No Chance in Hell

Colin watched the scene before him with a strange mixture of sadness, longing, and pride. "I can't believe you're a dad, Ant," he said. "Though, I suppose you've been kind of preparing for this for years."

Anthony gave a chuckle, leaning into his wife who held their newborn son, staring dreamily at them both. "I know. I never could have imagined it myself. I didn't think I could possibly be this happy."

Kate huffed, wiping tears from her eyes with one hand then smacking him with it. "Oh, Anthony, you're going to get me all weepy again!"

He just laughed, holding them both closer. "I'm sorry, baby. I just love you two so much."

Kate smiled and looked up at him. "I love you too," she said, kissing him sweetly before turning to their little bundle of joy. "And you, little Edmund." The baby cooed in her arms, and Colin melted at the sight. "Do you want to hold him?" She asked. Colin nodded eagerly.

"Careful with his head," Anthony instructed, placing him gently in his brother's arms.

"Oh, I know," Colin said. "I've learned my lesson with Daphne's little hellions," he explained with a laugh.

Anthony chuckled, but Kate looked mortified. "Better hers than mine," he said.

Kate shook her head disapprovingly, then smiled at how carefully Colin was holding her son. "Well, our little Edmund is certainly going to have an army of Bridgertons looking after him," she said.

"Is that you asking for babysitters?" Colin teased.

"Of course not! You're family!" Kate gasped, pretending to sound offended.

"It's better, because it's free," Anthony whispered.

Colin looked back at the baby in his arms. He always loved babies, and he couldn't wait to have one of his own. There was only one woman he wanted them with, and she was avoiding him like the plague. The entire future he had envisioned for them was crumbling apart, and before he knew it, tears were streaming down his face. He was glad Edmund was sleeping, or it probably would have got him going too. Anthony took Edmund from him and carefully placed him back in Kate's arms, staring at his brother with confusion and concern.

"What's wrong with you?" Kate demanded. "You're crying more than I am, and I just pushed a nine pound baby out of my vagina."

Colin gave a watery laugh. "Sorry, Kate. I'm just really happy for you."

"Aww...liar. Spill," she said. "What's going on? I thought things with you and Penelope were going well."

"They were!" He exclaimed, wiping the tears away as he composed himself. We were friends and she was dating and I was happy for her and then we um...we had a moment," he explained.

"You had sex!" Kate realized, yelling loudly enough that the people in the morgue would have woken up. Magically, Edmund didn't even stir.

"Shhhh! Yes, alright!" Colin hissed. "And it was amazing. She told me she loved me, and then we fell asleep together, and I woke up, and she was gone." He recounted the events of the best and worst night of his life, then slumped against his chair.

"Oh, Colin..." Kate said pityingly.

"What?"

"Did you say it back?" She asked impatiently. He said nothing. He didn't say it back. Why didn't he say it back. "You didn't say it back?!" She screamed. Then she gave Anthony a look, and he came up behind his brother and smacked him upside the head.

"Ah, jeez, I'm sorry!" 

"We're not the ones you should be saying that to," Kate, and Anthony agreed, which was rare since they never agreed on anything, save for his own stupidity when it came to Penelope apparently.