This is the sequel to From Babes to Babies. in order to understand this story you will need to read the previous one.
Chapter 1
"Go to sleep go to sleep go to sleep dear Lily bug" Cato Bradley sang to his newborn daughter in his arms. Every time Cato looked at his daughter he say Cloves's smiling face. Lily just looked so much like Clove, every time Cato looked at Lily he thought of Clove. It had been six months since Clove had died, and it was getting no easier. In her life Cato had just ignored her. She was just a one night stand that had wound up pregnant and had told Cato that it was his. That was before he really got to know Clove, she had grown more and more special to him as her stomach had grown. Then she disappeared leaving Cato with nothing to find her. He had only just found her when she was killed. He never got to say that he loved her.
The day after Cato had come to Tennessee, he returned home to California. Lily wrapped up in blankets in one arm and what he had left of Clove in his other, the single ruby necklace she was wearing when she died. When he returned home he immediately called Peeta, asking him what the hell to do. Peeta didn't have a clue what to do either, but he did send over Katniss and her little sister Prim. Prim is excellent with kids. Peeta assured him when he told Cato she was only 17 she was the best to be found and would trust Prim with his own kids. She was a miracle. She picked up sobbing Lily from Cato, and a second later Lily was sound asleep. Peeta was right, Prim was a wonder with children. Cato hired Prim as a temporary nanny, until Cato could find a more permanent one. He didn't want to hired a nanny, he wanted to be with Lily 24/7, but he couldn't run the Bradley Empire and raise an infant as well. He was a dad now, he had to be more responsible, and turn away from his playboy past. It still came up to haunt him. Every so often the doorbell would ring in the middle of the night sending waking up Lily and making her sob until Cato came and picked her up. A the door it was always the same, a drunk showgirl or a former hookup wanting another night with Cato. He always turned them away in shame. It was embarrassing that these provocative women kept showing up, not that he wanted to hide his past from anyone, but he just didn't want to expose Lily to all of these bad people. He didn't want her to grow up and he shuddered at the thought, be one of them herself. All of those girl's had had daddy issues and he didn't want Lily to turn into some sort of loose woman, and blame him for making her this way. He felt sorry for all of the girls he had slept with in the past fathers, seeing their little girls act like this after trying to do the best they could for them. Lily would grow up like that, Cato assured himself. Lots of girls have problems with their dads and they wound up fine. Take Katniss and Prim for example their father wasn't around after Katniss had turned 11 and both were great girls. Katniss would be a great role model for Lily. That made Cato smile.
Lily cooed in Cato's arms. She obviously not wanting to go to sleep. She loved Cato, and was going be a daddy's girl despite looking like her mother. and have Cato wrapped around her finger. Growing up without a mother, Cato realized, Lily would have no choice. He sat down in a chair next to Lily's crib and stroked the raven colored hair that was growing on his baby's head, tears forming in his eyes. He knew what it was like to grow up alone. Lily had Cato though, He had grown up with neither, and look at the mess he was, before Lily came along, he was a drunk playboy who didn't care about anything. Now Lily was something he cared about. Cato promised himself and Lily that she would never have to experience what it was like to be alone. He started to sing Lily a lullaby again, but she had already fallen asleep. Cato laid Lily on the purple sheets in her crib, kissed her on the forehead and turned the lights off, before heading to his own room. A room which was full of emptiness and sadness.
Cato changed into his pajamas and climbed into the huge bed. as he fell asleep he dreamed of Clove, Lily, and himself as a family, on a field having a picnic. Clove was smiling and holding Lily, smiling as Cato took a picture, a gold ring on Cove's finger sparkled in the sunlight. The dream turned nightmare, as Cato watched helplessly a man in black snatched both of his girls away, Cove screaming for Cato to help her and Lily sobbing knowing something was wrong, Cato tried to save them but his efforts were futile to save them, both his wife and daughter were killed before his eyes and there was nothing that Cato could do to help them. Cato awoke in a sweat, his ned sheets wrapped around his legs, He shove the blankets off of himself, and ran down the hall to Lily's room to check on her. Lily was sleeping soundly just like she was when Cato put her down. She was safe nothing could hurt her when Cato was around. Beside Cato thought, who would hurt a baby. He was capable of keeping a six month old safe, even if he could save Clove... He long for a life similar to his dream, one where he, his daughter and Clove were a family. A reality he realized would never come true...
A.N- yeah! New story! Thanks for stopping by, I can already tell that this story is going to have another after it. So thanks for stopping by! Be sure to review and check out some of my other stories available on my Author's page. Also next Chapters the Everlark wedding!
