A/N: This was in response to a photo prompt from awesomegreentie on tumblr. Enjoy!
Happy Birthday
It was a Saturday morning. But it wasn't just any Saturday morning. Today was Fiona's tenth birthday. John and Anna had gone back and forth for weeks on whether or not their eldest baby girl was finally old enough for the gift she had so longed for over the past year. In the end it was John who caved first and convinced Anna that he would pick up the slack if Fiona couldn't care for the puppy on her own. Having never had a pet of his own, he knew all too well that look of longing for a pet that could never be had. John was sure the moment Fiona set eyes on the tiny ball of fluff she would properly care for it in every way imaginable.
Both parents snuck into their daughter's room quietly, being sure not to wake their baby down the hall. Anna held the puppy to her chest like she had with Fiona as a baby. John readied himself with the camera to catch the reaction on their daughter's face.
"Fiona. Wake up little love," Anna whispered as she stroked her daughter's cheek softly.
"Not yet, Mummy. It's not even a school day," their daughter protested with her eyes still half closed.
John and Anna shared a smirk. Clearly their daughter had inherited her sleeping habits from her mother.
"Well, if you don't wake up, what am I going to do with your present?" Anna asked with a teasing grin.
Fiona's hand still covered her face from the sunlight spilling into her bedroom; her blonde hair a tussled mess. "Can't I open it later?" she moaned into her pillow.
"I don't know that he'll wait that long…" John answered back.
Suddenly, Fiona rolled over. "He?" she asked in a voice laced with sleep. Her eyes were still half closed.
"See for yourself," Anna replied as she set the small golden retriever down on the comforter and he made his way over to their little girl.
Before Fiona could completely wake up the pup began licking her face and prodding her with his wet nose. Fiona burst into a fit of giggles as she tried to put a stop to the tickling sensation. "Mummy. Daddy. Is he really mine?" she asked with bright blue eyes and a smile that stretched from ear to ear.
"He certainly is."
"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. He's the best present I ever got," Fiona proclaimed as she snuggled against the ball of fur.
John could only smile back at his wife, knowing full he had said something very similar to Anna when Fiona had been placed in his arms for the very first time, ten years ago.