Asha reluctantly turned over her leadership of the S1W. The group loved Asha and everyone was sad to see her go, but they all agreed that it was too dangerous for a pregnant woman to be involved in their activities. Asha tried, but sitting around the house all day just wasn't her style. She decided to take Normal up on his offer and took a job at Jam Pony as an accountant/desk clerk. She accomplished what Normal could never do; she had that place running like clockwork within a month. Everyone much preferred Asha's sweet smiles, to Normal's "bip, bip, bip" any day, so they were all happy to have her there...especially Alec of course.
"Hey Max, got a delivery for you. Come on, bip, bip, bip," Normal said as Max returned from a run. He threw the package to her; she turned her bike around and started to head out the door when she stopped. "This is for Alec, why can't he just get his own damn package?" she questioned. "He's off today," Normal answered. "Well, where's little miss bosses pet? They live in the same apartment, she can give it to him then," Max said. "If you're referring to the lovely Mrs. Barlow, she's the reason Alec's not here. She had a doctor's appointment today so I gave them both the whole day off," he said. "Fine, I'll deliver the thing," Max said as she headed out the door.
"Awww, that's so cute!" Max said as she let herself into Asha and Alec's apartment. Alec was reclined on the sofa, while a now six month pregnant Asha was settled between his legs with her back against his chest. Alec was absent-mindedly caressing her exposed and round tummy with one hand, while the fingers of his other were intertwined with hers. Asha looked relaxed to the point of being half asleep. "Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" Alec asked as he glared at Max, "you're interrupting family quality time." "Am I not family?" Max asked with a look of mock hurt, "Anyway, I came to deliver your package and this is how you treat me. I'm hurt Alec, really."
He took the envelope from her hand and said, "Ok, you can leave now." "You know I need a signature," she said, "Hey Ash, how did the appointment go? You and the little one feeling ok?" "We're both fine; it was just a routine appointment. There's nothing to worry about," Asha said with a yawn. "Yes there is, Dr. Crawford said her blood pressure was a little high and she needs to stay as relaxed and stress free as possible. Which is what we were working on before you decided to show up," Alec said. "Wow," Asha gasped as the baby kicked her hard. "What's wrong?" Max asked. "The baby's kicking," Asha said as she grabbed Max's hand and placed it on her stomach, "here, feel." "Wow, that's my godson or goddaughter in there...sweet! Does it hurt?" Max asked, fascinated. "No, it doesn't hurt but it feels a little weird," Asha said, wrinkling her nose. "The kid kicks like a fighter. Didn't get that from mommy," Max said with a laugh, remembering the hilarious display of Asha's fighting skills. "Hey! I'm more brain than brawn. That is unless I have a gun in my hand," Asha said.
Alec had become silent. He was completely stunned by what he had found when he opened that envelope. It was a piece of paper with nothing except the symbol of White's cult on it. Alec didn't know what to think of it, but he knew it wasn't good. "Alec you're too quiet. What's that?" Asha said, snapping him out of his state of shock. "Oh nothing important sweetie, just something Normal sent over," Alec said as he kissed the top of her head. He knew Asha needed to stay relaxed; he didn't want her worrying and causing her blood pressure to go up. Max knew he was lying, but she also knew he was doing it for Asha's sake. She shot him a look that told him to get Asha out of the room. "Oh, well the baby is having fun using my bladder as a trampoline right now. I have to pee," Asha said.
"Oh wait, Logan told me to invite you guys to dinner tonight. He said somebody has to feed Asha and the baby properly. Poor Asha shouldn't have to live off of your cooking, Alec. Your close relationship with the pizza man isn't good enough, and Asha shouldn't be slaving away in the kitchen cooking for herself," Max said. "Ha! Well you tell Logan he can come take care of it when she has cravings at 3 am. I happen to do pretty well with a sandwich though," said Alec. Asha smiled and got up to go. Alec grabbed her hand and stopped her. "Hey baby, since we're going to dinner and you're supposed to be relaxing, why don't you go ahead and get ready for a bath. I'll be back there as soon as I finish killing Max for interrupting us," Alec said.
