#KI IS MY SUNSHINE IN FACT KI IS LIGHT STILL NEED TO MAKE A FIC FOR THAT KI BEING MOON BORING OVERRATED anyway as per usual I don’t agree

[seriouslyhooked]

Thank You (For the Joy)

Future set CS Christmas fic that is the second part to a story I posted for Thanksgiving, Thank You (For Your Love). Emma, Killian, and their children are gathering with family and friends for the holiday, and have a special Christmas present to share, but before festivities begin there is just some shameless CS Christmas morning smut. Rated M for ‘my readers would never forgive me if I skimped on this.’  Available on AO3 Here and FF Here.

A/N: Hey everyone! So when I wrote the first part of this story, I thought that maybe it could be expanded, but also it could remain a one shot. If no one really paid the story any mind, I could move on to other fics if time allowed. But your love and feedback and your requests for more have not fallen on deaf ears, and I am so grateful for your positivity and your urging me to keep going with this story. I miss Once so much, as I know many of us do, and it’s always fun to imagine what Emma and Killian’s life together would look like past what the finale showed us. As promised, this chapter is picking up at Christmas, and there’s plenty of fluff (and a little smut) to hopefully satisfy all my lovely readers. Thanks so much for reading and hope you all enjoy!

Stirring from a dream that was now nearly dissolved, Emma shifted in her bed, hesitant on some level to open her eyes when she knew what would await her. It was still dark outside, the hour oh so early, and beyond the walls and windows of their bedroom was a frosty winter chill. Maine at this time of year might as well be the North Pole, and though that might get tiresome by March, it was perfectly suited for this morning. At the realization that it was Christmas, Emma opened her eyes, looking out her window and seeing the slightest trace of snow on the glass pane. She smiled and let out a contented sigh. A white Christmas, undoubtedly the perfect kind.

“Merry Christmas, Swan,” Killian murmured, the sound of his silky voice washing over her like the crystal blue waves in the dream she’d just been having. Closing her eyes once more, she could almost imagine she was still on that warm and sandy beach, but the glow and heat surrounding her wasn’t thanks to tropical sunshine. No, it was Killian, totally and completely Killian.

“It’s never going to happen, is it?” Emma asked and Killian chuckled, already knowing what she was getting at without her finishing the statement.

For years she’d been trying to wake up before him and, save for a few emergencies in the night when they were both roused from sleep unexpectedly, it had never happened. Somehow her pirate was simultaneously a night owl and an early bird, and more than that his biological clock was perfectly attuned to hers. If she woke up at 6, he woke up at 5:59, but after years of thinking that maybe she’d wake first, it was just a fact of life that this was a game she’d never win.

“I think it highly unlikely, my love. But I have some good news for you.”

“Oh yeah?” she asked holding back a contented sigh that threatened to slip when he grinned in that sexy as sin way of his as his eyes cast over her with nothing but the truest appreciation.

“Aye. The good news is for once we have time. It’s early, too early for the kids to be up, and you know what that means.”

Emma noticed the clock on the bedside table read 5:30, meaning Killian was right. Even at Christmas her kids never woke before 7. Young as they were, Hope and Liam were good sleepers and that was fantastic because both of them needed a tremendous amount of rest to get them through a normal day. It was all thanks to Killian of course, the master of regimen and routine. Apparently that came from his time on the high seas. Emma didn’t really know the particulars, all she knew was that she loved it, and in moments like this, where her husband was looking at her with seductive, sultry eyes, she was eternally grateful. Still, she had to tease him, if only to get the response her sass always brought out in him.

“Do I?” She asked, feigning a yawn. “Because I’m thinking it means I can catch some more Zzz’s...”

