Monopoloy

"It's just a baby, Vincent, not a monster.  I'm pretty certain it's not going to chew it's way out of my stomach."

Vincent frowned up at the young woman whom he was crouched in front of.  It was Ms. Callahan's last day of school before she left on 'maternity leave'.  She was supposed to have left two weeks ago, but she just couldn't bear to leave her students alone without a subsitute so she stayed an extra week until one arrived.  Her second week was spent getting the person ready to take over her classes - and simply being with her beloved students.  When she had started showing people began treating her like fragile glass, but Yumiko quickly showed them that she was far from fragile.  She kicked her ex-husband out of his own classroom because he was being too 'concerned' and proceeded to have an arguement with him in the hall, informing him that having witnessed her pregnant once before he of all people should know that she didn't need constant care.

Vincent was pretty certain that Dion had not appreciated Yumi comparing him to Alex with the comment of "At least this baby's father isn't acting like I need to stay in bed all day."

"It is my Dad's baby - it might," Vincent replied to her comment, reaching out to touch the swollen stomach.

"Did you chew your way out?" she retorted, leaning back in her seat while Vincent inspected her stomach.  When she had first encountered the younger Lyall male he had practically been a recluse.  He remained in a constant state of gloom and rage.  He snapped out at anyone trying to get to know him.  But then had come Marshall Walker, shortly followed by the return of his father into his life.  Vincent had gone from a loner and ex-runaway to someone with a family.  He was even much more comfortable in himself, especially concerning his 'condition'.  Now that he was becoming a big brother he was doing all he could to be someone the child could look up to.

He even extended the role to Poppy, and she now looked up to him.

"Alright, you got me there," he replied with a chuckle.  "Do you know if its a girl or a boy yet?"

Yumi smiled brightly.  "Yep."

"Are you going to tell me?"

"Nope."

"Does Dad know?"

"Nope."  Still smiling like summer, she placed her own hand next to where Vincent's lay.  "He keeps asking though.  Says he doesn't want a 'repeat of last time', but he won't tell me what that means."

"My mother never found out whether I was a girl or a boy and they ended up arguing over what to name me.  When I was born they argued even more.  In the end I ended up with the name my mother wanted anyway - but I think she said he had wanted 'Vincent' because it sounded cool," Vincent explained, drawing from memory the things his mother had told him.  "They argued a lot though, about everything.  He was never a good father figure, but now that I think about it, it's possibly because he was so young when he married my mother that he simply couldn't cope.  Apparently my grandfather was a drunk and Dad just learned by example."  He sighed, lifting his gaze from Yumi's stomach to look at her face.  She always reminded him of summer; when the weather was warm and the sky was bright and beautiful.  Hopefully the baby would have more of Yumi's sunny disposition than Alex's gloomy rainstorm.  "I'm glad he met you."

"Russell Ichirou Alexander Lyall," she said.  "That's going to be his name - but you can't tell Alex because I want it to be a surprise."

He looked back at her stomach, feeling the soft movements within.  "Its a boy..."

"I don't want Alex to know the gender, just incase it upsets him.  I don't want him thinking he failed his first son."

"He didn't fail...He was just playing a different game to the one he should have been."