Mine – A Sequel
The first time I saw my baby girl, I was saved.
One look at her, and I found a reason to keep living. My first glimpse of my little angel and I was home.
x.X.x
My first few hours as a father were absolute bliss.
Seeing both of my precious girls alive and well, together, was enough to keep me grinning blissfully, despite the almost immediate bombardment of well-wishers. Carlisle had said he was going to keep the crowds at bay, but of course there's only so much one man can do against a horde of close female friends.
What surprised me was that little Jerri was the first to get past him, with the pack not far behind.
"Seth! Kyla! Thank God!" The blonde had sighed, smiling at me from the doorway. I grinned back, cradling my small family in my protective arms. She seemed content to just see us there, with my baby in my wife's lap and smiles on our tired faces. She looked like she wanted to come closer, but was happy enough to give us space, something I was thankful for.
Nevertheless, Kyla beckoned our friend closer and began speaking energetically with the fellow imprint. I tuned out, perfectly happy to sit and watch my beautiful baby girl sleep in My Everything's arms.
"Can she, Seth?"
I blinked, slowly returning to the present, and looking up at Kyla, who was smiling expectantly. I couldn't help the loving smile that tore across my face. I was just so happy that my Kyla was alive, still with me. I was never going to let her go again.
"Can who what?" I asked, ever intelligent. Kyla snorted and rolled her eyes as Jerri gave me a look that said 'pay-attention-moron'. I smiled again, taking in my beautiful wife's good humour.
"Can Jerri hold her?" Kyla said slowly, she'd obviously asked it before. Suddenly my smile faded, and I looked to my baby. She was so small, so helpless, what if something happened to her? I couldn't let anything happen to my baby, I'd already promised myself she'd be safe. Nothing was going to harm her; nothing was going to touch her so long as I could help it-
A familiar hand placed on my arm had paused my furiously whirring brain, and I looked up into Kyla's sympathetic brown eyes. I had felt my cheeks heat up as I realised I was crushing my family closer than I ought.
"It's ok, Seth. We'll be right here. Nothing will happen." She said, ever the voice of reason. I swallowed the sudden lump in my throat and nodded slowly, picking up my precious baby girl from My Everything's arms and ordering Jerri to a chair. No way in hell was anyone holding my baby high enough to drop her.
Thankfully, our blonde friend got the message and sat down on the floor next to the bed, obviously not wanting our baby in danger either. I sat down next to her and slowly, carefully placed my baby in her lap, moving her arms to form a human cradle for my precious child. Jerri flashed me a grin and moved her arms again, slowly and carefully and so that I could see everything she did.
My little Leah yawned and snuggled closer to Jerri's warm chest, and I felt my racing heart slow to a pace deemed healthier. I heard a relieved sigh, only to realise it came from me when Jerri chuckled softly, curling her hand around my baby's tiny shoulders.
"She's beautiful. You two are so blessed," I heard Jerri whisper softly as Leah began to snore lightly.
Despite Kyla's soothing croons, I hovered anxiously over my baby the entire time she was in Jerri's embrace. I couldn't relax until our friend finally laughed aloud and handed her back to me, saying that I was too jumpy and that she couldn't enjoy the cuddles with me breathing over her shoulder the whole time.
I ignored the jab and took my little girl back reverently, tucking her more firmly in her blanket and giving her back to My Elemental. As I sat back down on the bed, I heard Jerri groan. I flashed her a wary look, and she mouthed a word that made my blood run cold.
Brady.
No sooner had I covered my baby's ears than said werewolf had burst into the room, looking frantically for his supposedly missing imprint. Jerri had jumped up and leapt at him as soon as he got through the door, hissing at him to be quiet and comforting him with her playful punch to the shoulder.
"You dummy, where else would I be?" She whispered, gesturing to my exhausted bride and our slumbering child. Brady looked appropriately abashed, and immediately calmed himself, for my sake as well as Jerri's. He knew how I'd be, he knew the imprint instinct.
The rest of the pack trooped in behind Brady, all curious and yet also respectfully quiet. I felt a surge of gratitude towards my brothers, who treated this as delicately as they had my mother's funeral, only for much happier reasons. They all grinned as they saw me with my family in my arms, and Jake quietly asked if they could see my baby girl.
