Bullet by Laurell K. Hamilton

father.”
    “That’s what his therapist says, but he’s scared.” She swallowed hard enough for me to hear it. It sounded painful, as if she were trying to swallow something that hurt. “I want children, Anita. I want them, and if Stephen doesn’t then I’d have to lose him to have children. I don’t want to lose him. I love him, and I know he loves me.”
    I didn’t know what to say, but luckily Micah did. He came and crouched in front of her, putting a hand on her knee. “We’ve got six more months before Gina has her baby. That’s a long time in therapy. Six months can change everything if Stephen works on his issues.”
    “But what if he doesn’t work it out?”
    Micah gave her that patient it-will-be-all-right look. I put my face back against her hair as she looked at him. I had no comforting face to give her, so I’d just cuddle.
    “It’ll work out,” he said, patting her knee in a sort of fatherly way. As Nimir-Raj he was supposed to be a combination of father figure, big brother, and boyfriend, but without the sex.
    “How can you be so sure?” But I heard the note in her voice; she wanted to believe his surety, his face, his touch.
    Micah smiled at her and there was that certainty in him that I’d seen almost from the beginning. He projected utter confidence that what he said, would be. “I know Stephen, and I know you, and I know you love each other. You’ve gone through a lot together; you’ll make it through this, too.”
    “You sound so certain.” Her voice was still breathy, but hopeful now, too.
    He smiled wider. “I am.”
    I could not have said that, because I was always willing to believe someone would screw up. And because I couldn’t add my certainty to his, I kissed the top of her head where she’d cuddled into the bend of my shoulder.
    Monica was suddenly in front of us. I looked up and my face was already set to warn her off, and Micah stood up I think ready for the same thing, but the look on her face wasn’t mean. I’d never seen her look kind before.
    She called to J.J. “Can you keep Matthew occupied for a few minutes?”
    J.J. glided over to us and got the little boy chasing her. I must have looked surprised, because Monica said, “I was married to a century-old vampire. I know what it’s like to want a baby and believe you’ll never have one. You know how rare it is for one of the older vampires to father a child.”
    I did know. I could only nod.
    Micah moved out of the way as Monica took his place kneeling in front of Vivian. “Let me take you to the ladies’ room so we can fix your makeup before Stephen gets back.”
    Vivian blinked at her and then nodded wordlessly. “I don’t want Stephen to know I told anyone.”
    “I won’t tell him,” she said, and she held out her hand. Vivian looked at Micah, who nodded, then at me, and I nodded, too. She went with Monica, and we trusted Monica not to fuck this up. It was a little like sending your daughter off with the mean girl from school and trusting her not to be mean, but strangely, I did.
    Micah sat down beside me, and his hand found mine. We sat there and watched J.J. dart around the lobby while Matthew chased her. He was squealing and happy about it, but something about the game reminded me of Jason and his ballerina’s last number. Was I looking for similarities, or was the little boy really imitating Uncle Jason?
    As he often did, Micah spoke as if he’d read my mind. “When I was Matthew’s age I begged for a little holster and gun set with plastic badge.”
    “Because your dad was a sheriff ?”
    He nodded. “He wasn’t sheriff when I was three, but he was in law enforcement and I wanted to be just like him.”
    “It’s not just me, then; Matthew is trying to imitate some of the dancing he saw tonight.”
    Micah watched the toddler chase the lithe, graceful dancer. “He’s started trying to figure out what it means to be a boy. He’s imitating the men he sees.”
    I told him what Matthew