The days sprouted wings and flew away, and before anyone knew it, three weeks had passed and Missy Elaine was almost one month old. After one week in the hospital, waiting for the baby to reach the six-pound mark, Rapunzel and Eugene were finally allowed to take their little darling home. Rapunzel's father offered to come cook a meal for them on the day they brought Missy home, but Rapunzel kindly turned him down. When Eugene requested she hang out on the couch with the baby, she did so. Until the baby was fast asleep and he was, too. Then she made dinner, and managed to do so before the baby woke for her next meal. Poor Pascal, who had been severely lacking attention the past week - Eugene only dropped by to pick this or that up and make sure the critter was still alive - was quite bent out of shape with the new addition that took up so much of their attention.

Eugene stayed at home with them for another two weeks. Mr. Barnes had been more than happy to give him the time off to be home, so long as they set up a day to let the employees of the bookstore see the baby. They did so, and their usually spacious Victorian home was crammed full with the entire Barnes family.

At the beginning of the second week in March, Eugene got up bright and early once more. Levi had called him the night before, letting him know that his first day back would be a long one. Missy was awake by the time he'd dressed, so he scooped her up and took her down to the kitchen.
"Hey, pumpkin," he grinned softly down at her little face. Her eyes squeezed shut and her small mouth gaped in a yawn before she started to whimper. "I'll get some formula made up for you. Just wait one sec. Daddy's not as good at this stuff as Mommy is. I know." He was afraid to hold her with one arm, but managed it while he got the bottle made (and making a mental note to clean up the spill he'd made trying to dump formula in the bottle with his left, non-dominant hand). As soon as it was mixed up, he sat down to feed and burp her, then laid her down in the bassinet they'd brought into the living room. He buzzed around the kitchen, determined to make Rapunzel breakfast in bed before leaving for work, periodically pausing to check on the baby, who quickly fell back to sleep after her belly had been filled.

Before he could get the meal dished out, Rapunzel tottered downstairs, rubbing her eyes. Her hair was tangled and she wore a loose nightgown, which threatened to trip her as she wandered down the last two steps.
"Aw, I was going to bring this up for you," Eugene greeted her with a fake-pout, and she laughed sleepily.
"Sorry. I woke up and you and the baby were gone," she blinked at the light in the kitchen and Eugene bent to give her a quick kiss.
"I gave her her five o'clock feeding, so she'll be good for another couple of hours," he said. "And if you need anything today, I'm a phone call away. Don't you call Levi, either, or we'll have to have a discussion!" he teased. She yawned, and he wasn't sure if she was just sleepy or if his joke had been that bad.

They ate a quick breakfast, and then Eugene glanced towards the white clock on the wall, announcing he needed to head off.
She stood up and pulled him into a hug. He gave her a tight squeeze and then she kissed his jaw. "I'll see you this evening," she said.
"Mhm. Have a nice day lounging with our little miss," he gave her a crooked grin.
"I will," her smile brightened the drizzly morning. "You have a nice day hanging out with Levi."
Eugene chuckled. "We'll see. Okay. I need to head out."
She gave him another quick hug and watched him as he strode quietly to the bassinet, plopping a gentle kiss on the infant's smooth forehead before he left. She waved her fingers at him when he turned to shut the door behind him, and he cleared his throat. "Ah, there's a book for you on the couch. At least, I think I put it there. If you want to do any editing, feel free. If not, I'll proofread later."

Yawning, Rapunzel checked up on Missy one more time before padding upstairs to get dressed in her cozy gray sweatpants and dark purple shirt. They were a bit sloppier than she liked clothes to be, but hey. She returned to the living room and pulled the bassinet over to the couch, crashing on the comfy cushions and letting Pascal curl up on her lap. In her hands she held the book Eugene must have been talking about. But it was bound - and hardback, too - with a plain red cover. Why was she editing an already printed book? Opening it up, a small sheet fluttered onto her chest, so she read it first, using her belly as a shelf for the book.
Yeah, I know you're probably wondering why I asked you to edit a printed book. This, sweets, is a very rare and limited edition book - only one in the entire existence of the world, and you're holding it. I kinda lied. It's just for you and you don't have to edit it - I did all that already. Thought you'd want something to read while you're on maternity leave, and, well,...I feel better about being a mushy fool when I've a pen in my hand. Love you!

Rapunzel laughed quietly. Only her Eugene...

For the entire day, instead of starting those exercises she'd planned on, she read, breaking only to care for Missy or eat. She let Missy sleep with her head nestled against Rapunzel's neck, which she seemed to like, and when she was awake, she read some of the poems to her.

