A/N: Kangaroogirl, Amarantha, leslienicolespeaks, betty-boop (once again!), Taker lover, tallyz, '...' and Dani are wonderful little muchkins coz they reviewed the last chapter. That is all.

Leon stepped out of the elevator, jingling his keys in his hand. He'd had to stop twice and sacrifice his male pride, but he'd finally managed to make it to Ruby's apartment building. The night watchman had let him in, expecting him after a call to the front desk from Ruby and had assured him his car would be safe in the underground parking lot.

Glancing down at his hand toward the scribbled apartment number, Leon stuffed his keys into his jeans pocket and turned right, heading toward apartment 132. He could hear the baby crying even as he approached the apartment and wondered what kind of neighbours she had that would be able to ignore that and not offer some kind of assistance. She was obviously a first time mother and on her own, so god knows why nobody had offered her help. Still, he was here now.

Not wasting any time, he lifted his hand and knocked.

"Just a second!" He could hear a muffled sound and the baby quieted slightly, still whingeing, but nowhere near the wailing it had been moments ago. That was his daughter in there – his little girl and with every second that passed he became more and more nervous. Finally when the door swung open, Leon laid eyes on Ruby for the first time in five months.

Aside from looking exhausted and ready to pull her hair out, she looked beautiful to him. Motherhood had agreed with her body and she was a little curvier then she was before, but that didn't matter to him. She was still his gemstone and even if she was wearing an old pair of men's pyjama pants and a tank top, she was the mother of his child and the woman that held his heart. She was crying.

Tears started to fill his own eyes when he realised just how big a step it was for her to call him. She stood in front of him for a few seconds, then launched herself forward, throwing herself into his arms and sobbing.

"Oh God, Le – I've missed you so much.. I'm so sorry I ran away, I was so scared.." she was rambling into his neck, clinging to him as he picked her up and carried her inside, gently nudging the door shut with his foot. She felt softer against him, her hips wider underneath his hands and her breasts larger. He was guessing that was because she was feeding their daughter though.

One hand came up to stroke her hair, the other around her waist holding her against him for all he was worth. He'd made the biggest mistake of his life by scaring her away the first time and there was no way he was letting her go again. It had taken her leaving him to make him realise just what she meant to him and there was no way he could lose her again. He wasn't going to ruin things this time.

"Where's your room, Rubes?"

She lifted her head, her eyes bloodshot and her nose bright red from crying to tell him, then jumped as Amelia started wailing again with renewed vigour.

"I have to-"

Leon cut her off. "You tell me where she is, and then go to bed. I can take care of her.." he looked down at her, holding her face in his hands. "Go on, Ruby – go and get some rest." He wasn't sure what it was exactly that he'd said, but he wasn't about to argue when she wrapped her arms around him again then kissed him lightly on the mouth before turning and heading down the hall. She stopped in the doorway of one room, then pointed across the hall.

"She's in there, Le."

Making his way closer, he ushered Ruby into her room and once she was in bed, he tentatively stepped into the smaller bedroom, painted a soft lilac colour. There was a white crib on the far side of the room with a small mosquito net shrouding three sides of it, and he could make out the tiny form of his daughter inside.

This was it. The first time he was seeing his little girl aside from the sonagram picture of her at five months.

His paternal instincts kicked in as he got closer and he reached down into the crib, his large hands sliding beneath the wailing infant's head and body. As he lifted her, she started to calm, still kicking slightly and gurgling, coughing occasionally from her crying fit. She was so tiny compared to him.

The moonlight was shining in through the window and it was indeed that that lit her face as he peered upon it for the very first time. Ruby was right – she did look like him. Carefully cradling her to his chest, Leon reached across and flicked on the small teddy bear lamp by the side of the crib and looked around the room for somewhere to sit. Seeing a rocking chair, he was guessing Ruby sat there to feed her, he slowly sat down, the whole time gently patting her chubby leg and whispering soft words to her. Now that he was sitting he could look at her properly and not worry about dropping her or tripping on anything. He was always paranoid about that when Cade was a baby too.

