Author's notes: So much for being done before Christmas, huh? I blame it on the holidays and how busy I've been with my family and Christmas and everything. Anyway, I will be done by New Year's Eve and then I can say that I have successfully written a fic that is three times longer than your average novel in just seven short months and, wow, it's taken me that long to write this fic. Holy. fucking. shit. I honestly thought I'd be done in, like, three months or something haha.

This chapter skips time, too, and so will the next chapter so I apologize in advance for that. I hope you guys aren't too confused with the time jumps and I hope you guys can keep up with them pretty easily. I try not to jump time unless I have to and, well, I did kind of have to jump through time and space in the last few - or handful - of chapters.

Blah, this chapter skips a lot of time at the end and I'm sorry! I just didn't want this chapter to be too long and it would have been, had I dragged everything out and not had the major time jump. I'm so, so, so, so sorry about that! :c

Anywho! One more chapter, after this one, and this fic will come to an end. I'm kind of feeling bittersweet about that and I don't want to talk about it.

Right, so, let's get on with the end of this fic, shall we?

Also, wow, I've completely lost track of how much time has passed through this fic so if anything sounds screwed up or off, let me know please? It shouldn't but... I do miss out on a lot of typos and errors, so who knows? I almost put that Isaac was turning one in the last chapter and I was like, wait, no, that's not right.

And I apologize for any other mistakes you may encounter and for the lack of quality that is this chapter.

Characters: Kendall, Carlos, James, Ava, Victoria, and a new character: Sophia.
Warnings: kisses, light biting, talk of some sexing but no detailed smut, non-descriptive talk of some health stuff, happiness, other health stuff, happiness, smoking, talk of new tattoos!


[January]

Two weeks into the new year, Kendall leaves for California and to start the new tour with the band.

x x

Once all of his luggage is out of the car and onto the curb, Kendall shuts the trunk and moves to the back door, opening it before leaning inside, where James is giggling and reaching out for him, fingers wiggling in his direction. Laughing, Kendall leans down and play-bites the tips, listening to his son giggle and squeal louder, the sound making his heart thump in his chest. He doesn't want to leave, doesn't want to spend three months away from his husband and son, but Kendall knows that he has to do it; he has an obligation to the band, their fans, and to their producer.

"Say bye bye to daddy," Carlos says from the passenger seat and he twists around to look at both of them, smiling.

James looks at Carlos and then turns his head back to Kendall to say, "Dada."

"Yeah, dada," Kendall answers and he leans down to kiss the top of James' head, letting the kiss linger for a moment before pulling back. "I'll see you in three months, big guy." After speaking, Kendall touches his fingertip to the back of his son's hand and touches his knuckles lightly, sighing as he brings his hand back and straightens up, waving to James before shutting the door. He moves up a little, taps on the window, and leans inside once it's rolled down to kiss Carlos' lips softly, smiling when he eases away.

"Have a safe flight."

Licking his lips, Kendall nods and kisses Carlos again. "I will," he says and pulls back, waving to Logan in the driver's seat. "Take care of my boys."

"Will do," Logan replies and winks, laughing as he waves. The window is rolled up a moment later and Kendall takes a step back, watching the car pull away, waving to them until he can't see the vehicle anymore. He sighs and goes to grab his things, throwing two bags over his shoulders and carrying the other two in his hands, trudging into the airport before going up to check in.

After getting his tickets and having three of his bags checked in, Kendall heads up to his gate and goes through security. He takes a seat by the window afterwards and watches the other planes take off, leaning his head against the cold glass, fidgeting with his cellphone as he waits for his flight to be called.

x x

Four hours later, Kendall lands in California and there's a limo waiting for him. The driver helps him carry all his bags to the car and he settles on the seat once he's inside, pulling his phone out to send a text to Carlos, biting down on the middle of his lip as he waits for a response. When he gets one, Kendall smiles as soon as he sees a picture of Carlos and James together, trying his hardest not to cry because it's hard to be away from both of them.

It's going to be a long three months, he decides as he saves the picture and tosses his phone onto the seat beside his head, falling asleep on the way to the hotel the band is staying at for the night before they leave for their tour the next day. He wakes up when the driver tells him they've arrived and gets out groggily, shoving his phone into one of his bags before taking the rest inside.

Kendall checks into the hotel and goes to find the room he's sharing with Dustin, dumping all of his bags onto the floor as soon as he's inside. Once they're both settled and changed, he two of them go to find the rest of the band and they eat dinner in the restaurant downstairs and talk about how exciting the new tour is going to be and how it's going to be bigger than the last.

