A/N: Wow, it's been about four months since an update! Sorry, I didn't mean to take so long. First I was busy with school, then crappy holidays, and then horrible writer's block. And of course now I've been busy with school again. But I'm here now, so here you go.
At 7 a.m., Stiles was munching on a piece of toast as he watched the coffee pot drip annoyingly slow. Even though the Sheriff had taken the 3 a.m. feeding, Stiles woke up every hour or so just to make sure Malia was still sleeping next him. He had to be sure she wouldn't take off again, but as far as he knew Malia never woke up, not even when Hanna's cries blared through the baby monitor. She was obviously exhausted, so Stiles had let her sleep.
The Sheriff walked into the kitchen to see Stiles looking as tired as ever. "Good morning. Are you still not sleeping?"
"I was just keeping an eye on things," Stiles yawned.
"Uh huh. Well, I'm going to the grocery store soon to get stuff for the barbeque."
"Really? We're still doing that?"
The Sheriff had always barbequed on the fourth of July barring some emergency at the station. In recent years Scott and Melissa usually joined them, and they always had a great time. And every year, like clockwork, the drunks would fill up the hospital and police station, which left Stiles and Scott to their own devices for the rest of the night. It was one of Stiles's favorite traditions.
"Of course. I'll have to go into the station at some point I'm sure, but we can still pull it off. Come on, I thought you loved the fourth."
"I did. I mean, I do," Stiles amended. He sighed wearily and rubbed his eyes. "I'm just not in the mood to celebrate, I guess."
The Sheriff went over and patted him on the back. "So does that mean you two talked about what you're going to do?"
"No, not really. She didn't want to talk about it."
"Did you at least tell her about tomorrow?"
"I tried, but –"
"Stiles, you have to tell her."
"I know. I will. I'm gonna go check on Hanna. " Stiles finished his toast and walked past the Sheriff before adding, "Can you pour me a cup of that when it's done?"
"Sure. Oh, I just saw Malia go into your room with the baby."
"Good. That's . . . good." He was glad she was making an effort, but he was still nervous at the thought of leaving them alone together. He didn't know what he thought might happen without him there, but no matter how ridiculous he knew he was being, he still hurried out of the kitchen to check up on them.
"Hey, do you need me to pick up some things at the store?"
"Already made a list!" he called back.
When Stiles returned to his bedroom, he found Malia in his bed with the baby. She was naked from the waist up with a diaper-clad Hanna asleep on her chest. It was certainly a sight to behold so early in the morning.
"Malia!" he cried, poking his head out of the room before going back inside and hurriedly closing the door behind him. "You had the door wide open! You do realize my dad is home, right?"
She rolled her eyes. "So?"
"So?! He could've gotten an eyeful."
"Stiles, I don't care," she said, giving him a small smile. "I just like her here on my chest. I don't know why, but it makes me feel better."
"Kangaroo Care," Stiles said, and when Malia looked confused, he added, "It's something I learned about when she was in the NICU. Apparently the skin-to-skin contact is really good for them."
"Oh," She paused a moment, then asked, "What's the NICU?"
Stiles was busy rummaging through his dresser. "The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. It's where the babies that are born too early go until they get bigger and healthier. Don't worry; she wasn't in there for very long."
"Right," she said, frowning at the sleeping baby on her chest. She really had no idea what the two of them had been through the last few days. Holding her now, it was hard for Malia to imagine her baby in a hospital where she'd probably been poked with needles and endured other horrendous things. Malia figured she should ask more questions. She wanted to know everything that had happened while she was gone, but she was also kind of scared to hear the answers. So she ended up saying nothing.
It took a while, but Stiles finally found what he was looking for. He handed her his red T-shirt, which for some reason was her favorite to wear when she used to sneak into his room at night. He hadn't worn it since she'd left. "Here, for whenever you want it."
"Is my nakedness bothering you, Stiles?" she teased, taking the shirt from him.
"No. I think you look beautiful."
She gave him a skeptical look. He sounded sincere, but she certainly didn't feel beautiful. Her belly was still soft and slightly rounded, her breasts were swollen and achy, and she still felt exhausted. "If by beautiful you mean a fat, leaky, emotional mess then yeah, beautiful makes sense."
"Oh come on. Sure, you could maybe benefit from a shower and a hairbrush, but otherwise you look great."
"Are you seriously hitting on me right now?" Malia asked jokingly. She sat up to lay Hanna on the bed and put on the T-shirt. "Because no offense, but I don't think I'm having sex again, like ever."
"Oh, hey, I'm right there with you. We are in total agreement on that one."
"Oh really? Because another part of you was saying something different this morning."
"Who, this guy?" Stiles asked, pointing at his crotch. "Don't listen to him! He's an idiot!"
She laughed, an honest to goodness laugh. At that moment, the baby made a sweet cooing noise. Malia's laughter was cut short when she heard the sound. When they looked down at Hanna, her eyes were alert and her little fists waved in the air.
Malia gave her one of her fingers and Hanna's hand reflexively curled around it. Her grip was stronger than she expected, and she started tearing up again. "I haven't seen her this awake before. She . . . she's really something, huh?"
"Yeah, she is," he said with a look of concern on his face. "Malia, are you –?"
"I'm all right." She wiped away the tears with an impatient swipe of her hand. "I just thought I was finished crying."
He awkwardly took her hand. "It's okay. This is kind of a lot to deal with. And there's this elephant in the room we're blatantly ignoring, which is usually how I like to deal with my problems, but –"
"Elephant?"
"Never mind. I just meant that we have a lot to talk about, you know, regarding the baby and –"
"Now?" she asked, suddenly standing and pulling her hand away. "I mean, it's a holiday today. We should do something fun. It doesn't have to be today."
"Actually –"
"Are there any plans for today, or . . .?"
He knew he should probably try harder, but he decided to let it go for now. "Yeah, my dad's going to barbeque. Scott and Melissa are coming over like they do every year. Maybe they'll all come. It's been a full house around here lately. They can't get enough of her."
"Oh, so . . . they've all met her already."
"Yeah, everyone except Isaac and Derek. They've actually, uh, been looking for you."
She turned away, unable to look him in the eye. It was amazing how quickly the guilt could return. "I'm sorry I was so much trouble."
"No, that's not what I –"
"You know what?" she said, walking toward the bedroom door. "I'm gonna go take that shower now. You're right, I could use it, especially if people are coming over."
Stiles watched her go. Then he looked down at Hanna still lying there in the middle of the bed. Stiles sighed and picked her up, rocking her gently and putting a pacifier in her mouth when she started to fuss. She quieted immediately, and he gave her a soft kiss on her head.
"You're okay, Hanna. I've got you."
A/N: I know it's shorter than usual. This is only the first scene of what was supposed to be a very long chapter. I hate splitting it up, but I've had most of this written for a month now and I figured I should finally post something for you guys.
A lot of you have been asking for an update and some have been starting to unfollow, so I also wanted to post a new chapter to give you an update on what's going on. I'm having trouble writing, and I'm really trying to focus on graduating in May, but I DO plan on finishing this. I'm not sure when I'll update again, but it's all planned out and there should be three chapters left. So hang in there with me please!