A/N: So I lied this isn't actually the final chapter. Hope everyone likes it and don't forget to review. Also if anyone would like to beta read please, please, please get in touch.

And when she wraps her hand around my finger
It puts a smile in my heart
Everything becomes a little clearer
I realize what life is all about

It's hanging on when your heart has had enough
It's giving more when you feel like giving up
I've seen the light
It's in my daughter's eyes

"And a baby girl," the midwife held her in her hands as the doctor motioned for Nate to cut the umbilical cord. He complied a little unsure of what he was doing as the little baby squirmed and began to fuss. "And here we go," the midwife said, efficiently wrapping the baby in the awaiting pink blanket and passing her to Blair.

Blair gasped a little as she took her daughter. Nate smiled down at her, but Blair was too entranced as she stroked the tiny little fingers which clenched around hers as she felt like she was about to cry. She didn't know why, she wasn't sad, she was happy, but not the ready to cry kind of happy.

"She's so tiny," Blair whispered. Nate nodded and lightly moved some hair from Blair's face. She was completely drained but he could never remember feeling so lucky that she was his. He gazed down at the tiny baby, he couldn't comprehend that she was his little girl, he hadn't given much thought to what this moment would feel like. He hadn't thought that it would feel particularly emotional, but right now he too felt like crying, but he wasn't going to because he was too happy to see this perfect little girl.

Blair smiled up at him, the exhaustion was apparent in her face from the gruelingly long delivery.

"She's so beautiful," Nate smiled. "Just like her mommy," he winked and then chuckled.

"She has your eyes," Blair insisted and Nate looked down and saw his own green eyes, slightly flecked with gold, gazing back up at him.

"Well let's hope everything else is you," Nate smiled and then leant in to give Blair a kiss.

A nurse appeared momentarily to whisk Blair away to be cleaned up. Nate was left alone in the room with their daughter in his arms. "Hey," he whispered. "I love you," he gently stroked her little fingers and found them clenching tightly around his own. Nate found that he couldn't stop smiling as he watched her little eye lids flutter closed. She was so warm wrapped up in her little blankie, but she wasn't as ugly as other babies - Nate was sure of that. Although he did remember Serena insisting the same thing about Heidi who had been rather red and whose face had looked a little squashed for a few days. Maybe it was just his parental instincts that were telling him that she was the most beautiful baby he had ever seen, but she seemed completely perfect as she lay in his arms somewhere between crying out and falling asleep.

Blair came back refreshed and smiling. Nate knew everyone was desperate to see the new mother and child and he didn't want to delay them any longer. Serena had been waiting patiently for the past twelve hours and was over excitable as Nate passed her the baby.

"Aww look at her, she's so cute," Serena cooed down at her. Serena began chattering happily to the little baby who was fast asleep. Nate settled himself beside Blair and let her lean against him as he fiddled with her hair which had been washed when she was taken away shortly after the delivery. "What's her name?" Serena asked as she stood swaying with the baby in her arms.

Blair looked at Nate and then at Serena. "Ava," she smiled quietly.

"Ava," Serena pondered. "Ava Waldorf Archibald." She said it allowed to hear it herself. "I like it."

"No," Blair shook her head. "Ava Eleanor Archibald." Nate absentmindedly rubbed Blair's upper arm as she leant against him.

"Oh," Serena said lightly and smiled. "Even nicer."

Blair smiled up at Nate. They'd discussed their daughter's surname at great length, but Blair had settled on just Archibald as she herself planned to take Nate's name after their marriage.

Blair fought to keep her eyes open as Serena, then Lily, then Heidi, then Jonathon, then Eric, then Howard, then Anne all took turns in fussing over their angel.

Serena and Heidi left with Lily, Eric and Jonathon when Nate's parents arrived. "Blair," Anne's voice sang as she entered the room and enveloped her daughter-in-law. Howard hung back a little and smiled when he caught sight of the little baby who was in Eric's arms. Eric passed her to him, she had woken up when Jonathon had first taken her and had had her first tantrum, fussing and screaming her little lungs out. Eric had swiped her from Jonathon and she had calmed down. Eric then began poking fun at Jonathon for his apparent lack of baby skills, but he'd shrugged it off as the room quieted down.

