Author Note: I was originally planning on ending this when Lux's heart defect was repaired. I don't know much about babies and I don't know how well I can write about a baby. I have a few ideas. Should I continue or end it here?

Cate literally could not wait to pick Lux up from the hospital. She'd dropped Laverne off at work before school so she could use the car. The car had a brand new car seat in the backseat.

Now Cate was counting the minutes until school let out. It felt like the bell would never ring.

Usually studious, Cate could not pay attention today. She kept daydreaming about Lux.

She would finally be able to hold her daughter in her own clothes instead of in the weird plastic thing the nurses always made her wear. And she wouldn't have to feed Lux in order to hold her. She could hold her baby just because. Cate smiled at the thought.

Cate fidgeted with her necklace, unable to sit still in her seat. Alice gave her an odd look from the desk beside Cate's.

Cate avoided Alice's gaze. Even now that Alice and, well, everyone else knew about Lux thanks to Abby, Cate still felt distant. None of her classmates could possibly understand what Cate was going through. Cate wouldn't have been able to understand just a little over a year ago. She didn't have anything in common with any of them anymore. Not that she ever really had. She'd always felt like the odd man out.

Cate squirmed in her seat, glancing up at the clock. It was almost time. Cate hastily shoved her notebook into her book bag although the teacher was still talking.

When the bell finally rang, Cate practically leapt out of her seat. She was already out the door while other students were still packing up.

Cate hurried to the car. She was surprised to find Baze leaning casually against Laverne's car.

"What are you doing?" Cate asked, throwing her book bag in the backseat.

"You're going to get Lux?" Baze asked instead of answering.

"Yeah." Cate smiled.

"Can I come?" Baze asked, though he was already poised to get in the passenger seat.

"Don't you have football practice?" Cate wondered.

"Yeah, but I don't wanna go," Baze said, fastening his seat belt.

"You're the quarterback," Cate pointed out.

Baze shrugged. "I'm Lux's dad. She's coming home today. I should be there."

Cate smirked. She'd never thought those words would come out of Baze's mouth.

Baze blushed slightly.

"What about your car?" Cate asked as she drove toward the hospital.

"My mom'll take me to get it later," Baze replied, unconcerned.

Once again, the difference between Ellen and Laverne struck Cate. Laverne would be drunk later. Ellen was always in mom mode, always there for her son.

Cate vowed to put Lux first. Always. She wanted to be the mom everyone was jealous of, not the mom whose children were embarrassed.

Cate and Baze subconsciously linked hands as they walked toward the nursery. They kept pace with each other naturally and broke into grins at exactly the same time.

Dr. Burke went over discharge instructions with Cate.

Cate listened carefully. She didn't want to miss anything.

Baze tuned out, an old habit he'd developed in grade school.

"Do you have any questions?" Dr. Burke asked.

"No," Cate replied. She looked at Baze.

He noticed her staring and blinked.

"We're almost done. You'll just need to sign Lux's paperwork," Dr. Burke said.

Cate nodded. She carefully picked Lux up, cradling the baby to her chest. Cate could feel Lux's tiny heart beating against her chest. Cate held Lux close as she followed Dr. Burke to the nurse's station.

Cate hesitated, unused to juggling a baby and doing things at the same time.

Baze noticed and signed the paperwork for Cate without glancing down at it.

Baze opened the car door for Cate. Cate gently lowered Lux into the car seat.

Cate fumbled with the buckle, making sure it was tight enough to hold Lux securely.

Cate adjusted the volume on the radio. She didn't want it to be too loud for Lux. She moved the air vent to make sure Lux was getting air in the back seat. Baze smirked from the passenger's seat.

Baze turned in his seat, watching Lux. He sat fascinated with his daughter.

Lux squirmed in her seat, kicking her little legs and moving her little fingers. Baze watched in amazement.

"Are you kicking?" Baze said softly. "You're gonna be a little soccer player."

Cate rolled her eyes.

Baze didn't notice. He only had eyes for Lux.

Lux was a little person. Soon she'd be walking. Talking. It was crazy to watch this little person grown right before his eyes. She was already so much bigger than she'd been the first time he saw her.

When Cate pulled to a stop, Baze looked up, surprised. He'd been fixated on his daughter for the whole ride. He couldn't believe they were already at Cate's house.

"Can I…?" Baze nodded toward Lux.

Cate smiled slightly. "She's your daughter. You don't have to ask permission."

Baze unbuckled Lux and picked her up. He hadn't held her yet. Unlike Cate, he couldn't use breast-feeding as an excuse to hold Lux while she was in the hospital.

Baze was surprised how heavy Lux was. She wasn't heavy, but he'd been expecting the weight of a little doll or stuffed animal, not the full weight of a baby.

He adjusted her, trying to find a comfortable position. Lux's little fingers felt the letters on Baze's jacket. He glanced down. "What's she doing?"

