A cry is heard from next to the bed, "it's your turn, I just fed her an hour ago," Ace tiredly tells Graham. He slowly gets up and moves to pick up Manisha.

"Daddy's here, do you need to be changed," he moves over to the changing table turning on the low light lamp they put in for night changes to not disturb Ace. Once she's changed Graham looks to see Ace fast asleep, but Manisha seems to be looking at him. "Let's have Mommy sleep more." He picks her up and carries her out to the living room where he sees one of their roommates sitting there in the dark.

"Tegan?"

"Hi Graham," replies the voice.

"What are you doing up," he sits down in one of the chairs resting Manisha up against his chest.

"I couldn't sleep."

"Is Mani keeping you up," he asks her.

"No, I was awake before I heard her crying." Tegan's mind goes to Adric. She is worried about him and his ever falling grade and his fights with Liam.

"Do you need to talk about it," Graham knows he hasn't been a great roommate or friend in the past few months as Manisha came closer to greeting the earth.

"I don't know. My parents called and told me Adric is falling and that I need to see him more often. We are far apart in age, you know. He's a little younger than Liam."

"Have you talked to Mel, she is the same age gap with Liam."

"Since Ace and Liam came to live with them, Ace has been the one to get Liam back on track."

"Not always, there have been times I have."

"Really?"

"I formed a bond with Liam before I found out he was related to the cute girl that I shared every class with."

"The cute girl has turned out to be much more." Tegan has seen everything the two have gone through, and looks at how Graham is trying to get Manisha asleep.

With a large smile and cooing coming from his arms, "so much more. We have a gorgeous Daughter together. A love for each other that keeps on growing," he starts to rock Manisha a little bit, lifting her up to his chest.

"You're a natural."

"Thank you, something inside me tells me what she wants sometimes," he smiles as he feels his daughter's breathing even back out.

"I think you should go put her to bed," Tegan, who has watched both Ace and Graham with Manisha, can tell when she's asleep.

"Me too, are you going to be ok," he asks as he slowly stands up trying not to jostle his daughter.

"Yeah, I need to let them know Nyssa and I will be there for the holidays and I will call Adric sometimes, but he isn't my responsibility. I need to be able to focus on school."

"Just don't tell them that you help out with Manisha," he jokes.

"That's different, she's a baby. She can't feed herself, talk or even hold her own head up yet." She smiles at him after he says goodnight and walks back into his bedroom to find Ace sitting up.

"What are you doing up?"

"My boobs are sore, where were you?"

"Mani was still awake after I changed her, so I took her out to rock her so I wouldn't wake you up. Do you want your pump?"

"Please," he gets it out and hands it to her, "still can't set it up?"

"No, I'm sure that I will learn though," he sits on the bed arranging himself so she can rest against him.

"I think this is the first time we both have been awake, while Manisha has been asleep and no one has been around."

"Since the hospital."

"Yeah," a yawn escapes her.

"Though you may not be fully awake yet."

"I am, just sucks with sleeping right now. I need to tell you about what happened when I was not doing so well in the hospital."

"Are you sure," he has been told that when the baby is asleep so should Mom.

"Yeah," she looks up to him to see his eyes. "I'm ok, Graham. Just the next pregnancy I will need to pay better attention to blood pressure."

"I'll help with that," he doesn't want to ever feel that fear again. The only thing that kept him going is sleeping next to their bed.

"You did more than I did," she knows she should've cared about her blood pressure as much as he did, but she knew Manisha was going to be more than ok; from all the dreams she has with her.

"It was part of my job."

"It was, and Manisha, as in my old friend, thanks you for it."

"What," he is wondering how she can know she would know all that he tried to do for Ace when she was pregnant.

"When I was you know, I was in a place I didn't recognize. It was lush green and white all at once. A voice tells me it's not my time. The voice belonged to Manisha. She told me that she played with my schedule so we could meet."

"Thank you namesake Manisha."

"She even pushed me to get back in my body. She then told me that your mum loves you."

"Did you see her?"

"Sally no. Manisha seems to know her."

"I can take solace in that. The person that loved us the most that eventually led us to meeting," he kisses the top of her head.

"I think I'm done," she turns off the pump.

"Let me take them to the fridge." He gets up.

"Graham, you have been up for a long time, let me."

"But I can find more time to sleep. You can't," he kisses her softly on the lips. Before heading to put milk for Manisha in the fridge. Once he's back in the room Ace is fast asleep. He goes to where Manisha is asleep he looks down and looks at the shape of Ace's eyes. Then to Ace as her eyes flutter in her sleep.

