“Here we are, Randall. Did you go to the ends of the earth to get your wife home safely? No. You did not. What makes you think you’re ready to be a father?” A soft sigh. “Have you any notion of how to put someone before yourself?”

Salazar could be asking himself the same questions. Yet the waitress interrupted him before he’d time to make his actual point: that neither Frank nor Claire were prepared to raise a magical child. The woman put drinks before them, and Salazar put a hand around his glass yet did not drink from it.

The word bastard didn’t bother Salazar entirely. He’d fathered so many over the centuries the word nearly became meaningless. So what, he thought to himself. Claire, however, seemed to have an entirely different reaction. She took enough offense to get her out of her seat and quickly away before either man could command her back. Not that either of them would. It would be easier without Claire around. Salazar was prepared for her anger in not coming after her straight away.

[New years starter]

So Christmas had been a complete blowout, just as usual and now came the insufferable limbo between the festive period and new year, where everyone was either stuck between vacation days or slugging it out for extra hours at work...or studying.

          There was an ache that permeated his whole body, enough so now that he couldn’t keep ignoring it, though he had done his best to. Of course, after a while he could only tolerate Scrooge looking at him like he was a wounded animal before he decided that, yes, he ought to see a physician about all this. It did make working difficult too, so Marley figured that was probably the source of most of his business partner’s concern...he supposed that counted for something.

          He hated going to the doctor though, another reason he had been putting this off for so long, and the moment he found himself standing outside the nondescript office he suddenly came down with a bad case of really really not wanting to go in there. He was probably just worrying too much, being a hypochondriac or something like that. He didn’t need to go to a physician. Of course, right as he had the thought a wave of lightheadedness hit him, causing him to place his hand against the cool surface of the outer wall to keep from crashing onto the ground.

          That would have been not only embarrassing but unavoidably worrying. Marley sighed, and looked back up at the door. He knew he didn’t have much of a choice, as much as he hated to admit it. Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself and opened the door.

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The professor’s breath caught itself at the edge of his lungs, as if it was looking down the edge of a cliff with hesitation. It had been but days since they’d arrived back at the castle. They’d a few weeks before it’s halls began filling, which is why he’d no problem walking around his own common room now without a shirt. He’d figured he’d be alone, sat in front of the large green fire trying to not think about the fact that Rowena was most likely with Godric at this moment.

He stood to face her, believing Rowena was the one behind him. With but the light of the flames, it was even more difficult to tell the two women apart. Salazar wasn’t questioning things, despite it striking him odd that she was there at all. The offer before him was too precious not to take, too rare. He hungrily pulled the brunette close against him.