The morning continued to crawl along, but Melinda had no desire to move from bed. Especially not when being in bed meant watching her two most favorite people in the world.

Phil had taken Leia from her arms to kiss her good morning. It turned out; she had been in a very happy, very talkative mood. She and Phil had been lying on the bed, him talking to her about everything Captain America and her responding with soft coos and kicks of her feet. Melinda had been watching the exchange with a smile, her heart filled with more love than she thought she was capable of.

An hour later, after dragging themselves from the coziness of their bed, Phil made them breakfast, then they bundled up against the chilly fall air and made their way into town.

Phil thrived at the farmer's market. He delighted in every stand, every bit of produce, and cooked offering. There were so many vendors with samples of foods and drinks that Melinda was sure neither of them would need lunch.

"This is so surreal." At her raised brow, he clarified, "Us. Leia."

She smiled and patted Leia's bottom as the baby stretched against her before falling back to sleep. "I know."

"Oh hey, hang on." He left her side to stop at another booth. He returned to her carrying a bag with a large loaf of bread and holding it up, he smelled it humming appreciatively before holding it out for her to do the same. "Rosemary bread. This will go well with dinner tonight."

"What are you making?"

His lips pulled up and held up the bag he'd purchased three stands back. She had been busy feeding Leia at the time she hadn't seen what he stopped to buy. Looking inside, she found pasta noodles. "Your favorite."

Her eyes widened. "Your lasagna?" At his nod, she groaned. He learned to perfect his mother's recipe during their time as partners and she swore she gained ten pounds because of it. "I love you." He grinned smugly, and put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. Melinda slipped her arm around his waist, sliding her hand down, fitting it into the back pocket of his jeans. "And I really like you in jeans."

She could feel his chuckle against her side. "I'll make sure I wear them more often." She felt a kiss being pressed into her hair and she leaned into it, loving the small intimacy they could allow themselves in public.

"Should we grab a bottle of wine too?" She didn't know about him, but she was really in the mood to just enjoy the night with him.

He smiled knowingly down at her, his eyes reflecting the same desire as hers. "Definitely."

They picked out an overpriced bottle of syrah and lingered around for a little while more, looking at the textiles and handmade jewelry. She picked out an ankle bracelet for Daisy and a t-shirt for Phil that said Farmacist. He bought four reusable market bags and two mint green matching knitted eco-friendly beanies for her and Leia.

Back at her mother's with Phil downstairs starting dinner, she took Leia upstairs with her while she changed into leggings and a T-shirt and the baby into a sleeper.

Leia let out a wide little yawn, and Melinda's heart melted. Picking her up, she gathered her baby against her chest, throwing a blanket over her as she walked and swayed her daughter around the room. She thought a lot about what Phil had said. How this life was so surreal. It was amusing to hear how she and Phil had been dancing around their feelings for years and all it took to help them take that final small step was this tiny little bundle. Proof of their love. Their mutual desire to have more out of life.

As painful as it was for her other self, Melinda would always be grateful to her. Not just for Leia, but for her and Phil.

She heard Phil's footsteps up the stairs. And she let him think he was sneaking up on her before she spoke. "I saw that."

His face fell into something she could only describe as a party-pooper face. Dropping his phone, he told her, "What? Daisy wants pictures."

"Daisy does, huh?"

"It was too adorable not to take a picture."

She smirked. "Like this morning?"

He had the good grace to look somewhat abashed at being caught. She'd fallen back to sleep with Leia on her chest after she'd taken her bottle that morning. She probably looked like hell, but as long as he was only sharing them with Daisy…

"I thought you were asleep," he defended.

She hummed, knowingly. He had thought she was asleep, but she'd been lightly dozing, too cautious to let herself fall into a deep sleep and risk dropping the baby.

Dinner was amazing as she knew it'd be. Phil was an amazing cook and lasagna was one of his best dishes. If he had time, he would have made his own pasta but since they'd gotten it fresh from the market, it was just as good as his, and he promised to make it again for her and Daisy soon.

Phil had Leia for a while, while she worked out in the small workout room her mother had renovated in the basement. She'd needed the time to herself to just let everything go and have an hour to not think. It was nice, and she felt much more relaxed after, but once she got upstairs and showered, she was ready to have Leia back in her arms and planning their future with Phil.