"My two girls asleep. I will protect you both to the best of my abilities." He lays back down and falls asleep.

….

The next morning Ace is in the shower with Graham sitting on the toilet seat holding Manisha. "Hun, have you talked to Liam lately?"

"No, why?"

"Adric is having problems."

"How do you know," she says over the water.

"When I sat out in the living room with Manisha last night Tegan was out there." Ace steps out, Graham's eyes trail up and down her body.

"Look in your arms for me please." Graham does as told and blushes. "It's not often you blush there Graham," she says with laughter.

"I am holding the product of what I was just feeling when you stepped out of the shower."

"Lust?"

"You know when it comes to you it's much more than lust."

"Though it does play a part in it," she slings on her robe before taking Manisha in her arms. "Now you take a shower. I'm going to lay her down while I get dressed."

Walking into their bedroom she smiles as she thinks Manisha smiles before a smell greets her nose. "Did someone just fart?" Ace laughs as she lays her down finding some clothes for the chilly late October morning.

As Graham gets out of the shower humming, thinking about going on a walk with the two who have his heart, in different ways of course. He wants to soak up every moment, since he has to go back to work soon. Once in the bedroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. "You look amazing Ace."

She turns around looking at her outfit of some sweats and an oversized shirt. "No I'm not. I just had a baby a month ago, my body isn't back." He shuts her up with a kiss; before heading over to his dresser and quickly getting dressed, he then turns around again taking a few steps closer to they're just an arms distance from each other.

"That is one of the many reasons I find you so beautiful; you just had a baby. Not just any baby, but our baby. You brought even more light into my world. It feels like I am on the sun right now."

She touches his forehead, "it can't be, you're not burning up. You're feeling normal," she adds with a smile.

He takes her in his arms, "how about I take both of my girls out on a walk and maybe we stop and get something to eat."

"Maisha will need to eat in about an hour."

"Her Mom also needs to eat to help provide the food she needs."

"I should get on a different shirt if we are going on a walk, and can you please get the wrap we got. I don't want her in the stroller yet." She goes to her dresser pulling out a breastfeeding bra and top. After she puts them on, Graham comes towards with a long green fabric.

"Turn around, I want to help you put this on," she does as told, he takes the two sides around her back, over her shoulders, around her waist, then back around the shoulders. "Is this too tight?"

"No, it's perfect, just get Manisha for me please?" He does as asked, kissing the top of her head as Ace takes her from him and puts her in. "Can you grab a few diapers?"

"I'll get the whole bag. Our first outing as a family," he wants to hold her hand, but her hands instead go around Manisha. So as they approach the door to leave his hands go around her waist instead.

"Where are you two going," asks Mel.

"Just a little walk, the three of us." He replies hoping she gets that he just wants Ace and Manisha on the walk.

"Have fun."

Once the small family was about a block away, "what was that for back at the house?"

"I just wanted to be with the two of you. The woman I love, and my little Princess." He kisses the side of her head.

"You could have said it differently?"

"I know, I just wanted to make sure Mel knew that this outing was for the three of us. She'll be on many more with us, I am sure; same as Tegan and Nyssa. I just wanted our first outing to be parents and baby only. Did I ruin it?"

"No, you didn't, but maybe when we get back, apologize to Mel."

"I will. I still want some time that it's just the three of us."

"Should we have tried to find a place to move out before Manisha was born?"

"No, I will get over this. I think a part of it was for the first few hours of her life, I had to focus only on her and not what was going on with her Mother." She moves one hand off Manisha and takes Graham's, trying and hoping she will remain still.

"I don't think anyone has asked you how you felt during that time." He shudders looking around to find the sidewalk empty and a few clouds in the sky.

"It seems you know how to scare me. That day was both the best and worst day of my life." He feels a gentle cold breeze. "Should we find a place inside to eat," he gestures to a little café off in the corner.

"Yes, I don't want her in the cold too much."

Once they are seated, Graham leans on his hands smiling as Ace talks to Manisha, "what," she asks once she looks up.

"You are a wonderful Mom."

Smiling, "thank you. You are a great Father and partner to have a kid with."

"Really?"

"Yes, I have heard that sometimes a father doesn't care as much about letting mom get sleep."

"Which I find very wrong. They helped make the baby; it should be two people taking care of the baby." He stops talking as the waitress comes and takes their orders. They spend the rest of the day with just Manisha, hoping that their roommates understand why they aren't ready to let go and have others help with their baby.