In the interest of keeping this story fun and light I'm eschewing any speculation or possible angsty storylines. Consider this story as sitting somewhere in an undefined near-future suspended from canon.

The penultimate chapter; a little shorter than usual, but I felt I had to feature these guys just once before we wrap up. As always, ENJOY!

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Charlie had never really been around babies. He remembered a little bit of his youngest brother's babyhood, but he'd been a child himself at the time and before long all three boys were old enough to play outside together. There weren't many cousins nearby, or even friends with young children. Somehow the Davis brothers ended up amongst the youngest of their cohort, and so for all his domestic capabilities Charlie hadn't been around babies very much.

He did, however, take to childcare like a duck to water, much to the amusement of Rose. Although initially suspicious of his willingness to help around the house, Jean had accepted Charlie's efforts to win her over with cooking duty, and so she wasn't surprised when Charlie volunteered himself as babysitter on one of the last days of Amelia's care. Lucien and Matthew were tied up with a case, and the grocery shopping needed doing after Lucien requisitioned yet another roast for crime solving, so when it was evident Charlie and Rose were merely hanging around the house in each other's company, she tasked them both with double duty and set off down the street before they could really lodge any kind of serious complaint.

Ruby was going well in the city; as well as could be expected, and certainly better than she had been in Adelaide. The specialists were hopeful she wouldn't need to stay much longer and soon she could be discharged back home to Adelaide for care. As such, the Blake household was on alert for the end date to their babysitting duties. It was… oddly sad to think about. Amelia's visit was always going to be short-term, but they adjusted so well to having a baby around that the thought of losing her had made everyone a little melancholy. Lucien especially, who was stealing cuddles at every available opportunity.

Jean handed Charlie the baby with practiced ease, and he held her firmly, if a little awkwardly. It wasn't the same brand of discomfort as Alice; it was just a lack of practice. When he looked Rose, a question on his mind if she'd like to hold Amelia, she threw her hands up and shook her head.

"You're on your own" she said, grinning at him. It seemed to answer a lot of questions all at once, which made him smile.

"There's formula on the sink if she gets fussy, and some stewed apple in the fridge if that's not enough" said Jean, fussing about the kitchen and watching the three of them make their way to the living room to sit together on the couch.

"Thanks Mrs Bee" said Charlie, smiling as he settled Amelia on his lap. "I'm sure we'll be okay"

"It is just a couple of hours. I'm only running errands down the street"

"Exactly" answered Charlie pointedly and with a smile. Jean seemed to get the hint and smiled to herself, looking rather bashful.

"Alright, well… I'll see you shortly"

"See you then" he called out, grinning as she spun around and disappeared down the hall towards the front door.

Rose was looking at Amelia intently, unmoving, the two of the holding eyes like they were in a staring competition.

"I have no idea what I'm doing" said Rose, never looking away. Charlie could only laugh at her, which caused Amelia to jerk her gaze away to look at him.

"Ha! I won!" she said, pointing her finger in the baby's face. "You looked away first"

Charlie only shook his head at her, bemused and kind of endeared. "She can't understand you"

Rose rolled her eyes at him. "Well obviously"

She sat back, watching Charlie as he placed the baby on his knee and then bounced just a little, making her gurgle in a rhythm all her own. Her fist went in her mouth, drool all over, and Charlie took her bib and wiped it away.

"Babies drool a lot" said Rose. She wasn't disgusted, rather she was intrigued. So many of her friends and peers seemed baby-mad; eager to settle down and have a family, as though the world would end if they didn't have a ring on their finger and three kids by the age of thirty. She found it all rather absurd, and was scorned for saying so, but there was just so much… everything… always coming out of Amelia, that she couldn't imagine a world where she would want that for herself. Not now, not yet.

"She's been teething" said Charlie.

"And that causes more drool?"

He gave her a look that begged her not to tease him or be deliberately obtuse, which was one of her favourite pass times with him. She just grinned in reply, and then leaned in and kissed his cheek.

"You handle drool very well" she said, and laughed at him when he gave her a pained look.

"Are you sure you don't want a hold?" he asked, Amelia had taken her bib and shoved that in her mouth too, which served the dual purpose of mopping up the drool and providing her with a new and different texture to suck on, though Charlie suspected he'd need to fish the teething ring from the fridge soon.

"You seem to be handling things okay without me" said Rose. She looked wary, maybe even hesitant to be seen with a baby in hand. "And besides, apparently I'm supposed to want that kind of thing. If I hold her I might lose all interest in my career, and then my articles in progress will never get finished for Monday's edition"

Charlie gave her a soft look, full of understanding. They were careful – the both of them equally concerned about it, if he's honest – but there was always that what if possibility borne of too many friends who got careless and ended up in a church prematurely. Not that he and Rose weren't steady but… they weren't ready for that yet. And anyway, neither seemed willing to give up their career path to take a detour down the aisle. He knew that about her, and he respected it. In fact, her ambition, when focused in the right direction, was something he admired about Rose.

"There's nobody here but me" he said, voice low. "And I certainly won't judge you"

Rose looked at him then, properly, and seemed a little more at ease with what she found there. Understanding, and no sense of persuasion.

"Alright then" she said, nodding at him, her chin set firm. She held her hands out.

Charlie chuckled. He put the baby on her lap, sitting, and made sure Rose had a grip around her back before he let go. Amelia barely noticed a thing, but looked up at her new minder with a curious look on her face.

"Hi there" said Rose, her voice gentle but not coo-ey.

"She likes you" said Charlie, smiling at them both.

"Well… I don't mind her either"

She still wasn't comfortable. The baby smelled of talcum powder and milk, and she was more fragile than Rose was comfortable with even though her baby chub felt solid in her hands, and with her tooth situation she was liable to burst into tears at any given moment. Still… Rose held her and didn't break her. And that was a positive start.