All familiar characters belong to Janet. Mistakes are solely mine.

Steph arrived at the hospital out of breath and with Tank half a step behind her. "That took longer than I'd expected. How's Aubrey? Is Raphael still standing?"

I stood and kissed her before I tackled her questions. "You'll be jealous to hear that things progressed faster for Aubrey than they did for you with Olivia."

She rolled her eyes as she sighed. "Of course, they did. If you say she's not in pain and declined an epidural, I won't be responsible for my actions. And Raphael?"

"He's held up better than Cal when confronted with the birth of a baby."

"Don't pick on Cal. When Val went into labor, he hadn't been prepared for seeing inside stuff outside of the body. He was totally fine when he stayed by Kenzie's head and didn't look down as Remy joined their family."

"Babe, he's been shot and has put bullets in people as well as attended a few interrogations. Bodily fluids shouldn't bother him."

"Yeah, but that's different. You guys see blood every other day, but you say period or menstrual cramps … and you're suddenly all busy or appear really nauseous and incredibly uncomfortable."

"I offered to drive you here, can you stop making me regret it?" Tank asked Steph.

"First off, Ranger told you to drive me so I wouldn't drive myself and possibly wreck the car, myself, and our son. And you just proved my point. You guys are wusses when it comes to what female bodies do when sex isn't the topic of conversation."

Tank is a rock except where my ladies are concerned. Stephanie can rattle him like no one except my mother who's known him since he was a teenager. And my daughters have him wrapped around their fingers though he still attempts to be a hardass around them. Right now, he looks like he'd pay serious money for someone to cause a bullet wound just to get him out of this room. Since I may need him to stick around to drive Stephanie back to the building, I changed the subject. Or tried to.

"What did you mean when you said getting here took longer than expected?" I asked my wife, guiding her towards a chair in the waiting area so she could sit down.

No story involving Stephanie-formally-Plum is a quick one and she should be relatively comfortable while she tells it.

"I called your Mom," she began, "but I didn't think my words through before I started saying them."

"What happened? You said hospital and they immediately jumped to the wrong conclusion?"

She smiled at me. "Yup. I asked if they'd like to stay with Olive for a bit so I could go to the hospital ... and that's as far as I got. You Mom called your Dad to the phone and they were both talking really fast and were really excited. And then they sounded concerned because I hadn't reached my due date yet and they worried our son wasn't ready for the outside world. Add in Olive wanting to tell them all about her school day, and it took twenty-five minutes after I'd placed the call to straighten everything out … that it's Aubrey and Raphael's baby being born, and I was just hoping they could watch Olive for us so we could both be here to offer support and congrats."

"I warned you that having parents who love you has a few drawbacks," I teased.

"I'll take every one of them to be able to call those two my parents-in-law."

"I'd drop the 'in-law' if you repeat that in front of either of them. Tank can verify that when they call you their daughter, or their son in his case, they mean it in every sense of the word and are offended if you imply otherwise."

Tank seemed to relax with the subject change. "I introduced them once as my best friend's parents to a girl I'd been dating at the time, and I learned fast never to say that again."

"They call 'their Pierre' their 'God sent son'," I said because I knew Tank wouldn't.

"So … I should stop thinking they're being sarcastic when they call me their darling or dearest daughter?" My wife asked me.

"I dare you to call home and ask them that question."

She shook her head as she visualized the outcome of that. "I think I'll pass. When I call to check in, I'm only asking about Olive and if Julie called them yet. Since she's in class, I just sent Jules a text about the baby and that her grandparents are babysitting Olive if she wants to FaceTime all of them when school's over."

"She'll be excited on all counts."

"We all are. I still see Raphael's face, beaten black and blue, before it morphs back into his fully healed one. He deserves to be happy … and that's all I've wanted for him."

"Consider that done," I assured her. "Not only is he happy, he's also content. He knows what he's living for."

"It happens to the best of us," she agreed.

"Are you done?" Tank asked. "Or do I have to leave just to get a break from this shit?"

"If you leave, you're fired," I told him.

He likely didn't believe me, but he did stop bitching. That could also be due to the rotation of men arriving in the time it took for the newest Rangegirl to be born so the pressure and attention was off him.

