Closed A Helping Hand

[Killian Owens-Lee]

Killian was certainly feeling lonely these days. The boys had both graduated and left school, taking off into the world, and he barely heard from them. His sisters were both married with children now, and while he enjoyed the extra kids in the family, he had to admit he felt a little lonely seeing his sisters having such full lives. Karissa was with Mitchell in Egypt, and Kami had her hands full with the boys, Arthur still at home, and now another baby on the way. It was an interesting conundrum, since Avaria was pregnant as well. That had been an interesting twist.

He had gone out for the day, hating the quiet of his home. The little bistro he had found was proving to be much more eventful. A frazzled mother had been struggling to calm her crying baby for a few minutes now. Killian simply couldn't let it go on. He stood and walked over, stopping a little bit away so as to not invade her space too much. He knew he was intimidating in appearance. He gave her his most gentle smile. "Excuse me, miss, may I help you?" He asked, his voice as gentle as possible. "I have plenty of experience dealing with the little ones, perhaps I can calm your infant?" He offered, lowering down to his knees slowly and half holding out his hands, not too close to her, trying his best to appear as calm and soothing as possible.

 

[Teila Owens-Lee]

Teila liked being in New Zealand, probably a little more than being in America. It was away from her work but close to her family, and ever since getting the job at the orphanage, she really did realise the importance of family. Her mothers had raised her from a young age, supported her through her loss and through her career decisions, and she couldn't be more thankful for them.

As Teila spent her time in New Zealand, she knew she would eventually have to look after Aiya. Cadell had been having it tough lately and the woman promised to help him whenever she needed it. She decided to take Aiya to a small bistro where plenty of muggles ventured. It was a nice change to Brightstone or Obsidian Harbour and she hoped that Aiya would enjoy it. It seemed however, that she really did not. Her niece couldn't stop crying and Teila wasn't quite sure what the problem was. She hadn't had much experience with babies she had to admit, and was trying everything she could to get her to stop, especially since there were plenty of onlookers clearly judging her. As a large man walked towards her offering some help, Teila was completely exhausted and so couldn't refuse. "Oh yes, thank you, if you'd like to." she said, carefully handing her over to the man. "She's not mine, she's my brother's. I've never had to look after a baby before. My child is 7 and I've only had him for a little bit. Having a baby is just so hard." Teila frowned a little, disappointed that she couldn't do it.

 

[Killian Owens-Lee]

Killian took the baby and smiled softly, settling down into the seat next to her. "What's her name?" He asked. He rocked her a bit, picking up the diaper bag. "Can you put together a bottle?" He asked, bouncing the baby lightly in his arms. "Her diaper feels dry, so we should start with something to eat." He spoke, smiling at the woman. "My name is Killian. I've had two boys myself, but they both left home this year." He frowned a bit.

 

[Teila Owens-Lee]

Teila smiled at the man's kindness. It was always good not to judge a book by its cover, and Teila was glad that she hadn't. "Her name is Aiya. I believe it means 'beautiful' or something in Japanese." she told him, not quite sure if it was right. She didn't know a single word of the language, but she knew her niece's name meant something. The woman nodded as he asked her to put together a bottle. She went through the bag Cadell had given her and pulled one out, before then scooping some powder into it and shaking it with some water. She gave it to him once she was done, smiling as he introduced himself as Killian. "My name is Teila. I was adopted by my godmother when my parents passed, and all of my other siblings are adopted too. Aiya wasn't adopted, but my child was. How old are your boys?" she asked, figuring they must have been quite old to have already left home.

 

[Killian Owens-Lee]

Killian smiled, taking the bottle and offering it to the small child. She latched onto it quickly. He smiled, settling in his seat as she ate. "Well, Aiya is certainly a beautiful name," he cooed softly, watching the baby fondly a moment before looking to Teila. "My parents passed as well. At least, we think they did. They went missing on an expedition and were never found." He smiled sadly. "Grandfather raised us, but he's passed as well. Both my sisters have married, and my twin Kameron adopted her husbands other two children as her own,"

He shifted slightly, smiling at her question. "The boys are eighteen and nineteen." He replied. "Their mother passed when they were young, perhaps six or so, and it's just been us since." His smile faltered. "I hear from them maybe once a month. They're doing alright, but I wonder sometimes if we might be closer if they had had that motherly influence growing up." He frowned, looking to Aiya. She seemed to have finished her bottle, so he set it aside, taking the burping rag from the diaper bag and laying it over his shoulder. He put her against his shoulder, patting and rubbing her back gently, bouncing softly, until she let out a burp. He chuckled, pulling over the stroller and setting her back into it. He offered her the toy from her bag and she took it with a coo, chewing on it. He set the blanket over her, rocking the stroller gently with his foot.