I nodded, and adjusted Leah's blanket to reveal her little face, flushed with life and happy dreams. The pack's sudden, simultaneous intake of breath told me all I already knew.
She was beautiful. She was perfect. She was an Angel.
And she was mine.
x..X.x
The first time I looked after my baby was in the few days after her traumatic birth, in the hospital.
They'd kept My Everything in to make sure she was alright after my big scare – the almost-loss of the only really important things in my life. I of course stayed by her side through the whole ordeal, unwilling to let either her or my baby out of my sight for a mere second.
At the hospital I was given a crash course in parenting. Everything from feeding Leah with a bottle, to putting her to bed – we weren't allowed to pick her up, even when she cried, lest she grow up too spoiled and be unable to go down by herself. Of course I failed the ignoring her part – to changing her diapers.
That was an interesting day, to say the least. Talcum powder and wet wipes and diapers and clothes everywhere – everywhere, that is, but on the baby. Kyla couldn't help but giggle as I stood there, looking lost with white stuff on my face and a clean diaper on one shoulder, gazing helplessly at my stark naked baby girl who point blank refused to cooperate with me.
Leah's nose had crinkled slightly in an imitation of My Everything's laughter, and I seized the opportunity to swipe her legs up in one hand and strap the damn diaper on with the other. Leah didn't look too pleased, but I was just glad to have the whole mess cleaned up – in theory.
x.X.x
My first night home with my family wasn't nearly as pleasant as the times in the hospital.
A week after her birth, I was finally allowed to take little Leah home. I eased the door open and let My Everything through into our house, her holding our baby close. I followed, holding a bassinet, pram, clothes, diapers, bottles… everything we could possibly need for our baby in our home.
We had intended to have an early night, sleep off the exhaustion brought on by the constant noise and lack of privacy of the hospital. Kyla put Leah to bed as I prepared a hot cup of tea sweetened with honey for my beautiful Elemental. She gratefully took the drink and sipped at it, kissing me with sweet breath and sweeter sentiment.
We fell into bed soon after, My Everything falling asleep almost instantly, and me following not long behind. I closed my eyes to blissful slumber for the first time since My Everything almost left me for good-
… Only to be woken by Leah's screaming.
I groaned, but waved Kyla back down into the soft pillow as I dragged myself out of bed and towards my little girl's frantic cries. I looked down into the little crib to see my poor baby with her eyes squeezed shut and her mouth wide in a tragic scream.
"Hey now, what's the matter, baby?" I asked softly, soothingly, as I lifted her gently out of her bed and nestled her on my bare chest. The cheeky girl immediately quietened, snuggled further into my warmth, and fell asleep. Chuckling softly, I wandered into the lounge room and sat on the sofa, rocking my baby back and forth and resigning myself to another sleepless night.
Kyla found us the next morning; me asleep curled up on the couch, with little Leah happily sleeping against my chest, her tiny fist curled around one of my large, clumsy fingers.
And she has the photograph to prove it.
x.X.x
The first time my baby smiled at me was a week into her short, but happy life.
I was playing with her, tickling her tummy and pulling silly faces to make her look at me with those gorgeous eyes of hers.
I tickled her sides lightly, and she looked up at me, her little eyes twinkling. I smiled down at her, just thinking how beautiful she was, when her little mouth opened wide, her eyes crinkling and her nose scrunching in what could only be called the most adorable little smile I'd ever seen.
My own eyes widened, and my mouth fell open in wonder. I held my baby at arms length in order to see her little grin better.
"K-Kyla!" I called, eyes never leaving my beautiful baby.
"What?" She asked, running in from the kitchen. I heard her stop, gasp, and then come running towards us. I let her snatch up Leah from my grip and give her a huge hug. I could only watch my two girls smiling widely at one another, pride and love comingling into one mess of emotion that left me unable to get my brain to work.
Finally I staggered to my feet and swept my baby into my arms.
"You're such a clever little girl, Leah," I whispered, holding her close. "You're my brilliant little baby girl."
x.X.x
The first time my baby shed a tear was two days before her Naming Day ceremony.
It was late at night; we were all tired and cranky. Leah was screaming, screaming, screaming…
I staggered down the hall towards her bedroom and picked her up; placing her against my chest, hoping that my warmth would calm her down. Instead it only served to make my little girl cry even louder, her eyes scrunched up in distress. It was a truly heartbreaking sight.
