"Tessa?"

The dark-haired woman and the blonde woman sitting beside her smiled as Jiraldan opened the door to the hospital room.

"Jiri, say hello to the future leader of Team Rocket." Cradled in Tessa's arms was a small, dark-haired bundle. "Johnathan Lawrence Peccati."

"John…" Jiraldan's heart melted. "Giovanni."

"Same name, but in an Americanized form," Tessa smiled and ran a fingertip along her son's fist. "And it looks like he got your fingers, Jiri. No luck with the nose, however. I swear, that must be some dominant gene."

"May I hold him, Tessa? Please?"

Tessa smiled. "Of course, Jiri. Here, Cass. Show John the man responsible for him being here in the first place."

"Just make sure that you support his head," Cassie said as she gently placed the sleeping baby in Jiraldan's arms.

Just as Tessa had said, the Roman nose that accompanied the Peccati name was the first thing he noticed.

The mouth and chin were definitely Tessa's, but the ears looked at a bit like…well, he couldn't say exactly. And Tessa was right - the baby had long, tapering fingers. An artist's hands.

The baby yawned and his eyes opened. And Jiraldan gasped when he saw that they were violet like his own.

"That's exactly what I did when I saw him open his eyes for the first time," Tessa grinned. "I was so sure he was going to have brown eyes."

"That's okay," Cassie winked at her lover, "I'll just tell everyone that he got them from me."

The baby stared intently at the deep violet eyes that were an exact match of his own and then began to whimper.

"I'd better feed him," Tessa said, undoing the buttons of her bed jacket. "Cass, bring him back over here."

As Cassie held out her arms, it was then that Jiraldan realized that even though the baby was his, it wasn't going to be his child to raise. And the thought saddened him…saddened him more than he thought it ever would. He clung to the baby possessively for a moment and then reluctantly gave him to the woman who would raise him.

"Look at him eat, Cass," Tessa smiled as the baby eagerly took her breast and began to nurse. "If he eats like this every time, he's going to be a big, strong guy when he grows up."

Just like his grandfather, Jiraldan thought as the two women watched the baby eat. Both Tessa and Cassie were so focused on the baby that Jiraldan realized that they were oblivious to his presence. As far as they were concerned, he wasn't even in the same room with them. Tessa, Cassie, John…they were a family now. And he wasn't a part of it.

But I will watch over him, Gio, Jiri swore as he quietly slipped out of the hospital room. I will make him my heir as well as yours. And I will remain by Tessa's side as her business partner. That way, I can watch our child grow up.

Our child, Gio. Yours and mine. We are now united as one, forever and always.

THE END