A/N: This was originally written for my friend Riley's birthday (zuviosgemini) but I told him what happens in SotF so I figured this needs to be posted now instead of on his birthday. An apology!
She'd been lying in the Moses basket sleeping for a good few hours and yet he still couldn't take his eyes off her. He was afraid that if he left her on her own she'd disappear forever. It was hard for him to believe that this was actually happening; that he and Face had adopted a baby and yet there she was sleeping soundly, completely unaware of how happy she was making her new parents.
Face had told Murdock that he needed to go to bed and get some sleep because they'd need to catch up whenever they could but the pilot couldn't leave their daughter's side. He was crouched right down next to the basket supported on its wooden frame. She was theirs and she was perfect.
Despite the fact that they'd adopted her that day, she was already a few days old but Murdock didn't care. She was their little girl and it felt like they'd had her since day one. Face had posed as a single father looking to adopt a baby and saying he was an orphan himself instantly convinced everyone that he was certainly eligible for adoption. Before they'd taken their new daughter home they went and registered Murdock as her legal guardian as well and everything seemed to fall into place.
'My little Rosie,' Murdock whispered with a smile, reaching out to touch her soft skin gently with the back of his finger. He didn't know why anybody would give this little girl up but right now he was grateful that they did. It was sad but true. How couldn't anyone want her? She stirred and woke slowly, her eyes fluttering open. They were a very deep shade of blue and both men had a feeling they were going to change to brown eventually, just like they'd always planned; their brown eyed, blonde haired daughter.
Murdock felt a hand on his shoulder and smiled as Face crouched down beside him. She was a quiet baby and he was grateful for that. The pilot glanced to his side before speaking softly.
'Face can I hold her?' He asked, drawing a chuckle out of the conman.
'Of course you can hold her. She's your daughter too, Murdock, you don't need to ask permission.'
Wide eyed, the pilot nodded and slowly reached into the basket, picking Rosie up and cradling her in his arms. She simply stared up at him in fascination just like he gazed down at her. They had the basket set up in the living room so Murdock walked over to the sofa and sat down, doing his best to make Rosie as comfortable as he could. Face followed the pilot, knowing how anxious he was probably feeling. This parenting thing was scary for him too. So much so that he'd called Amy a million times during the adoption process asking her to help him pick out the right things, an she patiently answered all of Face's 'what if's?' because she knew how much of a worrier he was.
'Hello baby girl,' Murdock said with a smile, 'I'm your Papa and this is your Daddy an' we're gonna look after you and protect you from everythin' bad in the world, I promise.'
He stroked her tiny hand with his finger and Rosie reached and took hold of it, her entire fist clutching tightly onto Murdock's finger as hard as she could, not letting go.
'Oh my God…'
'I think she likes you, Murdock.'
There was a long pause as they both looked down at their daughter in her Papa's arms.
'Face…?'
'Yeah?'
'Can we keep her?'
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
It was three o'clock in the morning when the sound of a baby shrieking woke both Face and Murdock from their sleep. They groaned and yawned, Face surprisingly getting out of bed before his partner.
'I got it,' he said, rubbing his face to wake himself up more.
Two weeks had passed since the adoption and they had spent nearly every moment of it awake. No one had told him that parenting was going to be quite this hard. Sometimes Rosie cried and cried for no reason at all and it got frustrating at times because they were both so tired. Babies were hard to read and understand but they were trying their best.
Murdock wasn't sure how long it was until Face came back to bed but he heard Rosie making little noises and turned over, his eyes opening. Face put the baby in between them on the mattress and smiled at Murdock. He was tired but happy. This was what he had craved for years – a family; and now he had one. Albeit, a family he hadn't expected to have because he figured he'd get married to a woman and they'd make their own child, but being with Murdock and adopting Rosie was so much better than any future he'd imagined. It was a future that, for fifteen years, Face didn't think he would get to have at all because he was on the run from the military. No, this was meant to be, he just knew it.
'What are you thinkin'?' Murdock asked, propping his head up in his hand, leaning on his elbow. Face looked up at his partner and smiled.
'I'm thinking about how lucky I am right now.' He reached over and stroked Murdock's cheek gently before leaning forward and kissing him, 'I'm thinking about how I thought I was never going to end up here with a child and the person I love lying next to me every night. I'm thinking… how much I love you.'
Murdock hummed in agreement, 'we got there in the end, didn't we?'
'Yeah… We did.'