Howard looked down to see the green eyes of his wife and son sparkling back up at him. She didn't fuss in his arms as he'd expected but he felt a little uncomfortable and he passed her to Anne as soon as his wife pulled back from her embrace with Blair.

Blair watched as Anne held her granddaughter expertly and hushed her as she began to fuss and slowly her little green eyes closed and she fell asleep. Blair had began to feel a little unsure as everyone had passed her daughter around the room. What if Ava took to her in the same way she had taken to Jonathon? She was too tired to even contemplate it at the moment. Howard, Anne and Nate were far too entranced by the new arrival that only Nate noticed as she slipped off to sleep, snuggling closer to him. Nate held her tight as she slept. Anne and Howard stayed for a while longer with Nate passing baby Ava between the two of them and Anne took pictures all the while.

When Blair awoke she had been tucked up in the hospital bed and a momentary flutter of panic ran through her until she saw Nate sitting in the chair by her bed. He had moved the baby's crib to be right next to her bed. He smiled at her when he saw her eyes open.

"Hey," he whispered a little groggily. She smiled sleepily. "How are you feeling?"

"OK," she smiled, although in truth every inch of her body seemed to be in pain. He smiled gently as she pulled herself into a sitting position. "Has everyone gone?"

He smirked, "Yes, eventually. Although Serena did threaten to come back this morning."

"When do we get to go home?"

"I'll ask them when Serena turns up."

"Can you believe that we'll actually get to take her home with us?" Blair mused stroking her sleeping daughter's head lightly.

"She's going to be like you - I can already tell."

"She's going to have you wrapped around he finger too." Blair giggled. Nate chuckled. "Has my dad called yet?"

"He called last night when you were asleep, I didn't want to wake you."

"Did he say he was coming?"

"His flight's landing at La Guardia at 11am and he'll be here by 1pm."

Anyone who happened to be wandering through the halls of the hospital on July 19th could have been convinced that Christmas was on its way. Harold Waldorf and his "life-partner" struggled up the stairs of the Lennox Hill Hospital towards the maternity ward with arms full of presents.

Harold and Roman were led into Blair's private side room where she and Nate were again sitting on the bed together taking advantage of their alone time to bond with baby Ava.

"Blair bear!" Harold exclaimed upon entering the room and dumping the pile of presents in one of the vacant chairs. "My, my, my, isn't she beautiful!" He cried as Blair and Nate both laughed, while cringing a little.

"Et la robe est très belle!" Roman exclaimed. Blair smiled happily, she had especially reserved her favorite dress from the new Chloe baby range to dress her daughter in the first chance she got and she was sure there would be lots and lots of pictures taken to commemorate the dress as well as her daughter's first day or two of life.

"Can I hold her darling?" Harold requested.

Blair gently passed Ava into his arms and he smiled down at her.

"Oh dear, I must be so old to you," Harold smiled gently. "I'm your grandfather and this is Roman, another of your grandfather's, and I think you're the most beautiful thing I've seen since your mommy was born." Blair cringed again, but Nate smiled and kissed her cheek.

Harold and Roman stayed for the few hours that visitors were allowed before they took off, assuring Blair that they were staying at the Palace and only a phone call away if she or Nate or Ava needed anything.

"Thanks daddy," Blair smiled as they kissed goodbye.

"And thank you for all the gifts," Nate added.

"You're very welcome Nathaniel. I want my little granddaughter to be the best dressed baby girl in all of New York City and all of the stuff was too adorable not to buy."

"I think her mother had that taken care as well," Nate grinned.

The hospital had insisted that Blair and Ava spend one more night, despite Blair's protests. She eventually relented, but urged Nate to go home as he looked about as exhausted as she was.

"I don't want to leave either of you," Nate insisted.

"This might be your only chance for a proper nights sleep in months," Blair reminded him.

"As tempting as that sounds, I'd rather be here with both of you than at home on my own."

