Meet the son

[Riley Smith]

Riley was sitting in the sofa in his apartment that he shared with Cyndi. Since their argument in his shop a while back he had not seen or heard form her. He was actually starting to miss her if he told the truth. They had been good friends until he put that in jepardy with his constant boyish need for girls. At least now he was trying to be loyal although he knew it wasnt going to be easy and it wasnt going to happen over night. He would try and as long as he did that was all that counted. He just wanted to be a good dad to his soon and bring him up right and set an example to him. That was the reason he got a job and that was another why he wanted to be a one woman man, that and the fact he wanted Adele to believe that he was loyal. He loved them both too much to hurt them in any way.

With a smile he picked his son up from the floor where he had been lying on his back looking up at Riley and smiling. Riley had really bonded with his son since he had taken him home and Adele had said that he looked more like his daddy than his mommy. He picked his up and sat him on his lap and let Lowan hold his finger so that he could put it in his mouth. Riley didnt really like the feel of his gums but he didnt mind, it was his son after all. Riley placed a kiss on the top of his head and grinned when Lowan smiled widely at it. He couldnt wait until he could actually giggle and make noise. It would be so funny to hear him talk. He would have to teach him chat up lines at a young age. He smiled at that thought.

Standing up and taking Lowan with him, he went into the kitchen and took out a butterbeer from the fridge and shut the door with his foot as he opened the bottle and took a sip before dipping his figer in and then putting it into Lowans mouth and laughing at his response as his face crumpled up and he coughed at it before sneezing. Riley really di love spending his time with his son, he never failed to make his dad laugh.

Looking up when Midnight meowed at them Riley walked over to the counter top and sat Lowan on there and held him up and he reached out to touch the back cat. Midnight brushed herself up again Lowan who in respose looked at Riley wide eyed before smiling widely again.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi took a deep breath as she stood at the door of her apartment. She hadn't been back there for a very long time since the beginning of the term in fact. Now or never she thought to herself and unlocked the door. She didn't call out like she used to, not necessarily caring whether Riley was in the apartment or not. She'd written him a note and he hadn't bothered to respond. That told her more than enough. Cyndi looked around, realizing fairly quickly that someone was home because she could hear faint noises coming from the kitchen. It had to be Riley since she didn't have any other roommates. She paused as Midnight came trotting out of the kitchen and towards her.

Bending down as the cat arrived at her ankles, Cyndi brushed the cat's fur back and smiled. She'd missed the cat terribly. Her reason for being in the apartment was simple. She'd left one of her favorite tops in her dresser and she really wanted to wear it soon. She planned on being in and out, retrieving the item and leaving as quickly as she could.

 

[Riley Smith]

Riley picked up the bottle again and brought it to his lips and took a sip. He felt the cool liquid make its way down his throat and down his chest. It was a welcome feeling as he was used to the burn of firewhiskey. He didnt want to drink in front of Lowan, baby or not he could remember and then start drinking at a young age and Riley wouldnt be allowing that so when he was around his son it was non alcoholic drink only, and that went for anyone around him too. If he had to do it then so did everyone else and if they didnt like it them tough, they could go somewhere else away from him and drink. Riley was putting his son as number one now. Everything would be about him.

Watching Midnight trot off into the hallways Riley heard the door open and close. He frowned slightly. He had not been expecting visitors and as far as he knew no one else but Cyndi and Alexia had a key and Alexia was in school or if she wasnt then she was in serious trouble. Turning around to pick Lowan up Riley slowly walked into the hall where he had heard the noise. He was sure that there was only one person which it could have been and Riley was a little nervous to have to see her again after dreading her telling him to leave the apartment because of what he had done. Course he could easily afford his own house now but he liked this little place and he liked his room mate. After all this had been his first home when he moved out of his dads house. That was when his whole family was alive though. Usually one would say happy families but that wasnt that case with Riley, he had never been in a happy family.

As Riley got to the end of the hall he realised that his suspicions had been true. He saw the Hogwarts Professor in front of him holding her cat. He took a moment to assess the situation. Ok so Cyndi is here and she is most likely p!ssed to see me because of obvious reasons. She probably doesnt want to see me. But in my favour i now have a son and the last time i checked she liked kids so i have a whole one thing going for me while others against are staking up. He sighed mentally at his thoughts. He knew there was only two options available to him. Ignore her and walk away and continue how we are, or talk to her and see if you can sort this mess out. After a quick thought Riley decided that it was best to do the mature thing. "Long time no see. I have a lot of news to tell you. The first being probably the most obvious." He said with a put on smile as he tried to play nice as he faced Lowan towards her. "Meet Baby, Lowan Riley Tyson Smith." He said with a slight chuckle as he said his full name, still thinking hat it was a mouthful. "Lowan for short." He joked with his room mate hoping that she wouldnt be too mad at him

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi straightened up and crossed her arms across her chest as Riley entered the room, and Midnight took the opportunity to jump up on the windowsill so she could enjoy the view outside. Riley looked the same as ever to Cyndi not that she expected him to look very different. It was what or better put who he was holding that took all of Cyndi's attention. It made Riley as a whole seem happier. She simply looked at him, trying to figure out what she should do. The last time they'd met up, Cyndi had argued with Riley and she really wasn't looking forward to doing it again.

