Chapter Text
Alex and Giselle decided to gestate and give birth on Ganymede, like millions of Belter families before them, yet contrary to their original plans, they had stayed on the moon for the first full year of Kit’s life. The Rociante crew still took jobs, Alex still their pilot, but for the most part, Alex tried to be at home as much as possible while the rest of the crew worked local jobs to keep their scrip in the green. Alex was never one to sit on the sidelines, however.
Shortly before Kit’s first birthday, the Roci crew decided to take a short extended family sabbatical on Ganymede. Bobbie and Amos were secretly anxious to have Alex back on the ship for longer stretches, and they aimed to subtly bully him into coming back. With very little force applied, Alex admitted he was ready to embark on a longer journey. Luckily, Tycho had just requested The Rocinante's aid in a project of indeterminate nature that would last at least 18 months, most of it running dark. The couple agreed to take a break, provided they had one baby-free weekend to themselves before they shipped out. A final goodbye. There was little debate on who the new parents would ask to babysit.
***
James was baby crazy. Had always been baby crazy. Perhaps not in those words exactly, and not out loud, but deep inside, he always had an affinity for children. He had no siblings growing up and little contact with his city-dwelling cousins. Sure, he had dozens of them, but he could hardly relate to their lifestyle - sloth, complacency, living on basic and tranqs, never knowing the pride and pain of land stewardship. Where some children imagined their weddings, Holden generated detailed fantasies of discovering unknown siblings. Then he let himself be whisked off and directly enlisted into the military where all relationships were cold forged, trauma bonded, or merely sexual.
He was acutely painfully aware that Naomi did not want kids with him. He cordoned off Filip’s existence into the deep recesses of his brain, determined to visit it as infrequently as possible. He was excited to spend time around a baby but terrified that it would awaken a difficult-to-suppress paternal urge. Naomi was more than enough for James, and he would - and had - killed for her. But mourning for the family he never had was not something that he relished.
On the other hand, Naomi wanted nothing to do with kids anymore. She hardly wanted Fillip when she had him, and although she loved him with all her heart, it was… non-consensual. She had no control over how much she adored her baby boy or how bad it felt to leave him. Loving something so entirely is agony. Some days she even resented Jim for making her love him.
And so, when Alex and Giselle, bags under their eyes, hats in hand, practically begged James and Naomi to watch Kit for the weekend, the feelings were … mixed. To say the least.