Blair eventually gave up trying to convince Nate to go home to sleep and curled up to sleep herself. Nate sat in the chair once again with Ava lying in the plastic hospital crib between himself and Blair. She had been changed into one of the neutral bunnypattern onesies after she had coughed up her latest feed.

The hospital chair was so damn uncomfortable that Nate half began to wish that he had joined Blair's protests to have his fiancee and daughter discharged that evening. He sat awake for a good length of time merely watching Blair and Ava sleep, whilst reflecting on how lucky he was. As he was beginning to feel his eyes grow heavy Ava woke and began fussing beneath the sterile hospital blankie.

"Hey," Nate stroked her cheek with his finger. "Shh, shh, shh; you don't want to wake your mommy now, do you?"

The groan from the hospital bed informed Nate it was too late to worry about waking Blair. "Is she OK?" Bl;air asked as she pushed herself up and made to lift Ava from the bed side crib.

"She's fine," Nate insisted. "You get some rest. O can take care of her for now, you look exhausted."

"What did I ever do to deserve you?" Blair smiled placidly as Nate lifted Ava and began to rock her in his arms.

"You deserve a lot more," Nate reminded her. "But I'm going to be what you deserve from now on."

Blair only smiled in return. It wasn't the most convincing smile she'd ever given him, but it pretty much summed up why Nate needed to grovel to regain her trust.

"Maybe she needs a feed," Blair suggested as Ava's crying failed to quieten down. Nate realized Blair was right it had been hours since Ava's last feed. He gently passed her to Blair, who carefully positioned her to be fed.

To the new parents' relief a feeding seemed to be all their baby girl needed when she had been fed she lay contentedly in Blair's arms, snuggled close to her mother.

"You know it's crazy home much I feel like I love her," Nate remarked as he watched his daughter's tiny movements in Blair's arms.

"How do you mean?" Blair asked curiously.

"I mean I loved the idea of us having a baby before she was born, but now she's here I never realized how I would feel about her, as a person."

Blair ndded as if in understanding. The past nine months had certainly torn her emotions this way and that. It as quite remarkable that what Blair had at some point thought was the biggest oopsie of her life was now lying in her arms and Blair felt as if she would give this little baby girl the world if she were to ask for it. When she looked down at Ava, her shock of dark hair and her green eyes, which glittered even in the dim room, Blair found her stomach shurn as she thought back to what she had almost done after discovering the unplanned pregnancy. She had, or course, realized in the latter stages of pregnancy that she was glad that she hadn't gone through with the termination, but as she held her daughter in that moment Blair realized that, despite the problems pregnancy may have caused in her and Nate's relationship, Ava was most definitley the best mistake she had ever made.

"It's odd to think that something so perfect came about by accident," Nate grinned cheekily, on the same wavelength as Blair like always. "And how something so innocent came from something so..."

"Sinful?" Blair offered jokingly.

"A child out of wedlock," Nate smiled as he pulled a face of faux horror.

"She and Heidi can bond over that," Blair smiled looking down at her daughter. "But can we make a promise?"

"Of course," Nate nodded as he sensed the sudden serious turn that the conversation had taken.

"Can we promise that she'll never know that she's a mistake?"

"I don't think we can protect her from any gossip as she gets older, but I promise to never tell her." Nate rubbed Blair's hand gently. He was aware of teh guilt she still felt from teh almost termination. He knew they would have to broach the subject one day soon together so that Blair knew he understood, but it was their daughter's second day of life and there was no reason to ruin it. "Of course, once we've had all our other children, the gossip surrounding Ava will die."

Blair smiled at Nate's reassurance. "All our other children?" She repeated. "How many are you planning for?"

"At least six," Nate winked. "All girls, and all exactly like you."

"OK, but I'll be having C-sections for the other five and I want a boy, just like you." Blair matched his sarcasam.

"But not as much of a screw up," Nate ammended.

"I said just like you because I love you even when you are an ass."

"And that's part of the reason I love you too."

A/N: Sorry it's a bit of a random end, but it was getting too long. Please, please review and I'll love you forever. I need to apologize in advance because my next update will probably be a tad delayed. Undying love for evryoe that reviews! xx