It was too hot. Suffocatingly so.

The sweat dripping down her eyes stung her, the hair sticking to her face hindered her vision, and every muscle in her body shook from the effort.

Time had lost meaning long ago, but she suspected it must have been hours.

Hours upon hours of pain. And her only respite were the fleeting moments of ease in between the sharp shocks that traversed her body.

The smell of blood was making her faint, and her jaw hurt from grinding her teeth so harshly. The grip she maintained on the linen was the only thing keeping her sane.

She was exhausted and scared.

And she wanted James. She wanted him to hold her and be able to hide herself in his arms.

But, every time she had asked for him, the women working on her insisted that he should not enter the room. The midwife working between her legs continuously reassured that the baby would be born soon, and that they would call James inside once it was.

Finding no other option, Elizabeth resolved to do her utmost best and not think of him. Concentrating instead on bearing down with all her might.

"Just a little more, Madam."

"Give another push, Madam."

"You are almost done, Madam."

She did not want to hear any more of it!

What she wished for, was to be allowed to rest.

Amidst the noise of the words of encouragement from the maids assisting the midwife, and her own wails of pain, she finally heard a new voice.

"Elizabeth..."

The sound of her name in that deep, familiar cadence immediately demanded her attention.

Her heart thrumming with relief and happiness once she found his lean, tall figure at the doorstep.

James' shoulders were rigid, and he was staring at the old woman in front of him as if deciding whether or not to draw out his sword.

The thought made her smile.

However, her eyebrows met in concern once she observed his expression with more care. He was pale and his eyes were unfocused.

Why did he appear to be so frightened?

"...her screams" she heard him say.

The faint tremble of his voice alerted her to the situation. Realizing with some guilt that she had been the one responsible for his apprehensive posture.

Her generous, mindless yells about feeling like she was about to die would have definitely scared James.

He looked ready to push the woman away.

"James"

The exertion to call for him was aggravated by the aching in her throat. Yet, his eyes found her in a second.

Her poor dear.

She could see it in his eyes. Her husband was pleading for her to tell him what to do. Pleading to be reassured.

"It's alright." she promised, keeping her voice as steady as possible as he eyes regarded him with sincerity. Although her words didn't seem to convince him entirely. "I'm alright." she tried again.

But when a new wave of pain assaulted her unexpectedly, her eyes closed and her mouth pressed in an effort to stifle the sound, and once the pain eventually passed and her eyes opened again, he was no longer withing her sight.

"Breathe, dear," she heard the midwife's voice attempting to guide her. "You need to keep breathing."

Elizabeth nodded, keeping herself composed this time.

She was alright. And she was going to be alright. She would see James soon, with their child in her arms.

There was nothing in the world that would prevent her from holding the precious child life that she had been waiting to meet for so after an exhausting, stubborn struggle, she was finally rewarded with a deep breath of air to her lungs.

High-pitched, piercing cries filled the air before a wriggling bundle was placed in her arms.

The way Elizabeth's chest quivered as she stared at the stained, crying face was new to her. Different to anything else she had felt in her life.

Adoration was the closest word that her mind could conjure, but... it was much more than that.

The body of her baby was warm, light, and covered in blood. So very small, and fragile. But so solid and real.

Her face leaned towards the new life that squirmed vigorously until she felt her forehead meet soft warmth.

"Hello. I've been waiting to meet you." she greeted, smiling happily when the cries quickly subsided. Brushing a tender knuckle over a velvet-soft cheek. "You are such a sweet, little darling." The affection and devotion in her voice was novel even to her own ears.

Perfect round face, fair skin, light hair, small nose, big eyes.

Every delicate feature she discovered made her heart beat almost unbearably strong.

"So beautiful and lovely," she continued whispering, burying her nose in the dampened, thin wisps of hair. Her child smelled in an indefinably pleasant way, it was something she had not encountered before, but somehow, it reminded her of James as well.

It truly was their child…

A sharp whine startled her for a second, retreating a few inches and releasing a tired laugh once she saw that her tears were spilling on her baby's face.

"Forgive me." she apologized with a small giggle, using her thumb to brush them away.

Delicately taking the closed fist waving aimlessly in the air between her thumb and forefinger, Elizabeth pressed her lips lovingly to it.

"Welcome home, Love."

...

James had been anxiously pacing outside the door while waiting to be allowed inside.

He knew their child had already been born, so his patience was waning very quickly. And once the door finally creaked open, he wasted not a moment crossing the threshold.

He found her form resting on the bed with her back supported by an arrange of pillows.

Elizabeth's head turned at the sound of his footsteps, mouth drawing into a joyful smile once she saw him.