That night, before going to bed, Kendall calls Carlos and listens to him talk for a few minutes before he fall asleep. He listens to the sounds of his husband breathing on the other line and follows suit not longer after, waking up in the morning with the phone plastered against his head. After eating breakfast with Dustin in the room, Kendall grabs his bags and they all head downstairs to the bus that's waiting for them, watching as their things are shoved into the compartments underneath the bus.

Once everything is ready to go, the guys leave and head to their first concert that night.


[April]

After playing all of their shows in the United States, Kendall and the boys head to their first foreign concert in Brazil.

The show in Brazil is amazing and the band experiences local culture for a few days before flying back home.

x x

It's well past midnight when Kendall finally gets back to Minnesota and he goes outside to see Logan waiting for him at the airport pick up. He smiles at his best friend and helps him get his bags into the trunk before hugging him tightly, glad to see someone that isn't Dustin, Kyle, Josh, or a strange. When Logan eases away and laughs, Kendall smiles sleepily at him and asks if they can go home already, to which is friend quickly agrees.

Kendall tells Logan all about his tour on the ride home and they quietly take all of his things in, dumping everything in the living room. Logan leaves not long after that and Kendall watches his car disappear before shutting the door silently, locking it before leaning his head against the glass of the window. He listens to the silence of the house and smiles, more than a little happy to finally be home where his husband and son are.

When he finally gets upstairs, Kendall goes into the nursery to look at James and smiles when he sees that his son is sleeping peacefully in his crib. He leans into the crib to kiss James' forehead, stilling when he hears the baby stir and straightens up when he stays asleep, breathing a sigh of relief as he leaves the room, running a hand through his hair. Yawning loudly, Kendall walks into the room he shares with Carlos and slips out of his clothes in the dark, tossing them away before blindly reaching out to touch the bed, letting out a giggle when he grabs his husband's foot and he wakes up, groaning out a curse word.

"Sorry, sorry," Kendall whispers and he narrows his eyes when Carlos flips the lamp on, smiling sleepily at him. "It's just me, don't go for the gun."

Carlos blinks rapidly and then grins at Kendall, pushing the blankets off his legs before coming forward to throw his arms around his husband. "You're home," he breathes and Kendall nods, looping both arms around his husband, holding him tightly for a moment until he pulls back. "I love you."

"I love you too." Breathing in deeply, Kendall leans forward to kiss Carlos and smiles against his lips. "And I'm exhausted," he mumbles and his heart jumps in his chest when he hears Carlos laugh, closing his eyes as soon as he feels a hand against his face, nuzzling against the warm skin of Carlos' palm.

"What are you waiting for? Come to bed."

Snorting quietly, Kendall nods and climbs onto the mattress, half falling on top of Carlos. "I was trying to without waking you," he whispers.

"I'm glad you woke me up. I might have gotten freaked out if I woke up in the morning and saw you in bed." Carlos wraps his arms around Kendall and pulls him close, moving a hand down to tug the blankets over both of them. He smiles and kisses Kendall's forehead, lifting a hand to run his fingers through his husband's hair slowly. "Go to sleep, I'll worry about James when he gets up and you can sleep all day," he whispers.

Kendall nods and yawns, ducking his head to rest underneath Carlos' chin. "Kay," he mumbles sleepily, yawning again before kissing Carlos' collarbone, mumbling a quiet 'goodnight, I love you' before finally dozing off, the length of the day and the weight of all the traveling finally getting to him.

Once he's out, Kendall sleeps all night and well into the morning, only waking up when he hears James crying in the hallway. He awakes slowly, blinking his eyes to look up at the ceiling before turning over to look at the clock and he groans when he sees that it's nearly noon. Sighing, Kendall rubs his eyes with his knuckles and sits up, pushing the sheets off his legs. The crying fades away and Kendall yawns, scrubbing a hand over his hair, pulling at the long locks, making a mental note to go get it cut later in the week.

After giving himself a moment to wake up, Kendall gets out of bed and goes over to where he tossed his clothes the night before. He bends down to grab his jeans and tugs them on, nearly falling over more than a few times before getting the denim up, buttoned, and zipped. Kendall huffs once he's got his jeans done and scrubs a hand down the side of his face as he grabs a shirt from the floor, not even bothering to see if it's his or Carlos', just slips it on and makes his way out of the bedroom.

The smell of breakfast hits Kendall as soon as he steps into the hallway and he smiles, making his way to the stairs and then down them, nearly tripping over his own feet before getting down to the bottom stair. He sighs and jumps off it, moving through the living room until he gets to the kitchen, spotting James in his highchair near the counter and he immediately runs over to pick his son up, listening to him giggle loudly.

"What the fu - " Carlos starts and turns around to see Kendall holding James, smiling as he turns back to the stove. "I thought you were sleeping all day."

