This is a little ficlet which is really a series of snapshots following the birth of John and Cat's baby. Mostly romance and angst, though rated T for the final section. For all who know, a little scene on the East Pier. Oh, and the name of the baby? One reviewer's very special request granted.
She looked over to her husband, bent over his precious bundle, whispering caressing words to the new life in his arms, and she smiled. For a man who spent his life battling unreasonable odds, whose strength of body and will had become almost legendary in the Galaxy, he could be remarkably gentle. What words of wisdom he was imparting to their daughter she couldn't hear, just the soft tones of his deep voice showing the newborn how much she was and would be loved.
John looked up and met her gaze, green eyes shining darkly with emotion. If she'd any doubts that a child might dilute his love for her then they were dispelled at that moment. They spoke of his amazement and his joy. They said, 'I'm a father' and 'I have a daughter'. They showed how much he loved her. He stood up and brought the little sleeping bundle over to her, placing it somewhat reluctantly in her arms.
Cat looked down at her baby daughter. Even at so early a stage, the likeness to John was astonishing. She had a shock of almost black hair which stuck up at the most interesting angles and the eyes, though still the dark blue of the new-born, had a depth and quality so like her father's. The sweep of her long nose and a pretty heart shaped jaw already showed that she'd inherited his beauty and good looks. In fact, Cat had joked, if she hadn't known that she was the mother she'd have thought some other woman had been involved, she saw so little of herself in her daughter.
'I think it's time that our little girl spent some quality time with her mother, don't you?' he smiled. 'Any thoughts about what we should call her?'
It was something they just hadn't considered. Funny really. That's often the first thing that parents-to-be talked about, but with everything that had happened, it had seemed enough to know the baby was safe and well. Cat thought for a minute. 'What do you think about Monica?' she asked. 'It was my mother's name. I'd like to think that I could preserve her memory somehow. She deserves it after all the hell my father put her through.' She looked into John's eyes for reassurance. 'But, i f you don't like it, I'm sure we can think of something else?'
He smiled. 'Monica it is, then. It suits her already. How about, Monica Elizabeth? In memory of two strong women who deserved better in life than they got? A fresh start for both of them? What do you think?'
'I think it suits her just fine.' Cat looked into the bright eyes of her daughter. She knew that babies weren't supposed to be able to focus in the early days, yet she could have sworn that the firm gaze from her blue eyes seemed to approve of the choice. 'Hello, Monica Elizabeth Sheppard. Welcome!'
***
Cat was determined to leave the infirmary as soon as possible. She felt fit and healthy, Monica was feeding well and their quarters were not exactly very far away from help if she needed it. John had been strangely resistant to her coming home too soon, diverting her every time she tried to make a request or making faces at Jennifer Keller, but in the end she got her way. Even then, he'd demanded a wheelchair and protectively fussed around them. She could swear he added an extra hour to her time in the infirmary with all his nervousness and over-protectiveness. In the end, she'd had enough, took matters into her own hands and decided to walk out on her own. Instantly, she felt the wheelchair behind her and heard a rather stressed voice saying 'Oh, alright. I guess I should know when I'm beaten, but let me at least push you home safely.'
Monica nestled comfortably into her arms, occasionally looking up at her with those beautiful but strangely perceptive and knowing blue eyes. 'I know, my love,' Cat thought back. 'Something's up. I can feel it too!' not really expecting a response, but she could have sworn she saw a flicker of something that looked liked recognition.