"She can feel the texture of the fabric," Cate explained, smiling.

Cate lunlocked the front door and held it open for Baze. He entered and looked around.

Cate sat down on the couch and patted the seat next to her. Baze obliged, sitting down and placing Lux in his lap.

"This is better than that hospital, huh, Lux?" Baze said, beaming down at his daughter.

"Just a little," Cate chimed in, laughing.

"Now I know it will take some getting used to. You're the only baby. All your friends are back at the hospital. Yeah, you're the only one. And there aren't any wires or beeping machines," Baze said lightly.

Cate smiled.

"Where's Lux's room?" Baze wondered.

Cate blushed slightly. "She's, uh, sleeping in my room."

"Is it upstairs?" Baze asked. He picked Lux up and headed for the stairs.

Cate hesitated. "Yeah." She followed reluctantly. What would Baze think when he saw what Cate could offer Lux compared with the beautiful nursery at his house?

Baze stopped at the top of the stairs.

"It's that one." Cate pointed toward her door. She was glad she'd cleaned up for Lux's homecoming. It would have been embarrassing if Baze had gone in and seen dirty underwear on the floor or something.

Baze carried Lux over to Cate's bed and sat down. He glanced around and nodded in approval.

"It's not as nice as the nursery at your house," Cate said regretfully.

"It's better than the hospital," Baze said reassuringly.

"That's for sure," Cate agreed. She turned to the baby. "What do you think Lux? Do you like your new room?"

Lux giggled and both parents beamed.

"I'll take that as a yes," Cate said, smiling.

"Do you want to join us?" Baze asked, looking at the empty space beside him on Cate's bed. He grinned crookedly.

Cate swallowed. She'd never imagined she'd have the popular quarterback in her bedroom. She sat down beside him, but was careful to leave space between them.

"Would your mom be pissed if she knew I was in your room?" Baze smirked, almost as if he could read Cate's mind.

Cate blushed slightly. "For some reason, she likes you."

Baze grinned boyishly. "So every Cassidy except you likes me?"

Cate rolled her eyes.

Baze laughed. "Come on, admit it. You like me, too."

"I don't hate you," Cate said carefully.

"High praise coming from you," Baze teased.

"Why do you even care if I like you?" Cate demanded. He didn't like her. He'd made that clear when he made fun of her to his friends after Winter Formal.

Baze shrugged. He didn't know why he cared. He just knew he did. What Cate thought of him suddenly seemed very important.

Lux's cries attracted both of their attention.

Baze looked horrified. "What's wrong with her?"

"Nothing's wrong with her," Cate said defensively. "She's probably hungry."

Cate picked Lux up and immediately realized her bottom was wet. "She needs to be changed," Cate announced.

"Look at the time. I gotta go," Baze said quickly.

Cate rolled her eyes. She lay Lux down on the changing table.

She hadn't changed a diaper since Abby was little. Cate didn't remember how much baby powder to use. She decided it would be better to use too much than too little. Cate adjusted the diaper, wanting to make sure it fit Lux perfectly.

The normally undesirable task didn't bother Cate, she realized. Changing dirty diapers certainly wasn't one of the things Cate had been looking forward to about bringing Lux home, but it seemed a small price to pay in order to be with her daughter.

"Is that better?" Cate cooed.

Lux stared up at her mother, big blue eyes wide.

"Now let's get you into pajamas," Cate said. She grabbed freshly laundered pajamas from the top drawer of the dresser, but her eyes never left Lux.

Cate carefully removed the dress Lux had been wearing. She frowned when she saw the bright red scar on Lux's chest.

Cate's touch was soft as she ran her fingers over the scar. She watched Lux for any sign of pain. "Does that hurt, baby?" Lux didn't even flinch. "The doctor made you all better, didn't he? Yeah, you're all better. You're perfect now."

Cate dressed Lux in the pajamas and hugged Lux close.

Lux smelled sweet and the soft, fuzzy pajamas made her extra cuddly. The baby held onto Cate with her tiny hands. Cate smiled, rubbing Lux's back.

This felt so right. Cate could stay like this forever. She never wanted to let go.

Eventually Lux began to feel heavy. Cate glanced at the clock and was surprised to see she'd been holding her daughter for over an hour.

Cate set Lux down in her crib. She handed Lux the plush rabbit and smiled when Lux's little hands closed around the bunny's ear.

Cate watched Lux. It didn't take long for the baby to fall asleep. Lux looked absolutely precious cuddled next to the stuffed animal.

Cate pulled the quilt over Lux.

Cate sat down at her desk to do homework, but couldn't concentrate. She kept jumping up to check on Lux. Every time she checked Lux was sleeping soundly.

Cate had checked on Lux about ten times and completed three math problems when she gave up on doing homework. It was her first night with her daughter. School could wait. The world could wait. Lux was Cate's world now.