As soon as Asha left the room, he showed Max what was in the envelope. It was a piece of paper with nothing on it except the symbol of White's breeding cult. "I don't know what the hell this means, but it isn't good," said Max. "You read my mind sis," Alec said. "We've got to move. You and Asha need to get out of here. White knows where you live," Max said. "Wait, calm down. I don't think he's trying to kill me. There's more to this. He obviously knows where I live, so he could have moved on me a long time ago and I wouldn't have stood a chance. He's after something else. I don't want to make any unnecessary moves right now. Asha would get stressed and that's dangerous for her and the baby. He's trying to provoke me, so I think right now we should just continue normally and keep a closer eye on Asha just in case this is about the baby," Alec said. Max looked conflicted, she wasn't sure that was the best plan but this was Alec's life and it was up to him. "Ok, I'll talk to Logan and see if he can find out anything. See you guys at seven," Max said as she headed out the door.
Somewhere on the other side of town, Ames White sat in front of a computer. A picture of Asha was on the screen. A Familiar walked into the room holding a folder. "Sir, the girl's IQ is off the charts and she's near perfect genetically. We managed to get her records from her ob-gyn appointments, there's some concern about her blood pressure, but it doesn't seem to be a huge problem. Should we start organizing?" he asked. "No, not yet. Let the mutant think it's all happily ever after for a few more months before we snatch it all away," White said. "This child could prove to be very valuable to us. We already know how special the child of a normal human and a transgenic can be, imagine what a child of a transgenic and the cream of the crop in the naturally born human population will be. We can't risk letting this one slip through our hands by making rash decisions. Patience my friend, it will be well worth the wait."
Alec entered the bathroom and found his wife relaxing in a tub full of bubbles. "Hey you started without me," Alec said as he eased in opposite her. Asha giggled as Alec pressed his lips to the soles of each of her feet then began gently massaging them. She sighed contentedly as he paid special attention to her swollen ankles, and then worked his way up to her calves. "Alec, what was really in that package Max delivered? And please don't insult my intelligence again by saying it was really from Normal," she said. Alec said, "I won't, but really it was nothing I can't handle. My first priority is to keep you and the baby healthy and happy. Please just trust me and let this go for our baby's sake, I don't want you worrying and getting all stressed out." She nodded her head in agreement and they fell into a comfortable silence.
"You ready to get out?" Alec asked while still massaging Asha's legs. "No, that feels too good to give up," she murmured. "The water's getting cold, and you know you can have massages anytime you want," Alec said as he got out of the tub and dried himself off. He then grabbed a towel for Asha, helped her up, and wrapped it around her. Asha sat down on the bed and sneezed loudly. Alec immediately went into an overprotective rant, "Are you ok? If you're not feeling well we don't have to go." "Chill out, I'm fine. Geez, it was just a sneeze...probably from dust or something," she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek, "You're nuts and overprotective, but I love you. I'm going to get dressed."
Alec quickly dressed and sat down to wait for Asha. What should have been an easy task turned into a nightmare. "Ugh, nothing fits! I can't go anywhere, I don't have anything to wear!" screamed Asha, as she tried unsuccessfully to button her jeans. "Well I told you to go buy some maternity clothes," Alec said. Asha's eyes shot daggers at him, "I refuse to walk around looking like a clown in polka dots, stripes, and overalls. When maternity clothes become fashion forward, I'll think about it. Now help me or shut the hell up." "Ok, sorry. Don't get so upset, we'll work it out," he said as he got up and began searching in a drawer for something.
"Here," he said as he approached Asha holding a rubber band. "What am I supposed to do with that?" she asked. "This," he said as he hooked one end of the rubber band on the button of her jeans, then threaded the other end through the button hole, and stretched that end back around the button. "There, problem solved. Oh wait," he said as he pulled one of his white, button down shirts out of a drawer, "put this on. It'll cover the rubber band and you look damn sexy in my shirts." "No I don't, I'm a cow," Asha said as she put the shirt on and bit her bottom lip like she always did when she was feeling self-conscious. Alec came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "You are not a cow, you're beautiful. You're even more gorgeous now than you were before you were pregnant," Alec said as he kissed her neck. "Flattery will get you everywhere Mr. Barlow. Are you ready to go?" she said. "Yeah, we better head out. You know it will take you forever to waddle over there," he said. Asha playfully smacked him in the back of the head and they headed over to Logan's apartment.
