((Contains somewhat graphic imagery.))

There was something just a little interminable about the last weeks and days of pregnancy, Willow had decided. Though she couldn't have been happier to know that she was carrying Nick's daughter - to be able to feel that daughter's emotions, and through her, Nick's emotions, too - it had gotten to the point where she just wanted it to be over now. She'd been awake most of the night, awkward and uncomfortable, waiting for Nick to come home, and perhaps some of that impatience for Nick's return was making itself known to their daughter. Pacing the kitchen, Willow groaned, bending forward to rest her forearms against the counter. "Baby girl, you're killing my back tonight."

Forced into his unnatural existence, Nick had by necessity become a creature of the night. As such, he was often out at night, feeding first and then working as a P.I. when he could manage to find work, and sleeping by day. But these last few weeks toward the end of Willow's pregnancy, he'd been coming home earlier than usual, claiming work was scarce, when the truth was he was really worried about Willow and the baby at this stage of the pregnancy. He'd been told he'd have to turn her sooner or later if he wanted her to survive the birth, but he'd been gambling on later, rather than sooner.

He didn't like the idea of forcing his wife into the same existence that had been forced on him, but he knew he really had no choice. It was either that or lose her, and he refused to let that happen. Besides, he'd promised, and a promise was a promise, but as the days of her pregnancy grew shorter, he knew he couldn't avoid it much longer. Tonight was one of those nights where he didn't stay out longer, drawn home by some inexplicable feeling that something wasn't right. He couldn't quite put his finger on what it was or why he felt that way, but there was an undeniable connection between himself and their daughter, and through her, to Willow. He wasn't sure what it was exactly, but something drew him home that night, much earlier than planned.

It was 2 am when he started for home, and though he was fond of his shiny roadster, he found that ever since he'd been turned, he didn't really need it. It was just one of the many benefits of becoming a vampire - he found he could be where he wanted to be quickly and easily and without the means of a vehicle to get him there. Though he'd been working a case clear across town, it took only a matter of minutes before he was standing on the porch of the house he shared with his wife, a house that had been purchased by Tobias with the promise that they'd repay the debt.

The ever present flicker of his daughter's fully developed emotions in his mind flared with what seemed to be relief as he stepped up onto the porch, a welcome home that nonetheless seemed to ignite a certain amount of desperate excitement ....and from inside the house, Willow suddenly raised her voice in a scream of pain that seemed to bite through the stillness of the night. She fell to her knees, feeling wetness gush from between her legs, looking down to sob in fright at the fresh, hot blood that pooled around her.

Their daughter's welcome reached Nick like a wave of warmth, but there was something else there, too, within that welcome, some excitement he couldn't quite grasp. It was Willow's scream, though, that really alarmed him. Whether he vaporized only to reappear at Willow's side or he simply moved so quickly that it only seemed that way was uncertain - Nick wasn't even sure how it worked himself - but as soon as he heard that scream of pain, he was there by her side in almost an instant. "Willow!" he exclaimed, just a little too late to catch her before she fell to her knees. He didn't need to look to know she was bleeding - blood was the one thing he knew better than anything else these days. Thankfully, he'd already fed, and this blood held no temptation for him. "Baby, what?s wrong?"

Every inch of his beloved wife was tense with pain and shock, the bulge of her pregnant belly distorting as the child within acted on an impulse grown from Willow's own impatience to have Nick home. "She ....she's coming, Nick," Willow gasped, gripping his sleeve with a white-knuckled hand. Another cry broke from her lips as she felt something tear inside her - as careful as their daughter was trying to be, she wanted out, and she wanted out now.

Nick not only sensed his wife's terror but felt it in the very marrow of his bones, almost as if it was his own. He knew it was too soon. He hadn't turned her yet, and he knew their daughter would tear her mother apart being born, even if she didn't mean to. "No, Willow!" he cried, a wave of panic flowing through him, as he took her by the arms as gently as he could and searched her face. "She can't. Not yet. It's too soon!"

"Baby, it hurts so much ..." Willow sagged against him, the pain too much even for tears as she forced herself to look into his eyes, trying to calm herself down. They didn't have much time before she bled out, even she knew that, and once there was no heartbeat in her, their daughter's time was limited. No wonder the baby was trying so hard to get herself out as quickly as she could. But there was that odd note of apology, of deep regret, in the feelings that radiated from the dhampir baby even as she forced her way southward. She really didn't want to hurt her mother if she could possibly help it.