"James." she called him. Her voice hoarse from the strain and her words slightly drawn, but the relief he felt at seeing her awake and in good health was enough to make his body lose most of its rigidity.

It took his legs only a few strides to bring him to her side, yet he had to fight his frayed nerves urging him to breach the distance much too hastily. Once he stopped at the bedside his eyes took immediate notice of the bundle she was cradling with incredible tenderness.

The child was resting quietly in her arms, face hidden against her chest, but James could see the faint movement of his chest with every breath he took.

The exertion of her body was showing on her lethargic movements, but her eyes remained alert and present. And those clever eyestook immediate notice of the shift on his attention, gently shifting her arms so he would be able to see more clearly.

"He is adorable, isn't he?" she asked, looking up at him with a smile filled with prideful delight.

Realizing that she truly was unharmed, James allowed his own mouth to form a smile in response to her evident happiness, placing a knee on the surface of the bed and bending forward until he could see his child's face, peeking out from under a thick linen. Barely capable of comprehending that the tiny creature was the same one that he had felt moving inside of her.

He... A son.

He stared in fascination at the face of their newborn child peeking out from amongst layers of fabric. But he didn't dare touch him.

She noticed his reticence immediately, grabbing onto his sleeve and pulling firmly on it, trying to bring him closer.

Uncertain on what to do, he bent forward and reached for her cheek instead. Leaning into her to look at her properly, combing his fingers gently through the tangled strands of hair. It was still damp. And her eyes and cheeks were still reddened from all the crying.

Maintaining a soft, comforting tone, he asked "How are you feeling?"

"Perfectly." Her response was swift and confident, looking down at the baby as she caressed the bridge of the almost imperceptible nose. "We both are, aren't we?" she asked, laughing softly when their son sneezed in response, moving to caress his cheek instead.

When his lips pressed to the side of her head, she turned to him, kissing his mouth in return. It was nothing more than a quick caress, but he felt her deep affection in it. But as he approached her in hope of a second taste, Elizabeth moved away from him just enough to be out of his reach.

"James..." she called with mirth, "Are you not planning to introduce yourself, Dear?" Her inquire was accompanied by an entirely mischievous smirk, regarding him with an expectant eyebrow.

Her lean fingers entwined around his as she tugged him once again. And this time he yielded. Allowing himself to be directed, he took a seat next to her on the bed, feeling her body slump against his the moment he did. But she did not let go on him, pulling gently on his hand until it was above the small bundle.

He felt himself hesitate for a brief moment, but seeing the excited encouragement shining in her gaze, he reached forward.

Ever so carefully, James traced the round outline of his incredibly small face with a single finger. His child's face jerked towards him at the contact, making a soft little noise as he squirmed against his hand until he found a comfortable place to settle.

The sensation of touching the innocent creature in her arms was indescribable. The skin under his palm was soft, and warm, and so amazing, and his head fit into his open palm much too easily.

It was most perfect thing he'd experienced in his life.

Before that very moment, James had never before considered the possibility of loving anyone as much as he loved Elizabeth, but he would do anything, give anything for the tiny life he held in his arms. Nothing could change that for him.

"This is your father, Darling." he heard Elizabeth whisper in a tone so sweet and tender that it made his chest ache. Her eyes not leaving their child for a moment. "Aren't you happy?"

James wasn't sure she was talking to him, but he gave her a nod of assent as a smile drew on his face. "He's perfect, Elizabeth." he said, finding it quite difficult to bring out his voice. Carefully holding onto the back of her head, he placed a reverent kiss to her forehead. "Thank you, Love."

Plain, inexperienced words that could not truly express his feelings, but his wit was failing him pathetically at the moment. Regardless, his naïve praise caused her already beautiful smile to widen even further.

"He is." Her voice was coated with a happy lilt that she seemed unable to control.

Not only was he unaffected by the source of her happiness being someone other than him, but he was completely elated by the knowledge.

...

Night had already passed, but James had decided to draw close the curtains when the rays of day began to enter. Now, the only light was provided by a few candle lights around the room.

The two of them had remained leaning against the other while watching over their son's sleep.

James had attempted to coerce Elizabeth into slumber several times, but she had argued against it every time and refused to let go of their child. Claiming that she was much too excited to find any , he had chosen to continue supporting her in his embrace instead.

Neither one had made a sound in hours, so he was startled by the amused chuckle that escaped her suddenly. Moving the thin curtain of her hair hindering his view, he leaned next to her ear. "What are you laughing at?"

Her eyes met him as her nose scrunched with an slightly guilty look as she confessed, "He is all pink and wrinkled." Appearing to be containing a new bout of laughter, she quietly added "He looks like a shrunken old man."