She could tell that her roommate was going through the same indecision that she was about whether to walk away and ignore him or speak. It was he who broke the silence first as it had been during the time since she'd found out about Adele. This time Riley had brought some back-up though. He'd brought with him the one thing that could possibly make Cyndi put aside her anger towards him. She'd always loved babies for as long as she could remember and she knew that Riley knew it. Apparently, Riley was intent on acting as if nothing had happened between them and she was willing to let him for now, just so she could get a better look at the handsome little boy that was hanging onto his daddy.

Cyndi listened as Riley introduced his son and smiled. The young baby had a mouthful for a name but somehow she felt that it suited him. "I can see that" she said unable to hide the look of amusement on her face. "He looks just like you, Ril" she murmured as she unconsciously drew nearer, "May I?" She bit her lip as she waited to see whether he'd allow her to hold the baby or not.

 

[Riley Smith]

Riley held Lowan still in his strong arms. The child was not heavy at all and with the wait of which he waiting to see Cyndi's reaction to both him and his new born, his mouth was going dry and he could feel the nervousness pulse through him. He really wasnt good at these sorts of situations and even less so as it was with Cyndi. He knew what she could be like and he knew even more so what he could be like and that part scared him even more so that the woman before him. He could be dangerous and considering his son was around he wouldnt be letting that happen, not today.

A wave of relief washed over him when he heard her speak. Unlike what he had expecting she was actually playing nice. Phew you saved me little man. He thought to himself as he looked tentiveitly down at Lowan. It was true he looked more like his daddy than his mummy. Riley also had a sneaky suspision that he was going to be more like his dad than anyone else and Riley didnt really want that very much. "Yeah he does. He is going to be one good looking boy when he is older. More good looking than he is now." Riley said kissing the top of Lowan head. He had a good head of hair now, jet black hair perfectly shaped around his head.

Riley looked up when Cyndi asked to hold him. Riley thought for a second before hesitating. It wasnt that he didnt trust her but he had not let his out of his grasp all day and the paternal thing was really strong at the moment. Riley took a deep breath and slowly handed him over to her. He did it slowly because then she would be able to get a better hold of him and he didnt want to shock Lowan. Although he did have a habi of clapping his hand just as Lowan was going to sleep then watching him jump. He knew it was cruel but he found it funny he didnt make a habit of it though. "Yeah sure here you go." Riley said her quietly

(Oh that was lame sorry)

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi stared back and forth between father and son, smiling to herself at how easily Riley seemed to have fallen into his role as protector. She listened to him speak. "Oh dear..." she said, rolling her eyes and covering her mouth to hide the chuckle that was ready to escape. Her roommate was probably right and with a father like Riley to show him the ropes, she felt sorry for any girl that came into Lowan's path.

Cyndi couldn't believe it, but seeing Riley holding his son had taken away some of the anger she had towards seeing him in general. She still wasn't thrilled with him, but she liked seeing that there was something besides sleeping with girls that her roommate was into. As Riley held baby Lowan out towards her, Cyndi smiled up at her roommate before extending her arms out to grab the baby. She loved babies but holding them always made her a little bit nervous. Her friend Estrella was great at it, probably because she had two children of her own, but as the the baby was transferred over to her, she took the weight of the baby's bottom into the crook of her elbow. "Hi there Lowan" she cooed as she patted the baby's full head of hair. He was even more adorable up close and Cyndi could feel her heart melting.

She looked up at Riley and her eyebrow quirked up. "So what other news do you have to tell me?" she asked, curious at what the other news could be.

 

[Riley Smith]

Riley watched as Cyndi took the child. He trusted her completely with him, even after their fall out. He knew she was a good person and she was definitely a good role model for Lowan. He needed as many good role models for him as he could. Baring in mind his uncle was Theo and his nephew was Noah and if he thought about it Theo being Noahs only parent there was a strong chance they hey would be very much alike. That thought scared Riley a little and there would be no way he would let his son be anything like that. Never in a million years. He wanted his son to grow up and be something respected and do some good in society. Like a healer or an Auror. Those were jobs that actually made a difference in the world. No doubt Noah would probably become a death eater or what ever as he was surrounded by them. Dervish for one and Riley was sure there were others.

