#literally just seeing blue plastic gloves makes my heart rate increase!!!!

[ghosttotheparty]

realising i have health anxiety and it’s the fucking worst i feel like i’m doing to die

[bazypitchandsimonsnow]

Family (Children Part 3)

Rating: T

Genre: Fluff

Word count: 4858

Summary: The big day arrives a bit sooner than expected.

Read on AO3

AN: So this prompt is what inspired this whole "having a baby" idea. You can guess what happens :)

Disclaimer: I have never been pregnant, dealt with a surrogate, or been to Guy's Hospital. Sorry for any inaccuracies.

Baz

Work is dreadfully boring. It has been for the last few weeks. I’m mindlessly filing away client reports. It’s weirdly meditative in it’s repetitiveness. It keeps my mind off worrying. Simon said I should keep going to work. Otherwise I’d just spend hours fussing over Helen with him, and she would not appreciate the extra worrying father to be hovering over her. So I’m sitting here, rearranging documents, being bored into weird zen coma. I barely register my phone ringing, picking up the receiver calmly like I always do.

“Basilton Snow-Pitch.”

“BAZ!” Simon’s voice is so loud I have to pull the phone away from my hyper sensitive ear, wincing painfully.

“Aleister Crowley, Snow, are you trying to make me deaf?”

“Sorry sorry, it’s just- you gotta- you should really get up and go- cause cause-”

“Simon, please slow down! Take a deep breath, then talk, okay, love?”

“Okay okay.” He takes an audible slow inhale and exhale. “Baz, you have to make your way to Guy’s Hospital. Because Helen is going into labour and we’re about to drive there right now.”

“What?!” I jump so suddenly my office phone rattles on my desk. My heart is beating so fast I fear it may stop. “But Helen isn’t due for another week!”

“Tell that to your baby, Basilton!” Helen shouts from somewhere in the background.

“What she says,” Simon puts in, trying not to laugh. “Just get there quickly. We’ll meet you there.”

“Yes yes, good. See you soon.”

I put down the phone. For just a moment, I freeze. The whole world sort of stops for a second. It’s really happening. I’m about to have a baby. I’m about to be a Dad. I think I’m going to be sick. Whether it’s from nerves or happiness, I’m not sure. Doesn’t matter, I need to go!

I gather up all my stuff quickly and shove it into my work bag. Running down the hall, I luckily spot my supervisor.

“Martin!” I shout. He turns around, smiling politely.

“Hey Basil. What’s up?”

“I-I have to go. My surrogate has gone into labour early, and I have to get to the hospital. Can my parental leave start, well, now?”

His eyes go wide. “Oh my god! Yes, yes of course. Please go. Congratulations, mate!”

“Thank you,” I sigh, and dash off out of the office. I hope I don’t get sick in my car.

I have prided myself on staying calm in stressful situations. When Snow would freak out and just attack frantically or simply go off, I would use logic and precise spells. But it seems my serene personality has decided to take a vacation today. Hooray.

I sprint into the hospital lobby and practically crash against the front desk. The man sitting there jolts up to look at me.

“Hello,” I pant out (Merlin, I’m out of breath). “Where is the maternity wing?”

“..why?” He says nervously, probably scared by a weird disheveled man asking where the babies are. (Understandable.)

“M-My husband is here. We’re having a baby. He’s probably already arrived with our surrogate. Should be under Snow. Or Pitch. Or Snow-Pitch, I don’t know. He's not consistent with which name he picks.”

“Uh, let me check.” His fingers rattle across his keyboard. “Are you Basilton?”

“Yes! Yes, that’s me.”

“Alright. Your family is in Room 224”

“Thank you, good sir.”

Once again, I sprint down the clinical hospital, trying to block out all the smells. Hospitals always smell disgusting. I’m so distracted by scents of blood and antiseptic that I nearly miss the room. But a certain voice tips me off.

“Breathe, Helen, breathe.”

“That’s what I’m bloody well doing!”

I burst through. Snow’s head whips up, a relieved smile spreading across his face. Helen is laying on the hospital bed, breathing deeply and gripping my husband’s hand like her life depends on it.

“Hello,” I say as calmly as possible. “What did I miss?”

“Your baby is very eager to see the world,” Helen groans.

“Apparently so. They’re over eager like their father. Here, give Snow’s hand a break and take mine.”

I stride forward and hold my hand out to her. Helen releases her death drip on Simon’s and he sighs heavily, shaking it out. She clutches mine instead. I hiss slightly. Damn, she’s strong. But she’s not vampire strong.