"Willow, I have to-I have to turn you..." Nick told her as gently as he could, reluctantly, though he knew the grave necessity of it. "I don't want to, but...." He trailed off suddenly. The time for hesitation, for indecision was over. There was too much blood, far too much blood, and he knew if he didn't act quickly, he was going to lose her. "Just hang on, baby. It's gonna be okay," he promised as calmly as he could, though he was secretly terrified. Where the hell was Lauren and Tobias" He knew he shouldn't have left her alone. If anything happened to her, he'd have no one to blame but himself.

"Tobias!" he called, hoping the vampire heard him. "Get your *ss here right now! We need you!" He didn't wait to see if Tobias heard him, but pulled Willow into his arms. It wasn't her he needed to calm down so much as it was their daughter, or she was going to kill her mother just being born. He laid a hand against the child within his wife's womb and reached out with his mind the way he had so many times before, willing her to be calm, to be patient, for just a few minutes more.

There was panic in his daughter's mind as she fought not to thrash and flail, not to savage her way out of the womb that embraced her. She knew she had already done damage, could hear it in the way Willow's heartbeat was already slowing, guilt pouring from the infant's mind as she grasped hold of her father's reaching touch, mind to mind. Unaware that she had been reaching out to another all evening, too.

Even as Nick fought to stay calm, to calm his daughter, to comfort his frightened wife, the roar of a motorcycle made itself known outside, pulling up so fast that the back wheel bounced off the side of the house. There was only one person who would dare make an entrance like that - it wasn't Tobias, but perhaps this was a better bet. Without bothering to knock, Lauren burst into the house, following the scent of blood easily to locate the couple where they were crumpled on the kitchen floor. "Bloody hell," she breathed, quick to touch her fingers to Willow's throat, to be certain the woman still lived. Her unnaturally pale eyes rose to meet Nick's gaze. "There isn't much time, Nick."

Nick felt Tobias' presence as the elder vampire arrived at last. He was angry at first that it had taken so long for him to get there, but the anger died quickly, replaced by a flood of grief. "She's gone," he murmured so quietly, so weakly, as to barely be heard, his voice full of hopelessness, too lost in grief to notice the signs that were right before his eyes.

"No," Tobias told him gently. "She isn't." He gripped Nick's shoulder tightly, reaching down to raise the hem of the blood-soaked shirt that covered the still woman's abdomen. Already, the signs of her advanced pregnancy were receding, fading away, being absorbed or healed, or whatever the process was that took a dead body to the brink of life after death. "And listen." At the very edge of hearing, even for a vampire, the slow thump of a heart regaining its strength was beginning to make itself known. "You have to be ready to restrain her, Nick," Tobias warned him. "Even without so much blood spilled here, that first frenzy of bloodlust makes a mockery of any sense of personality, as you well remember. She will hone in on Lauren's heartbeat. On your daughter's heartbeat. You should tell me now if you would rather I was the one to restrain your wife when she comes to."

Nick's heart leaped with hope at Tobias' words, but it was the proof that the elder vampire showed him that made him realize maybe he was wrong. He strained his preternatural hearing to find there was a faint heartbeat, barely there but growing stronger. "Oh, God..." he said, sobbing with relief, though God more than likely had very little to do with it. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost her," he explained, that small bit of hope lending him a little strength. His thoughts turned at least momentarily to the child they had created who he was suddenly aware had been taken from them, but only to keep her safe from the mother who wouldn't recognize her in the madness that followed her awakening in the body of a vampire. "I don't..." Nick started, unsure if he'd be able to do it. He felt too weak, too drained of blood to be much use. It had been his blood that had saved her, but because of it, he might not be strong enough to stop her from hurting their daughter. "I don't know if I can," he muttered.

"Then that is why I am here," Tobias assured him, his smile as old as the man himself. "She is almost back with us, Nick. I was only able to get goats again - they are tethered in your basement. I would recommend taking her down there now. The sooner she feeds when she wakes, the sooner she will be herself once again."

Nick nodded, relieved Willow was coming back to him, but knowing they were not out of danger yet. "Is she alright' The baby, I mean," he asked, feeling a little guilty that all his attention, all his concern, had been for his wife, so much so that he'd hardly noticed his daughter's birth. This thing that was such a miracle for mortals was not such an easy thing for those of their kind. It was full of wonder, yes, but terror, as well, and without Tobias and Lauren's help, Nick knew it would have ended - could still end - in tragedy. Like before, he put himself and his family completely in the elder vampire's hands, trusting him implicitly to make sure nothing went wrong. Nick knew there was no way he could ever repay him, no matter what he did.