With a movement so quick it was almost superhuman, Killian came above her, putting her on her back and sending the anticipation in her belly spiraling even higher. The need and want she felt with him was palpable, pulsing through her with the quickened haste of her beating heart, and he’d barely even touched her. The second he did, she was gone, all rational thought flying from her head, and Killian knew it too. She could taste it in his kiss and feel his satisfaction crackling in the air around them. He toyed with her, riling her up with his hand and his mouth, nipping and sucking and caressing each place that she desperately wanted him to. It was the sweetest of tortures, one that went on for so long, until Emma was writing beneath him and desperately trying to turn the tables. Two could play at this game, but damn, in the end, Killian just played it so much better.

“You knew what would happen the moment you called this into question, didn’t you?” Killian ground out, his voice hoarse from her own attempts at pushing his limits. Still he was too strong for her. His willpower was unchecked, and no matter what she did, he wouldn’t give in until he was ready to do so. He had a rule, he never came before she did, and his constant fidelity to that rule filled her with lust and love in equal spades. On the one hand it was the sweetest most selfless thing, but on the other hand it was dominant and confident and irresistible.

“Maybe,” she hedged. His mouth nipped down her body, trailing from her breasts down the swell of her belly, which had just begun to show signs of their little one on the way, but as he slowed down his tempo, showing he wanted more from her, she changed her answer. “Yes I knew.”

“And yet you did it anyway,” he acknowledged, a mirthful delight etched in the gravel of his voice. “Because you wanted me like this, barely hanging on but never letting you go.”

“Yes,” she said, and as his grip on her thigh tightened, she clenched in desire. 

Damn! She was so freaking needy, but she didn’t care, all Emma wanted was him and the completion he always brought her. She pleaded with him to give it to her, but the plea fell apart before it could even take form as Killian kissed her sex with a mastery that transcended all reason. No one man should be capable of such a wickedly wonderful thing. It was a revelation every time, even if they’d shared this a million times before, but he kept her so dizzy with pleasure. He gave and he gave and he gave until she lost count of how many times she broke apart. She was satisfied but hardly sated and finally she had to do something, resorting to a play that she only ever used when she was at her wits end.

With a flick of her wrist she summoned her magic, using it for her own personal gain and switching their positions so he was laying back on the bed and she was right above him. Before he could protest, she took him in to the hilt, making them both groan just a little too loudly. Thank God she had the sense to put the barrier spell in place years ago, so no one outside this room could hear anything.

“Fuck, Emma!” Killian cursed and Emma smiled despite herself. He liked to call her his siren all the time, heaping praise on her and how she tormented him with her beauty and her mind, but these were the moments where she felt that power the most. Seeing Killian straining for more, tossed over the edge of his carefully crafted control, and craving her with a wanton abandon made Emma feel like she could do anything, anything at all.

“That’s the plan, love.”

Her attempt at recreating his accent was never without flaw, but hell if she cared as Killian met her thrust for thrust, helping her arch to that place where every time he filled her he hit that perfect spot. She felt consumed with fire and filled with light, her eyes closed as she reveled in the sensation, and then she heard Killian’s voice again, telling her to come and she did instantly, feeling that perfect rightness that came when the two of them caught that crashing high together.

In the aftermath Emma took a while to catch her breath, but she felt totally at peace in the warmth of Killian’s arms. He held her close, still pressing gentle kisses along her body, telling her with actions that he loved her. It brought happy tears to her eyes to know that she had all of this, a husband who loved her, a true match for her once wayward soul, and a family that was forged in nothing but happiness and hope and joy. Here, on this still dawning Christmas morning, Emma had nothing to wish for, because she already had it all.

“You make me so happy,” she finally said, running her hand against the stubble of Killian’s growing beard. He hadn’t had time to trim it this morning, but Emma loved it like this, enjoying the feel of the coarse hair just a shade longer than normal. “You bring me such joy. I love you, Killian. Merry Christmas.”

Her words were met with wonderful, heartfelt words from Killian too, and though she knew her husband could have gone another round or two, he let them slide back into slumber again, taking one last quick nap before their very long, but beautifully bright, day began.

“Mommy, Daddy wake up! Santa came! Santa came!”

