A/N: Alrighty! I'm so excited right now, you guys. You don't even know. So excited that I'm updating early! Whoo! I really shouldn't do stuff like this at midnight. It makes me all kinds of wired. It's the chapter everyone's been waiting for. Is Baby Hale a boy or a girl? And what will his or her name be? Proceed to find out!

Disclaimer: It took forever to figure out this kid's name. Like, really. It was nuts.

"Shirt off," Priestly reminded his shellshocked cousin, helping divest him of his shirt. Not a minute later, Cameron came back in with a towel-wrapped bundle in her arms.

"It's a little boy," she said happily as she deposited the still crying baby into his father's arms.

"I've got a boy?" Ezra whispered. He brought the tiny body of his son to his chest and held him closely.

"Congrats, Daddy," said Priestly. He, too, had tears in his eyes as he took in the sight of his new nephew. The little boy had very light skin, almost pink, promising to darken as he grew up.

"He's so beautiful," breathed Ezra. The baby's cries started to quiet as he learned who his daddy was. "Welcome to the world, little man. I'm so happy to meet you."

"What's his name, Daddy?" Priestly asked. He brought a hand up to stroke the baby's soft cheek.

"Ackerly," Ezra declared. "Ackerly James."

"Ackerly James Hale," repeated Priestly. "I like it. It's a good name." Both men stood quietly after that, with Ezra occasionally speaking softly to baby Ackerly.

There was no way Ezra could describe the feeling in his heart as he held his son. It was a warmth he had never felt before, and it filled every inch of him. The smile never left his face as tears of joy poured from his eyes, and he continued to talk and sing to his boy.

Priestly could see the joy shining from his cousin. It radiated from him, and the feeling was infectious. A door opened down the hall, and Priestly saw Jen walk into the living room. "How's Ezra doing with the baby?" she asked softly as she approached her friend.

"Couldn't be better," replied Priestly. He put an arm around Jen, holding her close as they watched the new family bond. Taking his phone out of his pocket, the older man got closer to his cousin to take a picture of Ackerly. He took one more of the two of them together and sent both pictures to Ezra's parents and Tish."Did Ziggy tell you the name he picked out for the kid if it was a boy?"

"I knew he was debating on James and another name, but he didn't tell me what it was or what he'd decided on. What's baby Hale's name?"

"Ackerly James," answered Priestly. "I like it a lot."

"That is cool," Jen agreed. "It'll certainly fit in with all the other unique names our little family has."

Priestly huffed a laugh. "That's certainly true. Boaz, Piper, Platisha. Yeah, he'll fit right in."

"I'm glad you like the name I picked for my son," Ezra's soft voice drifted over to the other two. "Did you tell Mom and Dad?"

"And sent them pictures," said Priestly. "Sent'em to Tish, too. She'll tell everyone else." At that moment, the new father felt something weird on his chest. It was almost like... biting? Nibbling? Looking down, Ezra saw Ackerly's little mouth moving around on the muscles of his chest. "It looks like somebody wants to eat," commented Priestly when he noticed what the baby was doing.

"I'll go get a bottle from Mina," Jen offered. She ducked out of the room to find the midwife and procure some nourishment for the newest member of the family.

Watching the baby gum his father's chest was almost too much for Priestly. He couldn't resist a little teasing. "I thought you were his father, Zig. Is there something you need to tell me?" he laughed. "Maybe I should've gotten you a breast pump instead of the whiskey."

"Shut up, Bo," retorted Ezra. "You know, he would've done the same thing to you if you were the one holding him. Then you wouldn't have any room to talk." Ezra bounced the baby boy, who had started squirming and fussing. "It's alright, baby. We've got some food coming soon." His words didn't comfort the hungry Ackerly, and his fussing only became more urgent. Finally, though, Mina and Jen appeared with a bottle in hand. "Thank goodness," Ezra sighed in relief. "I think if you'd taken any longer, he'd have started eating my chest."

"Then I guess it's good we didn't take any longer," joked Mina. "You'd look weird without a chest."

"I think the only reason he didn't is because he doesn't have any teeth." Ezra adjusted his hold on Ackerly so that he was nestled in the crook of his arm.

"You know how to hold the bottle to feed him?" asked Mina.

"Yeah." Ezra took the bottle and held it to Ackerly's lips, waiting for him to latch on to the rubber nipple. It took no time at all, and soon, Ackerly was chugging down his first meal. Now that his son was happily eating, Ezra settle into the nearby rocking chair, just enjoying holding his son in his arms. Once again, he felt that warmth bloom in his chest as he fed his child. Ezra didn't think he could ever get used to that wonderful feeling.

When he was finished with his bottle, Ezra lifted Ackerly to his shoulder to burp him. The loud burp coming from the baby's mouth made his father chuckle. He definitely fit in with his new family.