“Wow,” Helen gasps. “For a desk jockey you’re very tough.”

Snow and I share a knowing look across the bed. His eyebrow nearly reaches his hairline, matching his smug smile. “Yeah,” I say. “Working out pays off.

Simon scoffs and rolls his eyes. I glare, but can’t help but smirk.

“You’ve called everyone, right love?” I ask

He nods eagerly. “Yup! Your family, all the Bunces, even Agatha. Oh, she says she wants many pictures of our, I quote, ‘demon spawn.’”

“How eloquent,” I deadpan.

“Hey, if any kid is going to be a demon spawn, it will probably be our’s.”

Of course this is when the doctor decides to enter. She’s a lovely young woman with dark curly hair and glasses. Crowley, she looks a lot like Bunce. That’s a bit freaky.

“Hello!” she greets cheerily (well, she’s more perky than Bunce). “I’m Dr. Gerald. Now, who are the lucky parents today?”

“Uh,” Simon say. “Well, I’m the father.”

I raise my free hand. “I’m also the father.”

“And I’m the incubator,” Helen chimes in.

Dr. Gerald nods slowly. “Okay then. Sounds good. You’re not the first ‘non-traditional’ family I’ve helped. Now, let’s check on how your baby is doing.”

She sits down on the stool and reaches under the medical sheet covering Helen’s lower half. Her face scrunches up in concentration, nodding with little “hm” noises. My worry just increases with every “hm”, twisting and pooling in my stomach.

“Well?!” I snap. Helen lightly smacks my shoulder, glaring harshly.

Dr. Gerald smiles. “Everything seems good. Your baby is well on its way. I think we should expect a quick delivery.”

“Thank god,” Helen sighs.

I squeeze her hand once. “Agreed.”

The doctor sheds her blue plastic gloves still grinning at us. “I’ll be back in little bit to check on you again. In the meantime, try to relax.”

We watch her walk out the door. Helen glares viciously. “Easy for her to say. She doesn’t have a watermelon trying to force its way out of her vagina.”

“Yeah, sorry about that, Helen.” Simon says, genuinely apologetic.

“Not your fault, Si. I signed up for this. Literally.”

“Want me to get you anything?”

“Ice chips would be lovely.”

“On it!” Snow bounces up, giving me a peck on the cheek before he dashes off.

I pull up a chair while not letting go of her hand. She’s breathing deeply, clutching and loosening her grip on my hand with every inhale and exhale.

“How are you doing, Helen?” I ask quietly.

“Considering everything? Pretty well. How about you?”

“I’m fine.”

“Baz.” She gives me a knowing look through her sweat soaked auburn bangs. “You don’t need to play tough for me.”

I straighten up instinctively. I still don’t like when people see through my facade. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“You’re about to have a baby. An actual, honest to god, human baby. You’re freaked out, and so is Simon. Which is entirely reasonable. So you don’t need to pretend to be calm in front of me. I understand if you’re not.”

I try to keep my composure. But I’ve been keeping it for months, trying to be the confident one for everyone, especially Simon. But he’s not here right now. So I let out a long sigh, shoulders slumping.

“I’m certainly freaking out,” I say quietly. “All of this has been so far away. But now, it’s actually happening. And...I’m not sure I’m ready.”

“Well, as my sister with four kids says, ‘no one has a script for this shit. Having a kid is life’s ultimate improv’.” Script? Improv? I give her a curious look. She shrugs. “She’s an actress. Everything is a theatre metaphor. But she’s right. No one is ever fully ready to have a kid. Anyone who says otherwise is a fucking liar.”

I groan, leaning my head on the hospital bed. “I just don’t like being unprepared. I usually have a plan for everything. But I’ve read every book and article I can, and I still don’t feel ready. And...and I need to be the ready one, for Snow.”

Helen sighs heavily. I look up at her, and she looks back annoyed. “What?” I snap.

“Baz, you don’t need to be the calm one for Simon.”

“Of course I do! He’s terrified enough, considering his childhood and shitty...foster father. I can’t add to his stress.”

“Y’know, if you ask me, I think Simon would prefer if you were just as freaked out as he is. Then you wouldn’t hide, and he wouldn’t feel weird for being freaked.”

I furrow my brow. What is she talking about? I open my mouth to ask, but suddenly the door bursts open. Snow strides in with a bucket of ice chips.

“Found some! You wouldn’t believe this place. It’s a goddamn maze!”

Helen grins. “Wonderful. Hand them over, Si.”