The words from Hope as she came bursting into the door were a definite wake up call, and for a second Emma panicked before realizing she’d used a last bit of magic to get her and Killian dressed in their Christmas morning attire before falling back asleep. Everything was totally kid friendly, despite their sensuous actions just a little while before, and for that Emma was grateful. That was definitely not the kind of surprise any child needed to get at Christmas.

“How do you know he’s come, little love?” Killian asked, cuddling their daughter close as she hopped up into their bed with them.

“Because daddy, it’s Cwistmas. It’s when he comes.”

“Bright lass,” Killian said, pressing a kiss to the crown of Hope’s head as he gathered her up, making her giggle and squeal as he headed downstairs.

Emma chuckled at her daughter’s antics as she moved from her room and went to find baby Liam. She was unsurprised to see him already sitting up in his crib, his eyes wide and excited, but his demeanor quiet, like he was waiting for her patiently. Liam was nowhere near as excitable as Hope, but he was filled with just as much love and cuteness. The smile that he shared with her spoke to that, as did the chirpy little laugh he made when she picked him up.

“Good morning, handsome. Sleep well?” Emma asked and Liam babbled in that precious baby way as she got him ready for the morning and headed downstairs. Once there, she saw Hope perched on the very edge of the couch. She was waiting for them and Emma smiled.

“Go for it, bean.” Emma’s words were barely out and Hope jumped off the couch, sprinting at the tree. “Careful, don’t want to break anything.”

The word of caution was immediately met with Hope’s increased care, and as the morning went on she opened gift after gift that she oohed and ahhed about. She loved everything, and was happy as a little girl could be, making Emma’s heart melt more than once as she not only showed them her toys but also tried sharing with Liam too. But it was the last gift that Emma was most excited to give Hope, and most anxious to see a reaction for.

“All right, honey, we’ve got one last present ok?”

“Where is it, Mommy?” Hope asked, searching under the tree, where there were no more boxes with her name left to find.

“What did you want most of all? What did you ask Santa for not once, not twice, but three times on your list.”

“A little sister,” She said automatically and then as she started to realize what they were saying, her little hand came up to cover her mouth and she gasped. “Oh my gosh Mommy, a sister? Is she here? Is she here?!”

“Not yet, little love,” Killain said, sweeping Hope into his arms and bringing her towards Emma. “But she’ll be here in a few short months. She’s still growing.”

Hope gasped before carefully reaching out to Emma’s belly. “She’s in your tummy Mommy.”

“Yes she is.”

A few seconds passed before Hope screeched at the top of her lungs, a sign of her unbridled joy, and she started sprinting around the room yelling ‘A sister! A sister!” It made Emma and Killian both laugh, and prompted a rare screech from Liam too, which had them all laughing once more. She only wished that Henry was here for this moment, but she had had the chance to tell her son the good news last night, making him the first to know apart from her, Killian, and the doctor.

“Now princess, since you’re such a big girl now, we were wondering if you wanted to help us tell everyone else about the baby,” Killian said, and Hope nodded so much it almost hurt Emma’s neck just seeing it.

“Oh yes yes yes! Please, can I help?!”

“Of course, but we have a plan, okay?” Emma asked.

“A seec-wet plan?” Hope asked, excited at the prospect.

“A secret plan,” Killian said, explaining it to Hope as they all four of them headed in to eat their Christmas breakfast. With the plan laid before her, Hope was satisfied for the moment, and luckily they didn’t have long to wait. The kids only had a few hours of playing with their things before they all had to get ready for the yearly Christmas meal at her parents. And because Emma knew there was no way Hope could keep a secret that long, their plan was one that could be hatched right away.

“You remember what to do?” Emma asked as she held Hope’s hand, walking up the front path at her parents’ place. Her daughter nodded, brown curls bouncing up and down as she did. “Good. I love you.”

“Love you too Mommy.”

The next few minutes were composed of a flurry of greetings and warm wishes. Her parents, as ever, were wonderful hosts, and the house was already filled with people. In fact, it seemed they were the last to arrive, which was perfect seeing as this reveal could only happen once.

