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This wasn't happening. Albert refused to acknowledge it. He didn't care how responsible his son was being or the fact that he was preparing the best he could - he didn't even care that the boy was looking to him for advice and guidance about this new and unprecedented change to his life (FINALLY Flynn was trusting him as someone to ask for help with something important, but WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE THIS?!?).

No, all that Albert cared about was that he was going to be a grandfather. A grandfather before he even hit forty. OLD AGE WAS COMING EARLY TO CLAIM HIM AND THERE WAS NOTHING HE COULD DO ABOUT IT!

The overdramatic brunet tugged his hat down over his eyes and slumped further down on the park bench. How was he going to live? What was he going to do? HE WAS OLD NOW!

"No," Albert moaned, barely glancing up when he saw that it was Kaida. "No, not at all," he continued, a positively whiny tone in his voice as he finally lifted his hat up enough to meet Kaida's worried blue eyes with his own dramatically horrified gray ones.

"I'm far too young to be a grandfather! This isn't fair!"

"Perhaps," Albert moaned, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers. "I should explain things a little. I fathered my children - twins - at a... ridiculously young age." Young enough that he really shouldn't have tried to parent, but such was life. "I'd hoped to impress upon them not to do that, but now my son had gone and repeated what should not have become a family tradition."

He twitched, then, and buried his face into his hands again with a thin wail.

"And I'm going to be a grandfather before I'm forty!"

"My little ones should not be having little ones of their own yet," Albert groaned, not at all comforted by the thought. "I had thought - I told that boy to learn from me, not copy me!" He shook his head and shuddered. "I... I suppose I'm proud Flynn's taking responsibility at all but - but damn it I'm not old enough for this! I'm not!"

"I know," Albert admitted, shaking his head and sighing. "And I"m well aware of just how much help he'll need." Of course he was going to provide it, too - he loved his children too much to let either of them suffer, and the coming baby had done absolutely nothing to be mistreated or ignored. No, it would be thoroughly cared for and loved, despite its accidental origins.

It was just...

Whining pitifully, Albert shook his head and leaned back on the bench, tilting his gaze up toward the sky.

"...Don't I have enough grays already, though?"

And Kaida - Kaida was much too young for the interest he found himself taking. Moreso now than ever. If he was going to be a grandfather, she deserved ... well. To find someone her age. Someone who wasn't even a parent yet, let alone a parent of a parent.

"Same difference," Albert whined, and he knew he was being ridiculous by this point. He just didn't care - it was nice to have a sympathetic audience instead of his ever-exasperated brother or the casual indifference of his daughter. "Either way, it's another step toward becoming a lonely old man, which I'd been hoping to put off for as long as possible."

Why must this sweet, attractive young woman be so... well.... young? It wasn't fair!

"Perhaps not in terms of family, no," Albert said, and looked away to try and hide the blush that stained his cheeks pink. "But in other respects? Yes, my dear Kaida, I am quite afraid I am heading in the direction of being a lonely old man, indeed." And here he was, talking to the young woman who - but that was the problem, wasn't it? Young. So very young - his daughter's age, and even if he'd been unfairly young when he had sired said daughter, it didn't lessen the age-gap between himself and the pretty woman keeping him company in the slightest.

"I may not be there yet," he added, at least partially in response to her attempts at soothing his wounded ego. "But ... it's not so long a journey toward it as you may think."

"But... aren't I too old for your consideration?" Albert asked, eyes wide and expression somewhere between hopeful and torn. "I would very much like to, but... you deserve someone less - less old, my dear."