She was looking at him – her eyes open, fingers curled into tiny fists against her chest and looking at him through cornflower blue eyes. They were light enough for him to suspect they would soon turn green like his own or Ruby's – a clear pale blue and they were focused firmly on his face. Sniffling slightly, Leon stroked her fingers and a tear started to make a wet trail down his face as her tiny fingers curled around his thumb, squeezing with all the strength she had. He smiled, laughing slightly.

"Hey beautiful," he flexed his thighs, rocking the chair slightly, "-I'm your Daddy." He stared down at her, her pale brown hair a mess and sticking up this way and that like his did when it was shorter.

"I'm so sorry, baby – I really am. I was so scared that I would lose your mommy and I didn't think.. I was so scared that I couldn't take care of you and mommy and you know what?" He lifted her and laid her up his chest, her head nestled in his neck as his big hand stroked her back and head. "I'm so proud of her – your mother – she's done so well so far. She's so strong, and so brave… You're so lucky to have her, Lia. That's what I'm going to call you, baby. Lia. Do you like that?"

He could see her trying to move her head, trying to look up at him as he spoke to her and his heart melted. He'd very nearly lost all chance at all of this moment happening – but now, now he wouldn't trade it for the world. He went on.

"Well it doesn't matter if you don't, because I'm going to call you that anyway. Now as I was saying," Amelia was quieting even more, snuffling at his neck and growing just that little bit heavier as she started to drift off, "-your mommy.. She's special, Lia. She's so special and if you grow up to be like her, I'll be so proud of you because you're both so beautiful and I love you both very much." He kissed her forehead, rocking slightly. "I'm sorry I wasn't here before, baby."

He wasn't sure how long he sat there in the nursery just holding her, rocking back and forth in the rocking chair with her curled against his chest. At one stage, he'd been so content that he'd started to drift off just before dawn, but he'd soon woken up as soon as Amelia so much as shifted in her sleep and had gently laid her back in her crib. Now he was in Ruby's room, sitting beside her on the double bed as she slept, her cheek pressed against his thigh and her hair splayed across the sheets behind her. He'd dozed off like that and had only woken when he felt Ruby shift, then he heard Amelia crying and realised Ruby was getting up to her.

"Gemstone.."

She smiled back over her shoulder, still half asleep. "She needs to be fed, Le."

He blinked dumbly. "Oh," he could feel his neck heat, "-right." He'd not ever thought of that. Sure, he'd known Ruby would be breast feeding, but he'd never experienced that with Cade as he'd had to do everything for him on his own. After a moment when she didn't return, he climbed from the bed and started across the hall. Stopping in the doorway, he was greeted with the sight of the woman he loved changing their child, cooing and talking gibberish to her. He'd never felt so blessed.

When Ruby turned and saw him in the doorway, she flushed and cleared her throat.

"Um.."

Leon grinned, then it faded as he wrung his hands. "Could um.. Would.." he sighed, looking up at her, "Could I sit with you when you feed her?"

Nodding slightly, Ruby followed him back into the bedroom and once he was sitting on the bed, she sat carefully between his steepled knees and leant back against his chest. Within no time Amelia was contently nursing and Le's chin was resting heavily on her shoulder, his big hand cupping the back of Amelia's head, stroking her hair. He was completely enthralled.

She felt his lips against her neck briefly and turned to look at him, coming to find herself within inches of his face. They remained that way for a moment, silent, then ever so slowly Leon leant forward and kissed her, his lips warm and soft against her own. When he pulled away, he nuzzled her cheek, his free hand stroking her side.

"I'm sorry Ruby – I was such an asshole."

She nodded against his cheek, her eyes still closed. "You were." She didn't say anything else, looking back down at Amelia.

He looked down at his nursing daughter and was again struck by what he'd done – he had denied his little girl because he'd been afraid. He was an idiot. "She's beautiful, Rubes – like her mother."

Ruby flushed, ducking her head. She wasn't used to him being so forward with compliments like that and she inwardly wondered whether he was only saying that because of Amelia. He must have felt the slight stiffening in her posture and she could feel his breath against her ear, hot and moist.

"I mean it, Ruby Jane – You're beautiful, you're amazing, you're confusing as fuck sometimes and you drive me up the wall, but you're mine," he paused tentatively, "- if you still want to be."