He puts the bucket in front of her, and Helen scoops out a few to chew on. Snow sits on the other side. They start chatting about random crap while I roll around Helen’s words in my head. I thought I had to be strong for Simon, but now I’m questioning if that’s the right thing to do. Does he need me to be scared too? That doesn’t make sense. At least, not to me.

Helen groans, clutching her stomach and crushing my hand. Simon takes her other one.

“Shit,” she huffs. “I hope that annoying doctor is back here soon.”

“I actually agree with you,” I chuckle.

“It’s okay we’re here for you, Helen,” Simon says. “Thank you so much.”

“Yeah yeah, you’re welcome, you big softie,” she replies. “Buy me a drink after all this. That will be a true thank you.”

“We’ll buy you an entire goddamn bar, I promise.”

“I’m going to hold you to that, Sim- Shit!” She grips us again, teeth clenched and muscles tensing with another contraction. We let her crush our hands. It’s the least we can do for her. Part of me hopes this is over soon, for Helen and for us. But a smaller part of me hopes time will stop, just wait a little longer, until I’m ready. Though now, I’m not sure I ever will be.

“Should I push yet?” Helen pants. “I feel like I should push.”

“Not just yet,” Dr. Gerald says. “You’re almost there though.”

“Thank the lord.”

“Agreed,” Simon says, subtly shaking out his hand from Helen’s grip. I don’t blame him. I’ll be surprised if I’ll be able to do anything with mine ever again.

I read that labour takes awhile, but this seems to be speeding along. Only two hours and a half hours after we arrived and the doctor says our baby is almost here. My heart is beating so hard it threatens to break my ribs. I’ve been trying to stay calm throughout all of this. But that’s slowly been ebbed away and replaced with utter dread. There’s so much that could go wrong, so much we could do wrong.

I look up at Simon, still standing on the other side of Helen. He’s chewing on his lips to the point it’s probably almost bleeding. I see him picking at his nails on his other hand. He hasn’t done that since uni. I reach behind Helen’s head, palm up in offering. Simon notices, and grabs it firmly. His hot skin fits perfectly my tepid body temperature, like always. We look at each other. His eyes are wide and open and more than a bit scared, silently saying two words. I’m scared.

I nod and mouth, me too .

He sighs and nods back, giving my hand one firm squeeze.

“Okay,” Dr. Gerald says, “it’s time. Helen, on three, I want you to push. Okay?”

“Okay, okay,” she sighs shakily. “Hold on tight, boys.”

“One, two, three, push!”

Helen pushes with all her might, gripping our hands like a vice. My lungs and heart feel tight. My stomach feels like it’s about to drop out on the floor. But for once, I don’t try to hide it from my face. I’m scared, for many reasons, and that’s okay. I’m not above fear, and I’m allowed to show it.

A wail rips through the air.

“It’s a girl! Congratulations, dads!” The doctor announces. She holds up the screaming baby. And my heart officially stops beating.

She’s tiny and crying, as she should be. Her skin is tan, a shade or two darker than Snow’s, and covered in freckles. Little black hairs poke up from the top of her head. I let out a happy, breathy chuckle. My fear doesn’t go away, but joy overwhelms it. This is my kid. I have a daughter. And Crowley, she’s fucking perfect.

“Which one of you wants to cut the cord?” The masked nurse asks.

Snow and I look at each other. He seems just as happy and bewildered as me. My hands are shaking, far too much to do that right now. Snow’s eyes flick down where our’s are joined. He nods knowingly.

“I’ll do it,” he says.

Crowley, I love him. While he does that, I lean down to Helen, who’s breathing heavily and still clutching my hand tightly. “You did so well,” I whisper. “Thank you.”

Helen smiles sleepily. “You’re very welcome. Still scared?”

“Terrified. But far more happy.”

“Good. That’s how it should be.”

“I know.”

Soon, Simon taps my shoulder. “Hey,” he says quietly. I turn around. He stands there, smiling widely, the little bundle in his arms. “Take a look at her.”

Cautiously, I straighten up. She’s still making adorable little cries, though not the shrieks from a few minutes earlier. She stretches towards the sky with her tiny chubby hand. Slowly, I reach out my index finger, and she wraps her own fingers around it. Her grip is strong and warm and so alive . Almost immediately, she stops crying. She’s amazing. And she’s mine.

“Holy shit,” I chuckle. “We have a daughter.”

“Yeah,” Simon sighs. “Which means we need to work on our language.”

I lightly knock his shoulder. “Oh shut up.”

