Author's Note: Okay so I've been plunking away at this one all day. This is a more recent request. I wanted to do a little Papi/Daughter squishiness. Here we have a "Baby's First" sort of moment. Some of the rest of the gang makes an appearance in this short. Enjoy! You guys are the best!

A Step

It was a warm Sunday afternoon in August, about a month after his daughter's first birthday. Dom and his family were visiting with his sister, as they did every Sunday. A cook out in her backyard with lots of food, a cooler full of cold beers, and all their family around. This weekend Roman was present, as was Tej, and Hector, recently married, had brought his wife Marina.

He took a long sip of his Corona and surveyed the yard. Brian was sitting in the grass with his four-year-old son, Vince, assembling some sort of nerf gun with only partial success. Roman was standing next to him offering advice and mostly just ragging on him. Hector was sitting with Tej and Marina around the table with some beers and they were bullshitting and bragging.

Mia came out the back door with a platter of marinated meat to be put on the grill, followed by Letty who was carrying their daughter. The toddler had clearly just woken up from her nap, rubbing little fists against her eyes as she yawned. Her dark curls were in a riot around her face. She whined and pressed her face against Letty's shoulder and his wife soothed her gently, rubbing her back as she laughed at something Mia was saying. After a minute or two of sleepy snuggling the child lurched backwards in Letty's arms, squirming and kicking out her bare legs until Letty set her down in the grass.

The baby grinned widely and sped off on all-fours. She crawled like a little speed demon, and hadn't yet attempted to go anywhere on only her legs. She would pull herself to stand and explore often, but she could get places fast if she crawled, so she seemed to be sticking to that.

She paused at the table, pulling herself up by grabbing at the edge of the bench where Hector was sitting. He laughed and scooped her up to kiss her little nose. She giggled and pressed her hands against his face until he pretended to eat them and she snatched them back with a squeal.

"Did you have a good nap, Princess?" Hector asked.

"Nap," she parroted, then squirmed out of his arms to the bench before lowering herself back down to the grass. She stood on her feet unsteadily, took one step back and plopped onto her diapered butt. She looked up at Hector. "No," she told him, then crawled off again, leaving the adults chuckling after her.

"She doesn't like to be called Princess," Tej said. "I mean come on, Letty's her mom."

"Very funny, Tej, I heard that," Letty said from the grill, not even turning around.

"Oh you mean… when you were a little girl you ran around in pink dresses with tiaras on?" he asked her.

"Keep talking," she threatened. "I'm holding sharp implements."

Tej laughed but wisely closed his mouth, taking a drink of his beer.

"Veeeeeeeee!" Dom turned his head to see his little daughter latching onto her cousin.

The little boy groaned and laughed, standing and grabbing her under the arms to haul her to her feet, wrapping his arms around her. She giggled and clutched at his shirt, wobbling on her feet. Brian was smiling at them as he loaded nerf missiles onto the finally assembled gun. The little girl eyed the weapon with interest and reached out to grab for it.

"Want," she informed her uncle, making grabby-hands at the toy.

Brian held it out of her reach. "Nuh uh," he said. "You're too little for this."

"That's mine," Vince informed her, moving to take the toy from his father then running off. "Uncle Roman I'm coming to get you!" he shouted.

"Finally," Roman replied, brandishing his own foamy weapon. "I'm taking you down kid."

Vince shot two quick little missiles at Rome's chest and then ran off, laughing, the big man chasing after him with a complaint. Brian chuckled, then turned to look at his niece who was still standing there, staring open-mouthed after her cousin.

"V?" she asked her uncle, pointing.

"He'll be back honey," Brian assured, ruffling her hair. "Why don't I go get your cars and we can play?"

"Pway," she replied with a smile, then turned her head.

She saw her father sitting in his chair where he was watching her and squealed, bouncing unsteadily on her feet.

"Papiiiii," she called, waving at him.

He smiled. "Hey baby girl."

She took a couple of steps towards him and Dom's eyes widened as he tuned his attention on her. She wobbled slightly and stood still, getting a stubborn sort of look in her eyes.

"Come to Papi," he said, encouraging her gently.

The others in the yard had gone silent, everyone else watching as the toddler took her first real steps. She navigated past the table, tiny toes curling into the grass. Her tongue was stuck out of the side of her mouth in a rather comic manner. When she was only a few steps away she sped up, stumbling into his waiting arms with a giggle of delight.

Dom laughed and hugged her close, then tossed her up in the air.

"Look at my big girl!" he said. "Walking all by yourself!"

She seemed delighted with herself and hugged at him. "Up Papi! Up!" she demanded until he tossed her again, then giggled happily.

"Did you see that?" he asked, turning to look at Letty, who was smiling at them.

"Of course I did. Mia got it on video." She indicated his sister who was showing something to Brian on her phone.

Letty crouched down beside him to smile at her daughter. "You're getting big huh? Gonna be driving before we know it."

"Car, car!" the girl declared, sitting in Dom's lap and making a little steering motion with her hands.

Letty laughed. Mia grinned at them.

"You know you're never going to be able to catch her now," she told them.

"Please," Dom said. "Remember who you're talking to."

She laughed. "I do. She's your daughter. And Letty's. I tell you, she'll be off like a shot before you know it."

Dom wrapped his arms around his little daughter and hugged her close. "Probably. But I bet she'll always be running towards us."