“Can I take your coat, Princess Hope?” Emma’s father asked gallantly, pretending that he was fully at her disposal and ready for her orders.

“Sowwy Grandpa, but I can’t talk so much right now,” Hope said, barreling into the house without so much as taking off her jacket.

“Oh no?” he asked.

“Nope,” she said, popping the p with four-year old intensity. “I gots a supwise.”

“A surprise?” he asked, his brow raised at Emma and Killian.

“Yup. Come on, let’s go find grandma.”

“Oh jeez,” Emma whispered, not even risking a look at Killian who she could feel was at the edge of laughter. But it was useless because then Hope flung her jacket in the big reveal, only she ended up hitting an unsuspecting Grumpy with he coat. He cried out in frustration and Emma barked out a laugh before mouthing a half-assed ‘sorry to him.’ But while everyone was distracted by Hope’s unending flair, their daughter was growing more and more impatient. She cleared her throat and looked to Killian who then called for everyone’s attention.

“Excuse me everyone, before we get started today, Hope has a little something she’d like to share with us.”

“What is it, sweetie?” Emma’s mother asked and Hope twisted from side to side.

“A song grandma. I made it myself.”

A chorus of ‘wows’ broke out through the adults at the party and then without anymore fanfare Hope was off.

‘Oh all I want for Cwistmas is a sister please, A sister please, oh a sister please Oh all I want for Cwistmas is a sister please and I could have a merry Cwistmas!’

Apparently finished though she still had two more verses she was supposed to sing, Hope danced around expectantly, waiting for everyone’s reaction and though it took everything in her not to laugh, Emma stepped in.

“Hope, honey, is that the whole song?”

“Oh no, there’s more, but it’s too long. Mommy’s having a baby and I get a little sister!”

Immediately everyone was in motion, congratulating them and cheering for the new addition. Her parents especially were thrilled, and though it hadn’t gone exactly according to plan, Emma still thought it was just about the sweetest moment she could imagine.

“Don’t worry, Mom, I go the whole thing on tape,” Henry said, showing her his phone as he came to give her a big hug. “We’re gonna want to remember that one, he said with a laugh.

“Yeah we are, kid,” she agreed, thanking Henry for his thoughtfulness before Hope pulled him over to talk all about the new sister who was coming.

“You already knew at Thanksgiving, didn’t you?” Emma turned to see her mother, who had happy tears in her eyes and she nodded, knowing it wasn’t right to lie.

“Yeah I knew. I wanted to tell you but…”

“No, this was better,” her mother said, hugging Emma close. “This was perfect.”

And the thing was that her Mom was totally right. Even with all its unanticipated twists and turns, this part of their story was perfect. Her kids were happy, their family was growing, and everyone was together and healthy and whole. It was exactly what Emma wanted and what she never could have dared to dream of years ago, back when she was a lost and lonely little girl. 

“It’s only right that things should be this way,” her father’s voice said from beside her, bringing Emma out of her own thoughts and back into the moment. When she looked at her Dad he had that gentle expression she often saw, one of understanding and love. “All those Christmas wishes that you thought went unanswered – they found you in the end.”

“They really did,” Emma agreed, hugging her Dad close and telling her she loved him, fighting off tears that were sparked from nothing but the truest kind of joy.

As if he could sense her emotion, Killian caught her glance across the room, approaching her as he still held little Liam. But no sooner was he in front of them, then Emma’s Dad was snatching Liam and carrying him away for some ‘littlest grandson bonding time.’  With his arms now free, Killian pulled her close, kissing her gently and then just holding her, luxuriating in being together, and enjoying all that their life had turned out to be.

“Best Christmas yet, love,” he said, putting her exact thoughts into words. 

“Yeah,” she agreed. “Best Christmas ever.”