"Leah, honey, you gotta go to sleep. We have a big day tomorrow, getting ready to officially name you as one of the Clearwater clan. But now you gotta sleep. Please?" I asked, looking down at her little face, only to have my breath catch in my throat as I saw a small, glistening tear streak down her cheek, the first I'd ever seen.
I nearly cried myself.
I clutched my baby close tome and jiggled her up and down until she quietened enough to move out of her room and down to mine and My Everything's room. I opened the door and lay down beside my wife, laying our daughter between us. Kyla said nothing, her raised eyebrow leaving speech unnecessary.
"She actually started crying, I couldn't leave her alone," I pleaded, smiling as Kyla's eyes softened and she nodded, drawing Leah into her arms and burying her nose in our baby's sandy curls. I pulled both my girls close and we fell into an easy slumber.
x.X.x
The first time my baby rolled over, Nessie nearly had a heart attack.
I had placed my baby girl on her purple blanket on the floor with her favourite toy – a stuffed wolf, from Bella – next to her. Nessie was playing with her, holding the wolf – named Sandy, after the colour of its felt – just out of reach and watching Leah reach out for it.
Suddenly little Leah frowned, squirmed a bit and rolled to the side in order to grab at her toy. I watched in awe from the sofa as my baby rolled all the way over onto her tummy, and paused, looking at things from this new perspective. Nessie squealed excitedly, game forgotten, and snatched my little girl into her arms, laughing and peppering her face with kisses.
I shifted uncomfortably, not entirely happy with my little girl being crowded like that, but unwilling to ruin Nessie's fun. Alice came to the rescue by plucking Leah out of the red-head's grip and laying her back on the floor, saying she foresaw the kid projectile vomiting in the near future, and making up some crap about not ruining Nessie's favourite shirt or something.
I shot her a grateful look, but the psychic merely winked, and looked towards Leah only to see her roll over again. I smiled happily at my little genius, looking forward to the next step.
x.X.x
I blame Jerri for the first time Leah sat up on her own.
Jerri had come over to keep the baby company whilst Brady tried to convince me to watch the game with him, and was rolling around on the floor with my baby. I glanced at them, only to see the petite blonde nose to nose with my little girl, grinning from ear to ear as they rolled from their backs to their stomachs, never looking away from the other.
"Hey, Jer, come help me for a sec, would you?" Kyla had called from the kitchen. Jerri had called out her acknowledgement and rolled from her position on the floor into a seated stance.
She was about to stand, when Leah tried to copy her. I couldn't help but stare as my little girl wiggled and squirmed her way into a sitting position, all by herself. Jerri herself was lost for words, before a huge grin threatened to take over her entire face.
"KYLA!" She hollered, tearing towards the kitchen. "COME SEE!"
My Everything came running in, only to nearly fall over when she saw our baby sitting up in the middle of the room, happily playing with Sandy. I walked over and clasped her hand in my own, squeezing it silently as we watched our little girl grow up before our eyes.
x.X.x
The first time I thought about bleeding since Leah's birth was a few months into her miraculous life.
I stood in our bathroom, razor in hand, looking at the shiny blade lying dormant in my grip. I thought about the blood, the pain, how nice it could feel, how soothing, how relaxing, how refreshing… I thought about how it could calm me down, help me sleep, help me feel.
Then I thought about Kyla, how it hurt her as much as it hurt me, how let down and sad she looked when she caught me that time, so long ago. I thought about my baby girl, how she needed her daddy to be strong, to protect her against the demons in the dark, the bogey man under her bed and the things that go bump in the night.
My Leah needed a Daddy who wasn't afraid, who was strong and brave and warm, a Daddy who smiled and kept her safe in his warm, perfect arms. Not a Daddy with scars and sad frowns and secrets.
I thought about Leah and what she needed me to be.
I put the razor back in its place and walked from the room, not looking back.
x.X.x
My baby's first tooth brought with it mixed emotions.
"OUCH, Leah, don't do that to Mummy…" Kyla begged as Leah bit down again during her feeding. I winced as My Everything squealed in pain again. I sighed and held out my arms for my little monster.
"That's it, it's hurting too much for now," Kyla said, handing the baby to me and fastening her bra. I pulled Leah into my arms and let her chew on her favourite teething ring – my finger.
