And I built
                                a { h o m e } –
                                                           for you,
                                                                          for me

A soft cry – not nearly as loud or upset as Killian knew it could get – echoed into his room from the nursery one door down. His eyes pressed tighter together, wishing that his daughter might have the courtesy of letting her parents sleep in on the weekend. But the tiny voice only grew louder and Killian felt the bed start to shift beside him signalling to him that Emma was sitting up to take care of their daughter.

Reaching his arm out blindly, he caught her waist and pulled her back to him, placing a kiss against her neck. He didn’t have to open his eyes to know that his actions had elicited a smile from her.

“Killian, she’s crying,” she spoke, as if to remind him that there were more important things to take care of. And she was right.

He placed another kiss, this time on her jaw, then propped himself up on an elbow. “I know. But I’ve got it – you stay in bed.” Her mouth opened in protest, but he silenced whatever argument she had in mind with a third kiss before lifting the covers and slipping out of bed himself.

The walk to the nursery was so familiar to him, despite not having had a reason to go in there regularly until just recently. But with the middle of the night walks down the hall, delirious with being only half-awake, he supposed that it was a short trip ingrained in his mind by now.

Shoving the door fully open, Killian stepped to the edge of the cradle, scooping the baby into his arms. It had taken a lot of practice initially, trying to juggle a newborn with only one hand – he hadn’t worn the hook since her birth for fear of accidentally hurting her. Now he deftly handled her with care, easily drawing her into the crook of his arm.

“You are quite the mouthy one, aren’t you, lass?” he teased, smiling when she quieted to stare at him with her bright blue eyes. It filled him with a warmth, knowing that she recognized his voice. He had been afraid of her arrival, scared that she wouldn’t even like him. But those worries were soon put to rest once she was there in his arms for the first time, tiny fingers reaching out to him. At times, Emma was even jealous of the reactions he got from their child, teasing him about how much of a daddy’s girl she was becoming.

After a once-over, Killian soon came to realize that there was nothing the matter that would give her a cause to cry at such an early hour. At least, none that he could tell. It seemed especially odd, as she had quieted as soon as he spoke. Shaking his head at his daughter, he laid her back down in the crib, intent on getting a few more hours of rest.

As soon as he was out of her range of sight, however, her cries picked up again. He leaned over the cradle and she stopped. He tested this a few more times, leaning backwards and forwards – crying then quiet – before giving up and lifting her into his arms once more. If she wanted to be close to him, fine, but he was going to get some rest at the same time.

Padding back to his bedroom, he laid his daughter down on the mattress between himself and Emma, slipping back under the covers and placing his hand on her small body. His eyes were just about to slip closed when Emma stared at him quizzically. “What are you doing?” she asked.

“She kept crying when I tried to leave,” he explained poorly, the soft pillow and warm blankets covering him making him more tired than before.

“This isn’t Lady and the Tramp – you can’t just give in to her crying.” He couldn’t tell if she was really getting after him or if she was teasing. Perhaps it was because he hadn’t a clue about what she was referring to.

“What?” He rolled further onto his side to look at her fully, eyebrow instinctively raising.

“It’s a movie. About dogs. And when the one dog whines, the owners let her sleep in the bed. They say it’s just for a night but then it skips to a scene and she’s full-grown and still sleeping in their bed.” Her explanation was rather lacking, and Killian found himself more confused than before.

“She’s not a dog, love. She’s a human being just like you and I.”

“Yes, I know. But that’s not the point –”

His hand lifted from their daughter’s chest, resting against Emma’s lips and subsequently cutting her off. His fingers lingered for a moment, before gesturing down to the baby. “She’s already asleep, and I’m too tired to play her silly game of crying and not crying. And I know you’re not full of energy yourself. So just go back to sleep and stop worrying about dog movies.”

Her green eyes drifted downwards, her expression softening as she stared at their daughter. “Fine,” she conceded, leaning into her pillow. “Just don’t make a habit out of this. She’s already more spoiled than is probably good for her – and it’s all your fault.”

“Of course,” he agreed immediately, glad she had agreed without too much argument. With a sigh he closed his eyes, comforted by the fact that he had his two favorite ladies right beside him, and finally let sleep take him once more.