Post-Note: So there we have it. Just a simple shot of shameless smut and a cute baby sister reveal for my fluff-loving friends who are reading this. Again I thank you all so much for sharing this story with me and I hope this chapter finds you enjoying this time of year and surrounding yourself with the people and things that make you happy. I am so grateful for all of you and wishing you all a happy holiday season, until next time!

[veky1993]

Sunshine - a major crimes fic

Description: A little ray of sunshine for Sharon and Andy after a long, exhausting night.

Read it on ffnet, or since I’ve finally made an account there, on Ao3!  Otherwise, read it below. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it, too.  :)

It was on a groan that Andy woke up that morning. Without bothering to open his eyes, he rolled over onto his side intent on snuggling up to Sharon and getting in a few more winks, but when he only found empty, cold bed sheets, his eyes flew open and he groaned again.

Crawling out of bed, he muttered, “That kid,” then grabbed his robe on his way to go look for his wife and the child in question.

He was still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes when his trek down the hall to their spare room was brought to an unexpected halt by a soft humming sound. It was coming from the living room, and it wasn’t hard to guess who its source was, so on tiptoes, he redirected his feet in that direction, a small, knowing smirk already appearing on his face. His hunch was right, but as he stopped just inside the doorway of their living room, the sight that greeted him rendered him speechless. The scene in front of him was so heartwarming that all he managed was a quiet, content, touched sigh.

Slowly rocking back and forth in the chair they’d impulsively bought when they’d moved into this house, Sharon failed to notice him. Her attention lay solely with the little creature cradled in her arms, and if ever Andy wondered whether the rocking chair was a sound investment, his doubts were all but extinguished now. Not wanting to alert them to his presence, he leaned a shoulder against the doorway and simply marveled at the rare moment that was unraveling.

The song Sharon was humming seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Not that it mattered when there were plenty of other details to take in. Like the gentle sway of the rocking chair to the rhythm of Sharon’s soft humming. Or the light smile on her face as she let the baby girl curl her tiny hand around her index finger. Or the low garbling or whiney noises the baby made whenever Sharon happened to tug her finger far away enough for the little one to have to strengthen her hold, lest the finger slipped completely away. Or the way Sharon’s smile would widen, but the melody of her hum would not even hitch, when the baby did so.

It was a sight to behold, and a pleasant, absolutely delightful wave of emotion washed over him until it wrapped itself comfortably around his heart and settled there.

There were worse ways to start an early day, he decided.

That little baby girl was their youngest granddaughter. She was Emily’s first child, Mia, and she had captured the hearts of the entire family. Even Rusty was besotted, although he futilely tried to hide it.

A couple of years ago, Sharon’s daughter had finally settled down and gotten married. Not soon after, she had gotten pregnant, and much to Sharon’s merriment, felt the desire to move back closer to her mother. The move had worked out perfectly with Andy and Sharon having retired around the same time, allowing them to lend the expecting parents a hand where needed to make the move as stress-free for Emily as possible. Since then, Andy had never seen a happier Sharon, and he was certain the only thing that could possibly add to her happiness was if Ricky, too, moved back closer to home.

Four months of constant parenting had taken its toll on Sharon’s eldest, however. As absolutely taken with their daughter the new parents were, the sleepless nights they endured had started to show. More often than not, their conversations or visits started on heavy, exhausted sighs, and more than once Emily had crashed along with her daughter during her nap time despite having company over. As recent retirees, Sharon and Andy had plenty of free time on their hands now, so it was Andy’s idea to use some of it and offer them a break. Sharon had been delighted at the prospect of having her granddaughter all to herself for a night, but convincing Emily that they were perfectly capable of taking care of an infant for a single night had been slightly more challenging. She didn’t want to impose, they could handle this, they weren’t nearly as exhausted as they looked. Those were just a few of Emily’s excuses, but ultimately the mere notion of getting a full night’s sleep and some time to themselves without a baby interrupting all the time did tip the scales in Sharon and Andy’s favor, and finally both parents gave in.