I'm not sure, but I think my higher body temperature soothed her aching gums. What ever it was, it stopped her from whimpering, so I sacrificed my hand for her growing teeth.
"Give us a look, Leah." I cooed, poking my finger around in her mouth, taking stock of her growth. Leah opened her mouth wide, showing me her first pearly white tooth, right in the middle of her little mouth.
"That's a good gir-OW! Leah!"
My little monster giggled as silly Daddy yelped and pulled his hand out of her mouth, nursing his bitten finger. I grinned and began to tickle her, enjoying her shrieking. The merciless Tickle monster battled ferociously with the giggling Tooth monster as they rolled about on the floor, laughing and shouting.
We ended up panting on the floor, little Leah lying contentedly on my chest, listening to the rise and fall of my breathing. I stroked her back gently, closing my eyes happily, until…
"OUCH! Leah, no biting!"
I rolled my eyes as my little Tooth monster started laughing again, the infectious giggles setting me off with her.
x.X.x
The first time we gave Leah what I like to call 'People food' was an absolute disaster.
"Oh, come on! How the hell did she get it on the ceiling?"
I groaned as I moved the mop to wipe the pasta sauce from the skylight, dodging the drips. I could hear Kyla laugh from the bathroom, where she was battling the inevitable Bath Time. I muttered under my breath as I wiped pasta sauce and mashed up garlic bread from everything surface you could imagine – and a few you couldn't.
"NEXT TIME YOU'RE ON CLEAN UP DUTY!" I yelled to Kyla, who laughed again.
x.X.x
The first time little Leah started crawling, all Hell broke loose.
I had sat myself down on the floor next to Leah's purple blanket, smiling as my baby lay on her tummy and kicked her legs happily. I was absently flicking through channels on our small TV as My Everything had an afternoon nap.
My eyes were wandering between the stupid daytime talk-shows and my baby's antics, and I grinned every time Leah gurgled or squealed. I felt my eyes travel towards the television, and found myself distracted by the strange man advertising an exercise machine.
'Oh, please,' I thought to myself, snorting. 'There's no way those actually work. I mean, that man looks like a professional bodybuilder. Half an hour on that flimsy piece of crap would never make anyone look like that…'
My internal ranting was cut short by a slight pressure on my left leg. It felt like a tiny hand slapping me…
I looked down only to see Leah – my little Leah – on her hands and knees, happily tapping my leg and grinning at me. I looked at the blanket, a few feet away, and back to my baby, uncomprehending as to how she got all the way over here.
Then it clicked. She was crawling.
Shakily I stood up and moved a few paces away, before sitting back down, watching my baby expectantly. Happy to show off, Leah crawled slowly towards me, chuckling when she heard my breathless exclamation.
I tugged Leah into my arms and kissed her nose.
"You're brilliant, you know that? My brilliant little baby girl," I said proudly, grinning as Leah grasped my hair and tugged softly. I buried my nose into her tummy, blowing raspberries and making my precious little girl laugh.
I then made a promise to make her laugh for the rest of her life.
x.X.x
The first time my baby stood up on her own, she nearly gave me a heart attack.
The wonder over her sitting up had long since passed, and I was sitting on the floor, holding Leah's hands as she bobbed up and down on her little legs. She wobbled back and forth, never quite gaining the balance needed to stay upright by herself.
"Seth, honey, little help?" Kyla called from Leah's room, where she was in the process of cleaning the house. I sat Leah back down on her well-loved purple blanket and went to help my beloved wife.
A few minutes later, My Everything sent me away to find our daughter, and I happily wandered to the lounge room where I had left her last. I walked through the entrance and smiled as I saw Leah pull herself upright using the loveseat next to her as vantage. My smile was swept away by shock when my brilliant little girl pushed away from the anchor, stumbled slightly, but kept her balance.
She looked up from her little feet and grinned at me.
I couldn't help but smile back.
"You're so smart, Leah. You always find some way of amazing me, beautiful. Kyla, come see what your daughter's done." I called, stepping closer.
"What is it? If it's a dirty diaper, I'm going to slap you." My Everything said, approaching my side and peering over my shoulder. I heard her gasp, before I was knocked aside by My Everything in her rush to sweep our child into her arms.
