The morning was cloudy and slightly breezy. Very little sunlight streamed in through the curtains. Connor groaned as he slowly opened his eyes and sat up in bed. He'd barely got enough sleep last night. Next to him, Amaya was still asleep. At one corner of the room, a little baby was fast asleep in her pink crib. "Rose sure cried a lot last night," he thought. "I thought she was never gonna go back to sleep."
Connor felt his stomach growl reminding him to eat some breakfast. He had a long day ahead of him. He sighed as he stretched his arms and got out of bed. He quietly went out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. He caught his reflection in the mirror on the wall. He frowned at the sight of it. His hair was a mess and he had dark circles under his eyes. He'd been waking up looking like this for days now. The new member of the family had changed things up a bit in the house. He definitely needed a cup of coffee now…
As soon as he got to the kitchen, he turned on the sink and splashed water on his face to wake himself up. He needed to stay strong. Amaya and Rose needed him to take care of them, and he was going to do his very best. He was going to be the best dad ever. The very thought of it lifted his spirits and he poured himself a cup of coffee.
Amaya walked into the kitchen and greeted him with a warm smile. "Good morning, honey. Up already?"
Connor smiled back at her and nodded. "Yep… I'm kinda hungry." He went over to sit down at the kitchen table.
"Then in that case I'll get right to making some breakfast." Amaya got out some eggs from the fridge. "How about we eat scrambled eggs today?"
Connor shrugged. "Okay, I don't mind." He paused for a few seconds as he looked out of the kitchen. He turned back to look at his wife, who had just turned on the stove. "Rose still asleep?"
"Yes," replied Amaya as she cracked the eggs into the pan. The eggs made a sizzling sound as they got fried, making Connor's stomach grumble again in anticipation. "You did a really good job putting her back to sleep last night, Connor," she told him.
Connor scratched the back of his head. "It was not easy at all, I'll tell you that." There was a bit of silence as he watched his wife cook breakfast. "She's been crying at night ever since the day we brought her home from the hospital. When is she gonna grow out of it?" he asked after a few minutes.
Amaya set two plates of scrambled eggs on the table and lovingly kissed her husband on the lips. "It'll be okay. She's gonna stop crying in the middle of the night soon. We just have to be patient for a little while." She sat down next to him and started to eat.
Connor forked some of his breakfast into his mouth and thought over what she had said. "I guess you're right. But I know we'll do great. We're gonna be as good a mom and dad as our parents ever were."
"Speaking of our parents, when did they say they were going to come by to visit?" asked Amaya. "I've forgotten."
"If I'm not mistaken, next week," Connor replied. "Which should give us enough time to train Rose to stop crying at night."
"Let's just hope it's enough time," Amaya joked as she playfully elbowed Connor. The two of them laughed and went back to eating breakfast.
A week later, their parents came over to visit. They had brought presents specially for their new granddaughter. Greg and Luna, who had just gotten married a month ago, dropped by as well. They were very excited to meet Rose.
"Gasping geckos, your daughter is so cute, you guys!" Greg told his best friends as he watched Rose playing in her playpen. "Congratulations on becoming parents."
"Yeah, congratulations!" Luna wrapped Amaya in a hug.
"What's her name?" asked Amanda.
"We decided to call her Rose." Connor gently lifted up the baby from the playpen and brought her over to his and Amaya's parents. "We knew it from the moment she was born. We wanted a name that is just as soft and beautiful as our little girl."
"That is a lovely name," said Chris. "You have no idea how long it took for me and your mother to come up with your name, Connor."
"It took us a week!" said Christine, making the other adults in the room laugh.
"By my cat's whiskers, Mom and Dad, please…" Connor blushed in embarrassment. Rose cooed happily in his arms.
"When are you gonna take her out on night time missions?" asked Greg, elbowing his friend. "The other Power Heroes would love to see your little girl."
Connor opened his mouth to say something, but Amanda decided to answer Greg's question for him. "Obviously not anytime soon. Rose is still too little. I only started taking Amaya to HQ with me when she was two years old. Connor was two as well when his dad decided to bring him along on missions."
"It's the truth," said Amaya, and the adults laughed again.
"How has she been at night? Does she keep you two awake?" asked Aaron.
"Mmh… a little bit," Amaya answered her dad. "She only stopped crying at night as of two nights ago. Now we're finally getting the amount of sleep we should."
"That's great news," said Amanda as she gently rubbed Amaya's shoulder. "Raising a child is hard work, and you'll need a lot of energy."
"Don't worry, Mom," Amaya reassured her. "Connor and I are ready for whatever comes our way."
Four-year-old Rose was crawling around on her parents' bed. She often did this when she was bored. Besides, she had always loved the softness of the bed. It was comforting.
Amaya and Connor entered the room smiling at her. "Mommy! Daddy!" She jumped down from the bed and ran over to give them a hug.
"We have exciting news, sweetie," said Amaya after kissing her daughter's forehead.
"You're starting kindergarten tomorrow!" Connor lifted up Rose from the floor, making her squeal happily in response. "Are you ready to make new friends and learn new things?"
"I was born ready!" said Rose with an eager nod.
However, when the big day arrived, she didn't seem ready. She clung to her dad's leg as though her life depended on it. "Don't go, Daddy! Stay with me," she insisted.