Riley shook his head as he snapped back in to reality. He looked at Cyndi holding Lowan and smiled before frowning as he heard what she had said. There wasnt really loads of news. Only one piece really. He would move out, he knew that she would probably ask him to do so anyway so he would just do it before hand. "Well because of recent evens my common sense tells me that i dont think you can trust me again. And i thought that you wouldnt want a room mate who you cant trust so im going to move out before we have a fight and you tell me to go anyway." Said Riley quietly and he sighed and looked to the floor. He didnt want to leave but he knew it would end up like that. He had done Cyndi wrong and he would have to pay the consequences for his actions. "Of you want me to though i can bring Lowan round at the weekends or when your not teaching so you can spend time with him. He needs a good role model and who better than his Aunty Cyndi. I think that a Professor in the family would do him some good." He said looking back up but not looking directly into Cyndi's eyes, afraid of what he may see because of his earlier comment

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi listened to Riley, looking down at the baby since she didn't want to look at him as he spoke. It was true that trust was a huge thing for thing, and he had broken it completely, but she also had other factors to consider. Like the fact that Riley was like family to her. They decorated the apartment for Yule together, had two pets together and generally enjoyed each other's company. And now he had Alexia, his sister, and his son. She couldn't very well throw any of them out and think it wouldn't affect her conscience. If she did that, she'd feel terribly guilty, which was why she'd written him the owl she had. She'd wanted to try and fix things before the holidays came around. If they could be fixed, that is.

Sighing, Cyndi took a seat, careful to adjust Lowan in her arms as she made herself comfortable. The baby was extremely well behaved and when Cyndi held her finger near the baby's, he wrapped his little fist around it. She kept on listening to Riley and tears sprang into her eyes when he mentioned bringing Lowan around to visit his 'Aunt" and her being a good role model. When she looked up, she was blinking back tears. "Didn't you get my owl?" she asked urgently. "I'm not throwing you out Riley...I couldn't do that to any of you." She had contemplated it for a while, but thankfully she'd had time to think it over. If she'd gone with her gut, this conversation likely wouldn't be happening. She wiped the tears out of her eyes and then looked up, "It's still going to be a while before I trust you again, and I doubt we'll never fight again..." She hoped so anyway. She knew things weren't going to be easy and it would be a while before their friendship was back on track fully, but she hoped this could be a first step for them. She sighed again before continuing, "...but you can stay until you're ready to move out with his mom."

 

[Riley Smith]

Riley swallowed hard and stood to attention when Cyndi sat down and shifted Lowan to suit her. Riley just wanted to hold him but he fought it back, he knew that he coulnt hold his son every secoind of everyday. He would just have to accept it. He wondered what was going through her mind right now. She did look deep in thought and he hoped it was nothing bad, he didnt want another argument with her, not around Lowan because then he would cry and he didnt like it when he cried because it was so hard to make him stop.

Riley moved forward and took a seat next to her as he waited for her to talk. He hoped he wasnt breaking any barriers by sitting here but he didnt care really, he doubted he could do anything to serious at the moment. Quickly Riley looked at her with comfusion written all over his face. He didnt remember getting a letter from her. "What letter. I didnt get a letter from you." He said trying to remember but he couldnt. Looking down when she continued to speak he put his hands together and figited as she spoke. Well at least he wouldnt have to move out just yet. "Well i have time to win your trust back, and i wont give up and as for arguments i will look forward to winning them." He joked as he pushed her side gently with his elbow. "Glad to hear that i can stay but when i do get my own place your more than welcome to be my room mate if you like. I will make sure you get your own room with a toilett and everything." He said as he held his finger for Lowan to grab. "I think he will be left handed. He grabs a little harder with his left than his right." Said Riley as he shook his hand with a grin

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

When Riley took a seat beside her, Cyndi glanced at him. He looked much like her, lost in thought and she couldn't help but wonder what was going on in his head. As he told her that he hadn't gotten a letter, it was Cyndi's turn to look confused. She'd sent it, but he hadn't received it? "I sent you a letter after I went to your shop" she said quietly. She didn't want to mention the argument they'd gotten into because frankly she was embarassed that she'd purposely tried to push him into one. It didn't matter anymore though because Riley was playing nice. Having his son near him seemed to have a calming effect.