"Oh, baby I'm so proud of you! You're such a smart little girl!" My Elemental cooed, crushing Leah to her chest. I smiled wider still, walking up to my little family and holding them both close, relishing in our little world.
x.X.x
My baby's first steps had me on cloud Nine.
"C'mon, come here baby. That's it, you can do it."
I had held out my hands to my little Leah. She wobbled slightly on her tiny, yet sturdy feet, before shooting me a cheeky, dimpled grin. My baby took a confident step forwards. It was shaky, and I'd lunged forward, thinking she was going to fall.
But Leah steadied herself and remained upright, looking up to give me an overly smug 'I'm-so-smart-come-hither-and-praise-me' look. I chuckled softly and tried to convince her to walk again.
"You're so smart, baby. C'mon, do it again. Come to Daddy."
I smiled at my baby as a wave of pride rippled through my body. I held out my arms to Leah, ready to catch her if she fell.
Leah seemed to ponder her next move, eyeing me, then the floor, before staring at me again. Finally she let out a giggle and promptly sat down where she was. I shook my head and laughed, knowing I wasn't going to get any more out of her then. Instead I swept her into my arms and tickled her gently.
"You're Daddy's cheeky little devil, aren't you?" I teased, holding her close and relishing her giggles.
"Daddy's little angel."
x.X.x
My baby's first word made my heart melt.
Nessie and Bella were over, playing with the baby. I had taken the distraction as the perfect opportunity to have a few moments alone with my wife, holding her close and kissing her like I hadn't had the chance to do in over six months.
As we broke apart, I chuckled when I heard the two overenthusiastic vampires trying to teach her to speak.
"Can you say Mummy?" I had heard Bella ask, infinitely more practical than Nessie's suggestions.
"Can you say bottle? How about book? How about Television? I like 'The Simpsons', can you say 'The Simpsons'?"
Kyla took my hand and smiled at me before we entered the lounge room, where Bella was still trying to convince Leah to say 'Mum'.
"C'mon, Leah, say 'Mummy'!" Bella groaned, playfully tapping my baby on the nose. I must've made some sort of noise, because Leah looked up at me and smiled.
"Da,"
I blinked.
"Da…Dee…"
I nearly fell over; Kyla's tight grip on my hand the only thing keeping me up.
"She… She spoke…" I said slowly. Leah crinkled her nose in her adorable little smile.
"Da-Dee," She giggled, clapping her hands together in delight. Bella was smiling so widely, I swore her teeth were going to blind me. Nessie was dancing around the room in a blur of red hair and pale skin, laughing in excitement.
My Everything and I stepped towards our baby and I dropped to my knees beside her. I picked her up and tickled her tummy gently. She laughed loudly, grabbing at my fingers with her hands.
"That's right, I'm your Daddy, you clever little girl. Can you say my name again?" I asked, the grin on my face starting to hurt my cheeks, it was so wide.
"Da-Dee," Leah said firmly, happily, curling into my arms and quickly falling asleep. I smiled and kissed the top of her head.
"That's right, baby. I'm your Daddy, and I'm never letting you go." I whispered.
x.X.x
My baby's first birthday.
I couldn't believe it had been a whole year since I nearly lost My Everything, and instead walked away with more than I thought possible. How could I be so lucky as to gain a perfect daughter as well as keep my perfect love?
Everyone should be so lucky.
It had taken My Everything and me a whole week to prepare for her birthday. We knew she wouldn't remember, but we still wanted it to be special…
… That and Bella and Nessie would throw full on tantrums if we didn't have the biggest First Birthday Bash ever. Crazy vampires.
Invites were made, decorations were made and put up, food was prepared. I personally nearly gave myself an asthma attack blowing up one hundred balloons for the occasion.
There were friends and family present, along with many people that I'd never met, but knew us in some way – including a few nurses from the maternity ward. There was cake, there were streamers, there were silly party hats and presents and childish games and multiple rounds of "Pass the Baby".
It was perfect.
My Everything was glowing, her happiness lit up the whole room, and I could barely tear my eyes away from her beautiful, vibrant eyes and adoring smile. She fluttered from group to group, accepting presents and well wishes, offering talk and refreshments. My Elemental was, for lack of a better phrase, in her Element.
The only person who could possibly wrench my attention away from my beautiful wife was my beautiful daughter. Little Leah basked in the willing worship of her adoring public. She lounged in each person's hold, completely at ease.
