AN: Beth and Rio run into a little trouble this chapter, but then it's all happy baby love before the trouble rears its head again in the next chapter.

The day before Beth was scheduled to go into the hospital and be induced, she wanted nothing more than to just rest in the peace and quiet of her bed, hoping the mild contractions she felt every few days would give her a break. The kids were with Dean, Rio was downstairs last time she checked, and although Lia seemed to be preparing for a boxing match or soccer game inside of her, she was trying to get as much sleep as possible. When she wasn't sleeping, she was going over her mental checklist and trying her best to be sure everything was prepared and in order for the baby. Banging on her front door pulled her out of her thoughts and she huffed. There was never a time that Rio didn't take his time answering the door and it annoyed her to no end. This time was no different. She was fed up after the first few rounds of banging.

"Rio!" she yelled. "The door!"

Then came the nonstop ringing of her doorbell.

She dragged herself out of the bed as quickly as she could, which wasn't very quickly. By the time she got downstairs, the banging and ringing had stopped.

"Are you kidding me?" she asked, talking to no one because no one was around.

She peered out of the window to the front of the house and didn't see a car. She figured whoever was in such dire need of her attention had given up. But she thought since she had already used up time and energy to get downstairs, she might as well grab a snack or two. She walked into the kitchen and immediately spotted a man dressed in all black standing outside of her door through the shade panels that were only halfway closed. Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest as she stopped walking and protectively put a hand on the top and side of her belly. She didn't think the strange man could see her because he didn't seem to react to her being there. She slowly started to back away from the kitchen until she heard the handle of the front door turning. Her feet suddenly felt lighter and she hurriedly started to make her way up the stairs.

"Hey." she heard a familiar voice say, making her turn around.

"Rio, there is a man in the backyard." she said in a hushed voice. "I don't know who he is."

"Go upstairs." he instructed her, making his way to the nearest closet. "Beth, go."

She didn't want to, but she did as he told her. He grabbed and loaded the gun he pulled from the top shelf of the closet and made his way into the kitchen. Beth was upstairs, being as quiet as she could. Her heavy breathing the only sound in the room. The only sound in the house. She didn't even hear any door opening or closing so she wasn't sure if Rio was still inside or not. She was seconds away from panicking and had already picked up her phone, ready to dial 911. So much was running through her head, she didn't know whether not hearing anything for a few minutes was good or bad. She worked up the nerve to sneak downstairs and as soon as she opened the bedroom door, Rio was making his way in.

"Oh my God, you scared me. Who was that?" she asked as he bypassed her and came straight into the bedroom.

"Don't worry about it." he answered and that understandably wasn't good enough for her. "It was a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding that almost gave me a heart attack. Tell me what that was about."

He sighed as he took a seat on the side of the bed, contemplating whether to tell her the whole truth or not. He wasn't used to having to answer to people.

"I owe him a favor. He needs me to move something for him."

"Oh no. No." Beth responded, shaking her head, and got a glare that looked like it could shoot daggers from Rio's eyes. "You're done with that."

"It's just a one time thing." he explained.

"You don't understand. My children could've been here. That man could've broken in. Anything could've happened."

"Yeah, but it didn't." he said nonchalantly and that's what pissed her off the most.

"You want to do this the day before I have our daughter? What are you thinking?"

He didn't respond and he barely looked like he was listening.

"Leave if you want to get back into that. I won't have it here." she said, walking to her side of the bed.

They sat with their backs towards each other in dead silence. She heard him get up and walk out of the room, then heard the front door slam. Her breathing sped up and she didn't know if it was anger or sadness welling up like the tears in her eyes. She didn't have the energy to scream or cry though so it didn't matter to her what emotion was taking over her body. What she did know was that whatever it was, she couldn't handle it. She figured sleep was the only answer so that's what she did while tears soaked her pillow.

It was dark out when she woke up and she knew she should get up and close the curtains, but she just couldn't move herself to do it. She reached over to the nightstand beside her bed and turned the lamp on before turning over and finding herself face to face with Rio.

"I thought you left." she said quietly, her voice shaky.

He shook his head. "I stepped out for a minute."

Neither of them knew what to say to the other. He just slid closer to her and she placed a hand on the side of his face, her thumb stroking back and forth. He did the same with her belly that was between them. He could barely see her tears, but he could hear her sniffling.

"You know I don't like that." he said, his voice as quiet as hers.

"You don't play by their rules anymore. Don't let them drag you back in."