"She's utterly convinced that she just killed her mother and that you will never forgive her for it, but apart from that, she seems as healthy as you could wish for." Tobias' amusement was probably a little grating, but from his perspective, it was a little funny that the newborn baby girl's first thought was that her father was going to hate her forever. Lauren had shared that information with him with a smile of her own - apparently dhampirs could communicate in their own way among themselves. "You will be able to show her otherwise when we are done here. Come on, up you get. Before she wakes up and tries to pull your arms out of their sockets."

"It's not her fault," Nick muttered wearily. Over the last nine months, he'd come to know his daughter in a way that only a vampire father could. He had connected with her in a way he could never have imagined and adored her just as any father would their child. He had only been too worried for Willow; he would make it up to her - he would make it up to them both, when this was all over, when Willow was herself again. "She'd never hurt me," he argued, no more than he'd hurt her when he'd first been turned, despite the blood fever. Somehow, he managed to find his feet, drawing on the last vestiges of his strength to pull her up with him, cradling her in his arms like a beloved child.

"Nick, the only reason you didn't drain her when you first turned is because I knocked you out and kept you away from her until you had fed," Tobias reminded him with brutal honesty, moving to guide the man down and into the basement where the ill-fated goats were waiting to be slaughtered as a first meal. "She won't be herself until that first bloodlust is sated. And you should eat, yourself."

Nick allowed the elder vampire guide him down the stairs to the basement where the goats were waiting to be slaughtered, unaware of their fate. He barely remembered his first hours as a vampire, all of it lost to the bloodlust. He only knew that when he finally realized what had happened to him, he had hated himself and was convinced Willow would hate him, too. But he'd been wrong, at least about that. If anything, they'd only grown closer, more devoted to each other than ever before. He lowered her very carefully to the bed, as gently as he was able, lingering a moment to touch gentle fingers to her cheek and brush her hair back from her face. "I don't want to leave her."

Tobias paused a moment, checking the space that had been prepared for this moment meticulously over the past couple of months. The goats were tethered close by, yes, but there was also the bed Nick had laid his wife on; a chest with fresh clothing for both Willow and Nick, since Lauren had anticipated a lot of blood at the birth; as well as a fridge stocked with a couple of bags of blood liberated from the blood bank, and a microwave to make it palatable. "Well, I don't foresee you having any trouble," he agreed gently. "I will go and clean up the kitchen. I won't be far - if you need me, call."

Nick hovered over his wife, reluctant to leave her for even the space of time it would take to replenish himself with much-needed blood and yet, Tobias was right. Once Willow awoke, her first instinct - her only instinct - would be to feed. Thankfully, Tobias and Lauren had made sure they were well-prepared. For a moment, he felt almost torn between that of his wife and daughter, suddenly wanting and even needing to see the child he'd bonded with over the last nine months, but he knew she was in good hands. Willow was the one who needed him right now. He promised himself he'd see to their daughter as soon as he was sure Willow was going to be all right. "See to my daughter. Make sure she's all right," he said, though he could sense her, somewhere on the edge of his awareness, frightened for her mother and yearning for the love of the parents she'd come to know so well.

"I will," Tobias promised him, squeezing his shoulder once more. "Eat, Nick. She's almost home." As if in response to this prediction, the first flush began to spread over Willow's still form, wiping away what little imperfection there had been in her skin, the finishing touches being made to the body of the perfect predator. As Tobias slipped away, closing the door securely behind him, her fingers twitched just a little, proof positive that Willow was very close to waking.

Nick looked back at Willow once Tobias had left them alone. He thought about apologizing, but this was what they had planned right from the beginning, and he was too full of relief and gratitude that she was coming back to him to worry much about the guilt of making her like him. He leaned closer, if only for a moment, to brush a kiss against her cheek, noticing the changes in her, however subtle. "Forgive me, Willow, but I love you too much to let you go," he whispered, taking her hand in his for just a moment before moving to his feet so that he could feed a little before consciousness returned.

For a long time still, the only sounds in the basement were those of Nick replenishing his own strength, and the muffled but persistent cries of the heartbroken newborn dhampir from above. Whether Willow had heard his soft apology or not, it still took time for her mind and body to reconnect, and even then, the burning bloodlust was her first perception. It colored everything - she could taste the blood that soaked her clothes on the air, smell it stinging in her nostrils. Her ears picked up the thump of heartbeats - two close by, two further away. She was vaguely aware of softness beneath her, of another being watching her, but all she wanted as her eyes opened, yellow with hunger, was to feed. A low hiss escaped her lips as her mouth opened, revealing the sharp fangs that were now just one of her weapons. Her gaze swung heavily to the other vampire in the room, glaring at him as though it were entirely his fault she was so hungry.

