They stayed in the hospital for three days – with an extra day so the scientists could perform more tests to ensure the baby was perfectly healthy, and secure one success for their experiment. Normally, Ana would've balked at being trapped in a hospital for over a day, but she was more than glad to stay this time. The postpartum room was rather homely and, more importantly, Ana didn't feel up to running about as part of her post-delivery celebration. She didn't dare to, truth be told – she nearly fainted in the shower once, and if Kamilah hadn't been there to catch her, she would've fallen to the floor before she knew it. She squeezed in some exercise by walking rounds in her room, but the bed was where Ana spent most of her time, sleeping as soundly as her daughter.

Fareeha was a quiet baby for the most part, content to let her mothers carry and coo at her, reciprocating with little sounds and gurgles of her own. She had broken out in loud cries only a handful of times during their stay, and her fusses were always tended to before she had to wail for attention. Her main activity was being cradled to Ana's chest while she was being fed, before being whisked away by Kamilah to be carried and patted and sang to, until she fell asleep and was placed back in her bassinet. Kamilah had expressed concern over Fareeha's lack of noise, but Ana merely shrugged and told her to enjoy it while it lasted.

On their last day in the hospital, Fareeha was taken away for another round of evaluation and observation, and was brought back a fussy little bundle hours later. Kamilah's friend – the scientist who had introduced them to the experiment – was the one to wheel the bassinet in. Nadia uttered a string of apologies for keeping Fareeha away for so long, and let Kamilah scoop the baby up into her hold.

"It's okay," Ana said, patting Nadia's arm. "Besides, you just gave her another excuse to carry her baby."

"I don't need an excuse," Kamilah retorted, keeping her voice low as she rocked the crying baby gently.

"Oh right." Ana looked up at Nadia, who stood by the bed. "She doesn't need an excuse to keep my baby all to herself."

"You're still recovering, Ana."

"I can hold her just fine in bed! My arms aren't atrophied, you know."

"You two wanna settle this in court?" Nadia asked, not bothering to hide her smirk.

Kamilah looked at Nadia, then at her pouting wife, and sighed. She waited until Fareeha's cries had quieted down, then placed her carefully into Ana's waiting arms. Fareeha was still whining and restless in the blanket, but slowly calmed down and fell asleep with her hand clinging onto Ana's fingertip.

"So, did everything check out?" Ana asked, voice soft so she wouldn't disturb the child.

Nadia tilted her head. "Yup. You can take her home tomorrow morning, no worries. We'll keep tabs on you through your doctor for a year, to see that Fareeha is growing properly. But other than that, we're officially hands-off."

"Thanks, Nadia," Kamilah said.

"No, thank you." Nadia gestured at the baby. "You're proof that our procedure works. One of them anyway. Hopefully…" She drifted off for a second, frowning in thought. "Oh right, I was supposed to tell you – the NDA is still in effect. So don't tell anyone how you really got your baby."

"Of course. When will your whole experiment be done?"

"Ah, that." Nadia sighed, shrugging dejectedly. "Officially, our experiment's 'on ice'. The IVF lab's been destroyed, half our data is missing, we can't contact some of the couples, and many of them are gone. We expect no more funding any time soon, so most of us think the experiment's dead already."

"I'm sorry."

A tight smile. "Not for the experiment. If anything, be sorry for those who didn't make it." Nadia rubbed her hands together, then pulled her lips up into a smile. "Anyway, sorry – didn't mean to be a wet blanket. So remember: keep mum about the conception. It might be years before we revive the whole thing and get approval, but we'll contact you when we can go public. Until then, feel free to make up stories about how Fareeha came about."

"Oh, I already have a few in mind," Ana said.

"You're welcome to drop by before you leave for Alexandria," Kamilah added as Nadia made for the door. "Haven't spoken to you much since the omnic mess started."

"Yeah, sure." Nadia smiled, pausing in her tracks. She looked Kamilah over, and clasped her shoulder. "You've changed a lot, you know that?"