The afternoon with their granddaughter was nothing short of joyous, and for every time that Andy had teased Sharon about being a typical, sappy grandmother, he had proven, to Sharon’s endless amusement, that he was an even sappier grandfather. Simply put, the baby had them both wrapped around her little finger.

Their perfect bonding time, however, had quickly deteriorated during bed time, and only gotten worse over the course of the night. They had perhaps, ever so slightly (or perhaps very much, it depended on whom you asked), underestimated how attached the child was to her mother, and the beginnings of teething probably didn’t help either. What they hoped would be a night of just a few short trips to the baby’s makeshift crib, had turned into several at least one hour long bouts of walking and rocking and snuggling and feeding and generally just trying anything short of calling Emily that would settle the baby down.

It had been an exhausting night, and they had all properly fallen asleep only a couple of hours ago, which was nowhere near enough rest for any of them, but now, as Andy watched the two, their night’s struggle seemed all but forgotten. There was only one fact that mattered. He adored those two gorgeous human beings in that rocking chair more than words could describe. If he happened to lose a little sleep because of one of them, it was definitely worth it if it also meant being graced with as blissful moments such as this one.

His ears pricked suddenly when Sharon’s melodious hum turned into softly sung words, and if it was possible, he fell in love with her all over again.

“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine…”

Goosebumps erupted all over his skin and a pleasant shiver ran up and down his spine, but his heart nearly jumped out of his chest at the squeaky little maybe-giggle the baby let out.

It interrupted Sharon, and she laughed. “Oh, yes,” Andy grinned at her low besotted baby voice, “you are.” She extricated her finger from Mia’s grasp and tapped the baby’s nose, making her scrunch it up a little, then even though she was barely past three lines of the song earlier, started it from the beginning. “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine,” another quiet laugh interrupted her when her granddaughter latched onto her finger again, trying to stuff it into her mouth, but she went on, “you make me happy when skies are grey…”

Andy couldn’t keep away anymore. He quietly walked over to them. The few nanoseconds it took for Sharon’s voice to carry over to him was a completely made up kind of torture for him, but he told himself that was why he absolutely had to get closer to her. If possible he would bottle the sound, and open it only when he couldn’t hear the soothing notes straight from its source, and, oh, he dreaded ever not being able to hear it straight from the source.

That little miracle in Sharon’s arms called out to him as well. He wondered how it was possible for someone so little, to have such a gigantic hold over him. She had stolen his heart in a way entirely too different from the way her grandmother had. It filled him with warmth all the same though, and caused his chest to tighten in the most sweetest of ways. Although not entirely the same, he thought it felt rather a lot like his love for his children, all consuming to the point where he would do absolutely anything for them. The feeling manifested itself in a restless sensation in his hands, he was almost literally itching to reach out to that little girl, pick her up, snuggle her impossibly close to him, and hope that her innocent mind, and even more innocent heart, would somehow gather how very deeply he had grown to love her in just the four short months of her existence, and that he found it hard to name even a single thing he thought was more precious than her. And that was saying something, considering the love of his life was the one holding her.

When he reached the chair, Sharon again didn’t notice him. She was far too preoccupied with the baby to take note of much of anything, but then the baby made out Andy hovering behind them above Sharon’s head. She started kicking her legs up, her eyes went wide and she let go of Sharon’s finger so she could wave her little, chubby hands around.

Even as he grinned at the baby’s excited reaction, Andy wanted to curse himself for causing Sharon’s song to end.

Surprised and still oblivious to Andy’s presence, Sharon bent her head down to the baby and gently ran her fingers over her tummy. “What has you so excited all of a sudden?” She pecked the tip of her nose. “My singing can’t be that good.” She chuckled, but her tone was slightly self-deprecating.

Finally, Andy braced his hands against the back of the chair, careful not to move it, and leaned down. “I think it’s perfect,” he mumbled into Sharon’s ear.

“Oh, my God!” Sharon startled, a hand instinctively going to clutch her chest before she remembered she had a baby in her lap and she quickly dropped it back to the girl’s diapered bottom. When she finally turned her head, she let out, scoldingly, “Andy!”

