A/N: I'd like to point out that this is my first fanfiction. I'm not a very strong writer, but I just couldn't resist running with this idea. It is an AU and I will be playing around a lot with it, nothing too extreme however. Reviews and constructive criticism is very much welcomed. Please enjoy! - Tom

He had no idea what to do.

Dirk Strider sat with his head in his hands feeling as though his world was crashing down. His friend Roxy had just called him after months of no contact. He could completely understand why she wouldn't want to talk to him or see him after what he had done. He'd fucked up big time and there really wasn't any way to apologize to her.

Dirk knew that Roxy had feelings for him. He loved her too, but not in a romantic way. How could he? She's amazing, sure, but Dirk was gay. To make matters worse, he was head over heels for their mutual friend Jake English. God, how he hated it. He hated that Jake would never return his feelings, that he had no choice but to hurt Roxy like that, and even worse that he would do what he had done. They both tried not to let their feelings get between their friendship. It was a nearly impossible battle, but they each tried for the other's sake. That's probably what lead to the whole thing. Dirk had been feeling down because Jake had actually rejected him, and Roxy, being the awesome friend she is, stepped in with alcohol and a shoulder to cry on. Dirk didn't actually drink much, so it knocked him over pretty hard. He didn't even remember what had happened after making a total loser out of himself to her. The evidence however provided a very clear picture as to the previous night's events.

He couldn't face her after that. He'd stepped on her feelings and tore them apart. He had no right to call himself her friend after that. He even turned to Jane for advice, but even she wasn't sure how to approach the situation. She was a bit worried about Roxy then, saying that she was acting strange even for her standards. He felt the worst.

But then, out of the blue, Roxy called him. He was stunned to see her name on the caller ID. He answered immediately. She sounded rough, as though she'd just run a marathon. Dirk would never be able to forget the words from that call.

"I'm at the hospital. Come see your son."

He was in shock. Petrified to the point that he didn't flinch even when his iPhone hit the floor. He wasn't even aware of his movements as he threw his shoes on haphazardly and raced out the door. He skidded to a halt in front of his truck, remembering that he'd left the keys on the kitchen counter. He retrieved them and sped to the hospital, not taking the extra second to grab a jacket. He'd endure the December cold; it was nothing compared to the pain Roxy must have gone through. He had made it there in record time.

As soon as he got there, it really sank in. Upon entering the room, he had to do a double take just to be sure it was real, seeing Roxy Lalonde there with a little bundle in her arms. He was about to cry. He wasn't sure what he was feeling.

"Roxy, I'm so so-" he began, but she cut him off.

"Come see him first. At least do that for the kid before I have to give him up."

Give him up? The words hung on him for a second, but he decided to leave it for later. Dirk did as she said and moved the small chair closer to her bed. Taking the seat, he held out his arms as she passed over the little bundle. He clumsily took him and listened to her instructions on how to hold him. He was so tense and afraid to move, afraid to make a mistake. He looked down at the infant that was his son. His son. He looked just like him except for his hair. His hair was softer and laid flat where Dirk's, even from birth, stuck out at odd angles.

"I'm not sure what to name him..." Roxy looked off to the window. Dirk could sense the conflictions she was dealing with. She'd carried this kid with her, the product of years of dedicated feelings to the man she loved, for nine solid months. They were only seventeen years old so taking care of him would've been more difficult than anything they'd ever gone through before, but he could tell that deep down she didn't want to give him up. She spoke up again, "I've been talkin' to an adoption agency. There's a family, a really nice family, that could take him. Poor wife can't have kids. He'd be better off there, wouldn't he?"

Dirk felt an incredible wave of sadness and fear wash over him. He looked down at the baby boy just as he began to stir.

"I was over at Janey's for the night. I was afraid to be alone because I kept havin' these weird feelings. I woke up with contractions sometime around three am. I probably scared the daylights out of her," she laughed a tired laugh. "She went back to get some of the baby stuff I got him. I was so out of it, I couldn't call you myself until a little while ago." She looked him dead in the eye. "I wasn't sure if I should call you. I wasn't sure if it would be a good idea since I might not keep him."

