The cold wind was brisk as the medic stopped the speeder by the homestead, picking up his kit. He shuddered, rushing ahead to the door. He could only assume Wrecker had somehow had caused himself injury again, although he'd been called by his brothers in the middle of the night for Tech's many misadventures leading to injury on occasion too. One time he had managed to electrocute himself working on a project in the middle of the night, teaching him the hard way that perhaps he should be a little more cautious working with live wires.

"Thanks for getting here so late, Kix," Hunter said as he came to the door, stepping back to let the medic in, "We weren't sure who else to call."

"It's no problem, things have been unusually quiet the last couple days. That, and you sounded...concerned," he frowned, "What's Wrecker done now?"

"This one isn't necessarily down to Wrecker," Echo's voice was lowered, softer, and he stepped aside to reveal Tech, cradling a bundle of blankets in his arms. Wrecker was watching the bundle with a look of awe. Crosshair was stood the furthest away, leaning against the wall with arms folded. His hardened expression couldn't hide his apprehension.

"What the-" Kix approached Tech, carefully moving the blankets to reveal a tiny, pink face, fast asleep, "How?"

"She appeared at our door just a couple hours ago," Hunter had a small smile playing on his lips as he looked in the direction of the baby. With the exception of Crosshair, they all had that familiar glow, the glow Kix had seen on new parents countless times. Even Tech seemed so relaxed, and was gazing at the baby in his arms with a fascinated, doting expression.

"With nothing but these," Echo held out an unusual pendant, a light gray oval shape, with darker grey markings, and a note, clearly scribbled down in a hurry.

This is your daughter, Omega. Keep her safe.

"So...who's daughter is she?" Kix frowned, looking at each of them in turn.

"Your guess is as good as ours," Hunter smirked.

"Technically speaking, we would all be a match in a paternity test. Even you, Kix. In the eyes of genetics, you are just as much her father as any one of us," Tech didn't take his eyes off the baby the whole time he spoke.

"I...guess you're right," Kix was taken aback, "Is she alright?"

"Seems to be. She was crying when we found her, went back to sleep pretty quickly once I got her inside and picked her up," Hunter sighed, "But we wanted a medic's opinion on that."

"Give her here then," Kix held out his arms and carefully took the tiny bundle into his arms, "Hello, ad'ika. Oh, you're beautiful."

Echo and Hunter exchanged soft smiles. Omega whimpered and wriggled from the disturbance.

"She must like you already, Tech," Kix smiled, gently stroking her back, "Sh, sh, he's still right here, you're alright, little one. You're safe."

The baby settled and nestled into Kix's arms.

"That's it, sweetheart," he said softly, "Let's take a look at you."

He couldn't deny it felt strange, knowing he was holding a baby who was biologically his daughter. That little girl had a million fathers, technically. What an awful thought.

"She seems pretty responsive," Kix watched her as her eyes fluttered closed and she fell asleep, "Which is a good sign. Anywhere I can put her down?"

"Here," Hunter gestured to the couch.

"Tech, bring my medkit over, will you?" Kix laid Omega down on the couch and unwrapped the blankets a little. Wrecker stepped closer to watch, he'd never been so quiet, "She can't be more than a few days old. Poor thing. You're probably wondering where your mother is."

He took out the medscan from his kit and hovered it over her, "Vitals are good. How long was she outside? Was she covered up?"

"She was covered up to her neck in the blankets," Hunter knelt down beside Kix, "I only found her after I heard her crying, I don't know how long she was out there for. But I got her in right away, close to the fire."

"Her temperature is a little low, but I she's warming up. Any longer in the cold, though, and it could have been a different story, especially with nothing under the blanket," Kix's entire demeanour softened as he plucked the baby back up into his arms, "You're a very lucky girl."

"Lucky, being left with us," Crosshair muttered from the corner of the room, "We don't know the first thing about raising a child."

"Does any new parent?" Kix smirked, "No one is born an expert, Cross. You can learn."

"You really think someone like Wrecker can be trusted with her?" Crosshair shook his head, "Someone like-"

"Can it, Crosshair!" Hunter snapped fiercely. Kix had to soothe Omega as she startled from the abruptness, "Omega could be Wrecker's daughter, she could be your daughter, or mine. If her mother can't care for her, then we have to. Its our duty."

"We could be all she has," Echo said quietly, "She needs us."

"We'll learn, Cross," Hunter sighed, "We're in this together."