She only felt slightly guilty for taking Leia from where she'd been sleeping peacefully on Phil's chest. Leia grunted a soft little grunt, displeased to be moved away from her father's warmth. Melinda smiled down at her baby stretching in her arms then blinking her eyes open only a moment before settling once again, satisfied to go back to sleep as long as she was being held by one of them.

She smiled down at Leia and brushed the tip of her finger over her soft cheek. "You're so spoiled."

"You could lay her down," Phil suggested as he stood then leaning down, capturing her lips with his. He drew away slowly, making her sigh from the gentleness of it.

Her eyes rose to meet his, and she argued, "She's comfortable now."

He smiled and hummed knowingly. He was just as guilty as she was in holding Leia. "I'm going up to shower. Find a movie. I won't be long."

Her mother had no movies in her home, but she had a smart TV with a strong internet connection. It didn't take her long to pull up one of the many streaming services. She didn't care what they watched. She pulled up a documentary about Captain America and Peggy Carter.

He was downstairs before she knew it, wearing a white tee and cotton flannel pajama pants. One look at the screen and his eyes widened.

"Oh, this should be good. I haven't seen this one."

She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

A few hours later, they shut off the TV and locked up the house, making their way upstairs. It'd been a long day, one they both had enjoyed just being together and letting themselves relax in a way they haven't been able to in a long time.

Melinda moved across the room to the bassinet, murmuring her goodnights to the baby in Mandarin, wanting her daughter to grow up with both languages. Phil was watching her, his eyes incredibly soft behind his glasses.

"What are you telling her?"

"That she's beautiful and that we will love and protect her."

He smiled and went back to reading something on his phone. After making sure Leia was asleep, she crawled into bed, sliding over until she lay curled into Phil's side with her head pillowed on his chest.

"So I've been reading this baby website and at her two-month milestone, she will smile, and three months we'll have giggling and oh, showing a preference to you or your partner."

"She'll be a daddy's girl," she replied, closing her eyes knowing Phil would be the one Leia would go to to get her way.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. She wasn't thrilled this morning when you left her with me so you could shower."

She smiled at that. "Maybe she'll just love us both equally?"

He presses a kiss to her brow. "She will."

"While Daisy is here, I thought we could get her to make Leia some birth records. As much as I love Jemma, she's not a pediatrician. I think we should take her to see one when we get back."

"Agreed. I'm sure Daisy wouldn't mind."

"Even in an alternate universe, we would have given her immunizations, right?"

He paused, but then answered with a resolute nod and an affirmative, "Absolutely."

"We'll have to rely on that assumption," she said, knowing she didn't feel as sure as Phil.

He pressed a kiss to her shoulder. "Their universe couldn't have been that different from our own. We'd have made sure we protected her."

"You're right, I know." She let out a sigh, letting her worries go for the evening. Turning to face him, she ran her fingertips over his cheek. "You know this is our last night alone here."

He chuckled, but she cut it off with a press of her lips to his.

After a few breathless moments, he drew away enough to look into her eyes. "Are you sure? What about Leia?"

"She's sound asleep and will be for a couple of hours."

He didn't make any further protests. Instead, he surprised her by rolling her under him and using their time very much to his advantage.

The next morning came quickly and with it more rain and a lot of heavy fog. Melinda stood holding Leia in the hall while Phil put on his shoes and coat. She hated him leaving but knew he'd be back later that afternoon and mentally kicked herself for becoming so damn dependent.

"I'll be back with Daisy." He closed the distance, capturing her lips with his in a lingering kiss before pulling away to take Leia. "Goodbye, sweetheart."

She shook her head, watching him kiss Leia's cheek and cuddle her close. It was adorable, but if she didn't take her from him, he'd never leave. Holding out her hands for the baby, she gestured to the door with a nod. "Give her here and go or you'll never leave."

He frowned but with one last kiss, handed the baby back to her. She stood in the hall watching Phil put on his shoes on his way out for the morning to go pick up Daisy.

"Don't worry about lunch," he told her, shrugging on his jacket. "Daisy and I will pick it up on our way back along with something for dinner."

"Love you."

"Love you, too." With one last kiss and a gentle push toward the door, he left.