He looked back to the baby, hesitating so much he almost couldn't move. The little one was awake now, trying his best to move his arms. Looking up at Dirk with the brightest red eyes anyone had ever seen, he made the sweetest little baby sounds. Dirk couldn't let this kid go. He already loved the kid too much. He smiled.

"David Strider," he said. Roxy gave him a confused "what". "Dave. That's gonna be this lil guy's name."

"But Dirk-! Do you even know how to take care of a kid? An' what about school? You're seventee-"

"Don't worry. I'll take care of him. I might not have a plan, but I can't just let him go. Come on, Rox, I'll have you and Janey to support me." He hesitated, trying to figure out what to say. "I'll get the nurses to show me how to take care of him for now and... and I'll get those dumb parenting guides or whatever."

"Dirk Strider, you can't be serious!" she said but she knew he wouldn't give up. She sighed. "Fine. Take him. But I'm not helping. Dirk, look I... I'm moving back with my family next week, and... I wanna leave all this behind me."

"This...?" Dirk asked but he was afraid of the answer.

"All of it. These feelings, this dumb life I had here. Dirk, I don't think we should keep contact." She looked up at him with so much pain in her eyes it broke his heart. He couldn't say anything. He didn't have any right to. "I'll sign all the stupid paper work, he'll be all yours, but please," she whispered the word, "if it gets too much for you, give him up."

The nurses didn't really like Dirk. They obviously thought that a seventeen year old boy had no business raising a baby on his own, but he didn't really care. He tried his best anyways. Jane laughed at him when he smiled in triumph, having finally learned how to change a diaper. It was awful. Jane could do it without batting an eyelash. He thought women must have superpowers or something being able to stomach the stench that comes along with changing diapers. He guessed moms were just that awesome. Dirk was also shown how to feed little Dave and how to burp him. He teared up while feeding him a bottle and later as he rocked him to sleep. Even Jane couldn't help but smile at him.

Jane was supervising Dirk's lessons on how to be a dad, and once the nurses finally shooed him out, she put on her general look.

"Alright, Mr. Strider, now it's my turn. First, we need to move all of Dave's things to your apartment and set up a nursery. I know you have that guest room so we'll clean it up and use it. After that, we have some other things to collect and I'll help you clean up anything potentially dangerous."

"Does that mean I have to put up all my swords?"

She actually looked appalled. "Yes!"

He gave a joking salute, "Ma'am, yes ma'am."

They climbed into his truck and over to Roxy's first. Jane commanded Dirk to stay put as she loaded up what Roxy had collected so far. Mostly, just a lot of baby clothes, formula, a few toys and his crib. What had been brought to Jane's was at the hospital with Roxy and would come home with Dave. They dropped the load off at the apartment.

Jane then said, "He won't need anything too spectacular unless you just feel like it. Shall we make our way to the room?"

"Dear Janey, it almost sounds as though you're trying to seduce me," he joked.

"Oh, of course!" she said with a wink and a giggle. She carried much of the load in by herself while Dirk got the crib. "Set the box over by your bedroom door for now. We'll get back to it after the room is clean."

Cleaning the room hadn't been too difficult. Dirk had mostly used it as a place to store his many weapons and chill out on the computer. They moved the pc to the living room and all the cheap swords to Dirk's room. "Geeze, Dirk, did you rob an anime convention or what?"

"Sort of."

"You should probably sell these."

"Awh, but why? I like them, maybe Dave will like them too when he's older."

"You'll be needing a lot of money, especially since Dave's on formula. You don't have a job right now, so selling those swords and using that until you find one is your best option."

"Guess I can't rely on my parent's money for everything now, huh?" He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Jane was right of course, but how would he even go about getting a job?

They then set up the crib, with much difficulty. The thing was like an impossible puzzle to solve. Since when were cribs this complicated? Dirk wasn't even sure that all the correct pieces were there, but sure enough, after a few hours of stumbling around and a few curses, Dirk finally set it up. He breathed a sigh and dramatically fell to the floor. "So, what's next, General?"