"I thought so too but then James woke me up crying." As he speaks, Kendall puts James on his hip and walks over to where Carlos is, leaning down to kiss his cheek lightly, humming when he smells the french toast up close. "God, I love you," he mumbles and kisses the back of his husband's head before walking over to the fridge.

Carlos bites his lip and looks up at his husband, watching him carefully. "I love you too and this will be done in a few minutes," he replies and turns back to the stove, turning the toast over in the pan before moving it around a little, listening to it sizzle.

The kitchen goes silent as Carlos continues to cook and Kendall grabs the bottle of orange juice, bouncing James as he goes over to grab a cup from the cabinet. He sets it down on the counter and twists the top off the juice before pouring some into the glass, waiting a whole ten seconds before chugging the entire glass of juice. James giggles and watches him, patting Kendall's cheek lightly once he's set the empty glass back down on the counter and he giggles louder when his father turns to playfully bite the tips of his fingers.

James squirms in Kendall's hold and reaches up to grab his hair, tugging on it lightly. "Dada," he babbles, over and over, and Kendall smiles broadly.

"Has he learned any new words since I was gone?" Kendall asks, letting James pull on his hair to his heart's content.

"He can say cat, juice, milk, and a few other things."

Kendall blinks and looks over at Carlos until James starts saying "cat" over and over. "Where'd he learn that?"

"Logan and Camille got a cat for Isaac," Carlos answers and turns to grin before plating the french toast.

"Are you serious?" Carlos nods his head and Kendall laughs, shaking his head. "I can't believe they got a cat and didn't tell me. I can't believe that you didn't tell me about that whenever I called," he says and pouts, turning to look at James, who has gone from saying cat to saying juice. "Okay, I'll get you some juice and then we'll eat breakfast before going to see the Mitchell family."

While Carlos finishes making breakfast, Kendall goes to grab another bottle of juice from the fridge and fills one of James' bottles up with it before setting him back down in the highchair, smiling when he waves at him, curling his fingers into his palms slowly. He goes to grab a plate off the counter beside the stove and gets a fork from the drawer before digging into his french toast, chewing happily as he watches Carlos feed James his breakfast.

The three of them eat quietly and James interrupts the silence to talk to Kendall, mostly just babbling a few words but it's the most adorable thing Kendall has ever heard in his life and he talks back to his son, making faces at him. He laughs when James laughs and sets his dirty dishes in the sink, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand before cleaning it off on the shirt he's wearing.

"Come on, little man. Let's get you dressed and cleaned up before you go see uncle Logan, aunt Camille, and your cousin Isaac," he murmurs and laughs when James lifts his arms, holding them out toward Kendall before he's picked up.

"I'll do the dishes," Carlos says and Kendall shakes his head, smiling when his husband lifts his brows in question. "Why?"

"Because I'll do them when we get home. It won't hurt to let them sit for a while, right?"

Carlos purses his lips and shrugs, nodding slowly. "I guess not," he agrees.

Smiling, Kendall leans down to kiss Carlos' lips quickly and straightens up when he feels James' hand smacking against the back of his neck. He pouts and mumbles under his breath, rolling his eyes as his son continues to smack him happily, giggling every few seconds. Kendall laughs along with him and carries James through the kitchen and living room, taking him upstairs so he can change him.

Once they're upstairs, Kendall goes to pick out a new outfit for James and lays him on the changing table, pulling his sleep clothes off. He tosses them into the hamper, makes a triumphant noise when they actually land inside, and gets a wipe to clean the oatmeal off his son's face. After making sure all traces of breakfast are gone off James' skin, Kendall changes his diaper and then puts him into the new outfit, smiling down at him as he snaps the last button.

"There, all clean." Kendall picks James up and helps him stand on the changing table, laughing when he bounces. "Alright, come on. Daddy's gotta get changed and then we can go see your family, huh?"

James babbles in response and blows a raspberry when Kendall picks him up, cradling him to his chest. They walk down the hall and into the room Kendall shares with Carlos, watching as he pulls a t-shirt over his head and smiles, holding his hands out for James, who reaches out for him enthusiastically. He hands the baby to his husband and peels his shirt off, tossing it onto the floor before undoing his jeans, pushing them down before kicking them away.

It takes Kendall a few minutes to get ready and then the three of them head out of the house. Carlos puts James in his car seat while Kendall sits behind the wheel and covers up a yawn with the palm of his hand, listening to their son giggle in the backseat. He put the car in reverse when Carlos was settled in the passenger seat and pulled out into the road, shifting to drive before heading toward Logan's house.

x x

They spend the whole afternoon at the Mitchell house and ended up leaving James with Camille and Logan for the night. Logan had offered to take care of him so that Kendall and Carlos could spend some time along and so they could talk about their plans to have another baby. Kendall had completely forgotten about that, until Logan brought it up, and thinking about having another child made his stomach twist uneasily.