I'd spoken to Raphael privately before and after he became a father, but I'd planned to wait for my wife's arrival at the hospital before I went into the room where the new parents were sharing smiles over their daughter's head.

"Oh, she's beautiful," Steph told the couple, approaching the hospital bed and taking in the happy scene.

I was praying with everything in me that this image will replace the nightmares she's had of a battered Raphael who survived a vicious and senseless hate-fueled attack.

"She is, isn't she?" Aubrey said, looking exhausted but elated.

"I have a daughter now. Can you believe it?" Raphael asked, not taking his eyes off his wife or his child.

"I can," I told him. "You've mentioned wanting kids for as long as I've known you. Seems about time your dream is fulfilled."

"And you're going to be an amazing father," Steph added. "How many times have you counted?"

That question was directed at Aubrey. I didn't have to wonder what she was referring to. Aubrey answered immediately. "I still do it whenever I have her in my arms. Ten fingers and ten toes every time."

The couple exchanged a high five like they were personally responsible for finger/toe distribution. The soft sound and sudden movement caused their daughter to grimace in her sleep and start to stir. To prevent a potential crying spell, Aubrey quickly pressed a kiss to the top of the standard hospital cap keeping their newborn's head warm.

"Sorry, Josie. Mommy and Daddy didn't mean to disturb you," she whispered to their daughter. "Ranger, Stephanie, we'd like you to meet Josephine, though she's already our little Josie."

"I wasn't BS-ing you, she really is cute ... not one of those alien looking babies you see on TV," Steph said. "I would ask to hold her, but Ranger said I couldn't because it could trigger sympathy labor and our son would pop out too soon."

"I would never say something like that. And that unique take on how labor and delivery works is exactly what you said to me not ten minutes ago, Babe."

"Does it really matter who said it if it's true?"

Raphael cleared his throat. When we looked over at him, he had an amused grin on his face. "How about I save your marriage and say that Aubrey has only been willing to give up possession of Josie to me. So, the mini-boss boy can remain safely where he is."

"Josephine is a baby, not a football," Aubrey admonished. "But you're not wrong. I'm afraid if I let her go something will happen or someone will take her away from us."

Steph nodded. "I get it, but you've got that little one for at least eighteen years. No one is stealing her. I or Ranger will shoot them if they try."

The couple smiled and their eyes went back to their daughter when she murmured something as her brown eyes briefly flicked open and closed again.

"We're going to head out," I told them. "Congratulations again. Your daughter couldn't have better parents."

Steph squeezed Aubrey's leg in congratulations and stole another peek at Josie while Raphael and I shook hands. We left the family to their personal celebration and went to update Tank and the men who weren't willing to wait at the Rangeman building for the 'official' birth announcement.

"They're picking up where Harper and Kane left off, giving their little girl a name bigger than she is," Stephanie said to me on the way home. "Maybe we should do the same thing. Like we could name our son Michelangelo. He was my favorite ninja turtle, and he was also an artist ... so our kid would have the butt-kicking and creative sides covered with that name."

I'm almost positive she's kidding, but just in case … "No," I told her.

She shrugged. "It was worth discussing."

"No, it wasn't."

She laughed and the smile lingered for the rest of the day.

Stephanie briefly mentioned to Aubrey when she called the next day to check on them, that Olivia was excited about their baby which got our family a formal invite back to Aubrey's hospital room. That led to me asking to speak to Raphael to tell him that Olivia could wait until they were home and settled to meet Josie. His reply was that Aubrey's in full show-off mode, and we should swing by after we pick Olive up at school.

Stephanie was conflicted, also thinking we should wait but knowing exactly how Aubrey's feeling. We agreed to stay for no longer than ten minutes so we wouldn't overwhelm them or take time away from Harper and Kenzie who threatened to keep visiting until Aubrey is released. It's a faulty system that allows large donations to get you more thorough health care, but I'll never apologize for ensuring my people are properly treated and their inpatient stays not rushed for any reason.

Olivia wasted no time running to Aubrey's bed. Raphael lifted my daughter up to sit on it so she could see the newborn.

"Dat my bebe?"

"This is Uncle Raphael and Aunt Aubrey's little girl, Josie. She's your cousin, like Angel and Remy are. Our baby isn't ready to be born just yet. And he'll be a little boy unless all the pictures got it wrong."

