Fawn's POV

Consciousness didn't come back to me easily. My head felt fuzzy, and everyone sounded like they were under water...or am I under water?

Wait...where am I?

My fingers twitched and I tried to move.

A soft groan fell past my lips and I shifted in place, feeling the stiff cushion beneath me. It was dim when I managed to get my eyes to open up, and my vision was blurry.

I tried to speak, but all I could do was grumble. Then I felt something touch my hand, wrapping around my fingers and squeezing.

"She's waking up..." I heard, the voice sounding miles away from me.

"That was awfully quick..." came a different voice, this time I could distinguish that it sounded male.

Noises slowly began clearing up, as did my sight with each time I blinked. My eyes opened wider and wider, and I winced slightly.

I still felt groggy, but I could finally see who was holding my hand. Edith smiled down at me, looking relieved that I was awake. She brushed her thumb over my knuckles.

"Hi honeysuckle..." she said, and then there was some sort of commotion outside the room. My head shifted over towards the door, the room spinning as I did.

I saw a doctor...wait...am I in the hospital...?

That's when all of my memories slammed back into my brain at once, making me gasp as my eyes snapped wide open.

The doctor gave me a quick smile, and then glanced over his shoulder at the sound of voices talking outside the hospital room.

"Uh...hello, ma'am, give me just one moment while I go see what the noise is about," he excused himself and then turned and sped away, leaving me alone with Edith.

I looked back to her, "E-Edith..." my voice felt hoarse and I tried to swallow, "wh-what ha—"

"Shhh..." she quietly hushed me, brushing her fingers over my forehead, pushing my bangs back, "don't get over excited, darling...here..."

She held something up to my lips, and just by instinct I let her pour whatever it was into my mouth. The cool liquid felt amazing on my throat, and I nearly inhaled the cup she was holding.

When I felt like I'd drank enough, I looked over at her, my brows creased together with worry.

"W-what happened, mama...where's Al...a-and my baby, w-where's..." my voice fell off when her eyes softened and she squeezed my hand.

"Al is in the other room, sweetheart...he—"

Just then the door creaked, and both of us directed our attention towards it.

Al was peeking into the room, looking around before his eyes found me.

He looked...awfully happy considering everything that happened. He had a bright smile on his face, which was also currently sporting a nasty bruise by his eye on his upper cheekbone.

"Fawn!" He said, his voice holding excitement, but also being hushed, "I'm so happy to see you awake, my love..."

I could practically feel how relieved he was as he came to my side quickly, kneeling down beside the bed before grabbing my other hand gently.

"How do you feel?" He asked, his brow furrowing and his smile turning worried.

"U-um...I feel alright..." my voice came out sounding small, still weak from all the screaming I'd done before, "nothing really hurts..."

"Oh, that's because I brought a little something..." Edith piped up, and I looked over to see her holding a small travel sized jar of that healing jelly.

Oh, well that explains it.

"I've been giving you little doses when they weren't watchin...their medicine is rather elementary compared to magic, so I figured I'd help out a little bit," she said, and I smiled at her as best I could.

"Thank you..." I said, and then sighed softly, turning back to Al.

He looked at me fondly, bringing my hand up to his lips and pressing a gentle kiss against my knuckles, "I'm so proud of you..." he whispered against my skin, closing his eyes.

I squeezed his hand lightly, and tried to keep smiling but something felt wrong to me. The room feels too empty...too quiet.

Bits and pieces of memory were coming back to me, and I could feel my throat slowly closing up as I remembered it all. My eyes began to burn as I remembered landing on my stomach.

The immediate searing pain that burst through my abdomen...that only got worse and worse, like something was trying to tear out of me.

I remembered sitting on the hospital bed, screaming out for Alastor as they drug him out of the room. The nurse's voices speaking to me, trying to calm me down.

And then the feeling of something splitting open my lower stomach, which only mixed in with all of the other pain.

The one thing I can't seem to remember...is hearing my baby cry when they pulled it out.

I sniffled softly, looking at Alastor as tears gathered in my eyes. I know what happened...I'm not stupid.

He saw my tear filled expression and brought his hand up to my cheek, stroking my skin gently.

"Darling, why are you crying...?" He asked me softly, "you're ok..."

"But the baby..." I whimpered, drawing in a short hiccup of breath, "w-where is our baby, Al..."

His brow furrowed slightly and he gave me a strange smile. It wasn't exactly sad, but he seemed to be thinking about something as he glanced at Edith.

"I'm not exactly sure how to tell you..." he said quietly, and I could already feel my heart cracking.

More tears gathered in my eyes, nearly spilling as I waited for him to deliver the final blow. The words that I knew would make my world stop turning.

As much as I didn't want to hear him say it...I needed to hear it.

That our baby is dead.

He opened his mouth again, just beginning to speak before he was cut off by the door opening.

I didn't pay much attention to who walked in. No...that's not what caught my attention...

It was the noise.

My eyes widened slightly and I blinked, causing the tears blurring my sight to fall down my cheeks. The heartbroken expression on my face fell into one of shock when I heard the smallest little cry...

"Congratulations!" I heard a soft female voice say, and finally my eyes trained over to who had entered, and I saw a young nurse holding a little bundle in her arms, bouncing it gently as she approached the side of the bed.

I glanced back at Alastor quickly, not entirely believing it. Did I do it? Did we both make it out of that?

