A/N: Thank you to all of you who have reviewed, sent PM's and favoured this story and the prequel over the last weeks. I hope you all enjoy the final chapter.

Thank you to Purdy's Pal for looking over the first few pages of this for me

12

The three people waiting in the family room looked up when Michael walked in with his infant daughter cradled in his arms.

"Mike," Sam's voice came out in a hushed whisper as he swallowed heavily when he glimpsed a head of dark hair. He was suddenly overcome with an emotion he'd never felt before and he tried desperately to control his watering eyes.

Madeline rested one of her hands on Sam's shoulder as she tried to help him hold himself together. It had been rough for him when Fiona was in labour; she knew that he cared about the young woman more than he'd ever admit. And now, as he started wiping at his eyes and coughing away the lump in his throat, she couldn't help but feel so much adoration for her extended family.

"Guys," Michael told them in a hushed voice as he tore his eyes away from his daughter's sleeping face. "Come say hello to Claire."

"Claire?" Sam asked in a rasped voice as he broke away from Madeline to gain a closer look at the baby. "After Fi's sister?"

Michael nodded and met his friend's glazed eyes. "Yeah."

"I didn't know Fi had a sister," Madeline whispered, as she stepped closer towards Michael and held out her arms.

Michael regarded her fondly before he relinquished his hold on Claire to reluctantly pass her over to her grandmother.

"Well, I bet when her aunt sees her she's going to be very proud," Madeline beamed a smile down at the baby and bent to kiss her head.

"She died a long time ago, Ma," Michael told her softly, keeping his voice low as he moved them all away from the open bedroom door.

"Oh honey, I didn't know. Fi never speaks about her." Shifting the baby to a more comfortable position, Madeline held her close to her chest and started to rock her back and forth.

"She doesn't like to talk about it," Michael all but whispered as he held his fingers out to his daughter to gently stroke her hair before glancing up at his mother who was still gazing down at the baby in her arms. "She's named after you, too, you know."

Madeline's head snapped up and regarded him with an awestruck expression. "Me?"

"Yeah, her name is Claire Madeline," he told her, unable to contain the smile that split his face in two.

Madeline's face was one big smile and for once she was lost for words. Seeing her struggling, Sam saw this as his cue to step in and steal the baby from her, but before he could open his mouth he was interrupted.

"Does that mean if she was a boy you'd have called her Sam?" a gruff voice spoke up from the other side of the room, and all three people looked towards Jesse who was grinning like a Cheshire cat. "I'm just saying!"

"You'd have to ask Fi about that," Michael laughed. "She's in charge when it comes to baby name's."

"And here I was thinking I was special," Sam huffed indignantly. Moving over towards Madeline he held out his arms expectantly. "Pass her here Maddie, I want to hold my—"

"Niece?"

Everyone in the room turned towards the open doorway and saw Fiona leaning against the frame looking extremely exhausted but more radiant than she had ever looked before.

"Fi," Michael was by her side in a second, rubbing his hand over her arm. "You're supposed to be in bed."

"Michael I have been in that room for over twelve hours," she told him with a determined smile. "And besides, I'm not sitting in bed on my own when my whole family is out here."

"Okay," he smiled down at her as he slipped his arm around her shoulders, letting her lean on him for support while he walked her slowly over towards the sofa. All the time he held on to her he watched her face for any signs of discomfort, but all she did when he helped her to sit down was wince a little until she placed herself in a more comfortable position.

"Do you want me to get you anything?" he asked her, trying not to let her see the worry in his eyes.

"No, I'm fine," she told him, her hand still grasping his until he took the hint and sat down beside her.

"Fi," Sam's voice was wavering when he came to perch on the arm of the sofa to lay a warm hand on her shoulder. He was relieved to see her, even though he would never openly admit it, at least not to her. "How are you feeling?"