They paused outside the door to their quarters and she could have sworn John coughed louder than usual before swiping his hand rather slowly over the door mechanism. The door swooshed open. Waiting at the threshold was the 'team'. With a smile, Teyla stepped forward. 'Welcome home, family Sheppard,' she smiled, and then gestured to her beaming friends to move to one side. Cat looked around the room in amazement. Flowery garlands were strung from the ceiling, though with a care for the new born made of paper rather than real. Across the back wall someone had hung a homemade banner which said 'Welcome to the World and the Pegasus Galaxy Monica Elizabeth Sheppard'. In one corner was a beautiful cot, made of a dark, almost iridescent wood the like of which Cat hadn't seen before, and covered in multi-coloured quilts which could only be Athosian. Next to it, and made out of the same wood, was a little chest of drawers, the top drawer open and filled with baby clothes already. To the other side was what looked like The Pegasus Galaxy version of a changing table. Gathering from the proud smile that Ronon was sporting, she could only assume that he was responsible for the new furniture. Above the cot was a twinkling mobile, sparkling with stars and, yes, there were geometric shapes. Definitely Rodney's doing then!
Cat felt her eyes brim with emotion and pride. So, this was why John had been so anxious to keep her away. 'Oh, thank you so much,' she managed to blurt out. 'Monica and I really appreciate the welcome home. It's lovely, guys.' She felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder and looked up at John, her smile telling him all he needed to know.
'And now,' he said, 'all that's left is to wet the baby's head. I've been saving this for a special occasion.' He leant down and pulled out a bottle of champagne from behind the chair and Teyla grabbed the five glasses. Effortlessly, and with an ease that always showed his upbringing, he deftly uncorked the bottle and filled the glasses and as one the 'team' raised them in a toast to Atlantis' newest inhabitant.
***
It was 2am. Atlantis had dimmed her lights long ago, as was her habit, allowing her family to quietly wind down from the day and rest through the night in peace and quiet. The only movement around the city was the sound of booted footsteps softly patrolling the corridors and the, rather sleepy, contingent reading and drinking coffee in the control room. Even Rodney McKay was in bed with his wife, his daughter now sleeping comfortably in the next room. Without a certain John Sheppard to play midnight games with, his sleeping patterns had returned to something like normal to the eternal gratitude of Katie, his long-suffering partner. Ronon was curled up with Amelia, their extra large bed just about holding in the long arms and legs that had a strangle hold on the covers and Teyla gratefully slept, Torren John now fully potty trained.
In one room, however, things were less peaceful. Given the hyper-active nature of her father and the dogged stubbornness of her mother, it was unsurprising that Monica Sheppard had turned out to be a less than peaceful sleeper. John had been determined to stay in their quarters, despite the several weeks of disturbed nights, but tonight had proved the last straw. Even he needed some sleep and, since he couldn't exactly feed Monica, Cat had quietly kissed his cheek and given him permission to sneak off for some well earned sleep in his office, once his quarters. There was still a bed there for emergencies such as this. With a regretful look backwards through blood-shot eyes, he said 'I'll be back' in his silly Terminator voice, before staggering off to try to grab at least a couple of hours before he was back on duty.
Cat looked into the eyes of her daughter. They were just beginning to change colour from the dark blue of all new babies, and she could see the tell-tale green of John's eyes. 'Well, you might look at me a though you don't have a care in the world young lady, but you'd better not keep this up or it'll be a separate room for you sooner rather than later.'
***
Lorne had fielded off yet another moan from a disgruntled soldier this morning. All the men had some sympathy for their rather tired looking commanding officer, but when he began to take it out on them they had begun to complain. The latest visitor to Lorne's office, with the sincerest tones of respect and regret, had complained that he'd just been put on an extra shift because he'd made a joke about tired fathers within Colonel Sheppard's hearing and said Colonel had taken exception to the feeble attempt at humour. Now, Lorne knew things were getting bad if John Sheppard's sense of humour had deserted him, but he also knew better than to attempt a head-on assault with his commander in this mood. Once or twice in the time he'd know him, the Colonel had gone through equally black times, usually when something was up between him and Cat, and Lorne knew from experience that she was the only person who could ease the tension. He might have a quick word with Teyla and Ronon, though, just to see if they had any suggestions.