As soon as they're back at home, Kendall takes Carlos to the living room and sits him down. "So," he says and licks his lips, the thought trailing off.

"So," Carlos repeats and leans back against the arm of the couch, watching his husband. "Do you still want to go along with having another baby?"

"Yeah, of course I do. Time just flies by, you know, and I kind of forgot that we were going to do it when I got off tour."

Carlos laughs and moves closer, curling up against Kendall's side. "I know," he mutters and sighs, closing his eyes. "Ava's been getting ready for it, though, and she's stopped drinking, smoking, and doing anything bad so she'll have a good pregnancy."

Thinking about that makes Kendall's chest tighten and he swallows, leaning his head against Carlos' with a sigh. He runs a hand along his husband's bicep and listens to the noises all around them, letting his mind wander for a bit. Are they really ready for another child so soon or should they wait a while? Kendall knows that they can support another child financially but he isn't sure if they'll be able to take care of two children under the age of five. Maybe they should wait until James is in school, that way Kendall can focus on taking care of the baby while the eldest is out of the house and Carlos is at work.

But that's not what he wants; he wants their house to be full of children already and he knows that Carlos wants it too.

"Okay." Kendall breaks the silence with that one word and kisses the top of Carlos' head. "We'll do it as soon as we can. Get her an appointment with the doctor and make sure she's okay before we go about getting her pregnant," he whispers, lips moving against Carlos' hair as he speaks.

Something like a squeal leaves Carlos' throat and he pulls away to look at Kendall. "You're sure?"

"Positive."

"So Ava can go to the doctor soon and we can start the process again?" Carlos asks, hopeful.

Kendall chuckles and nods his head, licking his lips quickly. "Yeah, whenever you want."

"I love you," Carlos whispers and leans in to kiss Kendall's lips over and over, repeating those three words in between each kiss. Kendall laughs against his husband's lips and returns each one of the light kisses, wrapping one hand around the nape of Carlos' neck as he rests the other against his cheek, deepening the last kiss he presses against his mouth. He smiles against Carlos' lips when he gasps and kisses him slowly, brushing his thumb along his husband's cheekbone slowly, dragging it down the side of his cheek, cupping his jaw lightly.

When they ease away, a moment later, Kendall licks across Carlos' upper lip and smirks when he shivers. "Let's go to bed," he whispers and Carlos snorts lightly but nods his head in agreement, reluctantly moving away from Kendall to stand up, holding a hand out. Long fingers tangle with his own as Kendall stands and gives Carlos' hand a squeeze before the two of them move to the stairs and up them, going to their bedroom.

Once the door is shut behind them, Kendall pulls his shirt off and tosses it onto the floor, stepping closer to take Carlos' off, dragging the fabric up his skin before tugging it over his head, laughing when his arms get caught up in the fabric. He throws it aimlessly into the corner and cups his husband's chin before tilting it up, leaning down to kiss him lightly, moving his free hand along Carlos' side, tracing his tattoo lightly. When he pulls away, Kendall bites at Carlos' lips and then moves toward the bed, taking his jeans off, kicking them underneath the bed, laughing when he hears his phone thunk against the floor.

Carlos takes a deep breath and follows a moment later, undoing his jeans so slowly that Kendall honestly just wants to undo them for him but he stays where he is and watches, biting his lower lip. He lets out a quiet groan when Carlos pushes the denim down his legs and an even louder one when he gets rid of his boxer briefs, throwing them onto the floor behind him. When he looks up at Kendall, Carlos smiles and bites the middle of his lower lip before climbing into bed, laying on the middle of the mattress.

After taking a moment to look at his husband and admire his body, Kendall pushes his boxers down and moves onto the bed, holding himself up so that he's hovering over Carlos. He leans down and kisses his husband's chest, biting at his collarbone lightly before moving to the other side, trailing kisses and nips down the front of his stomach, smiling when he hears Carlos moan his name. A hand moves to the back of his head and Kendall hums against the other man's skin as he moves down to flick the tip of his tongue against the head of Carlos' cock, smirking when he gasps.

Kendall kisses his way back up Carlos' body and pecks his lips lightly. "I love you," he whispers and presses himself against his husband, closing his eyes when he feels two arms loop around his neck, holding him close. They kiss for a long time before Carlos rolls them over onto the mattress and straddles Kendall's lap, his hands dragging down his chest slowly.

They have sex a few minutes later and it's slow, passionate, and Carlos rides Kendall like it's the last time he'll ever be able to do it. And Kendall thinks that his husband looks beautiful on his lap, head thrown back as he bounces and a thin sheen of sweat going down the side of his neck. He leans up and wraps his arms around Carlos, holding him close as he bites across his throat, thrusting into him quickly.

