December 16, 2022

Finn's eyes pried open, and he soon became aware of the fact that it was still dark outside. This was the routine now, as he and Quinn understood after a week of being home with Sophia. He heard her soft whines come through the baby monitor on Quinn's side of the bed, and rolled over to tell his fiancée that he would go check on her, but his words came up short. Half of the bed was already empty; no sooner had he realized this, did he hear Quinn's voice coming softly through the monitor.

"I'm going to sing you a song, okay? My mom used to sing this to me when I was little, but…she changed the name from 'Daisy' to 'Lucy'. So I'm gonna change it from 'Lucy' to 'Sophie'. How's that sound?"

Sophia continued to let out light, garbled coos; Finn rose from the bed with a smile as he drifted from the bedroom to Sophia's nursery. As he approached the pink-themed room, he heard Quinn softly sing to their baby girl.

"Sophie, Sophie—give me your answer true. I'm half crazy all for the love of you. It won't be a stylish marriage; I can't afford a carriage, but you'll look sweet upon my seat of a bicycle built for two…"

Finn stood in the doorway, watching the two loves of his life. Quinn had Sophia cradled in her arms as she sat in a rocking chair. The only thing between Quinn and Sophia was a lime-colored blanket with yellow ducks printed all over, which Quinn had loosely draped over her arms. But she stared down at their tiny child and softly sang "Bicycle Build for Two" again. Her hazel green eyes glanced up at Finn and she smiled softly but continued to sing on.

Finn smiled back—his lips tugging up on one side. Sometimes it would hit him just how insane it felt for him to be so in love with his daughter. He frequently replayed in his mind, that moment in the hospital when he finally got to see her, and the first time he got to hold her. That felt more real to him than seeing her. Becoming familiar with her 7-pound, 2-ounce weight took no time at all. And over the course of her first few days of life, they watched her initially dark eyes grow light into a hazel pair—an even blend of Quinn and Finn's hues. Her hair remained dark blonde wisps but they began to curl slightly at the ends.

With a slow pace, Finn entered the nursery and crossed the room to stand over his two girls. Quinn was still rocking slowly but her song fell to a hum now. He saw that Sophia's eyes had shut but her lips parted slightly—the same way Quinn's would when she would fall asleep. Finn's smile grew as he softly whispered in a hoarse voice, "See? Even when she sleeps, she looks like you."

"I still say she smiles like you."

His brows rose, "Nah, she's a mini version of her Mommy, to boot." He saw a rise in Quinn's cheeks as he said this; bending down to her level, he pressed a kiss to her temple.

"Oh, will you take her for a moment, Finn? I have to go to the bathroom."

"Of course," he replied with twinkling eyes. He wasn't fully aware of how much it showed, but inside, he felt the joy he got from holding his daughter and staring at her. He waited for Quinn to stand up and carefully hand her off; she pressed a tender kiss to their pudgy-cheeked daughter and then headed out of the nursery.

Finn cradled her to her chest—the feeling being a little more familiar than he would admit aloud. Quinn would probably verbally whip him if he compared their daughter to a football. Hell, he knew he would deserve it too. Sophia was so much more valuable, and precious and beautiful than a pigskin. He freed one of his hands so that he could slip an index finger into her palm. Just as he'd hoped, she gripped his finger while drifting off to sleep and didn't let go until she was nearly asleep.

As he slowly walked about the perimeter of the nursery, Finn hummed an old rock song he'd grown to love. It didn't take long for him to get bored with humming it and so he gave in and started to sing softly to her instead. His back was to the door as his falsetto tone rasped, "Let me be the one who calls you 'baby' all the time. Surely you can take some comfort knowing that you're mine…" He rocked her back and forth in his arms, knowing his limited dance skills could handle that much. "Just hold me tight—lay by my side and let me be the one who calls you baby all the time. I've found my place in the world—I could stare at your face for the rest of my days. Now I can breathe, turn my insides out and smother me. Warm and alive I'm all over you, would you smother me?"

Midway through turning to face the door, he saw Quinn standing there, leaning against the frame with her arms folded and a smile on her face. He directed the next portion of lyrics to her and sang on, "Let me be the one who never leaves you all alone. I hold my breath and lose the feeling that I'm on my own. Hold me too tight, stay by my side and let me be the one who calls you 'baby' all the time. I've found my place, in the world; I could stare at your face for the rest of my days."

To his surprise, Quinn softly rasped the next lyrics back to him. "Now I can breathe—turn my insides out and smother me. Warm and alive I'm all over you, would you smother me?"

She entered the room while singing this part and once she was close enough, Finn extending a hand to her and playfully twirled her around. His eyes darted back and forth between watching Sophia drift to a deeper sleep and Quinn smiling as she twirled once around. Finn watched her smile soften as he lowered his hand from hers long enough for him to approach Sophia's crib and sing the final bit to her. "Let me be the one who calls you 'baby'…the one who calls you 'baby'…"

Song lyrics are "Smother Me" by The Used.
I'm very grateful for all the reviews! Please keep 'em coming! More Fuinn Fabrudson is on the way!