AN: This is going to be a three shot, the next chapter should be posted next Friday at the latest. Enjoy :)

He was never going to sleep again, he decided as the cry of a baby woke him once more. Though, what with all the nightmares he'd been having, he didn't think it mattered if a baby woke him up every hour on the hour. But he grumbled anyways about it and rolled out of bed, stumbling blearily into the child's room. He flicked on the light and sighed as he took the baby into his arms and rocked him back and forth. "What's wrong little dude?" He whispered to the sobbing child. "Your diaper is clean and I just fed you an hour ago so you can't be hungry." The baby let out a whine and buried his head into the crick of his neck. He sighed. "I guess you just want some company, don't you Junior?" He sat himself in the rocking chair in the corner of the room and began rocking slowly. He closed his eyes and listened as the child cooed softly. He wasn't surprised that Junior was lonely. He would be too if his parents were gone. He felt a pang of sadness run through his chest and his shoulder throbbed. He sighed and looked at the small baby. This was what his brother had left him when he had died. His baby, his little son Matthew Jr. And his house, but little Mattie Jr. was more important to him than some big old empty house.

The baby cooed again and drew him from his musing. The big violet eyes gazed up at him as the tiny fist tugged on his shirt. He sighed with tears beginning to sting his eyes. "I miss your daddy too." He whispered as he stood. He made his way back to his bed room with Junior in his arms and he laid down on his bed, pulling the child close before drifting to a restless sleep.

oOoOoOo

His eyes opened to a knock on his door. He stood and yawned, lifting Junior into his arms and walking downstairs. "Hello?" He asked as he opened the door to a scowling man.

"Yes hello, you are the new owner of this house?" He nodded, giving the man a once over. Short, messy blonde hair, enormous eyebrows, porcelain skin and an overall pulled together businessman type look. Shit, please tell him this wasn't another realtor come to harass him for the house. "I am Arthur Kirkland," the man said holding out his hand, "Your new neighbor." He readjusted Junior and shook the man's hand before stepping aside.

"Hey, come on in." He said with a bit of a strained smile. Please can he not stay for long. "I'm Alfred, Alfred F. Jones." The man, Arthur, nodded and strode in, "I hope you don't mind I don't have much to offer you seeing as I just moved in…" He said his voice trailing off, hoping that was good enough for Arthur to understand that he wasn't ready for any guests. Arthur's thick brows furrowed.

"Ah yes, the other family who lived in the house, what happened to them?" He opened his mouth to speak, but the second he had registered the question his throat closed up and his brain shut down. Oh shit. The world was spinning before him and now there were several Arthurs gazing at him with one huge brow lifted, mouth moving but no words coming out. He couldn't, he didn't, what was happening? Mattie Jr. cooed and fisted his shirt again, but he could feel himself slipping away. He didn't belong here. He shouldn't be here, holding this baby. Just because his brother and his wife were gone and the name on Matthew's will said that everything went to him and his son doesn't mean it was his. He wasn't home. This was a strange place. Who was this man? Why was he visiting if not to rub it in that Alfred wasn't the success that his late brother was? He felt Mattie Jr. getting removed from his arms and he couldn't move. He was shutting down, the room was spinning faster. His brother. His brother. Oh god his brother.

The man grabbed his shoulders and shook him. Oh god. This was real. It was all real. He was on the ground now and the man was holding his face. Who was that man again? What was he doing? Wasn't he going to visit his brother? Yes, that was what he was doing. Yes, that's right, his birthday party, he was going to his birthday party over at his favorite not fast food restaurant. And then something happened. It was going dark. Something happened. What happened? There were black spots dancing all around him, swarming him and gobbling him down. What happened? Oh wait. That's right. He remembered now. He crashed.

oOoOoOo

He let out a groan and tilted his head to bury the side of his face into the side of the pillow. The sounds around him paused and the bed dipped. "Alfred," A voice said. He knew that voice, it wasn't familiar to him, but he knew it. It was new, where had he heard it? His eyes fluttered and he let out another groan. "Hey, hey, come now lad, wake up." He blinked and the room spun. He squeezed his eyes shut once more. He blinked once more and a face came into focus. Who was that? "There we go lad, come back to us." Arthur. That was his name, and he was the… neighbor. Yes, he was the neighbor. He came to meet him. Well, this is embarrassing. He let out a groan and sat himself up. The man placed his hand on Alfred's shoulder, pushing him down gently. "Are you alright?" He nodded and waved the man's hand off his shoulder.