Crosshair said nothing, avoiding any of their eyes and remaining where he was. Kix looked to Wrecker, who's curiosity had been stunted by the comments, his head slightly bowed.

"Hey," the medic stepped closer, "You looked like you might want to hold her just a minute ago."

"No...no, I shouldn't," Wrecker took a stepped back, wringing his hands, "She's...she's small, really small, too small for someone like me-"

"Ignore Crosshair, Wrecker," Tech said, clearly irritated as he glared in Crosshair's direction, "He is projecting his own anxieties on you. Don't take it personally."

Crosshair slipped upstairs without a word, shutting himself in his bedroom. Kix glanced towards the staircase a moment, before turning his attention back to Wrecker.

"If I didn't think she'd be safe, I wouldn't be offering to help you hold her," Kix said with an encouraging smile, "She should get to meet all of her buire, if she has five of them now."

"Five?" Wrecker frowned, looking a little bewildered as Kix held the baby out to him.

"Hold your arms up a little more, and make sure her head is supported, that's it," the medic said proudly, "You got it."

Wrecker was speechless, in awe of the tiny infant in his arms, potentially his own newborn daughter. Whether she was, though; that didn't matter to him. No matter what, this little girl was still their blood, and despite only having known about her existence for a short time, he was dedicated to keeping her safe.

"There are five of you, and she was left in your care. Like Tech said, you'd all be a match in a paternity test," Kix smirked, "So unless you figure out which of you fathered her, or one of you takes charge, then as far as I see it, you're all her buire."

"Are you suggesting we each become 20% of her father figure?" Tech frowned.

"I guess that's...one way to put it," Kix raised an eyebrow.

"Then I accept," Tech held his head high, "But I don't speak for everyone."

"You alright, Wrecker?" Echo said in amusement as tears spilled over the biggest clone's eyes. Wrecker nodded, sniffling as he kept his eyes on the baby.

"She's so small...she's perfect," he said quietly, "And she could be mine."

"She is yours, Wrecker. Just the same as she's ours," Echo put a hand on his shoulder.

"What were you so worried about?" Kix gave him a nudge, "Look how safe she feels with you."

"If my calculations are correct, she should be fed. She arrived hours ago, and we have no indication of when she was fed last."

"The fact she isn't crying suggests she isn't starving, at least," Kix smiled, "But you're right. I should have some milk packets in my kit, and at least a diaper or two. It's always good to be prepared."

"Want to do the honours, Wrecker?" Hunter said, a sense of pride in his voice, "Her very first feed?"

"I can?" Wrecker finally looked up from the baby, "Really?"

"It wouldn't make sense to move her when she's so settled," Kix rummaged through the kit and pulled out a sachet and small bottle, "Hunter, you can come make up the bottle."

Hunter followed Kix into the kitchen, and Echo stepped closer to Tech.

"How long have you been recording?" he said quietly.

"Since Kix took her from me," Tech replied casually, "I believe new parents like to document as much as they can as their children grow, for something to look back on. I assume we are no different."

"I'm sure when she's older, we'd love to be reminded of just how tiny she was," Echo looked at the baby with doting eyes, "Even imagining her any older is a weird thought."

"I agree. The potential is endless, Echo. She could become anything," Tech's voice lit up with wonder again, "A medic, a pilot, anything."

"She's got the whole galaxy at her feet," Echo's smile grew, "And we can help her get wherever she wants to go."

"Alright, little lady, it's mealtime," Kix said as Hunter led the way back to the lounge with a bottle of milk in hand, "You ready, Wrecker?"

"I...think so?" Wrecker's nervous expression returned.

"You're feeding a baby, not dismantling an explosive," Kix laughed, kneeling down in front of him, "You'll be fine."

Hunter handed him the bottle, and Echo and Tech stepped closer to watch.

"Give the guy some space," Kix waved the three of them away, looking back to Wrecker, "You're holding her perfectly, now bring the bottle to her, let her take it in her own time."

Omega began to feed reasonably quickly, and Kix patted Wrecker's shoulder.

"See? You got it," he grinned, "Wasn't so hard, right?"

"Good job, kid," Wrecker said proudly, hoping his hands weren't shaking too much, "We're gonna take great care of ya. If I can do it, the others can. Easy!"

"I hope so," Echo said, his tone a little unsure.

"I still can't believe she's ours," Wrecker looked down at Omega with a smile, "Our ad'ika."