Nick fed as much as he could to replenish himself with the much-needed blood, not quite as much or as fresh as that from a living body, but it would do well enough for now. Once that was done and he was feeling stronger, he had a choice - he could either leave her to feed on her own for the very first time, or he could stay and witness it, as horrific as it might be. He kept a wary distance as she started to come around, recognizing the bloodlust in her as evidenced by the yellow eyes and sharp teeth. He saw her gaze fall on him, but knew it was living blood she craved, not that of one like him. "Feed," he instructed. "They are here for you."

He couldn't help but laugh a little at her reaction to all of this. After everything she had just been through, the only thing she could think of was getting out of her torn and bloody clothes, though he was in agreement. They both looked a mess, and it was no way to greet their newborn daughter. "You're right," he said, pulling her close and pressing a protective kiss against her brow. Fortunately for them, they'd thought of all this in advance. A shower had been installed in the basement of their home, and fresh clothing had been stashed there, as well. Tobias would invariably clean up the remainder of the blood and mess once they were through here, but for now, the most pressing matter was their daughter. She needed her mother, and the sooner the better. "Alone or together?" he asked with a knowing smile. Becoming a vampire had done nothing to hinder their sex life - their daughter was proof enough of that. He was still just as capable and willing as ever, if not more so.

One thing Nick had warned her about was the way her desires would hold greater sway over her ability to make decisions, especially in these first few months. So Willow wasn't surprised when he asked her that question with that smile, knowing her own lips had curved into a smile that answered his perfectly. "Together," she insisted with a sage nod. "We don't want to keep her waiting too long, do we?"

He chuckled a little at his wife's remark, wondering if she was really thinking of their daughter or of making a further bond with her husband now that they were of like mind and heart and body. He couldn't help but wonder what that connection would be like now that he could feel her, like she was part of him, always there, always close, no matter the distance. Theirs had always been a deep connection; he could not imagine them being any closer than they already were, but it seemed he was about to find out otherwise. "I love you, Beanie," he told her quietly as he held her close. Wasn't it ironic how the worst thing that could have possibly happened to them had only brought them closer together"

She curled into his arms, aware now of her heightened senses, the strength she had not had before she had been reborn into this new life. "I love you back, Kringle," she promised him, brushing her lips against his throat. A smirk touched those lips as she drew back. "C'mon. Scrub my back before our daughter manages to permanently damage Lauren's hearing."

He smiled at his wife's unceasing sense of humor. What could have been a tragedy was thus far ending in triumph and now that she'd come back to him, he couldn't wait to meet the child they'd made and welcome her into the world. "Sounds like a plan, Willowbean," he replied with a smile, taking her hand to lead her toward the shower to wash the blood and carnage from their bodies.

Despite the horror of the night, it was the laughter that Willow recalled from those first moments of true awakening, the warmth and passion that rose beneath steaming hot water as they washed one another clean of her blood, renewing the bond that could so easily have been broken with just one misstep. Even afterward, with an impatience to see her daughter burning in her heart, she wasn't quite able to keep herself from touching Nick, from teasing him as they dressed and made their way up into the house that was now their home. From the floor above still came the sound of their daughter's impatient anger at not being near her parents, seemingly growing louder all the time. "You know ....I get the feeling she might be a bit of a handful."

Nick couldn't help but chuckle at his wife's remark. He had worried that turning Willow would somehow make her hate him, but so far, it seemed to only have drawn them closer together. Of course, it was early yet. She had not even been a vampire for twenty-four hours and had yet to surmount certain challenges, but it was a promising start. At least she had the love and support of Toby and Lauren and himself and their daughter, all of whom understood, to one way or another, what she was going through. "If she's anything like her mother, I know she will be."

"Regrets already, Kringle?" she asked, some unknown sense she had yet to master drawing her eyes to the top of the stairs that led to the upper level of the house, just before Tobias came into view.

The older vampire smiled faintly, but there was a watchfulness about him as he studied the newly born vampire and her husband. If either showed any hint of hunger, he would not allow them near their daughter or their friend. "Are things well with you?"

"Not a single one where you're concerned," Nick replied to his wife's query, as carefully watchful of his newly-made vampire wife as Tobias. If she showed any sign of bloodlust, there was no way they could allow her near her newborn daughter, though the child was aching for it. As for himself, he had long ago conquered such challenges and knew how to control it, so long as he kept himself fed. He looked to Willow at the elder vampire's question, letting her search her own heart and answer for herself.