"Well–"

"Don't believe that, Nadia," Ana cut in. "She can still be a demon when she wants to."

She stifled a snort when the 'demon' resurfaced to give her a warning glare.

Morning came around and, though Ana was still tired from Fareeha's night-time feedings, she leapt up from bed eagerly. As comfortable as her room was, she couldn't wait to ditch it for her own home. They placed Fareeha in the baby carrier and brought her to the parking lot, careful not to bump into anything on the way. Fareeha's eyes fell shut just after they buckled her carrier into the car seat, and remained peacefully asleep on the ride home.

At least, until a car cut sharply into their lane, and Kamilah had to slam on the brakes to avoid a collision. The rough jerk itself shook Fareeha awake, but it was the angry horning that startled her, and she burst into loud cries. Kamilah slowed the car immediately, anger forgotten as Ana bent over Fareeha, shushing and singing to her softly.

"Should I pull over–?"

"Don't be silly, Milah," Ana chuckled. "Just drive. It's okay, habibti," she cooed, holding Fareeha's little fists. "It's okay…"

It took a while, but the ride remained smooth and Fareeha's cries eased into hiccups, then she was kept occupied by Ana who swirled her hands in circles. Fareeha yawned as their car came to a stop inside the garage, though she kept alert when Ana carried her up from the seat.

"Here we are, Fareeha. Home at last." Ana cradled Fareeha so she could look forward. "See, this is our car…and that is your mommy's motorcycle." She leaned in and whispered, "It's her second favourite ride."

"Ana!"

"What? It's not like she'll remember anyway."

Kamilah heaved a sigh, hauling their overnight bag out of the trunk. "You need to start watching your tongue."

Ana blew a short raspberry at her, then followed Kamilah into the house. "See, Fareeha? This is your home," she cooed as they strolled down the hallway and past the living room. Kamilah held her by the waist when they climbed the stairs, but Ana was too busy talking to Fareeha to notice.

"And this is your room!" Ana raised Fareeha a little higher, and the baby burbled, fingers curling. "See, we already bought toys for you," she said as they passed the shelf lined with stuffed toys, baby blocks and rattles, and colourful finger puppets. "This is your bed–, oh damn. We forgot to buy that…hanging, spinning toy thing."

"Mobile," Kamilah supplied, setting her bag on the floor. "We'll get it soon."

"We'll get all the toys for you, little one." Ana set Fareeha down in the crib, scratching her tummy as she lay on her back, eyes blinking slowly. They watched as Fareeha smacked her lips and started to grow more restless. Kamilah made to carry the baby, but paused when Fareeha let out a cry.

"Did she make a poop again?" Ana asked when Kamilah scooped Fareeha up anyway, taking care to keep a firm hold on her.

"I changed her diaper just before the drive," Kamilah said offhandedly, grasping at the diaper anyway. Then she cradled Fareeha and stroked her cheek – their questions answered when Fareeha turned towards Kamilah's chest, making a sucking motion with her mouth.

"Here we go again." Ana took Fareeha in her arms and sat on the bed. "Tits out for the milk monster." She looked up at Kamilah. "You can wait in line if you want some too."

Ana cackled when Kamilah smacked at her head, but quickly returned to the task at hand when Fareeha let out a particularly loud cry.

They spent most of the day in the nursery, which involved Ana and Fareeha sleeping and waking together, and being with their baby whenever she was awake. Fareeha didn't need that much attention yet, always looking sleepy and happy enough just lying on the bed between her mothers, who played with her hands and feet to keep her entertained. They kept the day serene and private, choosing to leave the news-breaking until night. They had clean forgotten about informing even their family about Ana going into labour, so no one even knew about their stay in the hospital, much less that their baby was finally here.

As luck would have it, no one was reachable through calls or responded to texts, so they just snapped a photo of Fareeha dressed in a yellow bear onesie with a beanie, and sent it out. Zaid was the first to reply while they were preparing for bed – more specifically, trying to coax Fareeha into getting ready for bed after a 30-minute long nursing session. She was unusually active near midnight – probably energy accumulated from all her naps – and made noise each time they tried to put her in the crib, which ended up in the master bedroom with them anyway.

