The weight coming down on Wolf's shoulders had him near collapsing. Nothing was on him except for the clothes on his back but something was pushing him down. Exhaustion. He couldn't remember the last time he was this physically exhausted. He slumped down on the couch, rubbing his temples. He'd taken off his eye lens. The metal of it had felt so tight around his head he couldn't stand it along with his pulsing migraine. A huge brawl had broken out in Sargasso a couple of days prior, and the mess following was still not completely cleaned up. There were fatalities. Wolf had prided himself on keeping Sargasso under control enough so its residents wouldn't turn on each other. That was gone. It exploded under his nose. He made sure the ones who'd started it and caused the most damage were banished if they hadn't already been killed. The brawl had broken out in one of the makeshift bars. Of course, it had belonged to probably the sweetest people in the entire colony.

Wolf sighed. They'd been a lovely couple, the bar owners. Their names always slipped his mind, which frustrated him. How dare he? How could he? He'd always thought that the fact he didn't know their names to be a good thing as it meant they weren't on his shit list. But now, they deserved the proper respect of being remembered and honored and he couldn't do that for them. There was a chance Leon or Panther could recall their names, but Wolf hadn't had a chance to ask them. They were all on opposite sides of the station until they passed by each other going to bed. Wolf was constantly running down to the main levels only to run back to his quarters at the very top of the station. When he'd run back down, Leon or Panther would run back up.

All because of the baby.

The couple who'd owned the bar had been gone for a while, as they were expecting a child. They'd returned to grab a few things and angry patrons got out of control. That was what he had been told, but seeing the damage, the bodies, it had to have been more than that. All he knew for sure was that the couple were caught in the crossfire. They'd brought the baby, who'd survived the whole ordeal. Wolf had been the one to find her in the backroom, safely hidden behind crates and under a blanket. Tucked into a baby carrier, it was a newborn. She couldn't have been older than a few days. Wolf had picked up the baby carrier and walked right out of the back room. He stood in the open, holding the carrier, glaring down anyone who dared to make eye contact with him. The guilt on the faces let him know who had been a part of it. One hadn't dared to pretend to feel guilt, he had started laughing. One snap of Wolf's fingers and a point, that was all it took for Panther to sock the felon in the face. The crack had Wolf know Panther broke the monkey's nose. Probably an old soldier of Andross like most of the Sargasso residents were.

Wolf found his hands full but he wanted all of his focus to be on the baby currently in his quarters asleep in one of his drawers because he didn't have a crib and he didn't want the baby cooped up in the little carrier. They didn't have anything a baby needed, hell he didn't even know what her parents named her. He questioned if she even had a birth certificate to go off of. Think. They had to have mentioned baby names they liked before they left. It was so familiar to Wolf yet it wasn't there. The conversation happened but he couldn't think of a single word uttered.

Wolf groaned, slumping further down into the couch. The day was done for him as far as he was concerned. He could focus on the baby. He heard her whine as if on cue. Wolf forced himself to stand up and head to his room. It was somehow more peaceful in his room than anywhere else. It was his room which might have had something to do with it. But ever since he brought the baby inside it was as if she shifted everything. They always said having a child changes your life, but children were never thought of in Wolf's mind. How could he raise a child well enough with the life he lived? How could he even consider bringing a child into the world he lived in.

Yet here he was with a baby cradled in his arms. A little lioness with her nose and mouth still a faint pink from birth. She yawned, making a little squeaking sound that sent Wolf's heart into overdrive. He couldn't explain it beyond that he knew he was attached to her and didn't want to give her up. The baby whined again. She had to be hungry, it was the only thing Wolf could think of. He'd just changed her diaper not too long before.

He carried her into the kitchen area. They did have a small amount of baby formula that was found in a bag next to the baby carrier. It also had a package of diapers, but given who they were it'd be difficult to find her a new family that would take care of her and they'd run out. Within the past two days, he'd gotten quite skilled at making a bottle using only one hand. The baby continued to whine as he held her.

"Alright… I'm sorry I still don't know your name," Wolf said softly as he brought the fresh bottle up to the baby's lips. "Here ya go,"

He is talking to a baby.

