Ricardo is up early, rocking Andre slowly back and forth. The baby had started fussing before the sun was risen, so he'd taken him out of his basinet and snuck into the living room in the hopes that Alicia would get a little more sleep. It wasn't really a surprise when Sofia joined him a few minutes later, looking wide awake and ready to get started on her day. So now they sit side by side on the couch, cooing over the little boy and sharing relief when he drops back off to sleep, fingers clenching sporadically around his blanket.

"He's so precious," she breathes out, fingers ghosting over his skin, not wanting to disturb him but needing to feel the softness of the baby all the same.

"He is," Ricardo agrees, smiling adoringly down at his son. "Wow, me a father. Who could've imagined, even a couple of years ago."

"I could've," Sofia says honestly. "You always wanted to be, I know this. I'm so thrilled that it finally happened for you, mi hijo."

He smiles at her. "Me too," he says quietly. "His first Christmas is in a few weeks, wow. That's amazing. He's gonna experience so many firsts in such a weird circumstance. It's... difficult to fathom."

"All of the babies growing up in this situation," Sofia sighs. "Even just among our group. Sara Louisa, George, Madison, Monroe. Poor little ones."

Ricardo exhales slowly, peering down at his son with a grim look on his face that slowly clears up as the baby yawns and shifts before settling back down. "Yeah," he murmurs. "At least there's some hope on the horizon."

She smiles at him. "This is true. In the meanwhile, all we can do really is take the best care of them that we possibly can, and make things as happy as possible."

He looks up and smiles at her. "Exactly what I was just thinking," he says. "I swear, Andre, this first year of your life won't be ordinary by any means, but we're all going to do our best to make it as good as possible for you." He leans in and kisses the baby's cheek, relieved when he only stirs a little, not enough to fully wake.

"We absolutely will," Alicia's voice surprises both of them and they look up, blinking as she walks over and cuddles in on the other side of Ricardo, hand warm and gentle as she rests it on her son's back, fingers fitting perfectly with Ricardo's. She smiles and leans up to kiss her husband before resting her head on his shoulder and gazing adoringly at their little boy. "He's already made my Christmas the happiest one I've ever had."

Ricardo's breath catches, her words unfurling a gentle warmth deep inside of him. "Me too," he whispers, lips twitching into a soft smile as he enjoys these few moments of peace with his family.