 

[Teila Owens-Lee]

Teila listened as the man explained his situation with his family. She frowned a little as he said his parents had also passed. She knew how hard it was, especially since she was just about to start school when it happened. She had never felt any sadder, and she didn't think she ever could be. The woman smiled however when he said his twin adopted her husband's other two children. "Oh, that's lovely." she said, happy to hear a happy ending. "I work at an orphanage. A lot of the times you get runaways, but there are also quite a few cases where their parents have passed and no one else in the family wants them. It's very sad."

Teila raised an eyebrow when Killian spoke about his sons. She couldn't help but question further, as she didn't understand how families could ever be so far apart. "Oh, so they don't live with you?" she asked, wondering why such a lovely man would have children that wouldn't want to stay in constant contact. She watched closely as Killian handled Aiya, setting her bottle aside before burping her, then placing her back into the stroller and giving her one of her toys. The woman smiled brightly. "Thank you very much for doing that." she told him. "Is there anything I can do to repay you? I bake sweets if you would like some?" She thought about asking him to come back with her to the Owens-Lee household, but was unsure whether or not her mothers would be happy with her bringing a muggle home.

 

[Killian Owens-Lee]

Killian was surprised when the woman said she worked at the orphanage. That was really sweet of her. He smiled, impressed by the woman across from him. "Well, not from my family. We take care of each other." He nodded firmly. Family was everything to him. His smile faded as she asked about his boys again, sighing. "Well, they're adults now. It's their turn to go out and find the world." He told her, rubbing the back of his neck. His smile returned as she thanked him. "Oh, it was nothing," he replied a bit shyly. "I couldn't just ignore her." He smiled softly at the baby.

 

[Teila Owens-Lee]

Teila liked to see how much family meant to the man, and nodded in agreement when he said his family takes care of each other. "Mine does too, and we don't need to share blood to have that connection - nobody does." she responded, just happy to know that Killian agreed with her about it. She couldn't help but feel a little guilty about asking about his sons again, especially since he didn't really seem to want to talk about them. It was definitely a tough subject, so she avoided asking any further. She simply smiled over at Aiya when Killian did, giggling a little as she stifled a big yawned. "I think she's cried herself out now." she said, glad to not hear her cries anymore. "Hey, I was wondering, if you don't mind, did you want to go out for a coffee some day? No to repay you, but you seem like a nice guy." She smiled at him. "I know this cafe nearby and they sell the best croissants, and coffee too. It's worth trying."

 

[Killian Owens-Lee]

Killian smiled softly at the baby, missing his boys automatically but knowing they wouldn't call for a few more weeks. He looked back up to the woman, surprised that she had asked him out. "Wait, like- like a date?" He felt the blush heating his skin. "I... haven't been on a date in years," he ran a hand over his head, he supposed it had been a while. "I- uh, I think, uh, I think that- that might be nice," he stuttered a moment before finally agreeing softly, blushing worse and looking away.

 

[Teila Owens-Lee]

Teila couldn't help but also blush as she saw Killian's cheeks turn a shade of pink. She was confident however, and thought it was the perfect time in her life to meet a new and friendly face. "Yeah, I guess like a date. A coffee date." she replied, hoping he would say yes, as otherwise that would be embarrassing for her. He stammered, and Teila almost thought he would say no until he mentioned that it would be nice. "Yeah! And, don't worry, I won't bring Aiya so you don't have to feed her again." she chuckled a little, thinking Killian's reaction was sort of cute for a big man. "I'll meet you there tomorrow? Unless of course you have other plans."

 

[Killian Owens-Lee]

Killian smiled shyly. He had to admit, she was a beautiful woman. He smiled shyly as she set up the date, nodding slowly. "I don't really do much these days. I don't go out to sea again for a few more weeks." He told her, smiling softly. "Tomorrow sounds nice. What time?" He asked.

 

[Teila Owens-Lee]

Teila was glad when Killian said that he wasn't due to go out to sea for another few weeks. That was plenty of time for her to get to know him, and she couldn't help but be excited. It had been a while since she tried anything with a man, and Killian was unlike anyone she had ever met. "Midday?" she asked, figuring that would be the best time. She was able to get Dominic ready in the morning before leaving. She smiled at him again. "I'll see you then, Killian."

 

[Killian Owens-Lee]

Killian could feel the blush heating his skin, and he nodded slowly. He stood then, offering her a shy smile and holding his hand out for hers, kissing the back of her hand if she let him. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Teila." He smiled, turning to look down at the sleeping Aiya. "Have a good day, miss Aiya," he smiled to her, glancing to Teila before walking away.