Cyndi nodded her head as he spoke about working to regain her trust, glad that he thought it was something to work for. A smirk crossed her face as he continued. "Good luck with that. You know how much I hate losing..." she said, knowing that with their personalities, arguments would always be fierce and passionate. She smiled as she listened to Riley speak about letting her live with him if she ever needed to. It was a nice gesture though she probably wouldn't accept especially if he was married. He'd probably want the space and privacy and if he didn't then Adele surely would. "Thank goodness. I don't know how I'd feel sharing a bathroom with you. You never put the seat down!" she exclaimed with a laugh, deciding to joke about the offer. Lowan began to fuss a bit then and Cyndi held him out to Riley. "I think he wants his daddy" she smiled.

 

[Riley Smith]

Riley thought for a second again but he still couldnt remember getting a letter from Cyndi. He shook his head and pursed his lips. "I dont think i got that letter sorry." He said looking at her with his chocolate color eyes. He felt bad now that he had not got it to reply to. It must have given Cyndi the wrong impression of him after their fight together. He didnt like the fact that he had made her feel like that, even though it wasnt actually his fault but still it had been him that had made her feel that way.

Riley laughed at her next comment though. Their personalities did crash slightly as they were both stubborn and hated to loose. "Yeah true but i think when we do next argue it will blow the roof of. We are both stubborn and hate to loose......It will be something to look forward to." He said with a laugh at the end. Of course he didnt want to argue with her but it would be amusing afterwards when they do. It would probably be over something stupid though next time. "Hey well what can i say. Its a guy thing. I could as easily say that you always leave the toilet seat down." He said with humor as he took Lowan back in his arms and gently tapped his lower back as he usually fell asleep when he did that. "Maybe. I have hardly left his side since he was born. I have left my shop in an assistants hands for a few days while im with him. Its going to be torture when i go back." Said Riley softly as he watched Lowans eyes shut slowly

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi bit her lip, feeling bad for all the terrible things she had thought about Riley when he hadn't returned her letter. Her owl must have gotten confused. It was new after all and perhaps in all of the drama she'd forgotten to write down Riley's name. She was a bit relieved actually hearing that he hadn't received it because it meant that Riley wasn't ignoring her or super mad at her. That was pretty obvious anyway considering that thet were having a fairly decent conversation and neither of them had raised their voices. "Oh" was all she said. There was no sense on worrying about it anymore, especially since they were already discussing things.

She smiled as he spoke, rolling her eyes at how much Riley seemed to be looking forward to their next fight. "I can't believe you sound as if you're actually looking forward to it. I'll remind you next time we argue and see if you're enjoying it then." She laughed and gave him a playful shove in the arm. His next words also earned him an eye roll.

For a moment after Riley took Lowan back into his arms she said nothing. She listened to her roommate speak and watched as he attempted to rock the baby to sleep. "That's really sweet. You're great with him" she said softly as the baby's eyes closed. It was touching to see how gentle he was being with his son. "Will his mother be watching him when you go back to work?" she asked, wondering where Adele was now. Not that she cared very much. She'd only met her one time, but she was in no rush to do it again. She didn't think Adele liked her very much, not that she had any reason to.

 

[Riley Smith]

Riley smiled at Cyndi when she sad that she would remind him next time they argued to see if he was enjoying it then. "Ok well make sure you do because i will probably so no the make something up about tat to argue about knowing me" Riley said as he watched Lowan go to sleep. He took he chance to put him in his car seat so that he wouldnt too to carry him around right now while he slept. It would risk waking him up and Riley didnt want that. Not when Cyndi was here did he want to have a crying baby with him. Although he was going home soon so it wouldnt matter to much. "Urm he is going to Adele's later. In about three hours. He stays with her in her house and i look after him when i get a chance." Riley said as he walked away from the car seat and sat next to Cyndi again and sighed. "Seriously im nearly nineteen and i already have a son. How modern day history if that. Although is better than when i was seventeen and a dad." Riley said thinking back to hen he was with Ana, how ready he was to be having a child with her. That seemed like a lifetime ago now though. Too much had happened between then and now and he was a different person

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

"Oh I will" she said airily as she pulled out her wand, summoning a butterbeer from the fridge. She opened it up and took a sip as she listened to Riley mention that Adele would be coming to pick up Lowan soon. She looked down at the baby who was now laying asleep in his carseat and smiled. "That's sweet of you...and responsible." She gave Riley a sideways look as he sighed, wondering what it was for. When she heard, she understood. "You're probably more ready to be a dad now" she said and then added, "No...I know you are. You're a different guy from the one I met two years ago" she said honestly. The Riley then had been a lot more impulsive and now it seemed he had grown up. He still had a way to go, but Cyndi could definitely see the changes. He also didn't seem to have the weight of the world on his shoulders, which was something she always felt around him. She knew it had something to do with his family even though Riley didn't like talking about them.