Child raising!

Lady Bec

Summary: Halt keeps Will instead of putting in the Ward; with interesting consequences.

AN: This is a collection of dabbles so it will not be Updated as regularly as a real story would be maybe one Friday a month. Also Halt is 25 when this starts, so that by the time Will is fifteen Halt is forty. Lady Pauline is a semi-new Courier at the age of 20.

Disclaimer: I do not own Rangers Apprentice.

The decision

Halt stood in front of the door staring at it intently. He stood there and slowly he turned his head down to look at the baby swaddled in his arms. The child looked back at him silently, as if he knew that he was to be quite. With big brown eyes the little boy; Will his mother named him, watched Halt calmly, as if wondering why they were standing in front of a door in the middle of the night. That of course made Halt remember why he was here. Remembering the events just a hour earlier.

-one hour earlier-

Halt stood in front of the wards door. It was the place where all the orphan children were cared for in the Castle Redmont. Slowly Halt knelt carefully placing the quite baby on the step next to the door. Carefully rearranging the note that he had pinned on the blanket to make sure that it stayed put. Then softly he knocked on the door and "melted" into the background sure that no-one would see him. All that was left was to wait.

…

Waiting

…

Waiting some more

…

Finally a candle was lit in one of the upstairs rooms, and the sound of someone moving was heard. Suddenly a child started wailing in a room down several rooms Halt guessed from the candle, "good he would be able so see, or at lest hear how little will would be treated as he grew up," the young Ranger thought.

However as soon as the thought crossed his mind, a loud booming voice yelled, "SHUT UP, GO BACK TO SLEEP YOU BRAT!" This of course did not make the child be silent instead it caused the opposite effect and woke up several other children some of which were older and attempted to stop the babies and younger children from crying.

Halt stared at the small flame that marked the Ward master's spot in horror. Then he looked at the small form of Will laying on the step. Will had obviously also been slightly alarmed by the noise and was starting to fuss. Halt stepped forward silently making one of those life changing, split second, decisions that Rangers made constantly. With that he picked up little Will and disappeared back into the night. Will thankfully was silent as soon as he was picked up and the two of them watched as the angered Ward master burst open the door and looked around.

That brought them to the present. Staring at this door. Of course Halt was not foolish enough to think that he could care for a baby alone. It was simply impossible, but if he could enlist some help; then he could do it. So the real question was could he bring himself to ask for HER help. Halt had always been very shy and the tall, blond, and simply beautiful Courier had brought this out of him more than usual. Which was why instead of knocking on the door like a normal person, he was standing here in front of her door.

Finally it was Will who pushed Halt to act, with an ear piercing scream that all babies seamed to have mastered before they are born. Will stated that he was tiered of standing and that he was starting to get hungry; loudly.

Halt heard with horror the occupants in the rooms next to the one he was standing in front of start moving. There were no children in this wing, so the sound of one was very out of place. Halt with no other choice slipped through the door; which he had already unlocked, and walked right into a very surprised Lady Pauline, who was thankfully unarmed.

Before she could say anything Halt looked at her and with a hesitant smile held the crying, but thankfully not screaming; Will towards her and said, "Help?"

Lady Pauline looked at him shocked, and then her eyes landed on the softly crying baby. Slowly and carefully she accepted the little bundle from him and to both of their surprise and relief Will was once again quite. Finding Pauline much more interesting than whatever he had wanted previously.

"Halt; who is this and why are the two of you in my room, it is after midnight." Pauline said calmly, and as she said his Will reached up and grabbed a hold of one of her long locks and pulled, hard.

Instantly Halt was there, attempting to untangle Pauline his charges hand from her hair, very frazzled. Once he accomplished that he moved offering to take back the child. Which Pauline refused simply moving her hair out of the little boys reach. Then calmly she raised an eyebrow showing that she was still waiting for an answer.

"Well," Halt started nervously, "This is Will"

Pauline looked calmly at the dark figure in front of her. Halt was easily very handsome, his black hair shaggy almost as if he cut it himself; he didn't have a beard and it seamed as if he wasn't planning to and was shaving. He was tan and handsome and Pauline had been making it clear since he had moved to Redmont two years earlier that in courting her would not be unpleasant. But he seamed too thick to notice, which frustrated her immensely.

"That answers who he is but it doesn't answer why the two of you are in my room, or where you got him from for that matter!" Pauline was now looking at him sternly in hopes of getting him to answer.

"Will's parents died, and I couldn't leave him at the ward; but I don't know much about babies. So I was hoping that you may know something about them that you could tell me." Halt answered truthfully.

Pauline was instantly alarmed, "What makes you think that I know anything about babies! You're older than me you should know more!" was the childish answer.

"But you're a girl!" Was the week but only, reply Halt could think offer.

Just then Will decided to start fussing again; causing both Pauline and Halt to look at him in absolute horror.

"Lets go to Lady Sandra she will know what to do!" Pauline said quickly thinking of Baron Arald's wife.

Off they went nearly at a run down the halls of the castle finally stopping in front of the Barons' room. Pauline paused turning to Halt and asked him curiously "Are you going to keep him?" They both knew she was talking about the little boy in her arms.

Halt paused, one hand on each of the large doors turning to look at her. "You know what, I think I will." As he said this Will, tired of being quiet, started crying, even though Halt was not one fond of large entrances, the threw open both doors dramatically; startling awake the couple sleeping inside.

AN: Review if you like it. Remember this is a dabble collection though so it may skip around Will's life time. Oh my goodness this is my first multi chapter fan fiction I feel the commitment taking over I…

I'm good. Ok review if you have any ideas of the mischief for Will to get into; bye.