Fiona regarded him fondly as she offered him a tired smile. "Do you really want to know?" At his insistent nod, she grinned up at him despite her fatigue. "Like I've just given birth to an elephant!"

"Ouch," Sam scrunched up his face and hissed out through his lips. "Well, you did a good job Fi. She's a beauty."

"Sam, you sound like you're describing a horse!" Madeline exclaimed, and then changed her tone instantly to an order. "Now sit down properly if you want to hold my granddaughter."

Sam huffed and looked to Michael and Fiona for support, but the two of them were in their own world as they now sat closely together in the corner of the sofa, watching their daughter with intensity.

With a heavy sigh, Sam slipped back against the cushions and took the baby, surprised at how heavy she felt in his arms.

"Wow, you're a heavy girl aren't you? How much did she weigh?" he grinned down at Claire who was still sleeping peacefully, oblivious to the adults in the room. He glanced over at Fiona who was laid against Michael's chest trying really hard not to let her eyes close. She looked exhausted.

"Seven pound exactly," Michael told him as his eyes skimmed over Claire's tiny form before coming up to meet his friend's gaze with a proud smile.

Sam caught Michael's eyes and inclined his head towards Fiona who had lost her battle and succumbed to sleep, albeit how brief it may be. Michael glanced down at Fiona's face and smiled. His hand came up to slide over her shoulders as he bent his head to kiss her forehead.

Her eyes slowly opened and she smiled up at him sleepily. She was sore and she hurt in places that she never even knew she had, but nothing could take the complete elation away from her. Lifting her face she watched as his lips descended on her, placing a soft kiss onto her mouth. When he pulled away, he was gazing down at her with so much adoration, which caused sudden tears to spring to her eyes.

"We did it, didn't we?" She beamed a smile up at him before she lifted her head from his chest to reach out to her daughter nestled against Sam, and ran her fingers over her tiny hands, instantly feeling the need to hold her. "I can't believe she's here."

"You did it Fi," he told her proudly. He couldn't fathom the powerful surge of emotions that were coursing through him. He hadn't expected to feel this way, to feel so much love directed not only at the woman nestled in his embrace, but for the new life they had both created. And for those few precious moments he ached to have his baby girl back in his arms.

He watched intently when Sam stood up with his daughter and took her over towards Jesse who had kept his distance and hadn't joined the small group. They were talking in hushed whispers while Sam started to rock back and forth unconsciously.

A squeeze on his fingers brought his eyes back down to the woman beside him. She was watching him with a knowing gaze and he suddenly found himself blushing under her intensity.

"She's with her family," she told him softly. "She's a lucky little girl."

"Yeah," he nodded wistfully. "I'm going to have a hard time getting her back from

those two."

Fiona followed his eyes and couldn't help but smile at Jesse who was holding Claire as if she was going to explode in his arms. He was trying to smile but it came out as more of a grimace and after only a minute or two he thrust the baby back at Sam.

"Here you go sweetheart," Madeline's voice broke through her thoughts and she looked up to see her 'mother in law' holding out a glass of iced tea to her. "Are you hungry?"

Fiona took the offered tea, handing it to Michael who put it on the small table beside the sofa. She shook her head with a tired smile. "No thanks Madeline, I think I'm too tired to eat."

"I know," Madeline told her warmly. "I'm going to take the boys home so you can some rest."

"You don't have to go," Fiona started to protest but her words caught on a yawn and she quickly put her hand over her face.

"That's our cue to leave." Looking behind her, Madeline called Sam and Jesse's names in a hushed whisper bringing them back to her side.

"Thanks for everything ma," Michael told her as he eased his arm away from Fiona and started to move but his mother held up a hand to stop him.

"You stay where you are, we'll let ourselves out. You just take care of your family," she told him with a proud smile. "I haven't had time to call your brother yet, but I'll do that as soon as I get home."

