Phoebus lumbered away from his and Esmeralda's bedroom, until he found himself stepping from the stairs into the foyer, grabbing his cloak to head into town.

The captain shuddered as the frigid February air swirled around him and stung his cheeks, prompting him to draw his cloak tighter around his shoulders. With his chin pressed against his chest and his feet scuffling through the thin sheet of snow on the ground, Phoebus made his way to the tavern he favored, where Esmeralda was coincidentally employed. He had a pattern of going for a drink when he was stressed or upset, he could acknowledge shamefacedly.

As he pushed open the building's heavy oak door, he was immediately greeted by the bittersweet aroma of rum, and the warmth that the many candles and fireplaces provided. He offered friendly nods to those who held their mugs up in acknowledgement to his entrance. Phoebus trudged across the establishment and lazily plopped himself on a bar stool; his mind was beleaguered with a plethora of thoughts, causing him to not care much about his surroundings. He crossed his thick arms and leaned his elbows on the table as the bartender approached him.

"What'll it be, Cap'n?" the man asked brightly, his hands busy drying a glass with a cloth.

Phoebus reached for a wafer in the bowl to his left and replied, "I'm not having much. Just make it a wine. Esmeralda's in labor right now and I want to be sure I'm not seeing triplets when I hold my kid for the first time." He resisted the inclination to knock on wood. Dear God, let it not be triplets… he prayed desperately.

The bartender slid Phoebus' request across the counter. "Congratulations, Pops!" he remarked teasingly. "And give my best to Es. You've got a great girl there, Phoebus." the man said warmly, winking at the captain. The soon-to-be father beamed proudly and returned the wink. "You're the best, Don." he called after him as he walked away to tend to another customer.

Phoebus spent the next multiple hours killing time: at the tavern, checking in on his soldiers who were going to be without their Captain for a week or so, wandering the shops, and visiting Quasimodo. Being out of the house had calmed his nerves slightly. He thought of how he was actually glad to not be present during the labor, as he found himself unsure of how he'd handle it. He snickered quietly to himself, visualizing how she would have very likely been uttering obscenities aimed at him, were he with her.

Meanwhile, back at his house, his wife's physical strength was diminishing by the minute. She had been pushing so much and with so much determination, she could have probably moved a boulder uphill. Giovanna was a kind woman, who gently ordered her to push when needed, and offered her words of encouragement along the way.

Esmeralda clenched her fists until her fingernails dug into her palms. Wisps of her raven mane bordered her face due to her constant sweating, but the desperate mother-to-be pushed them away with the back of her forearm and continued following Giovanna's directions. She had to get this baby out.

In between her heaving breaths, she asked "How many more…until…I'm done?"

Giovanna beamed and caught Esmeralda's eyes from her location at the foot of the bed. "Looks like only one more and you'll have your baby!" the woman exclaimed.

And she was right. One more push was all that was needed until the child entered the world. Esmeralda felt the obvious emptiness in her midsection as she deflated against the headboard.

Esmeralda couldn't prevent a tired smile from coming onto her sweaty face. After a few moments, her body temperature cooled down, and her breathing resumed a normal rhythm. Giovanna performed all the necessary cleaning as the newborn wailed with life. But before giving the babe to her patient, the middle-aged woman assisted the new mother into a fresh nightgown and gave her some water to drink.

Then, she lifted the infant carefully from the cradle where she had set it and presented it to an anxious Esmeralda. The new mother beamed and cradled the bundle to her chest. Happy tears blurred her vision for a split second before she blinked them away. "Is it a boy or a girl?" she asked Giovanna, after forgetting to for a moment.

The midwife grinned warmly. "A perfectly healthy baby girl."

"A girl…" A deep voice said in astonishment from across the room. Esmeralda's head sprung up to see her husband leaning against the door frame, smiling from ear to ear.

"You know, you look absolutely radiant with a baby in your arms." He commented, sauntering over to sit next to her on the bed.

His wife grinned, her eyes sparkling as she ironed her free hand over her stomach and replied, "Radiant, hmm? I think I look much flatter with a baby in my arms. Seeing as she's on the outside, now."

Giovanna silently slid out of the room, wanting to give the couple some privacy.

The new parents shared a kiss they both smiled into. When they parted, they looked at each other dotingly; no words were necessary. "Let's see her." Phoebus urged, tugging Esmeralda's arm to bring their child closer. He reached out his hand to pull the blanket away from his daughter's face-and his breath was stolen.

It was hardly noticeable due to the typical pink colour newborns have, but the baby's skin was a difficultly-discernable mocha. An onyx cloud of hair adorned her little head, and already-thick eyelashes bordered her eyes. Esmeralda turned her head to glance at her husband in his enchantment, then gave him a kiss on his cheek before returning to gazing at the beautiful new addition to their lives.

A tiny hand struggled its way through the bundles of blankets and groped at air, until Phoebus satisfied it by allowing it to capture his pinky finger.

"We know how to make a damn good-looking kid, don't we, Es?" Phoebus murmured.

She snorted, and said nothing in reply, because, well…it was true.

The new father guffawed at her response; which showed she agreed, but didn't want to admit it aloud. He lathered a wet kiss onto his wife's cheek, shoving her face aside with his while doing so, until she pushed him back into place and reminded him of the infant on her person.

"Ah, that's right! This tiny creature that shall wake us throughout the night with its terrifying howls!" he dramatically stated, using elaborate hand gestures and an unintentionally loud voice. This caused his new daughter to cough out a cry of disturbance and stretch her arms out in aggravation. Esmeralda was too exhausted to get upset with him, and instead offered him the child.

Phoebus feigned exasperation and said, "Alright, alright, let me see the kid. She's probably sick of you, anyways." Esmeralda scoffed and efficiently transferred the bundle from her thin, tan arms to her husband's bulky, muscular ones.

Once the baby was securely set in one of his forearms and settled against him, Phoebus reclined against the headboard and used his unoccupied hand to clutch Esmeralda's. A minute or two went by before the infant's cries simmered down to tolerable sniffles. She was already a daddy's girl.

The captain ogled his daughter with a broad smile and could've sworn he felt his heart triple in size. "What'd we decide on, for a girl? Aurélie, right?" he asked his wife, finding himself unable to take his eyes away from the sight before him.

Esmeralda yawned before confirming, "Mhmm. Aurélie Elise."

"Huh. Aurélie Elise de Chateaupers. Quite the mouthful, kiddo. Sorry for that last part. Blame my ancestors for that one." Phoebus rambled to Aurélie.

Several minutes went by without words or wailing. The new parents appreciated this to-be-rare moment of peace. Esmeralda settled into the sheets, rightfully fatigued, and soon fell into a deep sleep.

Phoebus tilted his head to look at the new mother and grinned, stroking her cheek a few times with the backs of his fingers.

Surely, they had no idea how to even step foot onto the road of parenthood, but they'd just have to wing it.

They were good at that.

Though he used to be remarkably resistant to marriage and children, Phoebus was now inconceivably enthusiastic to raise the daughter currently nestled against his chest.

The brief thought of a possible second baby—a few years down the road—didn't even startle him. (Well, it did a little. Not that'd he'd ever admit it.)

"Aurélie." He mumbled.

The new father smirked. "Much better than 'Phoebus', anyway."