A/N: This wouldn't leave me alone so this is a continuation of an AU of an AU of a fictional universe. What is happening to my life. (read the outtake from two chapters ago first if you haven't yet)

Henry sat in the nursery, pink walls on all sides and early morning sunshine filtering in through the sheer curtains. He looked down into the bassinet, little Vivienne sleeping soundly in front of him. Her long eyelashes fluttered ever-so-slightly in her sleep, stray tufts of her light hair sticking up at odd angles along the side of her head. She was a perfect blend of her parents, more equal than any of her older siblings were. Henry reflected now on the way said children had responded to his homecoming. There had been shock and concern and worry and fear; there had also been no shortage of anger and protectiveness, of both Elizabeth and Vivienne and on the part of all three of the kids. They seemed to have banded together in Henry's absence to support their mother, and while Henry was glad and grateful and proud, he wasn't sure how to cross that bridge back to them. Elizabeth had assured him that they would come around, but Henry still had his doubts and fear in spades; he didn't know what he would do if he lost his relationship with them entirely.

Vivienne, on the other hand...that was like a clean slate. He felt enormous guilt for having not been there for Elizabeth during her pregnancy and Vivienne's earliest days, but she was still very young and Henry found it strangely comforting that when Vivienne grew up, she would never remember what he'd done or the days in which he hadn't been around for her. It was exactly those thoughts which had driven him away from a still-sleeping Elizabeth into the nursery in the very early hours of the morning, on his second day home. He'd not spent a lot of time with Vivienne, though that was not because he hadn't wanted to, but rather because his elder children and Elizabeth had a well-established routine that Henry no longer fit into. As much as their surprise baby was a blessing, Henry thought it might have been easier to fit back into his life had Vivienne not come along; the routine of what had to be done in the McCord house had changed drastically in the six months that Henry had been gone, out of necessity, and now he didn't know where he could be helpful and where he would be a hindrance. This was different, though. In the early morning quiet of the baby's room, with no distrustful looks in his direction or concern from Elizabeth, Henry could think more clearly. He marveled at his baby daughter's tiny fingers and the smooth texture of her skin and the soft way that her hair rested on her head. He'd forgotten what it was like to stand there and gaze down at that little human that was a part of him, and a part of Elizabeth- that fragile new life with the world spread out at her feet. It made him choked up just to look down at her, knowing that she was there, living and breathing and bringing with her all that she had, to his family. To her family.

As he watched, Vivienne stirred and woke; Henry scooped her up into his arms and cradled her close, and as she blinked up at him, bright-eyed and alert, he felt his breath catch.

"Hi, sweet girl," Henry breathed. Vivienne just watched him calmly as he set her down on the changing table and quickly changed her; it was sort of like riding a bike, Henry discovered, all the skill coming back to him after three kids and the intervening years.

Four kids, now.

He was still getting used to that.

Vivienne started to squirm just before Henry picked her up. Wrapped snugly in blankets and snuggled against Henry's chest, Vivienne just watched him with her hazel eyes, and Henry sighed as he settled down in the rocking chair in the corner. It was very familiar, and Henry wondered where Elizabeth had found it- he had been sure they'd gotten rid of it after Jason started school. Now, he just leaned back and rocked Vivienne slowly.

"You know," he began softly, "you are a much happier baby than your brother and your sisters were." He rested his finger against her palm and watched her tiny fingers curl around his own, his throat tightening at the feeling. He almost couldn't believe it; that he'd come home to this gorgeous creature, that he was a Dad again, that Vivienne Elizabeth was a part of their lives now. That he was a part of hers.

"But," he continued, "I heard you gave Mama a lot of trouble before you got here, yeah?" He sighed as Vivienne continued to watch him. "I'm sorry I wasn't here for that," he whispered. "But you know what?"

Vivienne blinked up at him.

"I'm gonna be here for everything else," Henry vowed. "For you and for Mama, and for your sisters and your brother. Daddy saved some people when he was gone, but…" Henry sighed again, shaking his head slightly. "I don't know if it was worth it, little girl. What do you think? You think your big sisters and brother are ever going to forgive me for it?"

"Yeah," came a voice from the doorway, startling Henry. He looked up to find Stevie leaning against the doorframe. She pushed off of it and knelt next to the rocking chair, smoothing her slender fingers over Vivienne's silky hair. Henry watched her interact with Vivienne, marveling at his eldest and youngest children. He could have cried just looking at them.

"Yeah?" he repeated instead, his voice a little bit shaky. And then Stevie looked up, studying him for a moment, something soft and familiar in her blue eyes as she smiled just a little sadly at him.

"Yeah," she repeated. "We will." She stood, leaned over, and kissed the top of Henry's head.

"You might want to take her to Mom," Stevie suggested as she turned to leave. "You've got approximately three minutes before she starts screaming."

"Really?" Henry asked, looking down at the extremely calm baby in his arms. Stevie chuckled.

"Oh, yeah, she looks fine now, but believe me. It comes out of nowhere."

And then Stevie was gone, and Henry was thinking that maybe everything was going to turn out alright.