"Yea, I'm fine." He mumbled rubbing the palm of his hands into his eyes. He froze for a second and looked at Arthur in a panic. "Where is Matthew?" The man's brows furrowed.

"You mean the baby?" Alfred felt his heart speeding up as he began to get out of the bed, his legs tangling farther into the sheets as he tried to pry them off his body.

"Yes! Yes the baby! Where is the baby?" Arthur jumped at Alfred's panic and hushed him, pushing him down onto the bed once more.

"Relax Alfred, Matthew is fine." He sunk back into the bed and nodded, placing his head in his hands and letting out a shaky breath. Arthur nodded in return and patted him on the back before situating himself next to Alfred. "Well," he began uncertainly, "This has definitely been an interesting first meeting." Alfred nodded without removing his head from his hands. "Tell me," Arthur began, "Was it something that I had said?" He glanced up and cocked his head to the side. "That made you…panic?" Alfred sucked in a breath and tucked his head back into his hands.

"I… I don't really want to talk about it." Arthur nodded feverishly and put his hands up.

"Yes, yes of course, I understand-"

"Not yet." Arthur's mouth stopped moving. "Maybe… maybe when we know each other. But not now. I'm not ready." Arthur nodded.

"I understand." A soft cry echoed from down the hallway and Arthur was up and at the door. He glanced at Alfred as he stood. "If you don't mind, I'll take care of Matthew for the rest of the day for you." His brows furrowed.

"Why?" Arthur gave him a soft smile of pity and rested his head against the frame of the door.

"You're exhausted." He said simply. "You just passed out and were out in fact for several hours, and you're a single father. You need a break. Don't worry, I won't touch anything and I will just watch Matthew." He nodded and settled into the bed, too surprised to respond. The lights flicked off and the door shut. Not two minutes later the baby's cries were quieted with soft singing. Alfred turned his head into the pillow and sucked in a heavy breath. Oh god, this man thought he was a father. Tears began to trickle into the pillow. He was no father and he never deserved that damned title. Ever.

oOoOoOo

He was awoken to a light pat on his shoulder, his eyes fluttering open as he rolled himself over. "Good morning sunshine." His brows furrowed.

"Morning?" He mumbled. Arthur sighed and nodded, and amused smirk playing on his thin lips.

"Yes, you slept quite a long time." Alfred sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Are you feeling better?" He nodded and stood.

"Yea." He scratched the back of his neck. "Did you stay the whole night?" Arthur nodded. "Damn. Sorry about that, I can pay you if you want." Arthur shook his head and gave Alfred a pat.

"No, it's not necessary. I enjoyed watching little Matthew, he's a very well behaved child. He has a wonderful disposition." Arthur nodded in return.

"Well, at least let me make you some breakfast." Arthur chuckled.

"That I can accept." Alfred smiled in return.

"Good, time for some good old fashion bacon and eggs."

oOoOoOo

Arthur, he learnt, was a librarian at a local college, who of course gardened in his free time and had actually wanted to know if Alfred knew how to properly tend to the extravagant garden that took up most of the property (which to Arthur's absolute horror, he did not). Arthur then offered up his services to care for the garden, free of cost as long as Alfred bought the supplies and helped out once in a while. Hesitant about allowing Arthur into his life, he told the man he would sleep on it.

That evening he took Junior out into the garden and sat in the center, letting the baby rest on his chest as he lay in the grass path. This was his life now. He was an adopted father to his nephew and he owned a beautiful house with a beautiful garden and a nice car. This was his life. His head dropped to the side and his fingers dug into the dirt. He blinked. Roses. Roses, big blooming roses. The kind his mother grew when he was little and had taught Matthew to grow. He didn't know how to care for such a flower.

But, Arthur did.