"Hey mama!" Logan said as he drew Asha into a hug and kissed her cheek, "How's my godson?" "It could be your goddaughter, and he or she is hungry so feed me already," Asha replied. "The bad news is, I forgot to turn on the oven so dinner's going to be at least another hour. The good news is, if you're really hungry right now I'll make you something to hold you until then," Logan said. "Um Logan, are you having a memory lapse or something? First of all I'm Asha, so that alone should tell you I'm hungry right now. Second, I'm pregnant. You might want to get to work now," she said as she made her way to the living room and sat down beside her husband. "A woman with an appetite, nothing sexier than that," Alec said with a laugh. "Asha what do you want to eat?" Logan asked. "A grilled cheese sandwich with pickles please," she answered sweetly. "Ewww!" Logan, Alec, and Max said in unison as they all visibly cringed at the thought of it.
Asha enjoyed her sandwich while everyone else looked on in disgust. She pouted and convinced Alec to taste it, he was surprised that it was actually pretty good. They sat down to dinner an hour later like one big happy family. After dinner they sat around talking and laughing, and Alec and Max watched Asha kick Logan's ass in chess several times. As usual, Logan quickly went back into work mode. "Alec, would you mind hanging around and helping with some research? I'm helping the S1W with something and there are a lot of files to read through," said Logan. "No problem. Baby do you want me to take you home first? Or do you want to just go in the guest room and get some rest?" Alec asked.
Asha glared at him like he'd said the most stupid thing in the world. "Neither, I can help with the research," she said. "But your blood pressure..." said Alec before Asha cut him off. "Is fine. Alec I'm pregnant, not dying. It's not like I just said I was going to take your motorcycle for a spin, I am fully capable of reading through some files. I love you very much, but if you don't stop this overprotective thing I'm going to have to hurt you," she said with a smile. Max and Logan snickered and handed Asha some files. After an hour or so Alec looked over to find Asha fast asleep with a file folder resting on her stomach. He smiled, even when she was in a hormonal rage she made him happy.
Two months passed, and there were no other signs of what White was up to. Everything continued normally. Logan couldn't find any information on what White could possibly be up to. Just when they started to let their guard down, it happened again. There was another package from White, identical to the first. Alec was worried. He didn't know what White was up to, so he had no idea what to do or how to protect his wife and his child. He couldn't sleep, so he watched her instead. He got out of bed, being careful not to wake the sleeping beauty beside him.
He sat on the living room couch staring at the paper. Hours later he heard Asha shuffle sleepily from the bedroom and he quickly put the paper away. He looked over and smiled at the sight before him. A very sleepy Asha was rubbing her eyes. She had on nothing but panties and one of his white shirts, with only the first three buttons done, it exposed her well-rounded tummy. She had let her hair grow over the months, so golden waves cascaded past her shoulders. Pregnant women really did glow, and she was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. He took her hand and pulled her into his lap. She wiggled and sighed as she finally got comfortable, and buried her head in that space between his neck and shoulder that she loved so much.
"What are you doing up? Are you hungry?" he asked. She shook her head "no". "Thirsty? Headache? Baby kicking too much? Back hurting again?" he asked again. Again she shook her head "no". "Well what do you need then?" he asked, not expecting an answer. She lifted her head from his shoulder and whispered with her lips ever so slightly brushing his ear, "you." He smiled and kissed her softly. If he had known it would be the last time he would make love to her, he would have made that moment last forever...he would have held on for dear life and never let her go.
"Hey!" Alec yelled as he felt the swift kick to his lips, "I was just trying to say good morning!" He tried again, only to be greeted with another kick. "Fine, this is how you treat your father?" he said. "No, that's how you protect mommy when crazy daddy wakes her too early in the morning," Asha said, her voice heavy with sleep. "I'm sorry, but it's time for you to get up anyway. If we don't get going we'll be late for work," Alec said. He kissed Asha's tummy once more, this time he didn't get kicked. He moved up the bed to lie down beside Asha and rested his forehead against hers. He took her hand in his and kissed each of her delicate fingers, as he watched her heavy eyelids drift closed again.
