A/N: Two down, one more to go. Hope you enjoy.
Déjà Vu
There was something oddly calming about holding a newborn baby while it slept. Whether it was the fact that it was his own daughter he cradled in his arms or the feeling of being the cause of her comfort, Gray didn't know, but he was certain that he would do anything to make his daughter feel protected and loved to bits by both him and Lucy. Barely four hours old and she had already stolen his heart.
Lucy, his beautiful wife, who was resting with her eyes closed after delivering a baby girl a few hours earlier, looked as peaceful as Gray felt serene. The ice mage nestled his daughter into the nook of his elbow as he detected some fussing. Her tiny feet were moving against his torso and the movement sent a surge of love through him. He was already so deeply in love with his daughter that he couldn't even take his eyes off her for more than a minute.
Their daughter, Leah, had inherited Lucy's blonde hair and tufts of it peeked out from under the tiny cap the nurses had put on her head. She had Gray's forehead and Lucy's button nose. From the looks of it, her cheeks and chin would be like his, but she was an infant and her features weren't all that recognizable yet. She was wrapped in the soft pink blanket that the nurses had provided and her tiny fists were resting beside her head, as she slept soundly. She would wiggle around from time to time and start fussing until Gray rocked her slowly in his arms, but never once did she wake up.
"She's a heavy sleeper like you." Lucy remarked softly from her bed. She was looking at her husband holding their daughter and looking mesmerized by the tiny human in his arms.
"She's precious." Gray breathed, completely awestruck as he ran his finger over the baby's fist. When she stirred a little, he placed his hand back on the surface of the blanket, feeling her breaths as her tiny chest rose and fell. Finally tearing his eyes away from their daughter, he turned to look at his wife, whose eyes lingered on the newborn baby.
"How are you feeling honey?" He asked as he moved from the chair to the space beside Lucy. Leaning down, he planted a kiss on her forehead, careful not to jostle their daughter too much. Lucy sat up and stretched a little, before reaching her arms out to hold Leah. She had a feeling their baby would need to be fed soon and wanted to hold her close in the meantime.
"Better, sleeping helped a lot. Has she been this calm the whole time?" Lucy wondered as she softly pecked Gray's lips, before leaning back against the pillows supporting her.
"Yeah." Gray answered putting his arm around his wife. She looked so beautiful with their baby resting against her chest and he burned the image into his mind. They would be taking pictures later, but right now, Gray just wanted these few moments with his tiny family to last forever. He was truly and undoubtingly happy, and he wanted to feel that way for a little longer.
They stayed silent for a while after that. It felt so surreal. Nine months had passed so quickly and the new addition to the Fullbusters had been born on an early-autumn afternoon. The delivery had been successful with very few complications after Lucy had gone into labor that morning. Leah woke up when she felt hungry and wailed a little, before Lucy adjusted her against her chest and felt the suckling of her baby.
"The others will be here soon." Gray informed Lucy after she was done nursing Leah and the baby had returned to sleeping. She looked like an angel cradled in her mother's arms.
"You take Leah, I'll go freshen up a little." Lucy smiled as she watched how eagerly Gray reached out to hold Leah. He was already doting so much on her, it melted Lucy's heart.
Gray felt as though he discovered something new every time he held her. How she wrinkled her face before she moved her legs, or how her hands relaxed when she could feel Gray's hand on top of her blanket. She fussed from time to time and moved her arms around, but stayed calm as long as Gray rocked her and spoke softly to her. Lucy returned a few minutes later and settled back into her bed.
She looked fresher already, considering she had just gone through childbirth a few hours ago. The sparkle in her eyes had returned and she smiled softly every time she looked at Gray and Leah. It was an odd feeling that they were now parents, but at the same time it felt so incredible. Lucy was holding Leah whispering to her how happy her arrival had made her mommy and daddy, when the infant opened her eyes and peered at Lucy.
"Gray, she opened her eyes!" The blonde gushed excitedly as she maneuvered Leah over on her left arm so Gray could see them.
Looking at Leah's eyes, he was met with a strong sense of déjà vu. Although it was the first time he looked into his daughter's eyes, it felt like he had seen them a million times before. They were identical to the warm brown eyes that he loved looking into no matter how many years passed. Leah had Lucy's eyes.
I always figured that Lucy would continue the "tradition" of naming a girl something with L if she had a daughter and that her genes would defy Mendel's genetics...
