19th 1951™™™™™)

Brian: Terry Garrett (Cause my uncle used to have a black puddle named Terry and I had no choice)

Freddie: Len Mars (Yea I couldn't help myself)

Chapter 4- Row opens up with the boys about the raisin.

“I'm a dad”........

"Okay, let's... let's get over this again: A daughter?" Terry, the band's guitarist couldn't believe his ears.

"Yes, Terry. A daughter" Row repeated for the 19th time from the other side of the phone.

"A baby." Len said, taking another sip of his tequila.

"No, a 30 year old alpaca." Row said sarcastically. "Yes, a goddamn baby. Fucking gorgeous, just so you know"

"And you're gonna keep her." Rick, who had been quietly plunking his bass' strings, added. "Are you sure?"

"It's done. I've already kept her. And it's not like I'm rescuing a shelter dog. She's mine. Period."

"Sorry, was just trying to... Wrap my head around it"

To be honest, Row still couldn't quite believe it (that he was a father). Not even now, as he tried to convince his best friends while holding his girl with the other arm.

"And is your mom okay with it?" Terry asked

He scoffed, clutching his Lil raisin close at the thought "My mom has no say in this".

"But she knows" Rick said.

He sighed "Yes, she knows. And she was a bitch about it, okay? She can disown me for all I care". It's not like there was much to inherit, anyway.

There was a general sigh from his three best friends.

"And what are you gonna do?"

" 'bout what?"

"Um, I don't know, man. About School? Maybe about your life in general?"

"School ain't something I'm worrying about".

"What a surprise" Rick rolled his eyes.

"But you're still in the band right?" Len said

"Oh, of course. Of course. You guys are gonna be the only ones keeping me sane"

They chuckled

"But we ain't gonna babysit for you, huh?"

"As if you knew anything about babies"

"Well, the same as you." Terry said

"Just what I was saying: nothing at all" Row grinned

"Her future looks bright, then" Len half teased.

"Incandescent, in fact" Row could pretty much hear Terry's arched eyebrow.

The youngest member could only roll his eyes and try not to take it as an insult. He knew this was a lot to process all of a sudden and that in the inside, beyond the sarcasm and teasing, they were happy for him.

"Whatever, guys" he replied, as Pips began to frown. He sighed, knowing that meant smelly treat was on its way "Gotta go. By the way, she just told me she thinks you guys stink" he grinned, before hanging up.

The other three men exchanged a confused glance, and stayed in silence for a minute, until Len broke it:

"I say he'll go completely nuts in seven days".

"That long? Nah, I think less than 24 hours after they leave the hospital." Terry said

Len smirked "Bet?"

"I'm a bit tight at the moment, pal"

"Then not money. If I win, you'll be my model for the midterm design project. It's 30's fashion. For ladies, of course".

"Ok. But if I win you'll do my chores for a whole weeks."

"A whole week?!"

"Seven days, if you prefer it."

They shook hands "Deal. Rick? Join us?"

"I actually rather believe that they'll be alright" Rick got up and stretched.

"Well of course they will. Eventually. Row always figures things out." T said

"The fun part is to watch him go crazy in the meantime" Len chuckled "Like when he first moved in and left a fork in the plate when first using the microwave"

They laughed, remembering how their friend had called them at 9 PM in panic, screaming the microwave had exploded.

"Let's just hope for the best. I mean he seemed quite sure of himself this time. And who knows, maybe being a dad is the best way to grow up." Rick defended

"Yea, well a bit radical, don't you think?" Len said

"Like sock therapy. If smokers quit when diagnosed with lung cancer, maybe Row settles down now he has a baby"

"I just still don't get why he didn't just put her in adoption" T said

Rick shrugged "Would you if you were in his shoes?"

"Absolutely"

"That's exactly how Row would've answered, say, a week ago. That's what we all answer. Until it really happens. I think it's one of those situations where you can't really picture until you live it."

"But this is Rowan Queen we're talking about. Rowan <<Made out with both Jones Twins at the same party Cause I didn't remember which was which>> Queen. I mean, he does know that a kid is gonna freeze his sex life for indefinite time, right? What the hell was going through his head?" Terry said

"I can't believe you think that." Len interjected "I mean, I'm the one who's never gonna be a dad here, and the one who failed biology, but even I get it. He met her right? Before any decision was made, he met her. Once you meet your kid, you're tangled up forever. And you might think you're not but if you give them away you'll never get rid of a feeling of remorse."

"Wow, Lenny, that was deep"

"Yea, where'd you get that from?"

"Just common sense."