When they're both spent, Kendall lays Carlos down on the bed and pulls him close, smiling when he curls up against his chest. He listens to the other's soft breathing and sighs contentedly, running his fingers through his husband's hair slowly before falling asleep. They stay close together throughout the night and Kendall wakes up a few times when he thinks Carlos isn't there, panicking until he sees his husband curled up on the mattress beside him.

The next morning, Carlos calls Ava and tells her that they're going ahead with the pregnancy.

x x

Two weeks later, Ava goes through with the conception and they all wait around for the results, which they get in the middle of May.


[January]

It's the middle of the night when Kendall's phone goes off on the nightstand and he gropes blindly for it, nearly pushing it onto the floor before just barely recovering it. The ring muffles against his palm and he slides his fingertip along the screen, bringing the device to his ear without even looking at who the caller was, yawning loudly before mumbling, "Hello?"

"Shit, sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up," a voice on the other line says and Kendall yawns again, covering his mouth with his free hand.

"S'okay," he replies and sits up in the middle of bed, running a hand through his hair as he looks at the clock, blinking when he sees that it's one in the morning. For a long, silent moment, Kendall can't place who the person on the other line is until he hears her laugh and he blinks again. "Victoria?"

Victoria laughs again and Kendall smiles sleepily. "Yep. Just wanted to let you know that Ava is going into labor and we're heading to the hospital now," she says and Kendall can just barely hear someone groaning in pain in the background; the noise gets muffled after Victoria says "hold on" and Kendall waits patiently, debating whether or not he should wake Carlos up.

A moment later, Victoria comes back and apologizes, causing Kendall to laugh quietly. "It's fine. How's she doing?"

"She's good. Contractions are coming every couple of minutes and her water broke at home," she answers and Kendall bobs his head, listening intently. "I didn't know if I should call you guys now or not but Ava told me to. I guess she wanted you two knowing what was going on every step of the way."

"Yeah, thanks. I'm glad you called," Kendall replies and scratches the top of his head. "Do you want us to meet you at the hospital or do you think she's going to be in labor for a while?" He remembers back to when Victoria was in labor and bites down on his lower lip, silently praying nothing goes wrong.

There's another moment of silence before Victoria says, "I think we'll be fine for now but I'll ask the doctors when we get there. I've gotta go, we're almost to the hospital now and I'll call you back after she's settled."

Kendall murmurs an agreement and says goodbye to them both, his heart fluttering when Ava groans out a painful goodbye. They hang up a second later and he looks down at his phone, running his thumb along the screen before setting it back onto the nightstand, sighing. When he straightens up, Kendall turns so he's facing Carlos and shakes his shoulder lightly, mumbling for him to wake up and biting back a laugh when he tells his husband to go away.

"Ava's at the hospital," he says and gives Carlos another soft shake, actually chuckling when he rolls over onto his back, blinking sleepily up at him.

"Is she okay?"

Nodding, Kendall smiles and leans down to kiss Carlos softly. "She's fine, just going into labor. Vic said she'll call me back later when she's had a chance to talk to the doctor and she'll tell us then whether or not we should come up," he whispers and smiles wider when Carlos lets out a noise of excitement. "It's a little early now, I think, but we should be able to go over in the morning at the very latest."

"I can't believe my baby girl's going to come soon," Carlos whispers and he lifts his hands, cradling Kendall's face gently. "I love you."

"I love you too," he replies and turns, kissing his husband's palm lightly. "Go back to sleep and I'll stay up until Victoria calls us back. If she says we can come up there now, I'll wake you again and we'll figure out something."

Carlos yawns and nods, leaning up to kiss Kendall's cheek softly. "Okay," he whispers, voice heavy with sleep, and drops his hands to his chest, eyes already slipping shut and his breathing slowing down. "Night, Kendall."

"Goodnight, baby."

Once Carlos is asleep again, Kendall slips out of bed and grabs his phone from the nightstand, slipping it into the pocket of his pajama pants. He stretches slightly and grabs his husband's hoodie on his way out of the door, slipping it on as he makes his way down the hall, yawning quietly. The house is eerily silent around him and he shivers at the cold, going down the steps quickly before going to the thermostat, turning the heat up a little more. Kendall sighs as he walks away and goes into the kitchen, running both hands along the back of his head, scratching his scalp as he makes his way to the fridge. The sleeves of Carlos' hoodie come up a few inches away from his wrists and Kendall pushes them up around his elbows, flipping the hood up onto his head.