Just the fact that another vampire was standing between her and her daughter was enough to bring Willow's new found instincts to the fore, easily irritated by Tobias' gentle insistence on her being completely in control. "I want to see my daughter, Toby," she informed him, but the flex of her hand in Nick's was more than enough warning that if she didn't get hold of herself, there was going to be a fight.

Nick sensed his wife's irritation, for lack of a better word - a dangerous thing in a fledgling vampire, not to Toby but to herself and her child. "She needs us, Tobias. I swear I will personally make sure nothing goes wrong. If you have any doubts, then come with us and see for yourself." Nick doubted even a newly-made vampire would be able to harm her daughter when the odds were against her.

"Hmm." Tobias considered them carefully, knowing Nick was at least going to support him if it became necessary to take Willow away from her daughter. "I believe I may have underestimated the strength of that bond you all share," he admitted, sighing softly as he stepped to the side, silently allowing them access to the upper floor.

"I believe we may all have," Nick countered in agreement, tightening his grip on Willow's hand, not because he didn't trust to, but in hopes of reassuring her. He looked to her again, his voice gentle but brooking no argument. "If you start to feel like you're losing control, tell me, and I'll get you out of there before anything goes wrong. Agreed?"

A part of her wanted to argue, to declare that she would never hurt her own daughter. But there was that very basic, very primal part of her now that needed only a little nudge to take full control, and she wouldn't even know what she was doing. Willow subsided under Nick's gaze, nodding in agreement. "I will," she promised him. "But please let me at least see her."

Nick didn't even wince when the baby girl clamped down on his finger. The small amount of blood she needed was nothing to him, and it seemed somehow appropriate that he be the one to give it to her, just has he had to Willow, sharing his blood with her in her first hours of life and further connecting them together through him. He frowned thoughtfully at Willow's comment. "No, Rose doesn't suit her at all. She should have a name that's all her own. Something ageless and timeless. Something beautiful that rolls off the tongue. Something a little different, but not too different." He thought about it a moment. They'd had nine months to give it thought, and in that time, he had secretly considered a few names though he'd kept them to himself, preferring Willow to name her daughter, rather than him. "I have an idea, but I'm not sure you'll like it."

"You won't know unless you tell me, Kringle," she pointed out with a half smile, her fingertips gently stroking their daughter's head, somehow needing and wanting that small contact with the tiny girl. Of course, it wasn't until the deep sense of contentment began to radiate from said baby that she realized it hadn't been her want and need driving her, but that was beside the point.

"Well, I was thinking about great women in history. Catherine the Great, Queen Victoria, Amelia Earhart, Cleopatra..." He trailed off a moment as he felt a wave of contentment come over him, and he found he had to find a chair before his legs buckled beneath him. He wasn't suggesting those names exactly, but perhaps something like them.

Willow's vague grimace at the names he was listing was broken by her sudden laugh at the way his knees buckled under the weight of their daughter's cheerful contentment. Without even noticing her own speed, she snatched up a chair, setting it behind him so he could sag safely down without dropping his precious load. "Well ....those are great names and all, but ....well, they sound kinda old," she said. "I'm not trying to be difficult, really."

He sank into the chair gratefully, only drawing his finger away from their daughter when he sensed she was through, those sharp fangs of hers withdrawing from her father's flesh. "No, I know, but it has to be right, you know?" he replied. "I mean, she's a little princess, and she deserves a name that fits."

With the little girl smacking her lips happily now she had been given everything she had wanted, namely food and the presence of her parents, Willow couldn't help giggling at the sight of Nick utterly in thrall to the tiny being in his arms.

"Alexandra was a popular name when I was young," Lauren offered, hoping to help them a little. They were clearly struggling with this naming business. "There were several Tsarinas of Russia named Alexandra throughout history."

"Hmmm," Nick considered the suggestion quietly, gazing into the contented face of the little angel in his arms. It was the best suggestion for a name that he'd heard so far, and it seemed to fit the little princess in his arms, but he wondered what she thought of the name. "What about Alessandra?" he suggested, thinking it had a slightly softer, more feminine sound to it.