Alec brushed a piece of hair behind her ear, and then began to plant kisses on every bit of her skin he could get to. "I'm trying to make this as pleasant for you as possible," he said between kisses, "I know how you hate to wake up in the morning, but you have to." "No! I'm not going, I don't feel so good," she whined, "My back hurts, and I have a headache." She added a pout for good measure; it always got to him. Alec immediately began to panic. "Wha-what should I do? Oh no, you're going into labor! I should call the doctor, or get you to a hospital, or help you breathe, or..." he said. "Alec!" she yelled, "I'm not going into labor. It's just a regular old backache. The doctor said I'm not the least bit dilated yet, and there's a whole month left before my due date."
He breathed a sigh of relief. Alec left the room and returned with a bottle of Tylenol and a glass of water. "Aww, poor baby," he said as he took two pills from the bottle and handed them to Asha along with the glass of water. She gratefully accepted the pills and washed them down, and then she lay back down on her side with her back to him. He sat down on the bed beside her and gently massaged her aching back. "Stay with me," she said breathlessly. "You don't know how much I wish I could stay home and make you feel better baby, but Normal will fire me if I miss another day so I better get going," he said as he kissed her cheek.
"He won't fire you if I ask him," she said with syrupy sweetness. Alec laughed, "I'm sure he wouldn't, but all the guys already hate me because I'm married to the most beautiful woman alive. Imagine what they would think if you were getting special favors for me at work too. Besides, we need the money to support your appetite," he said as he pat her belly. She let out a disappointed sigh and wriggled a bit to get more comfortable. "I love you both and I'll be straight home after work. I promise," he said, placing one last kiss on her cheek and adjusting the pillows supporting her back and tummy, making sure she was all tucked in and as comfortable as a pregnant woman could be. "Love you too," she said as she drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face.
"She's alone, should we move in?" asked one of the Familiars. "No, it's too risky. If she gets excited her blood pressure will skyrocket, that could harm the child. We can't risk that, we need the child alive and healthy if it's going to prove to be a valuable asset to us," answered White. "Well what should we do?" the Familiar asked. "We'll have to ease her into it. Go after the X5 instead. Use him as the bait to get the kid. We'll hold him and then force her to choose," said White.
Asha was awakened by the sound of someone approaching the bedroom door. She didn't know why, but something felt wrong. She automatically went for the Desert Eagle 357 magnum she kept in the nightstand on her side of the bed and trained it on the door. The door squeaked as it opened slowly, Asha cocked the gun and steadied her aim. She wouldn't miss; she never missed. "Whoa Asha, put the gun down it's just me," Max said as she entered the bedroom. Asha blinked a couple of times to clear her blurry vision and then put the gun back in its place, "Max you scared the shit out of me. What are you doing here?" "I was hoping Alec was here, I need his help with something but he never came back after lunch. Sorry I woke you, I'll let you get back to sleep," Max said as she turned to leave. Asha was overcome with a feeling of terror; she looked over at the clock. It was 8:00 pm and he was hours late. "Wait Max something's wrong, he promised me he would be straight home after work, he never showed up," Asha said.
Max could see that Asha was starting to panic. "I found this on the coffee table, maybe he left it for you," Max said as she handed Asha a plain white envelope. Asha took the envelope and slowly opened it. Max looked on as Asha's hands began to tremble, and all color drained from her face. "Asha? What is it?" she asked. Asha's eyes flooded with tears as she slowly handed the piece of paper to Max. It said, "Care to make a trade?" and had the symbol of the Familiars on it. Asha and Max both knew what it meant; White had Alec.
Alec winced in pain as he tried to sit up. He quickly shut his eyes against the bright lights that invaded them. He was finally able to take in his surroundings. The cell was stark white, with nothing in it except an uncomfortable cot. "Shit!" he yelled as he remembered how he ended up there. He was on his way back from lunch when a group of Familiars jumped him. He put up a fight, but in the end one transgenic was no match for six Familiars. One minute he was fighting for his life and the next he was waking up in a stark white cell. His very next thought was of Asha, he had promised her he would be straight home after work.
