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Akili made noises that were something very akin to distress. He looked his son right in the eye without any kind of touching or hugging and raised one eyebrow. "What the ********, eh?" he demanded. "Your balls workin' overtime an' all? Love of Christ. Looks like somethin' latex broke. Antennae? Have you been shagging a butterfly?"

Fortunately, Wisp was laughing quite delightedly, pleased at the mistake. She shook Becca's hand solemnly, not quite sure if it was an invitation to hug. She had already had it beaten into her that not everything was Invitation to Hug. "I'm not Uncle Jack's," she said, "hi."

"Best news I heard all day," said Jack's father.

"Thank you, Akili," said Beatrix, "that's so nice to hear. Hello, Rebecca. This is Wisp."

"He didn't tell us any fibs," said the blonde preteen, and then she said enviously in a voice totally free from guile or sucking-up pretense as she craned her head back to look at her again: "You're really beautiful! You're beautiful like Missy Deakon. Beautifuller even. You're lovely."

"Yes," said her blind mother, and in a voice that was nostalgic and even a little bit sad, "yes, she is."

"I already gave you two bloody kids," said Akili gloomily, "stop wantin' more. And no, Alice isn't gonna pop out any if I got any say around it, so don't get any effin' ideas. Pass the sprog over 'ere," he added roughly, in a don'tcarish way, "don't want to ruin him like this first one was. Right, lad?"

"Akili wanting to hold a baby?" Bea said mildly, obviously grateful he had not commented on anything she had said before. "Are you sure this is your father, Jack?"

"Bugger off, Darnell." The man reached over and judiciously patted his partner's rear end as though to re-profess his manliness, then raised one scruffy eyebrow at his son. His hair was shot through with silver at the temples; this did not make him look dignified or less scruffy. He was good-looking, though; really, agelessly good-looking. He wasn't a clean good-looking like Tyler Deakon, though, Wisp decided, more a kind of oil and smoke good-looking. He was looking at Uncle Jack now. "When'd you domesticate anyway, you little streak, you?"

"Hullo, Rebecca," said the woman, and she hugged Becca quite tightly. Considering the last time that the other had seen her, she'd been in a less than sane position, the hug was quite fierce and brief. Even the normally emotionally constipated Beatrix Darnell couldn't not manage; "I missed you, too."

"Granny-chaser," Jack's dad accused him; he was looking at Adam, supporting the head as he eyed up his grandson, checking to see that he had all his fingers and toes. "Gerroff chasin' those old birds. You got a complex."

"But he doesn't look after old birds," pointed out Wisp, "he looks after little old ladies."

"Your parents will start to worry if you keep on saying awful things like that," said Beatrix, resigned, "don't worry, Rebecca, I just try to keep him honest. I did think he was having it off with his roomie at first, though."

"Uncle Jack isn't dating Mr. Shade," said Wisp helpfully, "I know, because Jace said that they never would because Mr. Shade was too much of a wuss for Uncle Jack and that both of them had commitment issues anyway that's what she said."

Akili had been busy sticking out his tongue in return at Adam; it had seemed like the thing to do at the time.

Beatrix immediately rustled around in her handbag; Thwomp had fallen asleep, among fragments of a jelly baby. He tended to only nap when Jack was around; obviously he saw the man as a chance to get some rest and not have to look after Bea. When he was pulled out, he woke up, and immediately was overly enthusiastic to see Rebecca.

The little familiar spun around her head before disappearing into her jean pockets, at which Akili made a disgusted sound, and then bounded back to press against her cheek. He was avoiding Adam's attempts to grab at his face. "Not that thing," he said, "bloody ga-ga over Becca."

"He goes for the gentle touch, obviously," said Beatrix.

"Can't you find a normal one?" Akili demanded. "All these bleedin' tails and antennae shite, when'd you get exotic? Look at me, most I did was go American. Right, pet? S'like all those bloody goth girls you picked up."

"I came from a cabbage," said Wisp to Rebecca, "and so did Jace, and so did Irelia -- "

" -- yeah, that worked on him, too," said Akili, who was watching Adam's fingers curl and uncurl over his own. "Until he was. Right. Six? -- Bleedin' strong," he complimented the baby, "we'll have you drinkin' Guinness an' playin' the tables in no time, lad."

This simply confused Wisp, who really had come from a cabbage, and had momentary doubts about her origins. Oh, well. At least she'd met Becca and Akili first; Jace and Iree were going to be so jealous!

"Try not to make your own son kill you, Dexter," said Beatrix, and -- "you know, Rebecca, he even smokes out the window now, it's really rather precious."