The house starts to warm up and Kendall hums happily, opening the refrigerator to look for something to eat, scratching across his lower abdomen. He grabs a sandwich he'd made earlier that night and sets it on the counter, hooking his fingers into the handle of the milk jug, pulling it out before shutting the door with his hip, rolling his shoulders back as he walks over to the stove. After setting the jug down on the counter, Kendall goes to grab the sauce pot and a mug from the cabinet, setting the latter down beside the milk and putting the pot down on the burner.

Kendall pours milk into the pot and turns the burner on, letting the stove heat up as he takes the jug back to the fridge. He runs a hand along the back of his neck as he makes his way to the stove once more and he opens one of the cabinets beside it, rummaging through it until he finds a can of hot cocoa mix. It nearly falls onto the counter below but Kendall manages to grab it before letting that happen, breathing a sigh of relief once it's in his palms. With the mix in hand, Kendall shuts the cabinet door quietly and goes to grab a spoon from the drawer, holding it as he pulls the top off the tin.

After yawning hugely and shaking his head violently, Kendall dips the spoon into the mix and dumps a few big spoonfuls into the milk on the stove. Once he's certain that he's gotten enough chocolate in the pot, he puts the top back on the tin and places it back in the cabinet, scratching his jaw as he moves to stand in front of the pot, stirring the milk and cocoa mixture around.

It takes a few minutes for Kendall to get his hot chocolate ready and he pours it into his mug, taking a sip to make sure it tastes right before grabbing his sandwich. He leaves the kitchen and goes to sit in the living room, setting his food down on the coffee table with a sigh. Rolling his shoulders back, Kendall groans and snatches the remote up, turning the television on before flipping through channels randomly, settling on watching a movie he's seen a hundred times before.

Half an hour after eating, Kendall is passed out on the couch when his phone rings again. He barely hears it from where it is in his pants and it isn't until he shifts and feels it vibrating in the crease between his pelvis and thigh that he wakes up. Groaning, Kendall reaches into the pocket and grabs the device, answering the call quickly because he already knows who it is.

"Hello?"

"Kendall, hi, sorry to wake you up again." Victoria's voice sounded tired and Kendall shrugged in response, muttering that it was okay. "Ava is set up in a room now and they've got her hooked up to all the monitors. The baby is doing great, as is she, and the doctors are going to keep an eye on her throughout the night because she's not quite there yet." There's a pause and Victoria laughs. "Actually, she's not there at all, so it's safe to say that you guys can just stay there and I'll call you when things are progressing further."

Breathing in deeply, Kendall nodded and scratched his head. "Okay, call us as soon as she gets ready to have the baby. Carlos will hate himself if he misses his daughter being born and I'll feel terrible about it, too," he mumbles and smiles when Victoria laughs and agrees to call them when she's dilated to a certain centimeter. They say goodnight and Kendall hangs up, staring at his phone for a moment before sitting up, turning the television off before getting off the couch with a groan, stretching his arms above his head. He drops them and heads back upstairs, taking Carlos' hoodie off before tossing it onto the the end of the bed, sighing as he climbs onto the mattress behind his husband.

Carlos stirs when Kendall slides in behind him and wakes up long enough to ask if Ava's had the baby. Kendall tells him no and kisses the back of his head, whispering that he should go back to sleep and that Victoria will call them in the morning, when Ava gets closer to giving birth. They fall asleep tangled together under the sheets and Kendall dreams about their daughter, keeping Carlos close throughout the night.


[Carlos]

The bed is empty when Carlos wakes up in the morning and he frowns, stretching his arm across the spot where Kendall was laying just a few hours ago and he sighs, rolling over onto his back. It's just a little after nine in the morning and he grabs his phone as he sits up, leaning back against the headboard to check his messages and missed calls, pouting when he doesn't have anything from Ava or Victoria. Carlos takes a deep breath and searches through his contacts until he finds Victoria's name, deciding it'd be best to call her instead of Ava, and he taps her name, bringing the phone up to his ear. He bites his thumbnail as he listens to the other line ring and tries to keep himself calm.

Five rings later, Victoria answers. "Hey, Litos."

"Hey, Vic. I was just calling to check on Ava," he says and yawns, running a hand over the top of his head.

"Is that Carlos?" A voice in the background asks and Victoria laughs before answering 'yes.' "Tell him I'm having a baby!"

Victoria laughs again when she comes back and says, "Did you hear her?"

"Yeah, I did. She's not having the baby right now, is she?"

"Hmm, not yet." Carlos frowns and listens to his friend talk. "But she'll be there soon. The doctor says she's at, what, eight centimeters right now? So she's only got two more to go and the last few have happened quickly."

Carlos bobs his head and sits up, bending one leg under the other. "Okay," he huffs and then laughs. "Do you want us to come up there now or wait?"

There's a moment of muffled speaking before Ava comes on. "Hey, Litos!"

"You sound unnaturally happy for a woman that's having a baby," he says and laughs when she giggles. "How are you feeling?"