She hadn't been feeling well that morning, and he mentally kicked himself for leaving her. He could hear her voice as if she were right there with him. "Stay with me" she had said, and for once he had actually said no to her...and it was the worst decision he'd ever made. "I'm so sorry baby," he said to himself. She was probably worried sick wondering where he was. Suddenly it dawned on him, he thought it was a dream but he had heard one of the Familiars mention a baby while they were transporting him here. They were after his child, and Asha was vulnerable without him. He had to get back to her, no matter what.
It had been over a week since Alec was kidnapped. Max, Logan, and Asha all knew what White was after and there was no way they were letting him get what he wanted. They immediately began trying to locate Alec and devise a plan to get him back. Asha was strong; no one could deny her that. She never let anyone see her cry; she kept up the illusion of being happy. Inside she was falling apart. She felt like a part of her was missing without him. "You know you don't have to do this," Logan said as he sat down beside Asha. "Do what?" she asked. "This. Pretending that everything is fine, pretending that you're not hurting, shutting down your emotions and bottling everything up inside," he replied. Asha was getting annoyed and he could see it in her eyes. She didn't want to talk about it, she started to say something but Logan stopped her.
"Before you say anything, know that I'm only bringing this up because I love you. It kills me to see you like this. That façade you put up may fool everybody else, but I've known you all your life. I know that you're barely eating, you're hardly sleeping, and when you do it's only after you're all cried out. I'm here for you. If you need a shoulder to cry on, someone to hit, someone to stay up with you when you can't sleep. It doesn't matter what it is, I'm here, all you have to do is say the word," he said. Asha sighed. She wanted to argue with him, but she knew he was right and she just didn't have the energy anyway. Instead, she just gave him a weak smile and rested her head on his shoulder. Logan put his arm around her and they just sat there, not saying anything. That was all she needed.
Alec paced the small room. He was going nuts in there. Thinking of Asha was the only thing keeping him sane. He had checked and double-checked the room to try and find a way out. There were no windows, no vents, and no way to open the door from the inside. Once a day a guard came in to deliver a tray of food. It was risky; Alec had no idea what the layout of the building was or how many other guards there were. It was his only chance, and he was damn sure going to take it.
Max and Logan had managed to determine Alec's location. Logan busied himself getting blueprints of the building, but he still had no idea how many guards were in the place. Sending Max in alone wasn't a good idea, so Asha called in her S1W friends and they were more than happy to help. Max also organized a small group of transgenics to help out. They finalized their plans and got their supplies ready. They were bringing Alec home.
Alec had knocked the first guard out when he was setting the tray near the door. He never knew what hit him. He took a set of keys and a stun gun off the guard, just in case they would come in handy later. He had gotten past two more guards without being seen, or so he thought. Just when he was in sight of the exit, he found himself surrounded by White and a group of about fifteen Familiars. There was no way he could fight them all off, but he would try anything to see her again. He was fighting as hard as he could, but it was no use. He was beat up pretty badly and was starting to get tired when all of a sudden he heard a crash. "Alec I'm disappointed, you started the party without me," Max said as she helped him to his feet.
"Don't worry sis, there's plenty left for you," he said. "452 I'm disappointed, I thought you were smarter than that. You of all people should know that the two of you don't stand a chance against us," White said. "Maybe not, but how do you feel about fifty?" Max said as the S1W members and transgenics streamed into the building, surrounding the familiars. "Now that's what I call getting the party started right!" Alec exclaimed.
"Well welcome home," Logan said as Max and a bruised but very happy Alec walked through the door, "she's in the guestroom sleeping." He knew Alec's mind was on nothing but Asha. "Thanks for taking care of her for me," Alec said with a smile as he headed off to the guestroom. Alec held his breath as he took in the sight of his wife sleeping. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he thought there was a chance that he would never see her again. She was so beautiful he didn't even want to wake her. Instead he crawled into bed and gently coaxed her into his arms.