"Funny, considering you're the one who's started the bet" Rick grinned

"One thing doesn't prevent the other. And out of the two of us, I'm the optimistic! He gave him one day, I gave him seven! I trust him"

"Well I'm not sure if I do. I mean, I love him, he's a great guy, a great musician, and everything else, but he's not reliable. Remember his first job as a waiter? I'm still waiting for the fish and chips I ordered last April"

The other two chuckled "I once lent him a t-shirt, and I swear I saw Liz Michael's wearing it" Len said

"See what I mean?"

"Yes, well, we can't do anything about it, T. It's his life"

"But this affects us too, one way or another. This affects the band. And he didn't even consult us"

"Well what did you expect him to do? Call and go <<Hey guys, are you fine with me having a daughter? No? Okay, just checking. Bye>>?" Rick imitated a phone with his hand, doing a decent impression of their friend's high voice.

"A head's up would have been nice"

"Terry, just chill for fucks shake. I mean, this is unexpected, but Row's our best friend, our brother, and we have to support him. Because, if he's a dad, that's makes us her uncle's. And it'll be fun having a little niece we can spoil" Len smiled at the idea.

"Spoil? With what money?" Terry, always realistic, put his hands on his hips

"With the upcoming tour's, of course darlings" he twirled majestically around the room

"First, that's in four months" Rick reminded

"If it does happen at all"

They still had one last song to arrange And record. Plus, they didn't know how Row was gonna make it work now he had a baby. But nobody addressed that concern out loud.

"Oh don't be so goddamn negative, fellas! C'mon! We're uncle's! Row's made a very important, life-changing, mature decision, and we should be proud of him. So" he went to the fridge and returned with three beers "I say we toast for him and the lil Queenie"

The other two grinned and accepted the cans, opening them.

"Oh, I say we Split a fourth beer in his behalf, cause parents shouldn't drink while breastfeeding" Terry mocked, earning a laugh

"To the Queens" Rick raised his can "For our little bro to take this seriously and not fuck this kid up"

"To the Queens" Terry and Len crashed theirs as well.

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Meanwhile, in the hospital...

"Goddamn it, raisin! How can someone so small produce so many colors of something so stinky?" Row exclaimed, holding his breath as he clipped the fresh nappy on his daughter "We only feed you milk! Like... Like white milk! How can you turn a white liquid into rainbow pudding? Holy shit" he held the dirty one at arms length and threw it in the bin "It's a damn good thing I love you, cause I won't do this for anyone else" he told her, lifting her up to his chest again before walking around the room

"You gonna be a good girl for me for the next eighteen years? Huh?" He kissed her chubby cheek "What am I saying? You're my daughter, of course you're gonna be a trouble maker. But we'll get along, you'll see. I ain't gonna be like my parents. Don't worry. I won't be a bloody pain in the ass like mom, and I will never ever do anything my old man did. That I can promise. But I gotta admit I do want you to be like Gina. Yea, she's a control freak sometimes, but let's face it: she's gotta be the strongest person I've ever met. You should've seen her kicking the bastard out the house. She took no shit."

He smiled somewhat proudly at the memory, and for a second forgot how mad he was at her for turning her back on them.

"You wanna be a badass gurl like her? Huh? Yes you do. Yes you do" he cooed, craning his neck so he could brush his nose with her little button one. Her fist chose to close around the nearest strands of blond hair on reach, which he found secretly adorable.

But a part of him did wish he had mom's support. After all, despite the rough patches through his teens, they had always had each other's back; through thick and thin. She had have to raise him all alone, and although he hadn't even begun with Pips, he already knew it hadn't been easy. She may be stern, and a bit inflexible when it came to negotiating allowance. She could come across as rude if you caught her in the wrong mood (which many neighbors had) but above all she was a good person and a good mother.

And looking back, he hadn't been such a great son. He could have been more responsible, less handful and more obedient. Less rebellious, too. He could have thanked her more often for the thousand things she did everyday. For the meals. For all the jobs she had taken to provide for the two of them. For the surprise birthday gift she had got him with the money she had been saving: a real drum kit. For helping him move out her house into that one room crappy appartement which would be Pip's home.

But still she had rejected Piper without a second thought, regardless of her anger towards him; Pips was her granddaughter, she had done nothing wrong and as her father, Row doubted he would ever forgive Gina.

He sighed, untangling the hand of his hair and bringing it to his lips "But you don't have to worry about all that. Just concentrate on staying strong and growing up. And I promise I'll focus all of me on being the best dad. That you'll never miss a mom cause you don't need one. You've got me and I swear I'll be enough. Even if I'm still young: I'll have it all more fresh won't I?" He grinned "You're the one person who's never judged me yet, and I don't wanna let you down"

That a was vow. And he was determined to keep it.

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This one goes to my mega-paragraphist @definitely-darcy who's got my engine going through the usual inspiration blocks, and who's reviews help me improve. She's made me believe in this fic, and encouraged me to keep going despite the one digit notes.

Xx- Pookie