Take My Hand

AN: Wow, part 5 already... This is one of my most... consistent fics I've got going at the moment. I'm usually quite terrible at update regularly... :hopes that readers of Shattered Glass, A Father's Pain and Walks in the Royal Forest don't stone her: But anyways, this one is where we introduce Nymphadora to the world. :D

Early Mother's Day – Late April 1973

Whoever said that pain was good thing... I'd like to see. I think I'd end up strangling them with my bare hands. Ted might survive the night with full use of his hands that way.

Both Carolyn and Elspeth warned me about the pain, nothing—not even some of Bella's more painful curses as children—could have prepared me for this...

On second thoughts, Ted doesn't deserve to have use of those hands. Or other body parts too for that matter. After all, if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be in this position!

Merlin, isn't there something that magic can do to numb this?

"Breathe," Chrissy keeps telling me. Ha. Sure. Easy for her to say. She's not the one delivering a baby.

Another hour of pain beyond anything I've ever known, and suddenly I hear a sound that I know instinctively.

My baby.

"It's a girl!" Chrissy announces excitedly.

All the pain seems to fade for a moment as I hear that. Glancing over at Ted, I can see his eyes are moist along with the grin splitting his face into two.

With a wave of her wand, Chrissy cleans up my bed as one of the assistants hands me my baby girl.

"Congratulations, Andy, Ted," Chrissy says warmly as I took my daughter in my arms. The assistant looked a bit green after everything though, and Chrissy quickly herded her out, leaving Ted and I with our daughter.

He moved closer to me, eyes fixed firmly on the tiny bundle I held.

"She's so tiny," he murmured eventually.

I grinned. "I'm glad she wasn't any bigger," I retorted, stroking her little face. "She's so beautiful."

"She is," Ted agreed with softly.

"Thankfully she looks more like your side," I whispered. It was true, the downy hair on her head was a chestnut shade, similar to Ted's, and her eyes were his too. Only her mouth spoke of my family: the same mouth seen on Cissy and myself. I was thankful that she didn't have the classic Black features; the black hair, the grey eyes, the strong-boned nose.

"I don't know, if she looked like a mini you, she'd be beautiful beyond belief-"

I sniffed, "Flattery will get you everywhere."

Ted ignored me, continuing his statement. "Although, I don't think I could stand that... think of all the boys I'll have to chase away."

"You're a nut sometimes, Ted."

"That why you love me." I rolled my eyes at him, but smiled nonetheless. "What are we going to call her?" Ted asked, attempting to take our daughter into his own arms.

Reluctantly, I let him take her. "I thought we'd already decided: Nymphadora."

Ted looked at me strangely. His eyebrows rose as he realised I was serious. "I thought you were kidding," he said warily.

I glared at him, the full-bodied Black glare. "Edward Tonks, I have just been though thirteen hours in labour with our daughter, the least I can do is get to pick her name!"

Ted closed his eyes, obviously trying to think it through. Stubborn man. He should know that this is one he won't win.

"Okay," he relented slowly, "but I'm not going to call her that mouthful all the time."

"I don't intend to much either," I admitted. "But it'll let her know when she's really in trouble..."

Ted snorted, "I thought that's what middle names were for."

"Well, that too... You can pick her middle name," I offered.

"That's something then. Next time, I get to pick the first name, ok?" he asked hopefully.

I choked. "'Next time?'" I spluttered. "Not any time soon! I'll need a few years to forget the pain!"

"Ok, ok!" Ted said hurriedly, "What about Astelle? For her middle name?"

I went over it in my head: Nymphadora Astelle Tonks. Sounded fine to me. In fact...

"I think it's perfect," I breathed.

"Good," Ted breathed into my ear. "Because I wasn't intending to change it; you're not the only stubborn one here."

"Mmmm, you're doomed now," I teased him. "No matter which one of us Nym takes after she'll be as stubborn as a mule."

"How terrible for me," Ted sighed dramatically before gently laying our daughter in her makeshift crib.

As Ted's arms thread around my torso, I know that this is truly home. Not St. Mungo's—no matter that with the hours I'll be working here in the future—but with Ted, and now Nymphadora. I just hope that I can be everything that my own mother wasn't. I hope that Nym feels that she can come to me with anything...

Right now though, I don't want this moment to end.

AN: Thoughts? Feedback, including concrit will be loved beyond measure.