An hour later, Max and Logan heard the loud thump of a body hitting the floor and Asha screaming. "Oh my god you scared the shit out of me! What the hell is wrong with you!" Asha screamed. "Ow! I'm sorry! You were so cute I didn't want to wake you," Alec said as he approached Asha and tried to kiss her. Instead of soft lips, he was greeted with a punch in the arm. "What was that for?" he asked as he slowly backed out of the room. "Because you scared me! And you made me worry about you! And I thought I'd never see you again and I'd have to raise this baby all alone! And you told me you'd be straight home after work you dumb ass!" she yelled, ending each point by punching him again.
When she finally finished ranting, tears were streaming down her face. She fell into Alec's arms and he held her tightly against his chest. "I'm sorry sweetie, I promise I'll never do it again. Next time I'll get us both kidnapped so we can be together," he said. She laughed and playfully punched him again. "You know you made it home just in time," she said softly. "Really? In time for what?" he asked. "In time to see the birth of your son or daughter. My water just broke," she said. Alec didn't know what to do other than stare at the puddle on the floor with his mouth open. He couldn't move, he couldn't talk, he couldn't even think straight. What Asha thought had been a constant backache and cramps, turned out to be the first stage of labor and now it was time for her to give birth. Logan could see that Alec was in shock, and Asha was beginning to experience some pain so he decided to take over. "Max can you call Dr. Crawford and let her know what's going on? Asha you come with me. Walking is supposed to help with delivery, do you feel up to it?" he asked. Asha nodded a "yes". "Alec, you can join us when you pick your face up off the floor. We'll be going up and down the hallway," he said as he led Asha out the door.
Her contractions were becoming more painful and Asha was becoming increasingly irritable, so they gave up on walking and decided to try warm water instead. Alec had collected himself and sat in the bathroom massaging her back as she tried unsuccessfully to relax in the bathtub. When her contractions were about 3 minutes apart, they abandoned the water idea and tried different positions instead. Asha was on all fours on the bed, while Alec continued to rub her back and annoy her by talking too much and telling her to breathe. She didn't want to breathe, all she wanted was to stop the pain and get that baby out of her. "Alec, if you don't shut the hell up I'm going to kick your ass! Ow!" she yelled, as another contraction hit her. Alec just stood there looking like a lost puppy. He really was lost; he had never dealt with a pregnant woman before. One minute she was yelling at him to leave her alone, the next she was whining because she wanted him near her.
Max had called Original Cindy after she called Dr. Crawford and she had come over right away to help. Dr. Crawford had finally arrived and Original Cindy ushered her back to the guest room. "How are you doing Asha? I'm sorry about the delay, I had another delivery," Dr. Crawford said as she entered the room. Asha just grunted in response. Dr. Crawford chuckled, "Ok, Mr. Barlow, I need you to help me get her settled on the bed so I can see how far she's dilated." Logan left the room to give Asha some privacy while Dr. Crawford checked her out. "Good, you're fully dilated, that means you can start pushing soon," she said.
"Alec? I don't feel so good. It hurts and I think I'm going to be sick," Asha said in a child-like voice, her eyes pleading with him to do something. She was shaky and very uncomfortable, and Alec wished he could take away all her pain but there was nothing he could do and it frustrated him. "I know it hurts baby, I'm sorry. Don't worry, it will all be over soon," he said, trying to reassure her. "Is there anything we can do?" Max asked. She and Original Cindy had remained in the room at Asha's request. "Sure, I'll need each of you to hold one of her legs. It's time to push," Dr. Crawford answered. Max and Original Cindy did as she asked, while Alec remained beside his wife.
"Ok Asha, push when you feel the next contraction," Dr. Crawford said. Asha nodded. The next contraction hit and Asha pushed as hard as she could. Her knuckles were white from squeezing Alec's hand. The doctor gave her the ok to stop pushing and she panted with exhaustion. Alec provided encouraging words and wiped the sweat from her face with a cool cloth. Things continued like that for almost an hour. Asha became increasingly irritable and foul mouthed with each cycle of pushing. "I can't believe I fucking let you do this to me! If you ever make me do this shit again I'll fucking kill you! You are never touching me again!" Asha yelled. Max and Original Cindy giggled at the look of hurt on Alec's face. "Don't worry Alec, she doesn't mean it. That's just the pain talking," Max whispered to him. "Damn, OC didn't know Blondie had it in her. She looks too sweet to have a mouth like that," Original Cindy said.