He laughed, and repeated mockingly, “Sharon!” When she glared at him, he quickly added, genuinely, “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.” In apology, he dropped a kiss to her hair, then looked up at Mia. “I see someone’s up again.”

Sharon shook her head, begrudgingly accepting the apology, then turned back to her granddaughter on a sigh. “Yes, she is.” She stilled the baby’s still excitedly kicking feet. “I didn’t want to wake you, but,” her tone deteriorated into the one reserved just for babies, “she is in a much better mood than she’s been all night,” she kissed the little feet, “isn’t that right?”

“Yeah,” he rounded the chair and crouched down to kiss the baby good morning, too, “well, I’d be in a great mood, too, if you sang to me like that.” He addressed the baby now, who was even more excited now that he was so much closer, and started reaching her hands out to his face. “You know,” it was Sharon’s turn to smile at his baby tone, “she never sings to me. She just yells, and glares,” his tone took a baby grumbling dip, and Sharon took a playful slap at his shoulder, causing him to add, “and smacks at me all the time.”

He grinned when Sharon rolled her eyes, and couldn’t resist picking up the little one when she made a giggling noise as if she actually understood what her grandparents were bickering about.

“Be careful,” Sharon warned, only reluctantly letting Mia out of her hold, “she just ate.”

He put her down onto his shoulder, and giving into at least one of his earlier desires, snuggled her close to him. When he took a breath, he wanted to groan in delight. God, he loved how babies smelled. It had been too long since last his own kids smelled so heavenly. “You’re my sunshine, too, you know,” he told her softly, and when Sharon’s lips instantly curved into an affectionate smile, he eyed her with a lopsided smile of his own, adding, “and your grandma.”

Sharon got to her feet and joined Andy at his side. In a silent thank you, she kissed his cheek he acknowledged with a quick grin, then peeked around his back to get a look at the baby. She had gone completely limp, closed her eyes and rested her cheek against his shoulder. She could have melted at the sight, but instead asked, only half-jokingly, “Should I be jealous?” She couldn’t resist tracing her fingertips gingerly over the light, thin hair on the baby’s head. “She never gets this excited to see me.”

Andy was far too proud over the very true fact to try to ease her worries. “Yes, yes, you should,” he nodded vigorously, swaying back and forth and rubbing the baby’s back, “I’m her favorite, and you’re just gonna have to learn to live with it.” To prove his point, he turned his back to Sharon, as if to keep the baby all to himself, but all that did was give Sharon an unobscured view of her, and an opportunity to place a kiss on her forehead.

She then returned to his side, and wrapped an arm around him. Her tone was deceptively sweet, almost saccharine. “Enjoy it while it lasts, honey,” she squeezed his hip playfully, “she’ll be all mine the moment she starts understanding all the nonsense coming out of your mouth.”

“Hey,” Andy said a tad loudly, moving out of Sharon’s hold, then quickly added, “sorry,” when the baby wiggled and made a disagreeing grunt. “I thought you liked my nonsense,” he told Sharon in exaggerated hurt.

Sharon pursed her lips, debating whether to give in or tease him a little more. She was, unfortunately, ever so slightly, truly jealous over the special bond her granddaughter and husband so quickly developed, and the latter idea won out. She found herself shrugging, as she said, her nose forcedly high and mighty, “I merely tolerate it.”

Andy narrowed his eyes at her, then tilted his head to the baby’s ear. “Your grandma’s mean!” he mumbled to her in a hurt, whiny, but conspiratorial tone, and his heart soared yet again, when the baby wiggled and snuggled even more into him, her tiny hands fisting his T-Shirt. “See, she agrees,” he told the grandmother in question.