When Eugene came home that evening, Rapunzel didn't notice until he leaned over the end of the couch to give her an upside-down kiss, dragging her attention away from the last page of the book.
"Oh!" she pulled away and let a little gasp of surprise slip from her lips, staring at him with a mix of horror and surprise. "Oh, oh, oh! I forgot to make dinner!" She managed to convey her panic quietly enough that Missy didn't wake and start crying.
He laughed, his eyes dancing. "I brought it home from the diner. Can I steal the baby a moment? I know she's sleeping, though."
Rapunzel nodded, letting him ease the child away from her. When he had, she stood up and stretched. "I'm so sorry. I completely-well, I guess I didn't lose track of time because I fed her every two hours, but...yikes. I got sucked in."
"You didn't read that entire thing today, did you?" he asked, glancing up from the sleeping child's face to give her a look of surprise.

She grinned, her cheeks tinted with pink. "Yeah. I was hungry for fresh reading." She watched her husband, whose hands practically engulfed the baby, hold the little thing. Missy was nestled quietly in his arms, barely even stirring when she was picked up. Her mouth twitched as if she was nursing on an invisible bottle. Rapunzel's heart melted for both of them. What a lovely little picture.
"And your dad should be coming any minute now. I made sure he was coming," Eugene added, glancing up at her once more before settling the baby in her bassinet again, tucking the soft pink blanket around her and then turning to pull Rapunzel into a hug. "I missed you girls today!"
She laughed. "You got spoiled with your time off?"
"Uh-huh," he nodded, grinning. "Only now I miss you and the baby."
She grinned. "You're such a dear. And thank-" She paused when the door creaked open, announcing the entrance of her father. Her thank-you for the book could wait for later.

While her father ate dinner with them, seated on the third chair they'd finally acquired, Rapunzel noticed her father's hands were a little shakier than normal and he just didn't look good.
"Are you okay, dad?" she asked, watching his face.
He glanced down and cleared his throat. "Ah, no, dear. I'm fine. Maybe just a little tired," he smiled at her and met her gaze for a moment before letting it flicker towards the bassinet in the living room. "How's the little girl?"
Rapunzel's face split into a grin. "She's so precious!" Rapunzel lit into an explanation of how well she slept through the night, except for when she wanted fed, and so on and so forth, this and that. Eugene took this time to watch her father, noticing a faint, abnormal tint to his skin. He didn't ask, though, figuring it might be rude.

After supper, Charles held the baby and fed her while Rapunzel took photos of Missy and her granddad. He eventually left for his house in Buffalo, and Rapunzel cleaned the kitchen (after wrestling the duty away from Eugene, trading tasks so he could have some quality time with Missy) while Eugene headed up the spiral staircase to get Missy dressed for bed and settled into the crib in their bedroom.
"Missy Elaine," Eugene said her name in a singsong voice, stroking her cheek with the pad of his thumb until she gave a reflexive smile. "Cutie. Were you good for mum today? Let's get you dressed for bed." He worked quickly - defying the stereotype that fathers can't even put a diaper on the right way - and then sat with her on the bed, cuddling her and talking softly until she was lulled to sleep. Of course, he was spinning a story as he spoke - may as well get her started on stories early!

Rapunzel made her way up to the bedroom just in time to see Eugene settling Missy into the crib, pink fuzzy blanket tucked neatly around her.
"She asleep?" Rapunzel asked quietly.
"Mmhm," Eugene nodded, smiling down at the sleeping face before looking over at his wife, who had strode over to join him.
"She's such a dear," Rapunzel murmured, reaching to stroke a few strands of her daughter's brown downy hair away from her eyes. "I don't want her to grow up, ever."
He chuckled softly. "Most parents hit that realization when they start to walk, or even graduate high school. Not when they're three weeks old!"
"Well, I'm starting early," she said. She wanted to keep her baby a, well, baby forever: that way she could fold her up in her arms and keep her safe from all harm as long as she lived. She'd never know heartache. She'd only know love. Eugene watched Rapunzel and seemed to realize what she was thinking. "I know," he nodded, reaching to pull her into his side.
"What?" she asked.
"You don't want to let go..." he started, in case he was wrong.
She nodded. "And know that some way, some how, she's gonna get hurt."
"She's at an advantage already, though, as opposed to us," he reassured her.
"How?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowing.
"Because," he plopped a kiss on her forehead to ease the wrinkles of confusion running across it, "she's got an awesome mom."

Rapunzel rolled her eyes and patted his back, slipping away so she could brush her hair. "And a great dad. By the way, thank you for the book. That was really sweet," she said.
He grinned, embarrassed.