"Fantastic. They gave me stuff for the pain and I haven't felt anything for a while. They say it might be an hour before I can start pushing."

"An hour, wow. Do you want me to come up or wait until everything's happening for sure?"

Ava laughs on the other line and says, "Mmhm. A whole hour and then you'll have your baby girl. You can come up now, if you want."

"Alright. We'll be up there in a little while, okay? We have to drop James off at one of his grandparents' house and I need clothes."

"Take your time, honey," Ava replies and laughs before hanging up. Carlos stares at his phone and tosses it onto the mattress before scrambling to get out of bed, moving around the room to gather clothes for both himself and Kendall, throwing them onto the end of the bed. Once he's gotten clothes, Carlos pulls a pair of jeans on and does them up quickly, tugging a shirt on right after that, and he pulls a sweater on last, knowing that he'll need it because it's cold outside.

When he's dressed, Carlos heads downstairs and sneaks up behind Kendall, who's standing at the counter beside James' highchair. He puts a finger up to his lips when their son starts giggling and he comes up closer, wrapping both arms around his husband's waist, laughing when he jumps slightly. Kendall relaxes against Carlos' hold and puts both hands on his, lacing their fingers together.

"What's up?"

"Nothing," Carlos replies as he leans his head against Kendall's shoulder, humming. "Ava's going to have the baby soon."

Kendall turns around in Carlos' arms and smiles brightly at him. "So we're going to the hospital now?"

"As soon as you put clothes on and I get James ready, yep."

"I'll be ready in a few minutes," Kendall mumbles and leans down to kiss Carlos before heading out of the kitchen, leaving his husband and son alone.

Once his husband is gone, Carlos shakes his head and goes over to pick James up out of the highchair, holding him high on his hip. "Are you excited, James? You're going to have a baby sister soon and you'll be able to go see her once she's here," he says and tickles the toddler's stomach until he's giggling and saying "daddy stop."

The two of them head upstairs and Carlos changes James, putting him in the warmest clothes he can find. He has James dressed and ready by the time Kendall pops his head into the room to announce he's ready to go and the three of them head downstairs. Carlos puts the baby in his car seat and slides into the passenger seat, his body thrumming with excitement. No one says anything on the ride to Carlos' parents' house except for James, who babbles on and on about the new baby and it's so cute that Carlos can't take it.

As soon as James is dropped off at his grandparents', Carlos and Kendall head to the hospital and the excitement builds the closer they get. Carlos is nearly bouncing in his seat because he's been waiting for this moment, for too long, and he can't believe it's finally happening. He's finally going to be a father and they're going to be a perfect family of four instead of three which, okay, isn't bad but Carlos can't wait until there's four of them.

Carlos, James, Kendall, and their baby girl; it's perfect already.

x x

Kendall pulls into the hospital parking lot and Carlos just stares up at the building, lip caught between his teeth because he knows that they're going to be a complete family soon and he's about to burst out of his own skin he's so happy. It takes an incredibly long time for Kendall to park the car but, once he does, Carlos is getting out and bouncing up and down, waiting for his husband to get out so they can go inside.

"Impatient?" Kendall asks once he's out and he smiles fondly, walking over to put a hand in Carlos'. "Come on."

When Kendall's hand is in his, Carlos laces their fingers together and follows his husband into the hospital. "I'm impatient and nervous and excited as hell," he mumbles and squeezes the hand in his own, his stomach twisting nervously as they stop to ask what room Ava is in. The nurse at the desk smiles at them, looks at their joined hands, and then turns to the computer, typing Ava's name in before telling them her room number.

Once they've thanked the nurse, Carlos and Kendall go up to the floor where Ava is and they meet Victoria halfway done the hall.

"Oh! You guys are here," she says and laughs, wrapping her arms around both of their necks. "I was just going to grab a doctor."

"Is everything okay?" Carlos asks, panic clear in his voice.

Victoria shakes her head and laughs again, patting his cheek. "Of course, honey. She keeps saying she's ready to push and I need to find someone," she says and barely mutters an apology as she walks away, running down the hall before skidding around the corner. She's gone in the blink of an eye and Carlos pulls his brows together, tugging Kendall toward Ava's room.

Carlos lets go of Kendall's hand when they get to the room and he pushes the door open, smiling as he pops his head inside. "Hey," he says and comes in, holding the door open for his husband, who follows him over to the bed where Ava is laying.

"You made it," she says and smiles brightly before huffing. "I feel like I have to push and I want to, so bad."

"Vic went to get a doctor. She'll be here soon," Kendall says and he puts a hand on Carlos' shoulder, squeezing it.