The baby tugged the nipple of the bottle with her lips and began to drink. Wolf looked down at her. She was so tiny, bundled in her blankets she'd been found with, her little head not big enough to fill Wolf's entire palm. He thought back to earlier as he'd been changing her, she'd tried to grab his finger with her hand. Her hand was barely the size of his fingertip. It had made him want to cry.

"I'm sorry I can't remember the names your mama and dad wanted for you," Wolf said. The baby continued to drink up the formula, eyes closed. Some of the formula was oozing out of her mouth onto her lips and cheeks. She finished and let go, and then yawned, formula sticking to her. Wolf made a strangled noise in his throat, a noise of frustration and awe at the adorableness of the baby cradled in his arms.

"Let's get you cleaned up, and then I think I'm supposed to what? Burp you? Is that what it's called?" Wolf gently dabbed away the excess formula on her lips with a warm, damp washcloth.

Wolf switched the washcloth in his hand with a nearby hand towel. He maneuvered it over his shoulder. He wasn't entirely sure why parents did this whenever they had to burp their babies but he decided to do what was common. Wolf didn't see parents and their babies often, only in passing when on planets where civilians surrounded him, or from way back into his childhood and he had seen parents and their babies at the elementary school he had attended.

Wolf minded the baby's head, holding it as he held her upright, holding under her butt. He knew he had to pat her back, but where specifically? Wolf concluded that if he was supposed to burp her, then he should pat behind where her chest would be, so he did. A soft hiccup came from the baby, Wolf chuckled.

"There ya go, good girl," Wolf continued to pat her, just in case she had another one. She did, letting out another soft hiccup, as well as a little spit-up. So that was what the towel was for.

A few more pats, the baby not hiccuping again, Wolf stopped and cradled her back into his arms. He put the dirty towel in the sink, he'd clean it properly once either Leon or Panther got back.

"Alright, what do ya wanna do now, huh?" Wolf rubbed the fur of the baby's cheek with a feather-light touch. The baby licked her lips and yawned.

"You tired? Full from all that drink in your tummy?" Wolf cooed, and then sighed. "I'm tired too," His stomach whined. "And hungry."

The baby's eyes closed. She couldn't keep them open for very long, Wolf noticed. Or open them very wide. He had wanted to see her eye color, it appeared to be blue but he thought there was gold in them. Wolf recalled one time his mother had explained to him that sometimes babies were born with blue eyes and their eyes changed to their actual color later.

"C'mon, let's go sit down, yeah?" Wolf said, walking over to the small living room area. It wasn't much of a living room, a low, worn coffee table with two couches perpendicular to each other. Wolf sat down, the couch creaking beneath him. He laid the baby down on his lap, her head resting just below her knees.

"I'm gonna try and remember the names your parents wanted for ya," Wolf said.

The conversation was there in his mind, he could hear her voice, Nicolette. That was the mother's name. Nicolette and… the father. What was his name? He'd been a jovial fellow, a hearty sense of humor, soft-spoken but tough. Nicolette had been tough herself, more stern but she had a tender side. Like a proper mother.

"Your parents would've been wonderful to ya," Wolf said. "Nicolette and… and…"

"Leslie! Your father's name was Leslie!" Wolf said, relieved. "Nicolette and Leslie."

The baby yawned. Wolf sighed. "Yeah, you don't know what I'm saying, but someday you will,"

Someday? Wolf tried to shake the thought away. Someday implied he'd be the one to take care of her. Someday implied he'd raise her. Someday implied he was suited to even consider such a thing.

"Wait, your father had a whole song he wanted to sing to you. The song had your name, they'd found out you were a girl…" Wolf trailed off. The tune had begun to play in his head. Dear… dear… the name, what was the name?

"Are you alright?" Leon's voice cut through Wolf's thoughts.

"Quick, I think I can almost remember the name they'd wanted for her! Do you remember that song Leslie had sung about her before she was born?" Wolf said, startled by Leon's presence but all the more grateful.

"Hm… the name began with a T," Leon tapped his finger against the side of his chin. "Can you hum the tune? Or sing it? I remember faintly but I had never quite paid attention,"

"Sure, Dear… uh… and then her name, but then it went something like, how to say to you? You have my eyes, you have your mother's name," Wolf sang. He internally cringed at himself, his voice too low in timbre, in his opinion, for the song. Leslie had been a wonderful singer, entertaining the little bar he and his wife owned.