So when Zaid called right after gushing through text, he was rewarded with real time interaction with his granddaughter. Even though Fareeha didn't react to his voice and merely fixed the screen with an uncomprehending stare, it didn't stop Zaid from giggling to himself and repeating that this was the most beautiful baby he had ever seen. Of course, he remembered to add that Fareeha looked exactly like Ana when she was a baby too. He went on to give some advice by recounting his own experiences, before signing off reluctantly when his daughters urged him to sleep, noticing the dark circles under his eyes. He promised to call again the next day and to visit as soon as possible.

At the crack of dawn, Fareeha's appetite reared its head again. In her sleepy haze after the feeding session – which was short, thank god – Ana checked her phone and saw that the squad chat had blown up just minutes ago. The soldiers had ended their guard shift in camp, and returned to find a single photo of Fareeha on their phones, with absolutely no explanation at all. Ana had done it on purpose, and they reacted as expected – with screeches, questions, and congratulations laced with expletives. Ana let them ramble on before sending the grown babies to bed with promises of new photos when they woke up, then promptly fell asleep herself.

By the time Ana opened her eyes again, the room was lit by the bright morning sun, and Kamilah was holding Fareeha in her arms. The little one had woken up earlier, Kamilah explained, and needed a diaper change. Apparently Ana had slept right through Fareeha's cries, and she had no problem believing it. Though her body felt much better now, Ana still felt drained – and being woken up through the night definitely didn't help to rejuvenate her. She pushed herself up from the bed, groaning as she felt the cramps in her abdomen.

"You alright?" Kamilah asked, running a hand over her bedraggled hair.

"No," Ana sniffed. "My vagina hurts, I'm getting cramps, and I'm still tired."

"How do your breasts feel?"

"Full."

"Good. Fareeha's been trying to suckle me for a while." Kamilah guided her back into bed, getting her to rest against the headboard. She placed Fareeha into Ana's arms, watching as she helped the baby latch on properly.

Ana blinked slowly when Kamilah lifted her chin, giving her a soft kiss.

"What do you want for breakfast?"

"Steak. Potatoes."

Kamilah cocked her head. "Breakfast, darling."

"Something heavy. I'm hungry."

"Now I see where Fareeha gets it from," Kamilah chuckled, giving her another peck. "I'll see you downstairs. Take it slow, hm?"

"Yes, mom." Ana adjusted Fareeha in her hold as Kamilah made for the door. "And no more kale," she called after her wife. "We are done with kale in this fucking house!"

"Ana!" Kamilah poked her head back in the doorway, gesturing at Fareeha. "Language!"

Two days later, Khalid brought Layla over for a visit. The two were still stuck in base recovering, though Khalid was already in much better shape than Layla. Where he looked fine except for the bandages poking out under his sleeves, Layla had to hobble around with her casts and lean heavily on her crutch for support. She had been discharged two weeks ago, and promptly reported to Jaida at the command centre for light duties, aiding the new lieutenant who had taken over Ana's station.

Their faces lit up the instant they saw Fareeha lying in her baby rocker, letting out high-pitched squeals that quietened after Ana smacked their heads. Given orders not to disturb the baby, they went into stealth mode and crept up to the rocker carefully. Unable to kneel, Layla fell onto the sofa while Khalid knelt in front of Fareeha, shaking the baby rattle he held. Fareeha merely blinked when he pulled funny faces at her, but otherwise didn't let out a sound.

Layla let Khalid have his fun for a few minutes, then called for her turn with the baby. Because of her cast, they didn't let her carry Fareeha. Instead, Ana laid the child on her lap, and Layla held her casted arm to Fareeha's side for safety. She grasped Fareeha's hand between her thumb and forefinger, cooing and twirling it around in circles. Ana looked on anxiously with Kamilah, worried that Fareeha might be unused to unfamiliar faces and break out in a cry. But the girl stayed quiet while Layla amused herself, occasionally letting out a gurgle or two.