Unlike her father.
I was always casting anxious glances at my baby, making sure she was ok. I found myself frequently cutting in line to hold her close, to reassure myself that she was still there. She didn't seem to mind, curling into my chest every time I pulled her into my arms.
Eventually Jake had to drag me away from the crowds and occupy me by putting the gifts into Leah's bedroom and serving drinks. I was thankful for him keeping me occupied, despite my eyes forever wandering back towards my wife and child.
The cake was cut, and at least one slice found itself in someone's face, courtesy of the pack. I rescued my poor house from an all-out food war only by sending everyone outside under the guise of walking down to the beach to watch the moon rise.
Turned out to be a pretty good idea, I took the liberty to reflect as I stood with my baby asleep in my arms and my wife curled up into my side on one of the many bleached logs on First Beach. Brady had lit a fire and the masses were settling down to idle chatter, leaving me to sit with my family and bask in the feeling of contentment that washed over me.
I had My Everything, I had my little Leah, I had my pack brothers – and sisters, counting the imprints. I had my family and my friends; I had everything I'd ever need.
I'd had it all for a year. The first of many.
I was happy.
Leah yawned and snuggled further into my chest, drawing a chuckle from my lips.
My baby was pretty happy too.
And that's all I'd ever need.
x.X.x
It took a long time, but for the first time since Mom's death, I felt fully healed.
I still slipped up; still found myself staring at my hands, longing for the blade. Though it was less frequent, I still found myself watching the blood drip from the blade. And though I hate to admit it, I still liked it.
But I got better.
I stopped doing it so often, stopped thinking about it so much. Leah's growth kept me distracted, her bright smiles and infectious laughter kept me happy, my little family kept me feeling whole, content.
But it never really hit home until one day, during My Everything's afternoon nap – she stole the rest whilst I could distract our energetic little girl, seeing as she got stuck with night duty. Leah was toddling around her room, Sandy firmly trapped in her grasp. I had somehow found myself in the bathroom, holding that blasted knife again.
How I hated myself for not being strong enough to throw that accursed blade in the trash – and maybe set the rubbish bin on fire. How I detested the dependence I still had on the pain.
"God, why?" I had whispered brokenly, sinking to the floor beside the door, tears streaming down my face. I closed my eyes, and hid my face in my arms, trying to escape from those feelings, those thoughts…
"Daddy?"
I looked up quickly, hoping to hide the knife from my baby. I groaned softly when I realised she was standing in front of my curled up form, hand placed on my arm. My beautiful little Angel had seen my in my moment of weakness, and I was too late to change it.
Leah frowned, her tiny hand moved from my arm to my face, poking my wet cheek. I felt a tear slide from my eye to her hand, and felt a small part of me die when I saw answering tears slowly forming in her eyes. She took her hand away and wiped the wetness on the floor.
"Why sad?" She asked softly, her hand patting my cheek. I let out a ragged breath I hadn't been aware I was holding, and dragged her into my arms. My little Leah snuggled into my warm chest and repeated her question.
"Why sad, Daddy?"
How did one answer a question like that?
"I'm… Daddy's scared, Leah." I had said, holding my baby close, and using her as protection against the bad thoughts. Focusing on her breathing had always helped me calm down, and my little lucky charm was working her magic again.
"Scare?"
"Yes."
"O' wha'?"
"Of…" I had faltered again, unsure of what to say to my little girl. I looked down at my little girl, only to see her glaring at the knife still in my hand. Her little brow was furrowed in concentration, and I could only sit still under her scrutiny.
"O' tha', Daddy?" She had said, pointing at the knife. I was at a loss for words.
How could one so small be so fantastically brilliant?
I swallowed, nodding slowly. Leah seemed to think for a moment, before smiling happily. I tilted my head, looking at my baby in confusion. In answer, little Leah had stood up and taken my hand, tugging impatiently in an attempt to get me to move.
"I help," she said, grinning at me in her special way that always had me wrapped around her pinkie finger. But hey, that's what daughters do, right?
Mutely I stood and allowed my baby to pull me from the bathroom and down the hallway, her laughing when I stumbled from crouching to hold her hand. She abruptly turned and marched into the kitchen, dragging me with her.