“Wanna hold her?”

“Of course.”

Simon carefully passes her over to me. She fits perfectly into my arms. I lightly cup her little cheek. She yawns and leans into it. Simon giggles.

“She likes you,” he teases.

“I bloody well hope so. She’s going to have to put up with me for a long time.”

“Very true.” He strokes her head softly. “Baz, are you scared? I-It’s really not just me?”

I turn to him. He’s still looking at the baby, but I see the tension in his face, the way all his beautiful features are pulled together. I put my hand over his, stilling it on her soft head. He finally looks at me. I smile.

“No, it’s not just you. I’m terrified. But I’m also very, very happy.”

He sighs, and smiles warmly back at me. “Me too.”

“Then we’ll be terrified and happy together.”

“Damn right.”

“Language,” Helen mumbles sleepily. Simon and I both laugh.

Simon discreetly wipes a few tears from his cheek and snuffles unceremoniously. “Now, I should go inform our horde of relatives. You okay if they come in, Helen?”

“Yeah sure. Bring on the horde.”

“Alright,” Simon chuckles. “Be right back.”

I kiss his cheek. “Thank you, love.”

Simon practically skips out the door. I sigh, and sit the chair, my baby still close to my chest. Crowley, my baby. I have a living breathing infant who I’m responsible for. And I already love her more than anything.

“See?” Helen says. “Told you it was better to tell him.”

“Yeah yeah, you were right.”

“Penelope’s got a point. You two really do have trouble communicating.”

“Ha, you think this is bad? You should’ve seen us when we were roommates at school. There were many reason it took us 7 and a half years to confess our feelings. Lack of communication was certainly one of them.”

“Damn. Were you a great love story filled with toils and trials and tragic miscommunications?”

I smirk, flicking my eyes over to her. “Something like that.”

Suddenly, the door bursts open, and the horde pours in. The Bunces and my family, including all my little siblings, rush inside. Penelope is at the front (of course she is), smiling so hard her face hurts.

“Let me see!” She shrieks.

“Shhh!” I hiss. “Helen’s tired and the baby is tentatively sleeping.”

“Sorry sorry. Just let me see her, please?”

I shift the baby slightly, facing her out more. Bunce gasps quietly.

“She’s so cute,” she whispers. “Got Simon’s freckles, huh?”

“Yes, certainly. Hopefully she’s inherited a better sense of humour though.”

“Hey!” Simon snaps from beside me.

I press my lips to his cheek “Love you, darling.”

He rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, love you too. Now go talk to your dad.”

With some very short mental preparation, I stand up and stride over to my father, who’s standing with my step-mother and siblings. He looks stern, wearing a crisp black suit with his hair slicked back, but that’s usual. For once, I do wonder what he’s thinking.

“Father,” I say.

“Basil,” he replies, voice flat.

I shift my bundled baby towards him. “This is your first grandchild.”

“Yes, I can see that.”

“Would you like to hold her?”

His bored mask breaks a little. In a very rare instance, he looks nervous. Our relationship has certainly improved over the years but it’s far from perfect. We still tend to tiptoe around each other a lot, afraid we’ll do the wrong thing.

I hold the baby out further. “It’s alright. You’ve had five children, I don’t think you’ll drop her or something.”

He scoffs out a small laugh. “Alright, let’s see her.”

I pass my daughter over to him. He holds her carefully. I know that my father is precise and cautious, but that’s usually in regards to schemes or magic. But now I see it applied to my child, and it’s much less menacing. My siblings peer over, smiling and giggling over the baby.

Daphne walks up next to me, placing a hand on my arm. “Congratulations, Basilton.”

“Thank you, Daphne.”

Suddenly, Mordelia crashes into me. Even as an official adult, she’s still boisterous as anything. And after years in America, she talks like them, unfortunately. “Yeah, congrats, broseph. Try to be nice to her, okay?”

I elbow her side. “Fu- Screw off, Mordelia. I’m plenty nice.”

“Liar.” She peers over at the baby, tickling her little cheek. “Does this little munchkin have a name yet?”

I turn my head to look at Simon, who’s talking with Bunce quietly near a snoring Helen. I raise an eyebrow, silently asking the question. We picked names for a boy or a girl a while ago, but kept them both secret, despite Bunce and others pestering us. Simon nods with a smile. I turn back to my father.

“Her name’s Natasha,” I say loud enough for all to hear. “Natasha Penelope Snow-Pitch.”

