Jamie's eyes fluttered open, the soft morning light streaming through the windows of the living room. Sleep clouded his eyes, and the cool morning air filled his lungs. He began to stretch, before a soft cooing alerted him to the small presence on his chest.

His eyes flitted down from where they watched the ceiling, landing on the small four month old clad in a white onesie. He followed her gaze to the fluttering shadows the trees made on the wall, before smiling and admiring her small, animated face.

"Hey, kid, good morning,
You look like an angel.
I don't remember when we fell asleep.
We should get up, kid
Cathy is waiting…"

His musing was interrupted by a small yawn, her tiny, rosy lips shaping into an "O", her porcelain skin scrunching up between her perfect nose and soft eyebrows. He smiled, and continued.

"Look at us, lying here
Dreaming, pretending.
I made a promise and I took a vow
We wrote a story
And you changed the ending
Cathy, just look at us now!"

He stood up, cradling his daughter to his chest, and walked over to the window. As she began to fuss, he comforted her, all the while continuing his melody.

"Hold on, just relax,
I won't let you go.
Hush, now, let your panic recede:
That's all you need to know."

He hummed his melody as he walked back towards the couch, reaching to grab the soft knit blanket left there. He wrapped his daughter in it, smiling as she snuggled into the soft material.

"Put on your armor
We're off on adventures.
Back into battle till
We don't know when.
Swearing to her that
We will be back soon
And knowing I'll hold you 'til then."

He gently cuddled her closer to his warm chest, nuzzling his nose on her soft, downy hair.

"Hold on, spread your wings
I will hold your hand.
It's alright, we've only begun,
One day you'll understand
One day you'll understand…"

Jamie stood in front of the large window facing their backyard, where the large maple tree grew. He gazed out at it, letting his imagination take over, letting his lullaby carry on.

"We'll build a treehouse
I'll keep it from shaking
We'll use some glue every time that it breaks.
Perfectly balanced,
And I won't be making
Those same deliberate mistakes."

He looked back at his daughter, who was now watching the leaves blow in the wind. Jamie's lips quirked into a small smile.

"All that I ask for
Is one little corner,
One private room
At the back of my heart.
I told her I found one
And she sent an angel
To claim it and capture my heart."

He gently held his daughter's hand, chuckling quietly when she tugged on his pinkie. Her strong grip held steady as she waved her arm around, her father's large, slightly calloused hand following.

"I grip and you grip,
And faster we're pulling.
Pulling and squeezing,
A small tug of war.
Come back to bed, kid,
I won't let them get you.
I promise I'll always love you."

She starts to cry again, but this time, she is not so easily calmed. Jamie realizes what is wrong, and starts towards the kitchen to prepare a bottle, comforting his daughter on the way.

"Hold on, don't cry yet,
I won't let you go.
It's alright, let your panic recede.
It's alright, your care's guaranteed.
It's alright, I know what you need.
And that's all you need to know,
That's all you need to know."

Jamie made his way back towards the bedroom, cradling his daughter as she suckled the bottle, small slurping sounds occasionally being heard. He smiled at her, his warm, brown eyes meeting her sleepy, cloudy-blue ones. He quietly sang the last few lines of his lullaby, rocking his daughter back to sleep.

"And since I have to take care of someone
Since I need to take care of someone
Maybe I could take care of someone
Like you…"

He gently tugged the empty bottle out of her tiny mouth, and placed it on the bedside table, while sitting carefully onto the queen-sized bed.

Cathy sleepily opened her eyes, before smiling and shifting to accommodate her baby girl. Jamie gently placed Emma into her mother's capable arms, and climbed under the covers, content to snuggle with his wife and daughter for a few more hours. It was Saturday, after all.

"So, you both fell asleep on the couch after the 3am feeding?" Cathy asked her husband quietly.

Jamie chuckled. "I guess so. We were both so tired, it didn't matter that we weren't in bed."

Cathy smiled. "Maybe it didn't matter to you, but I missed you."

Jamie leaned over and kissed his wife on the forehead. "I'll never leave you. I wouldn't be able to live without you.

"I won't let you go."


Hey, my lovely readers!

This is the first story I've published/updated in a few months, I know, and I am a very bad author for leaving my other ones lying around. I will try to update those soon, so please wish me luck!

Please review! You have no idea how motivating those are. I haven't gotten a review on a story in months. I know this sounds bad, but if you review, it is more likely that I will update!

Love, hugs, and kisses!

Mems1223