Olivia looked over Josephine with interest. "She gots haired like my," she stated, seeing the fringe of dark hair poking out from beneath her hat.

Aubrey nodded. "It's just as dark as your hair, but with not as much curl. Maybe it'll get wavier when it's longer."

"Don't wish for that," Steph advised. "Olive's curls aren't as bad as mine, but they're still just barely tame-able."

That was said as she straightened the end of one of our daughter's braids.

"I'm looking forward to every part of it," Aubrey stated.

"You should," my wife replied. "It's hard to be an awesome parent all the time, but I've never felt really successful as a person until I was able to watch and help Olive grow up into the girl we all know and love. Side note, people aren't lying … time does fly. One day you're bringing a newborn home, the next they're in school. When you aren't sleep deprived and longing for a shower, try to file away every minute you spend with Josie. Oh, and take lots of pictures if your memory's as crappy as mine is."

"Your memory isn't crappy, Steph. That's just the excuse you give Julie so she won't sigh every time we try to take her picture. And while we're on the subject of kids, Jaxton wanted us to give this to you," I told the couple, handing the gift bag I was carrying to Raphael since Aubrey's holding Josie. "Steph pointed out that you'll be home tonight or tomorrow morning, but he insisted you get it ASAP. He also said not to worry about Hades. He and Gene are making sure she's fed, watered, walked, and not bored at all."

"That boy is just the sweetest kid," Aubrey told the room, pulling out a pink plush rabbit with a rattle built into the fabric ring that made up the body of the bunny.

Olivia pointed at Aubrey's hand. "It a bunny!"

"It is a bunny for Josie to play with when she isn't sleeping. And Jax is the sweetest kid," my wife said to Aubrey. "Simone has done an incredible job raising him. I have her number on standby. Between her and Ranger's Mom, I have high hopes for our son. Jax can't stop talking about how much he's enjoyed walking Hades and hanging out with you guys. He and Simone went from a single parent household to having more family and friends than they can count on two hands."

"I hope he's had fun at our house," Raphael said, "because we're going to need him even more now."

"Good thing Simone has Gene to keep her company while her son is so busy," my wife pointed out.

"Neither one seems to be complaining about that arrangement," Raphael agreed.

"Mama, the bebe miled," Olivia said to Steph.

"Maybe Josie sensed that she has a friend waiting for her to be big enough to play with. Do you want to give the baby a really gentle kiss before we leave like you do when Remy visits?"

"I make da bebe habby."

She bent in half over Aubrey's arm and barely touched Josephine's forehead with a kiss. Olivia immediately glanced over to us to make sure she did everything correctly.

"That was perfect, Olive," her Mama told her.

"I could use one of those right here before you go," Raphael confided to our daughter as he tapped his cheek.

She held her arms out to him until he picked her up again. She was far less careful smacking his cheek with a kiss than she'd been with his daughter.

"Thank you. I definitely felt that one," he said, putting her down so she could run back to us.

This age has involved very little walking. Olivia is either running or sleeping.

"Let us know if you need anything," I told the couple.

"You and Steph made sure we wouldn't need a thing," Aubrey pointed out.

Steph immediately protested. "It wasn't just us … Harper and Kenzie found a place to send all their hand-me-downs."

"Until they need everything they gave us back," Raphael said under his breath.

"Have you been talking to Kane?" I asked.

"Yeah. When the women get together … Kane, Cal, and I are left to talk amongst ourselves. I honestly think Kane would be happy if he could have ten kids."

"Harp shot that idea down fast," Aubrey added, sliding over slightly so Raphael could sit beside her. "She's always told me and Kenzie that if she were to ever have kids … three would be her absolute limit."

"So … if we count Kane, that means there'll only be one more Cole baby in the future," my wife joked.

"You thought Olive would be Julie's only sibling, Babe. You may want to abstain from predicting any baby count."

If we weren't in front of people, one who happens to work for me, she no doubt would've stuck her tongue out at me. And if we were completely alone, that would've led to more satisfying uses of her tongue.

"We should get going," she said, trying her best to ignore me. "Whenever you're ready to share Josie, let me know. We'll have a mini party to welcome her to the family the Rangeman way."