Chapter 18:

It was a gloomy day, the kind of day where no one wanted to go outside or do anything. Even though it was a rare day off, no one felt like doing a thing.

Sniper lay on the couch, staring up at the ceiling in silence with a beer bottle clutched in his hand. Beside him lay Dee, now almost a year old, who was babbling nonsense while messing with a plastic cup.

After a few minutes, she turned her head towards Sniper and exclaimed, "Bah!"

Sniper turned to look at her. "Hm?"

"Bah!" She repeated as if she really wanted him to understand.

Sniper realized what she was referring to after a moment, and then he turned towards the coffee table. "Oh, okay. Your bottle's right here, beastie,"

He handed her the bottle, which she eagerly accepted and began to drink from. She could hold the bottle by herself, now, and while it was a good sight to see, Sniper felt it was also somewhat bittersweet. She didn't need him as much anymore…

Just as he had that thought, Dee adjusted her position so she could lay her head directly on him, still slurping quietly on the bottle. Sniper couldn't help but grin, and he leaned down to kiss her head. "Oh, you precious little thing," he remarked quietly, touching the thick tufts of hair on her head.

Dee looked up at him, and she smiled around her bottle, pulling off and exclaiming, "Papa!" It wasn't the first time she'd said it, and her speech was a bit garbled but it never failed to make Sniper tear up a bit when he heard it.

"God, I love you, Dee," He cooed softly, lifting Dee up a bit more and hugging her close.

"Papa, Papa, Papa…" Dee chanted, shaking her bottle in her hand and whining when she couldn't quite bring it to her mouth.

"Oops, sorry," Sniper pulled off, watching as Dee brought the bottle to her mouth and continued to drink eagerly.

Just then, Scout poked his head into the room, saying, "Yo, Snipes! The phone's for you!"

Sniper tilted his head, a bit confused. "Really? Hm, okay," he stood up, taking Dee with him and heading to the base's telephone.

He answered; it was just Miss Pauling, telling him that his adoption of Dee was in fact confirmed. Finally, he was legally Dee's father.

"Thank you," he grinned as he hung up the phone, and he turned to kiss Dee again. She smiled at him, showing off a little tooth she'd been growing for a while.

Sniper watched Dee for a long moment, and then he turned back to the phone, dialing that familiar number. He held the receiver to his ear, hearing nothing but beeps and static, and that automated voice telling him that the person he was trying to reach was currently unavailable. Nevertheless, Sniper cleared his throat and began speaking.

"Hey, Mum, Dad…" he swallowed, adjusting Dee in his arms. "I just thought I'd let you guys now that Dee's been officially adopted by me. She's growin' so fast, you would not believe it,"

Dee babbled more nonsense, and Sniper just caressed her back. "Mum, I know you'd say she's getting so gorgeous, but she's always been gorgeous. Even in the dumpster," he chuckled. "Dad, I know you'd probably go off on me for getting into the trash, all those germs and disease, and whatnot…but honestly, she's worth it, believe me,"

The only answer was that voice, repeating over and over, "The caller you are trying to reach is currently unavailable at this time. Please hang up and try again," followed by the static and beeping.

Sniper swallowed past the lump in his throat, closing with, "Well, I love you both. So does Dee. I'll talk to you later,"

He hung up, and Dee dropped her bottle on the ground.

"Uh-oh!" Dee exclaimed, pointing to it.

"Oh, yeah. Uh-oh," he blinked through his misty eyes, kneeling to grab the bottle. "All done with this, beastie?"

Dee whined and reached for it, but Sniper just chuckled. "Ah, girlie— it's empty. Let's get you a new one,"

He headed for the kitchen, with Dee leaning against his shoulder while his hand stroked her back.