"Pick up your mess, Mister." She pointed. He began to wonder if her mom was strict, because Janey had all the authority of the cool but strict mom figure. Dirk set out through the remaining rooms of his apartment, picking up any weapons that he had collected to any other object that looked suspicious. He hadn't really realized how bad his anime weapon obsession was until then. Maybe Janey was onto something when she suggested selling them. At some point during the clean up, Jane let out a roar of frustration at some messages on her phone. "Oh, that stupid, stupid boy."

"Problem, Janey?" Dirk asked from the floor in front of his table, as he picked up some silverware that had lain forgotten after being dropped.

"Jake! I swear. Why did we ever like him?" She grumbled some more but Dirk just laughed at her.

"Is he seriously at it again? When will he ever learn?" They launched into a hilarious slam fest about Jake. It was kind of funny how their friendship had almost been ruined by the same guy, but had somehow bonded even stronger over him. A few years ago, he and Dirk had something, not quite a relationship but something a bit more than friendship. Dirk felt bad about it then too because he knew Jane liked him as well, but he didn't let it stop him. Then, they had a falling out and Jake ran off to Jane. She wouldn't have any of it; she lost it with him and set him straight. They were all still friends, but Jake apparently still wanted a bit more from Jane and occasionally pestered her about it.

"Don't worry, I'm not ever going there again. I'm not dealing with his relationship tomfoolery ever again. He can just keep being a pal."

Dirk nearly snorted, "Did you really just say 'tomfoolery'?"

"And what's wrong with the word?!" she huffed in response.

Yeah, Jane was probably his best friend. Maybe if he had gone to her that time, they wouldn't be in this situation...

Dirk and Jane still had a bit to get done before they could call it quits. Jane called the orders and the two set out for Babies R Us.

"What all do we need here? I thought we had everything," Dirk asked.

"Not quite. Roxy only bought enough for the diaper bag for the hospital. She hadn't planned on keeping him for long. She only bought the other things on impulse. She claimed it was the only way to stop herself from buying alcohol." Jane sighed and shrugged.

"Buying random baby things?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"So she says. Let's get started, shall we?" And off they went into the depths of the store. Dirk couldn't help but feel like he was a toddler walking with his mom. Everything in the store was so... adorable and soft. Pastel colors, plush toys and cute books that read themselves. He smiled to himself. He knew he'd end up spoiling the kid as much as his wallet allowed.

"Let's get him some cool space bed sheets."

"Why space?"

"Because space is cool and maybe I can convince him I'm the Doctor."

"Dirk, you're not smart enough for that," she smirked at him.

"Now just what is that supposed to mean?"

They went through the sections until they got to the care section. Jane added two packs of diapers, a set of bottles, a bottle warmer, and a set of pacifiers to their cart.

"Do we really need that many diapers?" Dirk was beginning to worry about the costs.

She stifled a laugh. "Trust me, you never want to be without an extra diaper. I'll help you pay for everything today, but you'll have to pay me back. Dad won't be too happy with me if I give you all of my money."

"Mr. Crocker doesn't really like me all that much, does he?"

"He's convinced you're a no good evil-doer with a hobby of destroying young girls' lives," she giggled. He wasn't sure if she was entirely serious or not.

Jane also added wipes and a few more infant care products. She suggested a bounce chair too and went out to hunt for one. Meanwhile, Dirk headed for the bedding section. He found the coolest space bedding set and grabbed a baby monitor too. Jane came back with a smallish box in her arms.

"I found one you might like. It's a rocket ship bouncer." He got a few funny looks from the other shoppers as he bounced and nearly squealed in glee. Jane snorted at him and giggled. "I think that's all we'll need for now. There's enough formula to last you more than a week but I can bring you more if you need me to."

Dirk hugged her. He was so grateful for her help that he couldn't put it into words. "Thanks, Janey."

Knowing she had his back, he felt a bit more confident.

"We'll bring this to your apartment and then you can bring me back to the hospital lot. I want to check on Roxy before I head back. Cherish your sleep tonight; it'll be the last full night of sleep you'll be getting."