Nodding, Carlos smiles and holds a hand out to Ava, breathing deeply when she takes it. "It's going to be okay," he whispers and drags his thumb along the back of her knuckles, yelping when she squeezes his hand tightly. "Fuck, you're strong."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry but it distracts me from wanting to push and..." Ava huffs again and closes her eyes. "Talk to me, distract me."

"What do you want me to talk about?" Carlos asks, confused.

Ava purses her lips and then licks them quickly. "Tell me what name you've decided on," she whispers and Carlos chuckles.

"Sophia Abigail," he replies and bites down on the middle of his lip when Ava smiles brightly at him, squeezing his hand tighter.

"That's a nice name," she hums and Carlos nods.

Everyone grows quiet then and Carlos focuses on running his thumb along the back of Ava's hand, humming quietly to her. When Victoria and the doctor come in, Kendall and Carlos move to the corner so Ava can be checked and they both blink when the doctor announces that it's time. Carlos bites down on his lip harder than before and turns to look at Kendall, who's smiling broadly, and he swallows thickly, unable to believe that he's going to be a father soon.

Victoria asks if they want to stay in the room and Carlos immediately agrees but Kendall keeps him in the corner, neither of them entirely sure that they won't pass out from seeing the birth and they can still be a part of everything from where they are. The nurses and doctors get everything together, then Ava's being given instructions and Carlos holds onto Kendall's hand so hard that he pulls it away after only a few minutes, laughing and mumbling something about his fingers being numb.

Once everything is set up and she's allowed to, Ava starts to push and Carlos holds his breath, listening to her. His heart sinks when he hears her make pained noises and he hates that she's going through all of that for them but he loves her for it. He loves her and Victoria for being so amazing and giving them children and he knows that they're going to be bonded for life now when, before, they hardly knew each other.

It doesn't take much pushing and, soon, Sophia is born. She cries loudly and, when he hears that sound, Carlos breathes a sigh of relief and looks at Kendall, leaning up on his tiptoes to kiss his husband's lips. He takes a deep breath after easing away and watches the doctor cut the cord before laying the baby on Ava's stomach. She's so beautiful, even now, that Carlos can't hold back his tears and he puts both hands over his mouth to keep the sobbing noises muffled.

The nurses clean the baby up, weigh her, and make sure she's okay before handing her back to Ava. They smile at Carlos and Kendall as they pass before telling them that they can go meet their daughter, which sends Carlos' heart rate through the roof. His daughter. His and Kendall's daughter is only a few feet away and he only moves when Kendall shoves his shoulders, laughing quietly in his ear.

"Hey," Ava says, her voice tired and wrecked, "here's Sophia."

Carlos swallows and holds his arms out, taking the baby before cradling her to his chest. "Hi, baby girl. I'm your daddy," he whispers and lets out a sound that's somewhere between a laugh in a sob when she starts to fuss in his arms. "And that's your other daddy, Kendall."

"Hey, Sophia." Kendall runs his finger down the back of the baby's head and smiles at Carlos, kissing his forehead lightly. "We've been waiting for you."

Breathing deeply, Carlos leans against his husband and looks down at their baby, holding her close. He keeps holding her quietly for a while and poses for a picture before they hand her back to Ava so she can spend time with her. Once Sophia safe in Ava's arms once more, Carlos and Kendall head outside to make their phone calls and send texts telling their friends and family that their baby has been born.

After telling everyone the good news, Carlos goes to the car to grab a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from the glove compartment. He takes one out, puts it between his lips, and hands the pack to his husband, who takes it with a smile and a muttered thanks. Carlos returns the smile and nods before lighting the end of his cigarette, inhaling deeply with a sigh.

"She's perfect, huh?" Carlos asks after taking the cigarette out of his mouth and they both watch the smoke billow toward the sky.

Kendall nods his head and smiles. "She is."

Sophia Abigail Garcia is born at 10:24 AM on January 6th.


A week after Sophia comes home from the hospital, Kendall makes an appointment at the tattoo parlor. He goes in without Carlos' knowledge and finally gets the tattoo he's been waiting to get since James was born: his name, along with the name of his little sister. The tattoo goes across Kendall's ribs and it's in a pretty, black cursive font and James' name is right about Sophia's.

Kendall waits until later that night to show Carlos the new tattoo and he expects his husband to yell at him for not getting it together but Carlos doesn't yell at him, just cries and hugs Kendall close to his body. He says the tattoo is beautiful and perfect and tells Kendall that he wants to get a matching one, soon, so they make a plan to get him an appointment in a few days.

Finally, they have a perfect family. Kendall and Carlos go from being just a summer fling to being married with a two year old and a newborn. They're happier than ever and, honestly, Kendall can't think of anything else that would make their lives more perfect. He's married to an amazing man and has two of the most beautiful children in the world.