LINK: I know back then I didn't take the news of a bun in the oven well at all, but I just have to say I fucking LOVE being a daddy and thank god for my awesome, determined sperm.

LINK: Gotta go undercover as a drag queen.

Brilliant. Just wonderful.

And bed head, but we don't talk about that. No Mum around today to do the sweepy, zhushy, styley thingo to make it look trendy, so us boys are letting it all hang out today. He's gotta get in lots of practice for sexy shag hair when he's a teenager anyway. He is a Campbell, afterall.

LINK: Miss him so much I feel sick.

LINK: I'm already in a shit mood, telling me my kid would look cute in a Christmas stocking with a Santa hat really is just going to make me want to hurt you.

[Way back-dated to the day after THIS. Follows THIS and THIS]

The night before for Ali had been sobering. She and Andrew had gone for a drive to a quiet place just beyond the border, though it was evident, despite their earlier joking, that Andrew was quite subdued. They were rugged up in thick coats and got out to sit on a park bench together. At first, they just sat quietly watching the stars of the chilled night with Ali stroking her fingers affectionately through Andrew's hair. But they started talking, and Andrew admitted that since their wedding, he had been really missing his Dad. It just wasn't helping that it was getting close to teh anniversary of his death, and the whole thing was just making Andrew sad. He told Ali is was like a rollercoaster of emotions. On one hand, he was ecstatic about their wedding, and being married, and the prospect of them about to celebrate Jamie's first birthday. All that was the prominent feelings for him, but sometimes, when he just couldn't stop them, the saddness crept up on him and that's when he started feeling the urge to drink. Just like that night. Ali asked him what it felt like, and then told him of her decision to give up alcohol too. Andrew had been touched by her choice, but also tried to talk her out it. He didn't want her to go without just because of him. But Ali had always been characteristically stubborn. She made her choice, and that was it. If she couldn't at least do this for him, what could she do. Inevitably, though, Andrew eventually got upset thinking about his Dad, and they ended the evening with Ali just sitting and holding her husband while he cried quietly. The drive home was quiet when Andrew, drained from the emotions, fell asleep while Ali navigated her way back into New York. It gave her a lot of time to think, and she decided that even if it did hurt James didn't at least call her to tell her about his son's birth, life was just too fucking short... often shorter than anyone could anticipate.

( It was that which had Ali finally coming to the hospital to visit James, Harri and their new addition. Andrew joined her with Sunshine, so at least she was going in with a united front in case her anger decided to kick in anyway... )


Word Count | 6,368

LINK: When the euphoria of becoming a father started to die down and the dust was settling, James realised just how fucking much he'd had his head up his arse and really missed his best friends.

4.7. "You can spent minutes, hours, days, weeks or even months overanalyzing a situation; trying to put the pieces together, justifying what could've, would've happened... or you can just leave the pieces on the floor and move the fuck on."
- Tupac

Co-written with straight2point | Back-dated to Halloween night
[Follows THIS]

James hadn't been able to stop himself pausing in a few moments of deep thought after all the guests waved Ali and Andrew off in the limo from their wedding reception to set off on their honeymoon. Everything from a gigantic box of Condoms to Austin Powers stood on the Soho sidewalk to wave goodbye to the newlyweds who couldn't stop beaming or keep their hands off each other. James couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to be in that position, but he wasn't sure if it would ever happen. He had his opportunity with marriage, and failed miserably. Ali and Andrew would spend the night at The Plaza before heading to the airport for the flight to Australia the next day. The beaming stopped, of course, when the couple had to say goodbye to Jamie. Ali was bawling, Andrew wasn't too far off either, and Jamie seemed to realise something wasn't right and started wailing too. For a moment, James really thought Ali was going to change her mind and take the baby girl with them. She wasn't letting go and it was probably one of the hardest things Ali had to face in her life. But they did eventually make it into the limo babyless and Jamie was quickly scooped up by her grandparents with James and Izzy not too far away. It took a long time for the tears to stop, and James was stunned at how much it broke his heart witnessing his goddaughter upset like that. She calmed down, though, and was smiling again a little while later. The whole thing was always going to makes James stop and inevitably think about his own impending fatherhood.

( He had met Izzy's eyes amongst the crowd for all of thirty seconds, and they shared something silently that he would probably only later analyse. Understanding, maybe. Or that final realisation that watching Ali seal the deal as a married woman to start a life with her new family meant that it really was the same moment James and Izzy found their closure with each other. That they wanted what Ali had... just not with each other anymore... )

All muses referenced with permission and are from the princeton2nyc universe


Word Count | 4,355

Isabel lay on her side, watching James sleep. He had spent another night at her place. It was happening so often, that Iz just assumed he'd moved in. She didn't mention it, or bring it up, but now she was starting to wonder. She was also still considering the talk she'd had with Pat. Were her feelings for James just because they had such a deep connection? She didn't necessarily have to be in love with him to feel it. He was her best friend, and their bond was almost as strong as that of twins.

That thought made her scrunch her nose up. James was very not a blood relation thank god. That would have meant what they were doing was a whole new level of wrong. She rubbed her hand against her stomach, the bump starting to become bigger. Ali had lost her baby, and Iz was still heart broken. She thought she'd be able to be pregnant at the same time as her best friend, have their kids grow up simultaneously. Now Ali, who had really wanted a baby with Andrew, wasn't pregnant.

And Iz, who didn't deserve to be pregnant, still was. She'd fucked Cameron over royally, but was still going to give birth to his kids. She missed him. She missed him more than she ever wanted to admit, but had a feeling Pat knew just how much. James shifted in his sleep, and Izzy reached out to take his hand. He was always going to be her best friend, there was no changing that. She just wasn't as sure as she had been that he was supposed to be anything more.

( Maybe they really had had their one chance, and should have just left it at that... )


Words | 5,778

LINK: Only five weeks until I become a father, though the jury is out whether the offspring will arrive when he's supposed to... it's not in Campbell genes to make life easy.