"Madeline…" Fiona started but she didn't know what she could possibly say to the woman who had become more like a mother to her over the past few years. Whatever she had tried to say was instantly understood and it took only a few seconds for Madeline to come to the sofa to sit down beside her.

"You're welcome sweetheart," she told her with a watery smile. "You've given me so much…Claire's the first girl to be born into the family since…" Madeline's voice trailed away but Fiona reached out and squeezed her hand.

Inching forward, Madeline pressed a soft kiss on Fiona's cheek before reaching up a hand to pat the side of her face affectionately. "You made me really proud today sweetheart, don't ever forget that."

Sam made his way over towards the sofa and found himself looking down at the child he held in his arms once more ready to reluctantly relinquish her back to her parents. Before he could move, the baby started to move against him, pushing her tiny hand up and over the small pink shawl she was wrapped in.

"Hey now," Sam soothed when Claire's face scrunched up as she whimpered. He watched her eyes slowly open and was amazed by how dark they were. This little girl stole his heart in that one second and he knew he would never let anyone get near enough to hurt her, ever. "It's okay little darlin' your mommy's right here."

Holding Claire up a little closer he bent to kiss her head before bending to carefully place the baby into her mother's waiting arms and stepped back to watch the new family settle back against the sofa cushions.

Madeline placed her hand on Sam's shoulder and offered him a smile when she stood up to stand beside him.

"We'll see you sometime tomorrow," she told them, not expecting a reply.

Michael's voice surprised her when he tore himself away from Fiona and Claire. Coming towards her he pulled her into a lose embrace before pulling back just as quickly.

"Thank you…all of you…I…"

"No problem Mikey," Sam reached out a hand and slapped Michael on the back. "Congratulations brother."

"Yeah, congrats man," Jesse called out from his place at the door, still feeling a little like a third wheel when it came to team Westen."

"Jesse get over here," Michael told him with a grin as he held out his hand, shaking it firmly when Jesse smiled. "You got me here in time to see my daughter's birth. I owe you."

"Well, in that case I guess we're even," Jesse told him gleefully. "For me shooting you an all…"

"Already forgotten," Michael nodded.

"Take care of your girl's Mike," Jesse told him seriously as he headed towards the door, following Sam and Madeline outside.

"Thanks guys," Michael called out and waved a hand before closing and locking the door. Turning back around he stopped in his tracks and a lump formed in his throat when he saw Fiona feeding Claire. He was overcome with so many different emotions that he couldn't even put a name to any one of them.

Silently he made his way back towards them and perched on the edge of the sofa lifting a hand to stroke Claire's soft hair before sitting back to put an arm around the woman he loved, holding her secure against him.

"I love you," he told her suddenly, unable to keep the words inside any longer.

Fiona smiled up at him and lifted her head to steal a kiss from him. "I love you."

When their lips parted both of them returned to gaze down at their baby girl who had stopped feeding and fallen back to sleep with his mouth open.

Fiona carefully lifted her upwards onto her knees and supported her head while she rubbed her back.

When Claire had settled back down again, Michael moved off of the sofa to gently take her from her mother's embrace and held her against his shoulder while he carried her back into the bedroom to place her into her bassinette.

When he turned back around to go back to help Fiona, she was already at the doorway, taking slow steps towards him.

"Slow down," he told her quickly as he met her half way. "You're supposed to be taking it easy."

"I am," she told him with a smile. "I just need you to do something for me before everything around here gets crazy."

"Anything," he told her, stepping up towards her when she reached for him. Moving closer he slipped his arms around her and pulled her close against his body, something he hadn't been able to do for the last few months.

Fiona closed her eyes and breathed him in, tightening her arms so that he held her closer. Tears brimmed in her eyes when she felt everything from the last few hours bombard her senses, causing her to cling to him helplessly.

"Don't let me go," she whispered against his chest, "I need to feel you."