"Look at how much hair you have!"

"Don't!" Ana burst out when Layla's hand moved towards Fareeha's head. "I mean–, do it gently."

"My god, chill. I know how to handle babies." Layla ran her fingertips through the soft hair. "You're so cute, Fareeha," she sang, then tickled the child's stomach. Fareeha burbled at her touch.

"So how long's your maternity leave?" Khalid asked, clapping his hands idly. "Wait, does Kamilah get maternity leave too?"

"Yeah, but it's shorter. I get 3 months and she gets 1."

"Huh. So you're both off now?"

"Nah. Milah will start hers when mine ends. She's just on normal leave now."

"Didn't know you can delay maternity."

"She can, apparently. 'Ways', right?" Ana glanced back at Kamilah, who shrugged with a smile.

"I'm not the one who gave birth, remember?"

"Yeah. Every time I get cramps, I do." Ana grinned, nudging her wife in the side before turning back to Khalid. "Anyway, when are you going back out there?"

"Soon," he sighed. "Maybe in the next week or so. That whole shit's been a fucking mess."

Ana felt Kamilah's arm twitch beside her at the expletives. "The Guard's taking the brunt of the blame, huh."

"Yeah. Now we have to clean up after the big hats. We told them. We kept telling them, but they didn't listen."

"When do they ever," Ana said dryly, leaning forward to clap him on the back. "Keep your chin up. It'll get better. And I'll be back out there with you soon enough."

Khalid snorted in good humour. "Well, don't hurry back on my account. Take care of your baby first." He nodded his head at Layla, then whipped his gaze around. "Okay, it's my turn!"

"No!"

"Come on, I haven't carried her yet!"

Layla grumbled. "Not like I've been carrying her."

"Yeah, you have – in your lap. Now it's my turn." Khalid scooted over the sofa, but he paused with his hands hovering over Fareeha. He looked back at Ana sheepishly. "Uh, how do you pick up a baby?"

"God, you're such a loser," Layla said as Ana moved over.

She scooped Fareeha up easily, moved Khalid's arms into a proper cradle, and set the child gently into his hold. Khalid took a breath and held it as Fareeha looked up at him, the man holding still as if he was afraid to move.

"Why do you look so nervous," Ana asked. "I thought you liked playing with your niece."

"Yeah, but I only saw her when she was 1 year old. Not 1 week old." Khalid bobbed his arms experimentally. "And Fareeha's not even a week old yet, holy shit. What a fragile little human."

As if in protest to that description, Fareeha's face scrunched up, and her lips parted in a loud wail.

"Oh god, what did I do?" Khalid asked in panic.

"Relax," Ana said as Kamilah swooped in, taking Fareeha in her arms and starting to pace behind the couch. "You're probably just too ugly to look at."

"Didn't she have enough practice with you?" Khalid deadpanned.

Ana laughed. "Fuck you, asshole."

"Ana!" Kamilah whipped around, one hand still patting Fareeha. "Language."

"Oh come on," she groaned. "You didn't say anything when they did it."

"You're the mother, Ana. And since we're on the subject," Kamilah added. "No cursing in Fareeha's presence. By anyone."

"That…includes us?" Layla asked slowly.

"Yes."

Ana sighed in defeat while the other two slouched farther into the sofa, not daring to argue under Kamilah's stern gaze.

As it turned out, Fareeha was fussing for bed, and Kamilah whisked her up to the crib. With the star attraction gone, the two soldiers stayed for just a while longer before leaving. Ana squeezed them both in a hug, and made the two promise to take care of themselves. She smiled wanly at the duet of 'yes, mom', and stood by the garage door as she watched Khalid's car roll leisurely down the empty road.