"I'd start to believe it, Wrecker," Hunter looked to the others with a smirk, "Everything's about to change, that's for sure."

Crosshair crept downstairs, his own curiosity having gotten the better of him. The prospect of fatherhood was a terrifying one, and not something he was built for. How was he expected to step up and raise a child out of the blue, when he felt like he'd barely begun to get the hang of a post-war life? Then again, that baby could be his, and she was still blood, even if she wasn't. Whether he was comfortable or not, it seemed this was their new situation, and they had to adapt. He wanted to see her, he'd barely even seen her face. Once Hunter had called down the others, he stood back and let the rest of them handle her. He couldn't hang back anymore, though. If she was here for the long run, he had to pull his weight. His life just a few hours prior felt so much simpler now.

The look of awe and wonder hadn't left Wrecker's eyes as he continued to hold her, he was gazing at her in such adoration and whispering something Crosshair couldn't hear. Tech was beside him, tapping away at his datapad while continually glancing at the baby, utterly fascinated. Almost definitely taking notes. The poor thing would be studied endlessly if Tech had his way.

Echo had dozed off on the other couch, and Hunter was nowhere to be found. He couldn't have gone to bed, he doubted any of them would be sleeping that night.

Wrecker glanced up at the sight of his brother and his stature visibly changed. More hunched over and looking away. Tech was right, Crosshair had lashed out with his anxieties and pinned them on Wrecker, the closest target.

"I shouldn't have said that, Wrecker," Crosshair's voice was lowered, afraid of disturbing little Omega, "I'm sorry."

Wrecker nodded, "s'okay."

"You don't have to be afraid, Crosshair," Tech didn't look up from his datapad.

"I'm not-" Crosshair sighed, "I don't know the first thing about...any of this."

"And you think we do?" Wrecker's usually booming laugh was drastically reduced to a quiet chuckle.

"We're all in exactly the same situation here," Tech finally put the datapad down, "But it's like Kix said. No new parent knows what they're doing, not really."

Parent. That's a word he never expected to use on himself, on any of them. They were parents now.

"You should hold her, Cross," Wrecker offered him a reassuring smile, "She hasn't even met you yet."

"How do I even..."

"I'll show ya!" Wrecker grinned.

"I found a useful tutorial on the Holonet on how to safely hold a baby, if you want to-"

"I think Wrecker will suffice," Crosshair rolled his eyes, "She looks settled with you."

"She's been passed around without much fuss since she arrived. She'll be fine," Tech said casually, "After being left outside in the cold, I suspect she is appreciative of the contact."

"Ready?" Wrecker said softly, and Crosshair sat down on the couch beside him.

"As I'll ever be," he mutttered.

"Okay, little tooka," Wrecker's voice turned a little sing-song, "Time to meet buir number five."

"Little tooka?" Crosshair raised an eyebrow, "Nicknames already?"

"I believe he is referring to the sounds she makes," Tech watched as Wrecker carefully passed her over to Crosshair, who despite his anxieties, appeared to subconsciously know what to do. Omega made a small mewling sound, "Like that. It resembles the sound of a young tooka."

"Hey," Wrecker said quietly as the baby continued to whimper, his voice uncharacteristically soft, "I know he looks scary, but I promise he's not so bad."

Crosshair looked panicked for a moment, but soon enough, the baby settled back down and nestled into the new arms cradling her.

"Am I...is that right?" Crosshair looked to Tech, who leaned closer and adjusted his goggles.

"Her head is well supported, which is the important thing," Tech said in a hushed tone, "A newborn's neck muscles are too weak to hold up the head, which just sounds like an evolutionary flaw to me."

"See? Ya didn't need our help!" Wrecker patted Crosshair's shoulder, leaning close to look at her, "Isn't she beautiful, Cross?"

Finally, Crosshair looked upon the newborn in his arms, and was unexpectedly hit with a rush of emotions. She was so small, so fragile looking. He was suddenly afraid of breaking her. Dark lashes fluttered as she slept, her tiny nose, pink lips so delicate. She looked so peaceful, calm, surprising considering how she had been tossed aside and left in the hands of total strangers. Well, not strangers as such. The thought of anyone being able to look at this helpless infant and willingly leave her behind, though, that made him bristle.

"Cross?" Wrecker's voice startled him out of his thoughts, "You alright?"