Everyone goes dead silent. Father inhales sharply, probably in shock and happiness. Micah, standing with Gil a bit farther away, goes slack jawed. Gil laughs loudly.

“That’s Mamá’s name!” He shouts.

I turn around. Bunce is frozen where she stands, brown eyes as big as saucer plates behind her glasses. When she speaks, her voice is nervously cracking.

“S-Seriously?”

“Yeah, Pen, seriously,” Simon says, throwing an arm around her shoulders. “You’re my best friend. I’d probably be dead by now if it wasn’t for you. So when Baz suggested I pick a middle name for a girl, it was sort of a no-brainer.”

Bunce opens her mouth to speak, but I think for once in her life, she doesn’t have anything to say. Instead she just hugs him fiercely, burying her face in his shirt. Simon chuckles and hugs her back. It’s the second most adorable thing I’ve seen today (my baby takes first place, of course.) When she pulls back, there are tears rolling down her cheeks.

“Areseholes,” she sputters. “This was all some ploy to make me blubber in front of everyone, right? You bastards.”

Simon laughs with his head thrown back and everyone joins in, including Bunce herself. Snow presses her to him in a side hug. “Seriously, though. It’s a big honour. Thank you,” she looks at me, “both of you.”

I nod once. “You’re most welcome, Bunce.”

“Welcome, Penny.”

A hand claps over my shoulder, arm snaking around them. I turn to my father. He’s smiling, more genuinely than I’ve ever seen him do so in my entire life.

“Your mother would be very honoured as well, Baz. And incredibly happy for you,” he says with actual real affection.

My heart stutters. For years, I’ve been scared of what my mother would think of me. Her gay, vampire son. But that sentiment, from my father of all people, makes me feel a whole lot better. My lips press together, trying to will back tears. I’ve been dangerously close to crying for awhile now and this isn’t helping. I feel a few tears leak out, but quickly wipe them away. I have a reputation to maintain, dammit.

“Thank you, father,” I reply, voice cracking slightly.

He nods once. I feel a tug on my trouser leg and look down to see Gil, sucking in his thumb. “I see baby, uncle Baz?”

“Of course, Gil. C’mere.”

I lift him up in my arms. He peers over at Natasha in my father’s arms, eyebrows pulling in and mouth turning into a frown.

“She’s so...” he says. “Squishy.”

All the adults chuckle. “Yes, she’s very squishy looking.”

“Papá, was I squishy?”

“Yes, mijo,” Micah says, ruffling his hair. “You were just as squishy.”

He sticks his tongue out. “Gross!”

Everyone laughs again. Gil stays on my hip for a bit, zooming his toy car up and down my shoulder, while we all chat. Natasha gets passed to other people, but I always keep an eye on her. Daphne coos over her happily with Mordelia and the twins. Even my usually Grimm-family-level-solemn little brother smiles. Eventually she makes her way into Penelope’s arms. She, Snow, and a newly awake Helen look over her, giggling at her every little movement. I sigh under my breath. Part of me can’t believe this is happening to me. All my family is here, including my child. My own living, breathing, perfect child. Aleister Crowley, I’m living a charmed life.

After about a few hours, we’re all quite tired, Helen especially, who’s been falling in and out of sleep. The nurse says, barring any complications, she can go home tonight. (She’s going to stay with her sister, who she wants to take care of her post-pregnancy.) We shuffle everyone out so she can get some rest. Daphne gives me one last cheek kiss, Father and Micah shake my hand, Mordelia says goodbye with a fist bump, Gil hugs my leg, and Penelope reluctantly gives me back my own baby.

“Am I going to have to worry about you kidnapping her?” I ask with a playful smirk.

“Hey, you just might,” she replies with a nudge. “She’s absolutely precious. If you ever need a babysitter, I’d be happy to help.”

“I’m going to hold you to that.”

“Of course.” She gives me one more hug, careful not to crush Natasha between us. “Congrats again, Baz. I’m really happy for you two.”

“Thank you, Penelope.”

She pulls back, patting my arms once. “Try to get some sleep tonight. You’re not going to get a lot for awhile.”

“Wonderful...”

“Welcome to parenthood, Basil. Have fun!”

She walks off with final swish in her step. I roll my eyes. Of course, smug as usual. Should I expect anything else at this point? I go back in and pull up my chair next to Snow. He’s lounging with his eyes shut, a sleepy smile playing on his face. I lean my head on his soft shoulder.

“Hey,” I whisper.

“Hey,” he replies. “How’s she doing?”

“Still sleeping, thank Merlin. Hopefully she’s not a restless baby.”