"But she doesn't have her mother's name," Wolf huffed, "Her mother's name was Nicolette…"

"It was her middle name, she preferred it to her first name, if I recall correctly," Leon said. "Her first name was Theodosia."

They paused. A toothy grin spread on Wolf's face, eye alight with a joy Leon hadn't seen in a very long time. Not since before the Lylat Wars.

"Theodosia," Wolf said, half laughing, "Dear Theodosia, how to say to you?" Wolf sang, testing to be sure. It fit perfectly. "Oh my god, little Theodosia."

Leon gave a soft smile before it quickly disappeared from his face. Wolf hadn't noticed, too entranced by the child in his lap, smiling and humming softly, gently petting the child's head with his thumb, right by her ear. Leon knew where this was going, and he adored seeing Wolf so happy, but the risk of it all was too much.

"Quite a mouthful, isn't it? Her name?" Leon said.

"Hm?" Wolf looked up, "Oh, yeah kinda, I mean, we can shorten it to something if ya want?"

"Perhaps simply Theo will do," Leon said.

"You wanna hold her?"

Leon pursed his lips together and looked away. "I'm not the best with children, especially babies."

"Didn't you have a ton of siblings?" Wolf asked, "And your mom would have you help her out with the little ones?"

"Just because I helped doesn't mean I was very good at it," Leon walked over and sat next to Wolf. "But I… can try to hold her," Leon hesitated when he reached out.

Wolf smiled, "A'ight, here you go, mind her head," Wolf gave Leon the baby, Theodosia.

Leon looked down at her, "Now what?"

"That's it," Wolf laughed, "Ya just hold her, and she looks all cute"

"She looks like a fuzzy peach," Leon said, "With little wrinkles," His face contorted into mild disgust.

"She's got that soft babyfur, and she smells like a baby," Wolf said. Leon discovered back during the Lylat Wars that Wolf loved children. Babies, toddlers, all children. It was a love for the innocence they had. Wolf had even said once that children were smarter than any of them ever could be. Leon had nodded, but inwardly disagreeing.

"What does a baby smell like?" Leon asked.

"Baby powder and formula," Wolf shrugged.

"Ah," Leon said. He looked down at Theodosia again, eyes narrowing as he examined her face. "She is tiny,"

"She's not more than a few days old," Wolf said.

"Her eyes have little bits of blue but they're also yellow?"

"Babies are born with blue eyes, they turn to their actual color later usually,"

Theodosia yawned. It was a big one, her gums on full display with her tongue sticking out and curling. She squeaked. Wolf smiled as Leon's eyes slowly widened, his eyelids going back like they always did whenever he was happy. His pupils widened. Extremely happy.

"Hello, little one," Leon massaged the side of Theodosia's cheek with his thumb.

"'I'm not the best with children, especially babies,'" Wolf mimicked. Leon glared at him.

"Shut up."

"It's okay if ya like her," Wolf said, "Really,"

"I do…" Leon admitted, "But what are we going to do?"

Wolf kept his gaze on Theodosia, staying silent.

"You want to keep her, don't you?" Leon questioned.

Wolf didn't respond.

"I know, but… how are we supposed to care for her? Properly? We can't exactly go to Corneria to the supermarket and grab everything she needs and come back without being noticed. We've already broken our pardons from the Anglar Blitz because we run an underground criminal hideout, and have and still do our fair share of crimes," Leon said.

"Tell me something I don't know," Wolf muttered.

Leon shook his head, "Unless you're going to change the way we do things, I'm not sure what else we can do besides finding her a family that'll be good to her,"

"What if I'm willing to change things for her?"

Leon exhaled, "Then I'm going to continue to stay by you like I always have,"

"I know…"

They looked at Theodosia, who had fully fallen asleep in Leon's arms.

"We'll have to discuss this with Panther once he's done for the day and comes back up here, but until then, let us just… enjoy her," Leon said.

"I wanna adopt her, Leon."

"I know, Wolf."

Leon looked down at Theodosia. He had the urge to hold her tightly to himself and give her affection, something he seldom received and even more seldom gave.

"I know,"