Crosshair cleared his throat, blinking away the tears that were stinging his eyes.

"Yeah, she has that kind of effect," Wrecker grinned, "Even Tech had a little cry."

"I..." Tech shifted uncomfortably, "She's small, and yet so full of potential. There is no way of predicting who she will become. She's extraordinary."

"She's not a science experiment, Tech," Crosshair frowned, "She's not here for your research purposes."

"I know," Tech looked down, dejected, "I...didn't mean it like that. To be truthful, I never saw myself...never saw myself being anyone's buir. Nor did I think I would want to be."

"And then you saw her," Wrecker tenderly stroked Omega's tiny pink hand, peeking out from the blankets, "And suddenly it all changed."

"I suppose that's one way of putting it," Tech started to smile, the three of them all falling silent to watch their ad'ika.

"She is beautiful," Crosshair finally spoke, unable to take his eyes off her.

"And just think, one of us made her," Wrecker said proudly.

"How charming," Crosshair smirked, "Where's Hunter? All the excitement tire him out like Echo?"

"Getting supplies with Kix, at the hospital. Just enough to tide us over until my shipment arrives," Tech reached and gently tucked the blankets around her, "She's small, but she needs a lot of supplies."

"Wow," Echo yawned and sat up on his couch, "Never thought I'd see that."

"Omega had to meet all five of us eventually!" in his excitement, Wrecker forgot to keep his volume in mind. His loud voice startled and woke Omega, and she started crying immediately, tiny fists reaching around for nothing.

"Wrecker," Tech shook his head in exasperation. Crosshair, however, looked bewildered.

"Give her here," Crosshair noticed that Echo still had the blanket wrapped around his scomp link as he held out his arms, Before he could react, Tech had taken Omega from him and carefully settled her so she was lying on Echo's chest. The covered scomp supported her weight, while he softly stroked her back with his hand.,

"Shh, shh, what's all this noise?" Echo said softly, "It's alright, sweetheart, it's only Wrecker forgetting how loud he is. That's something you'll probably get used to."

"Perhaps if you walked around with her, the movement is said to replicate the experience-"

"I can't stand and hold her," Echo cut in, letting out a sigh, "I could drop her."

"I can assure-"

"Tech, please," Echo continued to stroke Omega's back as she began to settle, "She's fine here. I don't want to risk hurting her."

"You won't," Crosshair saw the sadness in his eyes, "You're fine."

"You don't know that," Echo kept his eyes on Omega, his smile tinged with sorrow as Omega made a quiet – tooka-like, according to Wrecker – sound and nestled closer to him.

Day was beginning to break by the time Kix prepared to leave, and not one of the five new buire had managed much sleep, if any, besides dozing off here and there. They were all so taken with their new arrival, and so eager for Kix to teach them all they needed to know to get them started on the right foot. Wrecker had the first feed, Tech tackled the first bath, and Hunter got the honour of the first diaper change.

Omega didn't have much, but she had enough until her buire could get more. Just a few items of clothing, donated to the hospital, and enough milk packets and diapers to tide them over for a few days at the most. Tech had already ordered in a priority shipment that was due to arrive that afternoon at the starport.

All five of them had taken off work, some for a day or two, while Tech had closed up his repair shop for a week. This wasn't the first time he had done so, he had often closed his shop had something significant sparked his interest. The longest was a few months, where he finished up his remaining few repair jobs intermittently amidst long periods of diving in the lake to study the marine life. Now he had a new role as buir, he would not rest until he felt at least competent at it. Kix told the others to make the most of his enthusiasm; changing diapers would lose their charm eventually.

As Kix packed up his kit, Crosshair was fast asleep on the couch, laid back with little Omega nestled up on his chest, having been swaddled by Tech. He was the only one of the five who had gotten the hang of swaddling so far, and had eagerly explained all the benefits of doing so as he did it. Echo was making a start on breakfast, while Hunter and Wrecker were busy setting up a storage crate as a temporary crib while they built her a permanent one. Thus far, Kix predicted it wouldn't get much use at all. Any remnant of their hardened, trooper exterior had disappeared, stripped away by the unexpected arrival. In just a few hours, Crosshair had gone from wanting nothing to do with her, wanting as much as to send her away, to being cuddled up on the couch with her, so content and relaxed that he'd dozed off. Omega might just be the thing the none of them had ever known they'd really needed.

A/N Thank you so much for reading! I'd love to know what you think :)