"You're doing great Asha, I can see the head now. Just a few more pushes and you'll be holding your baby in your arms. Now I need you to give it all you've got ok?" Dr. Crawford said. Asha was exhausted; she just wanted it all to be over. Alec positioned himself behind her so he could help support her while she pushed. Max and Original Cindy were still holding her legs. When it was time to push again, Asha did as Dr. Crawford had asked and pushed with all the strength she had left. Just as promised, the sound of the baby crying soon filled the room. "It's a girl! Would you like to cut the umbilical cord Mr. Barlow?" Dr. Crawford asked excitedly. Alec kissed the top of Asha's head and then went to cut the cord. Dr. Crawford cleaned the baby up, wrapped her in a blanket, and then placed her on Asha's chest.
Tears streamed down Asha's face as she took in the sight of her little girl. Even Alec had tears in his eyes. While Dr. Crawford busied herself cleaning Asha up, Max went to retrieve Logan. She found him pacing in the living room. "Hey, come see your goddaughter," she said to him with a smile. He entered the room and found Asha and Alec with cheesy grins plastered to their faces, amazed by the sight of their newborn child. "Wow, look what you did," Alec whispered to his happy but exhausted wife. "She's beautiful isn't she?" Asha said. "Gorgeous, just like her mother. Thank you for this, for her. I love you so much," Alec said, as he kissed Asha on the cheek. Max, Original Cindy, and Logan all crowded around the bed to get a good look at the miracle that had just entered their lives, and Dr. Crawford quietly made her exit.
"She has your eyes and mouth Asha," Max said. "Yup, I think she's going to be a little heartbreaker just like her mother," Logan said with a wink. "What are you going to name her?" Original Cindy asked. With Alec getting kidnapped, they hadn't really had time to decide on a name. "How do you feel about Ashley?" Asha asked Alec, finally breaking the silence, "I was thinking we could stick with the 'A' theme we seem to have going." "I love it. So Ashley it is. How about Jordan for a middle name? That's what I had in mind for a boy," Alec said. "Ashley Jordan Barlow," Asha said to the baby, testing the sound of it, "I love it. So Ashley Jordan Barlow, what do you think about it?" The baby smiled. "I think she likes it," Alec said. They all giggled.
Asha dressed her daughter in a onesie then let everyone have a turn holding her. After everyone had his or her turn, she was handed back to her mother. Asha yawned and the baby began to cry, instinctively turning her head toward Asha's breasts. "Somebody's hungry," Alec said, "okay everybody get out, nobody's getting a sneak peek at my wife's boobs except me and our daughter." Everyone congratulated the new parents one last time before leaving the room to give them some privacy. "Ow ow ow ow ow!" Asha hissed through clinched teeth as she began to nurse her daughter for the first time, "Does everything have to hurt so much?" "Yeah, I got off easy. What can I do to make it up to you?" Alec asked. "How are you at breastfeeding?" she joked. "I don't think I have the right equipment to do that darling," Alec said with a laugh, "How about a lifetime of foot rubs and back massages anytime you want?" "I can live with that," she replied.
Alec just sat there watching his daughter nurse. He couldn't believe he was actually a father. He had never even dreamed that his life would ever be this wonderful. He kissed Asha's cheek and she rested her head on his shoulder and yawned. "That had to be the most amazing thing I've ever seen," Alec said when their daughter was full and happy. The baby yawned, mimicking her mother and quickly drifted off to sleep. Alec gently took her from Asha's arms and placed her in the bassinette that was set up in the room. "You and mommy had a long day, you both need your sleep," he said as he kissed the sleeping child then turned all his attention to his wife.
"Come on, lie down," he said to Asha as he crawled into bed beside her. She gladly complied, turning on her side to face him. He brushed a piece of hair behind her ear, took her hand in his, and kissed each of her fingers just as he had on the morning he left her. "I love you," he whispered as he softly kissed her lips. She smiled tiredly and whispered, "Stay with me." "Forever baby, forever. Now sleep. You've been through a lot today," he said as he watched her close her eyes and drift off with a smile on her face. It had been a long day for him too, and he soon followed her lead.
Fin