"You're right. Now don't think about it anymore. Just think about tomorrow."

He smiled and so did she.

"She's coming." Beth said, putting her hand on top of Rio's.

The next morning, before sunrise, Beth and Rio woke up at the sound of their alarm. For a second, while still half asleep, they loathed having to be awake so early. Then they remembered why and happily shuffled out of bed and got ready. The drive to the hospital was quiet as Beth had fallen asleep soon after they left the house. Rio glanced over to the passenger seat and smirked at how she had fallen asleep with her hand resting on her belly. He couldn't believe that huge bump, which he'd never call it in front of Beth, was about to be gone and his baby girl was about to be here instead. It was now his job to protect and provide for a family. He was determined to succeed at it and it was going to be on his own terms. He loved Beth, he loved her children, and he loved his unborn daughter. And he would do whatever he thought was best to do in order to make sure they were all alright. But Beth disagreeing with him weighed heavy on his mind, way heavier than anyone else's opinion of him and his actions.

Beth's eyes fluttered open and she turned her head towards him. She placed her left elbow on the center console and stretched her hand out. As if it were something they did every day for many, many years, Rio instinctively laced the fingers of his right hand between hers and squeezed her hand. They stayed just like that for the rest of the ride.

All of this was new to Rio, but he tried his best to keep up and pay attention as Beth was admitted and hooked up to machines. He learned that the two large bands wrapped around her stomach were to keep track of Lia's heart rate and to monitor Beth's contractions, which were few and far between. He heard the nurse explain that since she was dilated four centimeters and effaced 80%, they could start her on Pitocin to help her contract before he watched them hang a second IV bag.

Nearly six hours later, Annie and Ruby had arrived and walked in mid-contraction. Beth was laying on her side, eyes squeezed shut, arm reached out and hand gripping Rio's hand as hard as possible. She deeply inhaled through her nose and exhaled through her mouth, unable to greet her newly arrived guests. When the contraction eased off, she opened her eyes and let go of Rio's hand.

"I can't do this. I thought I could, but I can't." she said, eyes filling with tears as Ruby and Annie walked to her bedside.

"Beth, you're a badass. This is going to be a breeze." Ruby assured her.

"That's right." Annie chimed in. "You want auntie to get down there and sweet talk her out?"

"Whatever gets her out of me." Beth answered, letting out a deep breath.

Annie started to lift the blanket that was keeping Beth modest before Beth snatched it back down.

"Not down there, Annie!" Beth said, laughing along with Rio and Ruby.

She needed a laugh, which is why she needed her girls.

"Can't say I'm not loyal." Annie said, shrugging her shoulders.

"None of my other babies were this stubborn so early on. I wonder why." Beth joked.

The three of them looked at Rio and he could do nothing but smirk.

"Ladies. She's just strong minded." he replied, softly chuckling.

Within the next few hours, Dean and the kids had come by to check on her, then came Stan with Sara and Harry in tow. When the time had finally come for her to deliver, Dean and Stan went into the waiting room with the kids while Ruby, Annie, and Rio stood by Beth's side. The nurses modified the bed to position it more like a chair. Beth felt way more comfortable being supported and resting without having to lay on her back. The more comfortable she was, the more she felt like she could do this. Although during the pushing with each contraction, her faith in herself and her body wavered. She had Ruby and Annie on either side of her, encouraging her, and Rio standing right beside her, holding her hand, kissing her forehead, and whispering in her ear when he felt she needed it.

Rio was so adamant about not seeing everything that was happening down there and Beth was perfectly fine with that. But in the moment, he couldn't help himself; he snuck glances whenever the doctor, Ruby, or Annie announced what they could see. He half expected to be grossed out when he saw that she was crowning, but he was just awestruck. Awestruck at how strong Beth was being to bring their daughter into the world. After a few more pushes, Rio's eyes widened when he saw Lia's head out. Her shoulders came out a few seconds and a little more pushing later and the rest was easy sailing. Rio's mouth agape, corners turned up, he watched the doctor lay her on Beth's chest. She was covered in stuff he didn't know the medical name of, but she was finally here and he couldn't be more proud.

"Can you believe it?" Beth asked, looking back and forth between Lia and Rio, smile as wide as it could be.

There wasn't a dry eye between Beth, Ruby, and Annie, and then Rio joined them, tears running down his face before he could catch them.

He shook his head and put his lips on Beth's, kissing her before audibly answering.

"I can't believe it."

AN: Thanks so, so much for reading! Please leave a review and let me know what you think!