“Knowing our luck? She’ll be up all hours of the night.”

I let out a scoffing chuckle. “Very true. She is cute though.”

Simon hums, playing with her little black hairs. “Incredibly so.” He sighs happily. “She’s perfect.”

“M-hm.” My mouth twists slightly. “I hope I don’t mess her up.”

“Hey, remember what you told me? Back when we started this craziness?” He puts his strong arm around me, pulling me closer. “‘We’ll both fuck up. No parent is perfect. But we’ll try our best. And I know your best will be fucking amazing.’”

I chuckle. “Yes yes, I remember, I said it.”

“Well, I know you’re best will be fucking amazing too.”

I lean into him more, holding Natasha between us. She breathes very quietly but I can hear her (yay vampire senses). Every inhale and exhale makes me happy and relieved, because it reassures me that she’s alive and well. “Thank you, love.”

He carefully takes Natasha from me. “You look tired. Sleep for a bit. I’ll take care of Natty for now.”

“We’re not calling her that,” I mumble before turning over in my chair. Simon chuckles. Quickly, I’m whisked away into into welcome sleep.

Even more hours later, after tests and talking to doctors and getting our stuff together, we’re allowed to take Natasha home. Helen still dozes on and off in our car. She says she wants to sleep for a thousand years. As we let her off at her sister’s house, we promise to call and visit her in a few days. She tiredly agrees, and we thank her for the millionth time before shutting the door gently behind her.

When we arrive at our own home, it’s very dark. Natasha hasn’t woken up, thank Merlin and Morgana. I drop all our heavy baby bags with a sigh.

“Home sweet home,” I say happily.

“Wonderful,” Simon sighs. “I need real sleep. In pyjamas. In our bed.”

“Me too.” I take his hand in mine and lead us to our room. In there, Snow lays Natasha in her little green bassinet that we had ready. She stretches and yawns, smacking her tiny lips. I spend an inordinate time just staring her. Even though that’s what I’ve been doing all day. Maybe I’m still absorbing it all. Will I ever get used to this? Having a child in my house, in my life? I think so. But right now, I can’t help but stare at her.

“Baz,” Simon whispers. “C’mon, you’re tired. You can look at her tomorrow.”

I lopsidedly, half my mouth pulling up. “Yeah, I guess I can.”

We get changed as quickly and quietly as possible. (Just because Natasha hasn’t woken up yet doesn’t mean she won’t very soon.) Silently, we slip under the covers. I pull Simon against me, my body curled around his. He holds my hand tightly over his heart. Our fingers slip together easily like they always do.

Simon sighs. “Today has been...”

“A day ,” I finish.

He chuckles, back rattling against my chest. “That’s one way to put it.”

“I’m excited though.”

“Me too.” He turns in my arms to face me. His beautiful face is half lit up in moonlight, accentuating his freckles and making his bronze hair glow. He traces a finger down my cheekbone, then cups my face softly. He smiles, blue eyes almost sparkling. “We can do this. We’ve faced a lot worse. So we can certainly do this.”

I put my hand hand over his, nodding slowly. “Yes, we can. Together.”

“Together.”

He shuffles forward, pressing his face into my shoulder. I rub slow circles into his back and run my fingers through his hair.

“I love you,” I whisper against his scalp.

“I love you too,” he replies, voice muffled by my shirt.

I let my eyes slide shut. The exhausting excitement of the day makes my bones and muscles soft. Sleep is a welcome guest in my body. My husband is snoring softly into my skin, my daughter is right behind me. Everything is okay. Better than that, everything is great. I can sleep.

Then Natasha starts crying.

She lets out a loud piercing wail that tears through my sleepy calm. Simon groans and starts disentangling himself from me.

“No no,” I mutter. “I’ll get her.”

He makes tired sound of gratitude and rolls onto his other side. I swing my legs off the mattress, hanging my head for a second to get my composure, then scoop up my screaming child. I pat her back lightly, bouncing her up and down the hall.

“There there, little puff,” I say softly. “It’s alright, I’m here. Everything’s alright. Don’t worry, love, I’m not going anywhere.”

AN: Baby's here! And in my mind, of course her name would be Natasha, and with the middle name Penelope. I've used this name in my other fics too because I feel it works really well. Penny would certainly blubber :) Also the final situation is based on exactly what happened to my parents the day they brought me home. I was a loud baby. Even as an infant I liked to scream all the time. Now I scream about fandom stuff instead of food (still sometimes about food, tbh.) Tomorrow: snowy day!