Motherhood was never a considered path for Fallon prior to involving herself with Jesse. She had a set career path with limitless goals (auror to lawyer to head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to Minister of Magic to a member of the Wizengamot) and the ambition to reach them. While she knew what she was signing up for in being with him, Fallon hadn't considered that she would have to cut her career short. That their children couldn't be entrusted to the care of a reputable nanny when she simply couldn't be home. In her mind, their children would be raised with a deep respect for service and law, for sacrifices for the sake of others. Of course, were there an emergency at home she would immediately attend to it. But ... always wasn't necessarily a commitment she knew herself to be undertaking.

Fallon's aghast expression slipped into a frown. Jesse was forcing an ultimatum before they were even in the position of having to make decisions and that fact alone made her skin crawl. Was this to be the first demanded sacrifice? The first of a long line of hard decisions where she would be the ultimate loser? His career wouldn't be placed on hold or changed because of parenthood. He could advance and follow his dreams were he to have any. It was terribly unfair to deny her the same, regardless of whether or not he understood she had a career. (For, if he understood this would be a non-issue.)

"You're really doing this?" Fallon asked. "I have to decide right now whether or not to sacrifice my career for a family that might never exist?" They had been intimate for months now with no signs of a pregnancy, who was to say that would change? Her course came reliably every month with a huge sense of relief and a small but unmistakable hint of disappointment. Fallon wanted children — his children — she just didn't want to walk away from everything she strived for.