Cat was tired. Monica was demanding, but so was John. He'd been acting like a spoilt child himself recently. It wasn't as if she could do anything about it either. I mean, firstly Monica was still not sleeping well and neither of them were getting much sleep. A couple of times he'd gone to his old quarters, but he didn't want to make a habit of it, wanting to be with his family as much as possible. And now, six weeks on from the birth, just when their sexual relations should be getting back to normal, she was finding it increasingly difficult to imagine having sex again. Exhausted as she was, she was also completely taken up with the demands of looking after her daughter and she knew John was feeling left out. She also knew that he was having no such difficulties with his imagination and she'd had to reject his first few attempts at intimacy. This morning, he'd leaned into her for a kiss and had begun to show how passionately he wanted her when Monica had woken screaming from her sleep. He could have sworn that his daughter knew exactly what she was doing! With a sigh, he'd rather stiffly got up and wordlessly dressed, leaning down to kiss his daughter's head before he left.
Lorne found Teyla in the gym. 'Can I have a word?' he asked tentatively, such matters really not in his province.
'Yes, major, of course. What can I do for you?' She smiled a reassuring smile, sensing his discomfort.
He explained as best he could, winning a knowing smile from Teyla. 'Leave it with me, Major. I will see what I can do.'
***
Cat was tired. John was tired. They weren't really communicating either, not through any falling out, just because it all seemed too much. In a way, too, they'd simply got out of the habit recently. He was still besotted with Monica, though, and she'd often find him gently holding her and telling her things of little or greater importance. Throughout, the baby would look up at him with such adoring eyes, eyes that now matched his so closely in colour, that it seemed they were the only two who existed. Cat had begun to feel like a wet nurse, there for sustenance and midnight nappy changes, but something of an outsider to the clearly growing bond between father and daughter. Occasionally, he'd raise his eyes to hers and they'd fleetingly share a loving look, but it was now all about the pride of being a father, it seemed, and less about his feelings for her. She knew she was being ridiculous, she knew he loved her, but the distance between them was beginning to hurt badly. And all through it, she could swear that her little girl knew exactly what she was doing.
She sighed. Monica had just settled down for a rare day-time sleep and she really should be resting herself. The trouble was that it was her only chance to find time to do anything and, as usual, she was cleaning and tidying their rooms in an attempt to create at least one baby-free zone. Why do babies need so much stuff? She was also trying to find some time to get the little room off their living space ready to move Monica into. It would be hard and she was sure her daughter would kick up a fuss, but she'd better remember where she got her stubborn gene from. John and she desperately needed some space to themselves, to reclaim something of what was them, separate from their child.
The gentle sound of the door chime rang and Cat sighed. That's all she needed right now. She thought 'come in' and the door opened to reveal Teyla and Katie McKay.
'Hello Teyla. Katie. Come in? What can I do for you?' Damn it! That sounded rather more snappy than she'd intended.
Teyla smiled serenely. 'Well, I will come straight to the point. It would appear that a certain Colonel is upsetting his troops at the moment with his bad temper and moodiness and from the look of you, I would say that you are suffering from the same affliction. Katie and I have come to you with an offer of help, from two mothers who know exactly what you are going through and for the good of Atlantis as well as the sanity of two of our closest friends.' She smiled a sweet smile and began to explain what they were proposing.
***
The lights on the East Pier had just begun to dim when she saw the tall figure of her husband approaching, smiling but rather bemused. Getting ready for the evening had been an interesting experience. Nothing quite seemed to want to do up around her waist and she wondered how those celebrity mothers managed to be back in their skinny jeans days after giving birth. Still, the whole look was somewhat balanced by the extra cleavage she was showing, not too painful at the moment given the supplies she'd left for the 'team' of baby sitters back in their quarters. Teyla and Katie had also enlisted Rodney, Ronon and Amelia to help with the startlingly beautiful but difficult little girl, already with a strong and fiery mind of her own at only six weeks. They'd quickly diverted John' s attention from his daughter, telling him of their plan and side-tracking any excuses, knowing that, once she'd caught him he might find it difficult to tear himself away. It was if the child had picked up some of the fear from her mother while inside the womb, the fear of losing both father and mother, and was desperately trying to hold on to both parents. And maybe the near loss of her father while she was still a tiny scrap of life inside her mother had played some part in the possessiveness she seemed to exude. Cat had already put out some clothes for John to wear and he had quickly showered and dressed while Teyla and Katie walked his daughter around the city, showing her off to the many smiling faces that were curious to see the much talked-about baby.