Caught of guard by the silly declaration, the side of his fist pressed firmly to his mouth, using it to contain his own laughter, although he was unable to prevent the lift of the corners of his lips.

Elizabeth looked gratified by his reaction, mumbling against the side of his jaw. "See? You think so as well."

She was correct, their child was indeed pink and a little swollen... and he also found a mild resemblance to a little monkey. Although he would never dare utter that thought out loud.

But in spite of such critique, his wife appeared completely enamoured by the small bundle that remained deeply asleep, completely ignorant to the teasing of his parents.

"Well, you are his mother, hopefully he will eventually stop looking so." he tried to reassure.

At his words, Elizabeth's eyebrows raised high in surprise before turning her attention down with unexpected intensity, "No." she declared with a short shake of her head, "I think he'll resemble you a lot more."

His cheek fell on top of her head as he reached to caress the bottom of his chin. His small features were too undefined for James to attribute any particular resemblance to either of them.

"That might be unfortunate for him." he jested with a faint smirk, which provoked her sharp gaze to regard him with an upset pout.

"Why? You're dashing." she defended him from himself, looking offended by the critic.

An involuntary laugh did escape him at the compliment before he could stop it. "I appreciate the sentiment," he conceded, caressing her nose with his, "However, I would still prefer he takes after you." he insisted tiredly against her hair.

"I want him to resemble you though," she argued stubbornly, still staring at him with a faint scowl. "And as his mother, it is my right to choose."

"Then I offer my apologies to the lady."

Her expression finally changed into one of satisfaction, before her head fell to rest on his shoulder.

As he listened to the fire crackling softly in the chimney, a very important question surged in his mind.

"What about his name?" he asked suddenly, looking at her with curious interest.

Elizabeth stared at their baby with a tender, contemplative look. "Casey."

The unhesitant, fast response made his lips curve upwards.

"That's… an unusual name, Love."

"I think it suits him perfectly." she replied with an air of arrogance, showing him an adorable smile that prompted him to bump her forehead with his.

"Of course you do."

James wasn't even sure he wanted to inquire on where had she learned such name.

Her brow pulled at the amusement in his voice. "Do you not like it?" There was evident disappointment in her question that she did a poor job at hiding. Yet, she waited quietly for his verdict.

It was not that he disliked it. He only considered it to be an odd choice.

Watching her expression fall, James let the name leave his tongue in contemplation, "Casey…"

Their son's head twitched in attention at the sound.

"He likes it!" he heard her exclaimed with a triumphant smirk, watching her cradle the child's head as she buried her face in his short locks.

The only response he could offer to that, was a small sigh of amenable acceptance, "He does."

He supposed that Casey Norrington didn't sound all that terrible.

A loud yawn interrupted Elizabeth's celebration, making him frown with displeasure.

"Now you have to sleep."

Her arms tightened a little around the baby, "I want to, but... I don't want to leave him alone."

"He won't know, Elizabeth. He's already asleep."

Her eyes looked back at him with an adorably disgruntled scowl, seeing in them just how much she wanted to argue against him. Stroking her shoulder in comforting circles, he offered his arms so she could place Casey in them.

"I'll take care of him. I promise."

When she wilfully refused him, James leaned forward and kissed her. Quickly forgetting about his original intent and unable to resist his desire, his fingers held onto her chin as he used his tongue to deepen the contact.

Her body responded by leaning towards him, and although the absence of the weight of her arms around his shoulders left him mildly confused at first, he belatedly realized she was restricted by the child she refused to let go of. The notice of the fact urged him to move his mouth even more insistently, savouring the noises he pulled from her.

"Is something the matter, Love?" he taunted lightly once he eventually released her.

Without a word, Elizabeth gingerly placed the sleeping body in the space created by his bent arms.

His only warning before she surged forward, -taking a hold of the neck of his shirt and pushing her mouth insistently against him- was the shift of her expression from conflicted to conspiring. James kept himself perfectly still as she took revenge for his misconduct, not wanting to disturb the child now resting in his arms.

She did not let go of him until she stole his breath away, looking at him with mischievous affection as she stroked her thumb over his wet lips.

"You are right. I am desperate for some rest." she agreed with a heavy pant, letting her sweet breath fan his face while smiling in satisfaction at his stupor. "Thank you, Dear."

With a much more careful advance, she leaned down and brushed the top of Casey's head. "Have sweet dreams, little darling."

She laid down obediently, curling against his side before falling asleep within mere seconds.

In that moment, James allowed himself to bask on the peaceful silence as he watched the shadows dance against the wall.

The weigh in his arms was too light, but at the same time, wonderfully real. And the warmth pouring from her body made a blissful sigh escape from the very depths of his soul.