Two weeks passed by in a blur. Ezra was quickly learning the ins and outs of being a parent to a newborn, and boy, was it challenging. But he also discovered that he wouldn't trade it for anything. He relished the new emotions that fatherhood brought him, especially during what Mina called their skin to skin time. She encouraged Ezra to have some time everyday for skin contact with Ackerly. When Mina told him all the physical, emotional, and psychological benefits of regular skin to skin contact with his child, Ezra was floored and decided he certainly would continue doing it.

Mina also advised Ezra that he needed to be the only one to interact with Ackerly for a while. Others could talk to Ackerly, but Mina told Ezra that he needed to be able to bond with his father first and establish the parental connection. She did say, though, that if there was going to be someone helping him care for Ackerly pretty regularly, that person could be more hands on with him. Ezra decided that, as his baby's godfather, Priestly should be the one for Ackerly to get to know. Besides, Priestly had already agreed to help raise Ackerly anyway. It only made sense.

Jen decided to go back to Santa Cruz a week before Priestly and Ezra. The change in environment was already gong to be pretty drastic, so to make the transition a little easier for Ackerly, she offered to stay in Ezra's apartment for a while. This would allow the scents of Jamaica to infuse with the smells of Santa Cruz. Over time, the smells of his birthplace would fade, allowing Ackerly to get accustomed to his new home.

Jen's departure also made it easier for Ackerly to learn the sounds and scents of his primary and secondary caregivers without confusing him too much, for which Ezra was thankful. He promised her a night out at Mama Bella's as a thank you for her generosity.

"How much longer do you think we should wait before going home?" Ezra asked Mina as he rocked Ackerly after his bottle. "He's already almost two weeks old. Do you think it'd be okay to take him home?"

"I would think so," answered Mina with a shrug. "Some airlines are okay with babies flying at two days old, while others require them to be at least two weeks old. Either way, I'd say he's perfectly able to fly."

"I can go ahead and start packing up our stuff," Priestly offered. It was still weird for Ezra to see his cousin without the hair dye and makeup. The older man had graciously given up his hair dye and makeup due to the limited shower access. While the house had water, it wasn't always enough for everyone staying there to shower regularly. So they took turns showering every few days, bathing just the essentials in between. While he was grateful for Priestly's sacrifice, Ezra could tell his cousin was ready to get back to Santa Cruz and his shower. Heck, Ezra was looking forward to returning to his own shower and hot water.

Now that they had the okay from the midwife, the men could get back home to their family. While Ezra was booking their flight back to California, Priestly was on the phone with his aunt and uncle. "We're coming back home," he told the older couple happily.

"Good!" Mary shouted in excitement. "John and I have already gotten to Santa Cruz. Jen and Tish let us into Ezra's apartment so we wouldn't have to stay at a hotel."

"That's fine. I know Zig'll be happy to see you guys." With a surreptitious glance over his shoulder, Priestly assured his cousin wasn't listening. "What do you guys think of the nursery?"

"It's absolutely beautiful," Mary gushed. "I'm actually in there now. I can't get over it. Your friend Piper did an amazing job. I can't wait for you guys to get back and see it."

"Zig's getting our flight now. So we should be home in just a few days. I gotta say, as much as I've liked this place, I'm ready to be home."

"Tish is ready for you to be home, too." Though she couldn't see him, Mary was sure her nephew was blushing at the mention of his girlfriend. She let out a chuckle. "We're all ready for you guys to be back. We've missed you, and we can't wait to meet baby Ackerly."

"Well, you'll get to meet him in," Priestly turned to his cousin to see if he'd booked their flight yet, "Ziggy, you got us a flight yet?"

"Yep," Ezra answered. "Tomorrow morning at 9:15. And it's a nonstop."

"Tomorrow night," Priestly returned to the conversation with his aunt. "Our flight's tomorrow at 9:15, and it's about six and a half hours. Will you and Uncle John be the ones picking us up at the airport?"

"Yep. Tish and Jen will probably be coming with us, too. Actually, I'm pretty sure Tish will insist on it." Aunt and nephew chuckled knowingly.

"I hope she comes with you," Priestly confessed. "I've missed her. Phone calls just don't cut it, especially for this long."

"Then we'll make sure to bring Tish with us," promised Mary. "I guess I'll let you go so you can pack up for tomorrow morning. See you guys tomorrow. Tell Ezra we love him and can't wait to see him."

"Will do, Aunt Mary. See you tomorrow." After hanging up and relaying Mary's message to Ezra, Priestly went to the room he shared with his cousin and nephew to finish packing their belongings, leaving out only the things they would need for the next morning.

A/N: It took me the entire story to figure out the baby's name. I couldn't decide if his name should be Ackerly James or James Ackerly. I asked my family and a couple of my friends. What finally decided it was how the names would sound when shouted in parental anger. Ackerly James flowed better than James Ackerly. It gave me so many headaches. And now that the excitement has worn off, I need to go crash. Thanks for reading, guys. Review? Please? With cotton candy and cookies on top?