Willow considered it, kneeling down beside her husband and daughter, unsurprised when her hand was captured in one small fist. "I like Alessandra," she admitted with a faint smile. "And, like Lauren said, there's a lot in it that can be changed and still stay the same." She looked into the face of their little girl. "What do you think, baby girl" Are you Alessandra?" A quiet gurgle was the only audible answer, but the timbre of contentment seemed to take on a satisfied feeling as the tiny girl sighed heavily, closing her eyes. Willow's smile deepened for a moment. "I think she likes it."

Nick chuckled again, unsure if that sigh of contentment had to do with the choice of a name or the fact that she had just fed and was surrounded by nothing but love from the father who'd sired her and the mother who'd birthed her. "Alessandra it is then, at least until she's old enough to tell us otherwise." He glanced at Tobias and Lauren a moment as he cradled the baby dhampir in his arms. "So, what do we do now" Go down to city hall and make out a birth certificate?" he asked, unsure what the process was for a child who was as longed lived as she was.

The older dhampir and vampire looked at one another a little shiftily. "Uh ....well, we took the precaution of calling in a couple of favors," Lauren explained a little awkwardly. "Now you have decided upon a name, a birth certificate will be added to your files at city hall without the need for you to go along and register her yourselves. And you'll be given a copy, too."

Tobias nodded. "Remind me to teach you both how to forge documents over the next few years. It saves a lot of bother."

"Well, at least, we won't have to worry about vaccinations," Nick mused aloud, mostly in jest, though one thought led to another. "I don't suppose there's a private school for dhampir children to help them learn whatever it is they need to learn before they grow up." How long would it take one to even do that' Would she age as normally as a human baby, until she reached adulthood" What happened then" Lauren had told them all this already, but in all the excitement, he'd forgotten.

Laurena laughed gently, shaking her head. "She will develop at the same rate a human child would," she assured them. "Perhaps just a little faster, purely because she doesn't need so much sleep. Boredom is a great motivator. When the time comes, you will have to choose between sending her to a school, or having her home-schooled. But that is a decision you need not make for a few years yet."

Nick nodded in understanding and smiled over at his wife. Now that their daughter was fed and named and contentedly drifting off to sleep, his concern shifted to her. "How are you feeling?" he asked, also realizing she was still crouching on the floor beside him. He got up from the chair, steadier on his legs now that Alessandra was resting, and laid her in her mother's arms. "You should get to know your daughter, Will." He looked over at Tobias. "And we should clean up the basement."

"I feel ....sort of on edge," Willow admitted, even as she took Alessandra into her arms, that feeling easing away as their daughter cuddled in close to her. The softer smile on her face as she looked down at the tiny girl proved that it was not a vampiric instinct making her feel that way, but a maternal one. "I think it's going to take a little while to grow accustomed to all this," she laughed quietly, easing herself down into the chair.

Tobias opened his mouth to object to Nick's proposal that they leave Alessandra in Willow's care, even for the few minutes it would take to clean up downstairs, forestalled by Lauren's arm on his shoulder. "She's got this," she told her old friend with a smirk. "I don't think we need to worry."

Nick beamed proudly at Lauren's praise, proud of both his wife and daughter and both happy and relieved at how things had turned out, despite the violent and uncertain start. "We'll be right downstairs, if you need us," he assured both women, leaning over to brush that ever-familiar protective kiss against the top of his wife's head. "Love you, baby," he whispered quietly, words that could have been meant for one or both of them.

"Love you back," Willow whispered in answer, her smile somehow intensified by the waves of unadulterated adoration that flowed from their daughter, who was only pretending to be asleep, it seemed. "Don't be long."

"I won't," he promised, touching gentle fingers in caress of their daughter's cheek. Somehow it all seemed like a dream, and Nick couldn't help but think how very lucky he was - luckier than even he probably realized. "Come on, Grampa," he told Tobias, who had been unusually quiet through all this, clapping a hand to the older vampire's shoulder. "Let's go clean up the basement."

"Will you desist from calling me that, you insufferable boy," Tobias complained, following the younger vampire from the room, leaving Lauren laughing as she moved to sit with the new mother and daughter.

Despite the violence and uncertainty of the night, they had found a gentle equilibrium, and most of it was thanks to Lauren and her unflinching advice over the months gone by. Thank to her, they had a little family where they had thought they might never have anything of the sort, and though there might be bumps in the road as they each adjusted to the newness of their position, they had something precious and unique to themselves. They had an eternity, and a daughter to share it with. Whether it was luck or destiny, nothing was going to hurt their little family. Not without severe consequences.

((How's that for an unconventional family' Vampire parents to a dhampir, with another dhampir and an older vampire for extended family. Something tells me this kid is going to be spoiled rotten!))