John looked her up and down with growing appreciation. God, he'd missed this. In all the amazingly wonderful last few weeks, the roller coaster of becoming a father and the astonishing depth of love he felt for his daughter, he'd forgotten the one thing that should always mean the most to him. Cat looked beautiful. No, she looked more beautiful than he'd ever seen her. The blue dress clung to her curves deliciously and he couldn't help but notice her fuller than usual breasts. She seemed to have regained all of the golden glow from before her pregnancy and he wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and hold her there.
Cat looked him up and down with growing appreciation. She'd chosen the clothes with careful deliberation, the black cord shirt not loose like many of his shirts, but tailored to sit snugly against his slim but muscled frame; the paler jeans contrasting with the darkness of the shirt showing other curves off to maximum advantage too. She smiled and walked towards him, trying not to trip over in the unused to high heels, exaggerating the sway of her hips just a little and enjoying the look on his face as he noticed. As she neared him, he put out both his arms in welcome, pulling her towards him tenderly, pressing his lips softly onto hers as though the taste of her was nectar from the gods. His tongue tasted hers and found every part of her mouth, desperate for the intimacy that both had missed so much. When they finally parted, both short of breath, his green eyes had darkened with lust and passion and she knew then that she didn't need to be jealous; that this was a look reserved for her alone.
John looked behind her shoulder and smiled at the carefully prepared pile of Athosian cushions and quilts in 'their' corner. He wondered if Lorne had taken up his usual guard duty outside the door: the fact that he knew his second on command did this he'd never mentioned so as not to embarrass the man. Cat was looking at him with eyes that simply said 'take me, now' and who was he to argue the point? With one swift movement, he took her into his arms, steeling a kiss as he did, and carried her over to the cushions, laying her down softly on them, before leaning over her and kissing her again, this time which much more urgency. All he knew was that wanted her badly and needed to be careful to take it a little more slowly than his body was telling him too. He ran a hand over the top of her dress, skimming down her breasts and down the curves of her hips and felt her breath hitch as he did, her back arching towards him, then he took it under her dress and back up the same direction until he reached her swelling breasts. Laughing, her buried his head into her cleavage, then said, 'Well, at least for tonight I can claim back what's rightfully mine,' before gently pushing the soft dress from her shoulders. Without breaking eye contact, he undid the belt and opened the zip slowly, down the side of the dress, before easing it off her. Seeing her lying there in her bra and panties was almost enough to take him over the edge, but he took a deep breath and sat back on his heels, determined to make the most of this moment.
Cat looked up at her husband, taking in his handsome features then running her eyes hungrily down his body, still far too covered for her liking. Still, it was kind of sexy lying here in the cold air almost naked, being looked at so lustfully by such a gorgeous man! Recognising his predicament, she decided to make it even more difficult for him and seductively she took off her bra and wriggled out of the panties. She heard him groan and was vaguely aware of clothes being rapidly taken off and of a firm body pressed tightly against hers as he took his wife back: back from being the pregnant wife, back from being the new mother, back from the other side of the bed.
And when he'd taken her once, they made love again, and again, making the most of the little respite given to them by their dearest friends and enjoying just being a couple again, knowing that there would be more of these moments in the future, a future enriched by the addition of their beautiful daughter.
THE END
I hope you liked it. I wanted to write a little series of snapshots zooming in on the weeks after birth. There's much, much more of the story to tell, especially given how special the baby is and a new longer fic will be in the offing soon. And I can't guarantee their respite will last too long!!
Please R&R. Constructive criticism always welcome.