She dropped my hand and toddled over to the trash can. She pointed at it and looked at me expectantly. When I didn't move, she huffed and walked towards me. She pulled me to the bin, pushed my hand and pointed at it again.
Slowly I looked down to see the knife in my hand, next to the pleading brown eyes of my beautiful baby girl. Suddenly, I knew what she wanted me to do. I slowly, ceremoniously, opened the lid of the bin, took a deep breath and dropped the winking blade in without another glance. As I slammed the lid down on the container, Leah stepped forward and wrapped her arms around my leg.
"No more scare," She said, smiling up at me. I felt the tears prick at my eyes again at my baby's words. I couldn't help it, I started laughing.
Trust a baby to know what to do before I did.
I pulled my perfect, gorgeous, beloved daughter into my arms and hugged her close, laughing through my tears. Leah felt the wet again and pulled back, frowning.
"It's happy crying, Leah. I'm happy." I assured her, smiling. Leah's answering smile was so bright, I was certain that a shooting star had landed in our kitchen.
As I had carried my brilliant baby out of the kitchen, I realised that I'd never need the blade again. Leah had successfully, unintentionally, healed the hole in my heart without either of us realising.
I started crying again.
x.X.x
I smile at the photo in my hand as I carefully place it in the large photo album. I snap the book shut, the smile never leaving my face.
My first photo album of my baby is finally filled. The book feels comfortingly heavy in my lap, proof that the past two and a half years are real, that I haven't been dreaming. That Leah and my little family have a year's worth of memories, a tradition that can last. The smile never leaves my face as I remember all the events in my completed book of memories.
The first night at the hospital, her first smile, her first steps, the first time she said 'Daddy'…
"Daddy!"
I look up from the album and my smile widens when I see my little Leah standing on my feet, grinning at me. Leah lifts up her arms expectantly and I obligingly lift her into my lap, moving the album slightly. I bury my nose in the crook of Leah's neck, smiling when she giggles. I close my eyes and hug my baby tightly.
"Daddy, wassat?" Leah asks, tugging herself away from my grip and pointing at the album. I grin and pull my baby around in my lap and place the book gently on her knees. I open the album up to a random page, smiling when the sight of a tiny seven week old Leah greets us.
"It's a photo book, sweetie. See this? Who's that baby there?"
Leah giggles and points at the little girl frozen forever on the page.
"'smee!" She smiles at me, giggling madly. I chuckle as she runs a finger over the pretty little face in the photograph. I chuckle as she runs a finger over the pretty little face in the photograph. She looks up at me and smiles happily, and I melt. I squeeze her gently and place a kiss on her nose.
Together we settle on the couch, my baby in my arms, and slowly going through our first photo album, my little Leah giggling whenever I appear in a photo.
"S'you, Daddy!" she giggles, tapping the book excitedly. I look down to see a photo of myself holding a grinning Leah on her first birthday.
"It is," I agree, entranced by the sparkle in my baby's eye, perfectly reflected in the photograph.
A flash of white light briefly blinds me, and I blink my eyes rapidly to dispel the obstruction to my sight. I hear My Everything join my baby in laughing loudly at my antics, and I can't help but chuckle as well. I look towards the heavenly giggles of my wife to see her grinning madly and holding a camera that is pointed towards me and Leah.
"There's no room left in here for that," I tell her, grinning back at her. Leah squirms a little, and I tickle her gently, laughing when she squeals. My Everything snaps another photo before sitting beside me and pulling our two year old daughter into her lap. I pull them both into my arms, the album lying almost forgotten next to me.
"Well then, we'll just have to start a new one, yeah?" Kyla suggests, blushing when I swoop in to kiss her on the cheek. Leah makes an 'Eeeww' noise, so I kiss her cheek as well. I laugh as Leah wipes her face, and pull my girls closer.
"Sounds like a plan," I murmur, relishing the moment with my little family.
Ready to start a new photo album filled with memories with My Everything, and My Little Angel.
AN (Updated) -
This sequel has been edited in 2019 down to a oneshot epilogue. This story has been a huge and important part of my writing history, and leaving it unfinished the way I did has been nagging at me, but I am not the same person who wrote this story and I can no longer do it justice.
Thank you all who wrote this story and joined me on this journey, even though you will likely never read this. I love you all, and I look forward to seeing you in the future on my new projects.
Adieu,
Z