"I'm here," he told her placing kisses into her hair. "I'm not going anywhere…"

"I missed you, so much," she sighed into his chest and groaned against him when the pressures of giving birth were weighing heavy on her lower body . "Can we sit down? I feel like my insides are falling out…"

He moved away from her and slipped an arm back around her shoulders to help her over towards their bed. He kept his movements deliberately slow and waited until she was settled back into the pillows before walking towards Claire's bassinette, bringing it closer beside the bed.

He peeked in at the sleeping infant, once again losing his heart to her. Reaching in he moved to pull her covers over her sleeping form and tucked them around her securely. When he turned to sit on the edge of the bed he wrapped his fingers around Fiona's as they both gazed down at their sleeping child.

"Can you believe we made her?" She asked him wistfully. "She's ours, Michael. Yours and mine…"

"I know," he told her with awe, still not quite believing it. "I never thought I could feel this way about anyone, but you."

Taking one last look at Claire he turned away to climb into the bed beside Fiona, careful not to jolt the mattress when he lay down beside her.

"What did you need me to do, Fi?" he asked her then, suddenly remembering what she had said to him a short time ago.

"Hmmm?" she sighed against him as she settled against his chest and closed her eyes. "Just this…you're all I need…you and Claire…"

Michael smiled and buried his lips into her hair. "You have us," he told her, even though he already knew she had succumbed to her exhaustion. "Always…"

Epilogue

"Dadda…" Claire squealed loudly from where she was sat on the bed with her mother, clapping her hands together when her father came back into the bedroom from the bathroom.

"Hey," he grinned down at her with pure devotion and held out his arms to pull his fifteen month old daughter against his bare chest to spin her around.

"Well now you two are finally reunited, how about you let mommy catch up on a little sleep?" Fiona asked with a beaming smile as she laid back against the pillows and pulled the duvet back over her body. "You know, since you got me pregnant…"

"What?" Michael stopped spinning and kneeled down on the bed to put Claire down onto the mattress. "You're…"

Fiona sat back up and reached for him, pulling him into her for a firm kiss and yanking him down beside her. She kissed him again, running her hand over his bare torso before moving back to open her arms for Claire to crawl in between them.

Michael couldn't keep the elation from spilling over onto his face as he leaned up on one elbow to regard the two women in his life.

"How far?"

"Six weeks," Fiona told him with a smile as she handed Claire her favourite book to look at while she reached up a hand to spread her fingers over her husband's face. "So…"

"So?" he asked with a beaming smile. "I guess I should ask for assignments closer to home again?"

"I guess so," Fiona told him as she watched him. "What do you think?"

Michael stretched out his arm to run his fingers through his daughter's soft curls before slipping his hand to Fiona's body, splaying his digits over her still flat stomach.

"I'm thinking…we need a boy this time…I'm starting to feel a little outnumbered here!"

Fiona chuckled and reached out her arms to him, pulling him against her chest as they laid together and watched Claire play with her toys on the bed.

Life was good, Michael mused with a smile as he suddenly lunged for his daughter to lift her squealing form above his head before bringing her down to blow kisses onto her stomach.

The little girl giggled with delight and tried to crawl away from him but he caught her again to scoop her up into his arms when he climbed out of bed.

"I think we should let mommy stay in bed don't you Claire?" He asked his delighted daughter who was clinging to him and patting the palms of her tiny hands to his face.

She offered him a toothy grin that always guaranteed she got anything she wanted, and that was enough for Michael to swing her in the air again so that he could plant a string of kisses over her chubby face.

"Wave to mommy," he grinned at her as he lifted her to his shoulder when he carried her out of the room. "Let's go find some breakfast…"

Fiona waved back to Claire when they left the bedroom and laid back against the pillows for a few seconds before she reached for Michael's discarded shirt and slipped it on as she climbed out of the bed. It had been a wild ride over the last few years she mused as she followed the noises that were coming from the kitchen, but she wouldn't have changed it for the world…

The End

Thank you all so much for reading

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