Sharon very nearly burst out laughing. He had no clue just how utterly adorable he looked like that, with his hands wrapped protectively around the baby and his faux offended expression, and to top it all of, his still sleep tousled hair. She had seen him in grandfather mode with Nicole’s children, and once handling a baby, too, so this side of him wasn’t entirely new to her, but the gentleness and near infatuation with which he so completely loved Mia took her breath away, and if possible, she loved him all the more for it.

Before that love could overwhelm her and cause her to blurt out something that would make him even smugger than he already was, in half-hearted exasperation, she finally said, “You are such a grandpa.”

“Oh, yeah?” He took a couple of steps towards her, his lip curled into a smug grin. “Like you’re any better.” He looked pointedly at the hand she’d reached out to brush lovingly against the baby girl’s back.

She finally laughed, a light, bubbly, airy kind of laugh that was a sound Andy loved maybe even more than her earlier discovered singing voice. Yes, she was such a grandma, too. “Can you blame me?” she asked, dropping her hand only to gently squeeze their granddaughter’s foot instead.

He smiled. “No, I really can’t. She’s too precious.” He kissed the side of the baby’s head, and took a deep breath, for a moment savoring the distinct baby scent with closed eyes. “I can’t wait for the kids to pop out more of these.”

“Pop out,” Sharon repeated, promptly snort-laughing. “Oh, God,” she added in a thin, amused voice, her head flopping down to stifle her giggles behind the palm of her hand.

The baby wiggled against Andy again, trying to lift her head, eyes wide and curious about the unexpected and strange noise. He turned her around so she could see her giggling grandmother, then on a smirk intended for Sharon, told her, “Look, look,” he shrugged his shoulder as if to point at Sharon with her, “she’s laughing at you, kiddo, can you believe it?”

Even as she continued to laugh, Sharon swatted at him. “Oh, no,” she walked toward the baby, then gently clasped her cheeks when she was graced with a gummy smile, “I just adore you, little one.” She poked Andy in the ribs for good measure, and added with an exaggeration that was rather true, “More than anything in the whole wide world.”

Andy let out a sarcastic, and very confident, “Aha…”

His mere voice had the baby drop her head back onto his shoulder, and he laughed, turning back around to face Sharon. “See, still her favorite.” Shit-eating fell short in describing the grin on his face.

“Oh,” Sharon didn’t know what she wanted to say, and before she could even try to decide, she found herself taking the one step between them, clasping his face, and kissing him soundly on the mouth, then finally, and quite lamely, said, “you.”

Andy laughed, and kissed her once quickly, too. “What can I say,” he shrugged, and quirked his eyebrow innocently as he tilted his head, “I’m a charming guy.”

The baby was now completely alert, and she started making disagreeing noises before Sharon could respond, or most likely smack him again. When Andy turned her around and settled her into the crook of his elbow though, she quickly settled again, and he ran his fingers gently over the top of her onesie, just under her chin. “What do you say grandma continues that song of hers, huh?”

The baby just made some indiscernible garbling noises, but Andy took it for a yes, and added, flashing Sharon a quick grin, “I know, it’s like an angel singing.” When Sharon rolled her eyes at him, he added, already prepared to run away from her, “Who’d have thunk it, huh, a big bad meanie like that singing so,” he feigned a groan, “gooood?”

Yup, he had to duck quickly before Sharon could smack him again, and it made the baby clutch at his T-shirt again for his abrupt movement, but he quickly rocked her a few times and mumbled reassuringly, “No worries, I got you,” until she relaxed.

Sharon glared at him playfully. “You know what?” Her tone indicated Andy was about to get the short stick of whatever decision she just made. “How about I go get dressed for the day, and you,” she reached the baby and tickled her belly, making her squirm, “get grandpa to change your diaper in the meantime?”

Andy shot her a wide-eyed look of not horror, but betrayal. They both knew it was Sharon’s turn for diaper-duty, but Sharon barked out a laugh, studiously ignoring the fact, and said, “See, grandpa can’t wait for it!”

Before Andy could so much as think of a retort, Sharon had plopped a gentle parting kiss to Mia’s head, and was walking away, happily singing again.

“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine…”