Only when the weekend arrived did Safiya finally reply to their baby news with three missed calls – they had crashed into bed after taking care of a fussy Fareeha for an entire day. They returned the call immediately after waking up, and were greeted with Safiya and Zahra's grinning faces. The two looked well, and could barely contain their excitement as Ana brought the phone over to Fareeha. Safiya let out a soft screech when she saw the sleeping baby, then bombarded them with question after question about Fareeha, and vowed to buy all the toys she could get for the girl.

After the baby craze had settled, Ana managed to wring an explanation for their silence over the past days – a mission, as expected. Safiya had spent the past three weeks embedded deep within omnic territory, and it showed. She had thinned noticeably, though her vigour was still palpable even through the call. Zahra, on the other hand, looked more tired than her partner. 'Been on duty for too long', was her explanation, and they expressed no small amount of relief at being back on base. The two had barely laid eyes on each other – even before Safiya's mission – and this short break from fighting was a gift they sorely needed.

Ana couldn't help but sneak a glance at her wife, feeling a pang as she did so. But Kamilah's smile was quick to chase her heavier thoughts away, and Ana had no problems forgetting it when Safiya asked them to wake the baby up, just so she could say hi. They quibbled until their wives had to pull them away from the phone, and the conversation took a calmer turn towards the end. Before the call ended, Safiya mentioned dropping by soon to visit the 'milk monster', as Ana had taken to calling Fareeha. Affectionately, of course.

Though as the days passed by, Ana considered changing it to the 'poop monster' instead.

In their first week home, Ana didn't need to expend too much energy over Fareeha. Kamilah had taken leave so that Ana could grab as much rest as possible, only having to feed Fareeha and carry her whenever Kamilah was occupied. In their second week – the last week before Kamilah went back on duty – she made Ana practice bathing Fareeha and changing her diapers. For the latter, Ana had plenty of practice.

"You make so many poopies, Fareeha," Ana said, undoing her diaper for the third time that day. "Lucky your poopies are teeny." She took the piece of baby wipe Kamilah held out, and wiped Fareeha down. "Hard to believe your little bumbum can make so much poopoo. What?" Ana said when Kamilah snorted.

"How does it feel?" Kamilah asked, handing her a new diaper.

"How does what feel?" She slid the dirty diaper from under Fareeha's clean bottom, and quickly replaced it with a new one. Fareeha's nose scrunched up, and she gave a whine as Ana set her butt back down, but Kamilah tickled her stomach to distract her.

"Reverting back to your first language," Kamilah replied.

"What first language," Ana repeated thoughtlessly, taping the diaper and testing its fit with a finger. "There you go! Now your dirty little bumbum is nice and–" She stopped abruptly when she caught on, and squinted up at Kamilah, who was trying to bite down a smile. "Very funny."

A chuckle escaped Kamilah's lips as Ana dunked the dirty diaper into the plastic bag she held out. "You're almost as fluent in it as you are at whining."

"I have to be, since I can't fucking swear–ow!" Ana whined when Kamilah's knuckles rapped at her head.

"Stop swearing."

"It's built in me, Milah!"

"Well, un-build it. You don't see me swearing around Fareeha, do you?"

"Fine," Ana groaned. She bent down to Fareeha, kissing her forehead. "Just for you, little one. No swears."

Swearing would be a very good release right now.

Ana strode up and down the living room, rocking and singing and pleading with Fareeha, who was fidgeting in her mother's arms and crying at the top of her lungs. The girl had started bawling a good twenty minutes ago, and Ana was starting to get worried – though Fareeha's cries were turning softer in volume, Ana suspected it's only because she was getting tired. Her diaper was clean, she didn't seem interested in feeding, and no amount of singing or cooing or swaying helped to calm her down.

"Please tell me what's wrong, my little darling," Ana begged again, to no avail. Fareeha's face remained scrunched up, fists curled in agitation. Ana flew into the kitchen, where Kamilah was busy at the stove. "Milah, help!"

"Have you tried patting her?"

"Yes."

"Rub her back? It helps when she's fussy at night."

