Summary: What would happen if, by some chance, Rachel hadn't miscarried her and Richard's second child? What if, against all odds, their second daughter had miraculously survived and was born?
A/N: So basically this is a happier alternate ending to the last chapter of Boo Radley 5000's story Hidden in Plain Sight, which is an (unfinished) sequel to his other RobRae story, Troubles and Decisions. I felt so compelled to write this because the last chapter was so emotionally wrenching and heartbreaking that I just...couldn't. And while I don't mind a story that doesn't have a happy ending, it needs to have some sort of closure. And I needed that closure.
You don't have to read the first story to understand what's going on (I didn't - I read only part of the first chapter and the ending); however, I think the background will make a whole lot more sense to you if you at least skim through it a bit to know what they're talking about. I highly recommend you read it; it's such a compelling and interesting story that I simply could not put it down. I only wish that the author hadn't decided to retire from FanFiction before finishing it. :/
Oh, and as a final note, Bennie is just a lil' nickname everyone uses for Robyn (Richard and Rachel's daughter). :)
Enjoy.
Richard Grayson couldn't believe it.
There, cradled in his girlfriend's arms, was their precious daughter, only a few hours old. She was quite small but very healthy. Somehow - by way of a miracle or pure chance, Richard didn't know how - their daughter had beaten the odds and had survived Rachel's full pregnancy despite her having been deemed infertile after giving birth to their first daughter, Robyn.
And her presence - her tiny, recognizable presence - filled up his heart so immensely that he cried tears of joy at the thought. His own daughter. His own creation. For the first time in his life he felt like he was truly a father, for he had never been there for Robyn during the first four years of her life and felt incredibly guilty for it.
But now...now...
Richard fell to his knees and wept. Now he would be able to see his second daughter grow up in front of his very eyes. Be able to see her take her first wobbly steps for the first time and say her very first words. Be able to see her play pirates with her older sister Robyn and see her come running into his arms and tackling him full-on with a hug.
And even better, he would be able to raise her with Rachel.
From the looks of it, he could tell that Rachel was crying, too. Though her face was obviously exhausted from the many painful hours of labor that she had endured, she had a soft smile on her face, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks.
"I can't believe that...that she's really ours," Richard whispered incredulously to his wife. "That she managed to survive against the odds."
"I never thought so either," Rachel whispered back. "I-I was afraid. Afraid that maybe this miracle wouldn't have happened and I'd have miscarried. Afraid that somehow everything would turn out to be just a perfect illusion and go wrong."
"But it didn't," Richard finished for her. "It didn't turn out that way."
Rachel glanced down at their daughter, who was sleeping quietly in her arms.
"I'm glad for that, because it gives me hope," she continued. "Hope that our future together won't turn out so dark like our past did. Hope that we can all be happy together - as a family." She smiled at Richard and changed the subject. "So have you finally decided on a name for our daughter? I told you I'd let you pick the name."
"I've been trying to decide among the ones from my list, but after all this trouble that we've both gone through together, I've decided to name her Hope. She's like a light shining brightly towards the future and she helps me believe that everything will be so much better than it was before. Though it's only been a few hours since she's come into this world, she's already brought so much joy into my life - our lives - and I can't wait to see what else comes next for us. It's just...so unbelievable to see that she's actually made it this far and it seems almost so...unreal. But...it's happened and we're here." Richard entwined his fingers with Rachel's and kissed her lightly on the head.
"Bennie's going to be so happy when she finds out. She's finally going to be a big sister."
"And I - I'm going to actually see our daughter grow up," Richard said, struggling to hold back tears. "While I'll never be able to truly know how it was like with Bennie the first four years of her life, I finally get to experience that with Hope. I finally get to be a father."
"And we - you, me, and our daughters - get to finally be a happy family," Rachel cried. "We finally get to have everything that we never had. I'm glad that it's turned out this way. I'm glad to have you in my life." Suddenly she squeezed Richard's hand. "You know I love you, Richard."
"I love you, too, Rachel."
It's so corny and so terrible, but oh well. I tried to stay faithful to the style of the original fanfiction, but I'm afraid that I haven't done it enough justice. I haven't written any fanfiction in months and I'm not entirely happy with the way it's turned out. I hope you all liked it, anyway.
