Walker walked through the door after a quick grocery run and his heart skipped a beat at the sight of Geri holding their three day old. "Miss anything while I was gone?" he whispered in fear of waking the baby.

She raised her eyebrows at him. "You were gone for forty-five minutes and she's slept the entire time. You're good so relax."

"Just worried," he murmured as he set the groceries down on the table and rejoined his wife and youngest daughter.

"There's nothing to worry about. This is my first kid and your third - why are you the one freaking out?" Geri wondered.

Walker hesitated for a second, rubbing his chin. "Maybe because I know what I can lose this time? But I'm not going to fuck up this time," he vowed.

She snorted. "Sweetheart, I love you, but good luck with that. Pretty sure we're both going to fuck up numerous times." Their conversation was interrupted when the baby started fussing. "Are you awake now, Julie Cordelia?" Geri was still in awe of this little life that she and her husband had created together. Julie responded by opening her eyes and emitting quiet sobs. "Are you hungry?" she cooed. Walker picked the baby up so Geri could unbutton her shirt and then handed Julie back over when his wife was ready to take her back.

Stella and August chose that moment to walk through the door. The latter gasped and averted his eyes while Stella rolled her eyes at her brother. "Grow up, Augie. Julie needs to eat and this is a natural thing," she chided.

"She's our stepmom," he pointed out as he walked over to the table and started putting away the groceries.

"So fucking what?" Stella leaned over and smiled at the sight of her sister.

"Language," Walker scolded but he backed off at Stella's glare. Yeah, too little, too late - that horse had left the barn years ago and the kids had learned to swear thanks to him anyway.

Once the baby finished breastfeeding, burped, and fell back asleep, Geri pondered putting her baby in her bassinet. "Anybody want a chance to hold her?" she asked first just to make sure. "How about you, Stella?"

"Oh, no thanks. She's cute and all but she's fresh out of the oven and really fucking tiny. I don't want to drop her."

"I'll hold her!" volunteered an excited August. He eagerly held out his arms and Geri deposited Julie in them.

Perched on the arm of the couch, Stella glanced between Julie and Walker before looking up at her father. "I'm glad I finally got that little sister I begged for for eighteen years," she murmured.

"Hey!" whispered an offended August.

"Oh, please. How many times did you ask for a little brother?" Stella shot back.

He cocked his head for a second. "Good point." But he still glared at his older sister anyway. When Julie started crying again, August panicked and transferred her over to Walker when his father came to his rescue. Julie immediately settled down and went back to sleep.

A knock on the door interrupted their moment of bliss but before anyone could open it, Bonham stepped through. "I need some help with the horses. Anybody want to volunteer?"

"We're coming." Walker picked up one of Julie's tiny hands, kissed her temple and then planted a kiss on Geri before following Bonham and August outside.

Stella slid down off the arm of the chair and sat down next to her stepmother and sister. Geri eyed her stepdaughter and flashed her a smile. "You sure you don't want to hold her?"

She shook her head. "Maybe later." Stella bit her lip, pondering something for a second before deciding to finally go ahead and say what was on her mind. "Her middle name…," she ventured.

"What about it?" Geri looked up.

"You guys said you chose Cordelia as Julie's middle name for Dad, right?"

"Yeah. Where are you going with this?" Geri had a feeling, actually, but she refused to voice her concerns out loud, wanting to see if Stella had figured it out.

"That's bullshit, right? You totally chose it because you're a huge fan of the Buffy character," Stella deduced.

"No!" Geri automatically denied. Off Stella's unimpressed and unmoved look, she folded. "Fine, yes! I convinced your father that we chose her middle name in honor of him, but I chose it because of one Cordelia Chase. Happy now?"

A beat before both girls started giggling. "Actually, I am." Stella held up her hand and high-fived Geri.

"Don't tell him, okay? Let him keep thinking the lie."

"Will do," Stella promised.

"You want to hold Julie now?"

"I don't want to drop her or anything," Stella murmured, fear in her eyes.

"You won't," Geri assured her, handing the baby over. Stella beamed at her little sister.

"So does giving birth hurt as much as people say it does?" Stella ventured.

Geri snorted. "Worse. So many people I've talked to say it was worth it, and don't get me wrong - it was. But it hurt so fucking bad I'm not sure I want to do this again." Her pregnancy had been an accident in the first place, though - celebrating her fortieth birthday by getting drunk as hell had consequences! Walker certainly hadn't expected to become a father again when his kids were eighteen and sixteen. The positive pregnancy test she had thrown in his face after several rounds of morning sickness had thrown him (well both of them, really) for a big loop.

"Yeah, I'm not having a kid for a long time," Stella declared.

"Good for you." Geri's heart swelled when her stepdaughter handed Julie back over about ten minutes later.

Stella started cooking dinner and they ate when Walker and August returned half an hour later, having helped Bonham with his horse problem.


Around one in the morning, both Walker and Geri groaned when Julie's wails pierced through the silence of the night. "I got her," Walker assured his wife, rolling out of bed.

"If she needs my tits again, tell me," she murmured.

He stopped dead in his tracks, stunned, and then barked out a laugh. "Lack of sleep turns you into a comedian. Good to know."

"Shut up and get the baby," she shot back.

Julie just needed a diaper change so he did it and then returned to bed. "Love you, Geri. Thank you for giving me one of the three most adorable kids in my life."

"Love you too, Cordell. But shut the fuck up and go back to sleep before she wakes us up again." She wasn't looking forward to the wake-up call at three, which was definitely coming.

Walker was determined to not make the same mistakes with Julie that he had with Stella and August. All three of his kids would always know how loved they were, and he'd make sure they had everything they wanted. And with Geri, the second love of his life by his side, he knew they could do anything. He was so grateful to have her and the rest of their family. He had gotten through the horrific trauma of Emily's death because of them, and his relationship with his kids was stronger than it had been before. And who knows, maybe he and Geri would give Julie a younger sibling at some point (if his wife was up for it, of course) - he'd happily do this a fourth time, even though they were currently deep in the early days of a newborn's life.