"Come on, my little princess, I have to go to work soon." Connor glanced nervously at the time on his watch. He had to leave in a few more minutes or he'd be late for work. "Besides, you already know your teacher. It's Aunty Luna, your daddy and mommy's friend."
Luna walked up to them, smirking at Connor. "You need my help, Connor? You know, this isn't my first time dealing with these kinds of kids."
Connor nodded, trying his hardest to keep his cheeks from turning red. Some of the kids in the classroom were watching. "Yes, please."
Luna gently pried Rose off of her father's leg. "Rose, how about you go join the other kids? They're all very nice and friendly. I'm sure they'd love to meet you."
"Okay, Aunty Luna." Rose nodded obediently and went off to join the group of kids sitting at the other end of the classroom.
"Thanks so much, Luna," said Connor. "I hope she'll be independent soon."
"Don't worry too much about it, Connor. I'll take good care of her," Luna replied. "Before you know it, you'll drop her off at kindergarten and she won't even know you left for work. Give it time, okay?"
Connor nodded, smiled thankfully at his friend and walked out of the classroom.
"Stay strong, Connor," he repeated to himself as he got in the car. "Just wait a few more days. Be patient."
One Saturday night, Connor was in the living room reading something on his phone when Amaya came in and sat next to him on the sofa. "Hey honey, is Rose already in bed?"
"Mmhmm," replied Amaya with a nod. "It's getting easier to put her to sleep now. How has she been at kindergarten? Does she still cling to your leg begging you to stay with her?" She giggled at the memory of it.
Connor playfully elbowed her before responding, "From what Luna told me, she's doing great. She's a very fast learner and she's made a lot of friends. And she doesn't cling to my leg when I drop her off at her class anymore."
"Fluttering feathers, that's great news! She's growing up so fast."
"Yeah. She is, isn't she?"
Amaya noticed the sad tone in his voice. "What's wrong, Connor?" She put a hand on your shoulder. "Before this, all you wanted was for her to grow out of her little kid quirks."
Connor nodded. "And now, I would do anything to get it all back. Pretty dumb of me, huh?"
Amaya shook her head and wrapped him in a hug. "Connor, it's not dumb at all. It's totally normal for parents to feel this way. Like, we just want our kids to grow up; but when they actually do, we miss the times from when they were little."
"True," Connor agreed. "Next thing you know, she'll become a teenager and sometimes we're gonna get into a few arguments."
"A few?" Amaya raised an eyebrow at him jokingly. "We were teens once, too."
Connor laughed and rolled his eyes at her. "Fine, a lot of arguments. And it won't be long before she falls in love and we get invited to her wedding."
"Let's not think too far into the future, sweetie." Amaya patted him on the shoulder. "It will feel like Rose is growing up fast, and it will feel sad from time to time. But you know what my parents told me?"
Connor looked at his wife. "What did they tell you?"
Amaya took a deep breath and let it out. "We should cherish all the moments we have with Rose. She'll be more independent as she gets older and we won't be around for her much by then. So… let's just be happy that she's still the cute little girl we brought home from the hospital four years ago."
"Thank you, my pretty owl," Connor said as he hugged his wife. "I needed that." The two of them shared a kiss.
"Anything for my handsome kitty," replied Amaya, giggling.
It was then they heard someone crying. "Uh oh, sounds like Rose had a bad dream again," said Connor, standing up. "You just stay here. I'll go check on her." Amaya nodded and watched as Connor walked into Rose's bedroom.
"Rose? Everything okay, sweetheart?" asked Connor as he sat at the foot of his daughter's bed.
"I had a bad dream again." Rose let out a small sob as she sat up in bed.
"It's alright, Rose, Daddy's here for you." Connor wrapped her in a big hug. "No matter what, rain or shine, storm or snow, night or day… I'll come running whenever you call for me."
Rose nodded and lay back down in bed. "I know I'm probably a big girl by now, but can you still sleep with me?"
"You'll never be too big a girl for that, Rose," said Connor as he lay down beside her and gave her a small kiss on her forehead. "You'll always be my little princess."
"Goodnight, Daddy," said Rose as she closed her eyes. "I love you."
"Goodnight, Rose. I love you too." A small tear slid down Connor's cheek as he said it. He had no idea how much those very words had made him happy and broken his heart all at the same time. He fell asleep with a smile on his face.
Meanwhile, Amaya was still sitting on the sofa, waiting for Connor to come back. "He's been in there for a while. I better go check on those two." She peeked inside and her heart warmed at the sight. Connor and Rose were fast asleep in bed, side by side. Connor's hand was gently patting Rose's shoulder.
"This is so cute," whispered Amaya as she quietly took a picture of them on her phone. "I'll show this to them in the morning." She carefully got in Rose's bed as well and closed her eyes. It wasn't long until she fell asleep as well.
AN: I got the idea to write this fic last night, and I'm really glad it turned out well. The song this story is based on – It Won't Be Like This For Long by Darius Rucker – really touched my heart and I figured I could turn it into a story.
And yes, Catlette and Lunakko shippers, Catboy gets married to Owlette and Gekko marries Luna Girl in this story! I especially loved this bit.
Let me know if you want more fics based on songs and I'll be more than happy to do it, as long as I can get a positive message out of the song.
Take care and have a great day! :D