Desperate, Ana rested Fareeha on her chest, with the little one's head on her shoulder. She crooned a soothing tune in Fareeha's ear, rubbing her back gently in circles. Fareeha's cries went on for a few more minutes, before starting to ease into quieter and shorter cries. Ana let out a slow breath, and took to humming as she swayed on the spot, rubbing Fareeha's back until the child was hiccupping instead of crying loudly.

With a giddy laugh, Ana cradled Fareeha again. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier, Milah?"

"Your singing always worked, so…" Kamilah shrugged.

Ana sighed, rocking Fareeha in her hold. "Why do babies even cry, Fareeha?"

Fareeha hiccupped again, then gurgled.

"How I wish I was you, habibti," Ana lamented. "I'd have such a nice life. I can sleep any time and however long I want. I get carried everywhere. When I want something, I just cry. And I'll get to suckle a tit when I do."

"You'll be suckling your mom's tit, Ana," Kamilah pointed out, setting two plates on the counter.

"Aw no, come on. Now you've gone and made it weird." She looked down at the baby in her arms. "Your mama's a weirdo, Fareeha," Ana said with a grin, then bent down to blow a raspberry on Fareeha's stomach. The baby fidgeted under her mouth, lips twitching into a smile as she blinked blearily. "Do you wanna sleep, little one? Tired from all that crying, hm?"

Ana waited for a 'reply', tickling Fareeha's cheek. "Yeah, me too. Let's go sleepy in your little rocky."

"I guess we're going to eaty in the living roomy again?" Kamilah said with a smirk, lifting two plates of fried rice in her hands.

"Aw look," Ana cooed at Fareeha as she followed Kamilah into the living room. "Your mommy thinks she's being clever again. Do you think she's clever?" She paused with her ear close to Fareeha's mouth. "I think she said 'no', Milah."

"Funny."

"Very." Ana giggled to herself, and set Fareeha down in her little rocker. She kissed the baby soundly on her stomach, swaying the rocker until Fareeha's eyes had fallen shut. Heaving a huge sigh of relief, Ana fell onto the sofa with Kamilah, hand landing on her wife's thigh with a smack. "By the way, what's Fareeha going to call us? We can't both be 'mama', can we?"

Kamilah shrugged. "We can have 'mommy' too, since you've been saying it nonstop."

"I'll be 'mommy'," Ana said quickly. "Sounds more fun. You look more like a 'mama'."

"Really."

"Yeah. All focused and mama business-like. Kinda like my mom, actually. That's a compliment," she added when Kamilah raised her brows.

"It'd better be," Kamilah said, scooping another spoonful of rice. "Now eat your food before it gets cold."

"See? That's something a 'mama' would say."

"Yes," Kamilah played along. "And mommy'd better do what mama says or she's taking the couch tonight."

Ana pulled out her best puppy eyes. "Mama doesn't want to sleep with mommy?"

Kamilah held her gaze steadily for one…two…three seconds before relenting with a sigh. "Yes, she wants to. So please eat your goddamned food before–"

"You swore!" Ana gasped dramatically.

"No, it wasn't–"

"You just swore in front of Fareeha!"

"It doesn't count!" She shoved a spoonful of rice into Ana's mouth before she could say anything else. "Shush or I'll kick your stupid–"

Fareeha stirred in her rocker with a whine, and Kamilah fell silent. They stayed frozen in place, staring at the baby as she fidgeted in place, then fell back to sleep again. Satisfied they hadn't woken Fareeha up, they let out a breath in unison. Ana took the plate of rice Kamilah gave her, careful not to clink her spoon too loudly against porcelain.

"It didn't count," Kamilah muttered.

Ana smiled impishly, but humoured her anyway. "Of course it didn't." She leaned down towards the sleeping baby and whispered loudly, "It totally did, Fareeha."

Her banishment to the couch that night was mercifully short, ending with a piercing cry from Fareeha. Kamilah had forgotten that Ana was the only one who could satisfy the milk monster, and so had to pretend not to see Ana's sleepy smirk when she rushed to her wife for help.