Is...is that my baby?

Al stood up, moving slightly so the nurse could get closer. The soft crying was the one thing I had been missing...what I'd been waiting to hear for nine months.

"The doctor says that she seems to be perfectly fine now..." the nurse said to Alastor, who simply nodded as he smiled down at the baby in her arms.

The nurse then gently handed him our baby, and I was still in a state of shock as I watched it.

I need to hold her. I need to see her face, I can't believe it until I see her for myself...

"Thank you, Emily..." Al said softly, and she bowed her head just a bit before excusing herself.

"Ring the bell if you need me..." she said as she left, and then it was just the three...or...four of us.

Al looked down at me, and then bent down, carefully handing me the baby.

"Juliette..." he said, "our baby girl. You did it. It seems she's just as much of a fighter as you are, my love..."

When she was safely tucked into my arms, I looked down at her little face with wide eyes. Several more tears flowed from my eyes, and I finally smiled.

I laughed slightly, admiring the fussy baby in my arms. My mouth couldn't seem to work, I was simply awestruck that I was holding her at all...

Al reached over and gently ran the pads of his fingers over her cheek, touching her like she was made out of the thinnest piece of glass.

Upon his touch, she quit fussing almost immediately.

"I think she likes you already," I giggled, sniffling as I looked at him.

He hummed, bringing his hand away from her face and resting it on my arm.

My chest swelled up with happiness as I looked at her. Her skin was a soft, peachy color and she had a lot of fluffy brown hair piled on her head.

She was very small, being about three weeks premature...it truly is a wonder that she made it, after all.

But I couldn't be happier.

"You're so beautiful..." I whispered to her, and when I did her little eyes opened up wide.

I gasped when they did, not expecting what was lying behind those eyelids.

It seems she truly did get half of my genetics and half of his...because she has one green eye and one brown eye.

She looked up at me, a curious expression on her face.

I smiled at her, "hi baby..." I said softly.

"Look at those eyes..." Al breathed next to me, sounding awestruck by it, "she's just full of surprises."

This entire night has been full of surprises. I'm not sure my heart can take many more of them at this point.

"She's perfect..." I said, and then looked over at Al with a bright smile, tears still falling from my eyes occasionally, "look at her, look at what we made...we did that..."

"I also helped!" Edith piped up, making both Al and I laugh.

I guess this is the beginning of a new journey for us...definitely a rough start but...

Everything worked out in the end.

**

The front door opened up, revealing our living room to me.

I took in a deep breath, having missed the smell of home.

After not being here for a full week, it's like coming home from a vacation. I took the first step into the house and smiled.

Thanks to Edith, my body was completely healed already. There wasn't even a scar where they'd cut me open for my c-section.

She got rid of that after we left the hospital, for obvious reasons.

Juliette began to get curious, sensing that we were in a new setting. I pulled her away from my shoulder, positioning her carefully in my arms so she could see the room.

"Welcome home, sweetheart..." I said softly so I wouldn't startle her.

Alastor came up beside me, and looked over my shoulder at her. I glanced over at him, and smiled. The way he looks at her is so...pure.

For someone as dangerous as he is, it's like the ice melts behind his eyes every time he looks at her.

Those big, heterochromic eye stared back at us, glancing between us.

The look on her face was a bit funny, she looked like she was thinking 'holy shit, it's so big out here' and I can only imagine how that must feel, being so new to the world.

"She looks rather baffled, does she not?" Al chuckled, voicing my thoughts.

I chuckled as well, bouncing her gently, "well imagine being so small surrounded by such a big world...I'd be baffled, too."

He hummed, and then reached over, brushing his fingers over the soft brown fuzz on her head.

She reacted to his touch by fully focusing on him for just a second, and then seemed to start falling asleep again after a moment of him petting her.

I giggled, "I think someone is tired again after napping the whole way here," I joked, and Al scoffed a small laugh.

"Well, then how about you and I head up to bed with her...this week has been intense, and if I'm being completely honest, I just want to go lay in bed with my girls," he said.

That did sound nice. Finally getting to sleep in my own bed, Alastor by my side...

So we headed up to bed, talking softly to Juliette on the way up, describing our surroundings to her. It's not like she understands, but it's only polite to give her a tour of the house she'll be growing up in.

I laid her on the bed when we made it to the room, and she curled up, looking absolutely tiny swallowed up in Al's fluffy comforter.

He and I got dressed in our comfiest sleep wear, and I went over to the bassinet that was in the corner of our room, making sure it was ready for whenever we laid her down for bed.

Once everything was set, we crawled onto the mattress, putting Juliette between us. We took turns talking to her, getting her used to our voices.

Not that she wasn't familiar already. I could tell every time Al spoke she recognized him. This look crossed her face, and she would look over at him with wide eyes.

She was already extremely fond of him, in general.

That fact made me happy, and I smiled softly as he rested his hand on her stomach, nearly taking up her entire body. He rubbed her gently, talking to her about politics.

My heart felt warm and full...like a piece of me had finally been fulfilled after years of just accepting the fact that I had drawn the short straw in life...

Right now, my entire world is laying right here in bed with me.

It was so surreal, it almost felt like a fantasy...but it was real. She's real.

And I made a promise to myself right there that I will never let this child down. She will grow up having something neither Al or I could...two loving parents.

A warm bed every night, and food in her belly.

We will give her the life we could never have.