Thank you for your sweet words on what was originally just a oneshot I had in my head. The Jamie / Caleb dynamic is so unexplored and well, I'm kind of a sucker for the deep angst that Caleb will undoubtedly always feel from his childhood. I couldn't help but write a part 2.

I wanted this to be as canon as possible, so baby's name is left up to your imagination. For now, she's just our little birdie.

Enjoy below...

"You know I forget to breathe sometimes

I'm so afraid to fall behind"

Caleb Rivers yawned as he stood up and stretched his arms above his head, before wiping a hand down his face tiredly. He was wrecked, quite literally, his body being destroyed by the lack of sleep he'd had over the past three weeks. And the 20-minute nap he'd just managed to fit in only reminded him of everything he'd been missing; maybe laying down on the sofa hadn't been such a good idea.

But he knew he couldn't complain – right now he had everything he'd ever wanted and more. And today, his Dad was coming into town to meet the very thing that was keeping both him and Hanna up all night.

"Babe," Hanna blitzed past him like a hurricane, a mountain of washing cradled in her arms, "This room is a bombsite," She called, her body hidden by the washing machine door as she shoved all the clothes in. Caleb looked around; he had to admit she had a point. Their usually immaculate New York apartment had been turned upside down – who knew a baby could have so many pairs of socks.

"Dad won't care," Caleb shrugged, reaching down to start collecting a few soft toys that had ended up strewn around the room. He wouldn't have changed it for anything though – the plush ballerina, the pink rattle, the half-opened book; they all had a memory for him that he never wanted to forget. Admittedly, the half-drunk cup of coffee didn't, but it was all easily rectified. And besides… it was just has Dad.

"I do."

"Han," He tried to stop her as she rushed past him again, back in the direction she'd come from. "It's just Jamie," He shrugged, following her and watching her in the doorway to their bedroom. He could have soaked her in all day; Hanna Rivers as a Mom was everything he'd hoped she would be; deliciously clad in sweatpants and one of his shirts, nothing seemed to matter now apart from their newborn baby. "I'm pretty sure he's lived in his car at some point," He said, "He doesn't care if there are baby clothes on the couch or not."

Hanna ignored him and threw her hair up in a messy-bun before she began to make their bed. "Can you please just put her clothes away? I need to actually get dressed for once."

"Sure," He held his hands up in defeat, leaving her to it as he headed back into their living room to grab the clothes that had been neatly folded up, trying to fight a snort as he looked at the two tiny white socks that had been doubled over. Only Hanna would fold baby socks. But goddamn he loved her for it.

He traipsed back down the hallway, heading for the second bedroom that was currently housing their newborn baby daughter. Every time he walked in there his whole body felt content; taking in the white walls and matching white furniture that he'd let Hanna accessorize with the most subtle but beautiful pinks. It had been their baby before their real baby and it only served to remind him of every unrelinquishable moment he'd spent decorating it with his wife whilst she was pregnant.

There was one day he remembered so clearly; the heat of the summer, the smell of the paint, the laughter of the two of them as Hanna had pulled his t-shirt off him to replace her own with, claiming she was too hot and her top was too tight. Then they'd gotten into a paint fight, hands roaming over slick bodies and wet paint. And then the tension had been too much. And they'd had to have each other on the nursery floor.

Hanna had felt mortified afterwards, dying over the fact that they'd felt the need to consummate their unborn baby's nursery. But he'd just told her that it meant every time he walked in there he'd think of her and them and how far they'd come. She'd just smiled at him and let him take her again.

He sighed, placing the pile of onesies and socks down on the chair in the nursery as his mind ran back to that night, "Your Mama drives me crazy," He smiled, moving over to the crib and staring down at their tiny baby girl, reaching out to tenderly place his hand on her belly as it rose and fell in her sleep. "She's stressing about your Grandpa coming to see you," He whispered before chuckling to himself, "I don't even know if he wants to be called Grandpa," He added as an afterthought, tilting his head to the side as he watched her, "Maybe Grandad… or Gramps," He continued, "Either way," He hushed, "He'll love you. Even if you don't see him that often, I know he'll love you."

He looked up as the door to the nursery pushed open and Hanna appeared, her hair tumbling perfectly around her face as it slipped from the bun on top of her head. "I'm sorry," He smiled reassuringly, knowing she'd stress about the clothes that were still not in the wardrobe, "I'll put them away now," He whispered, holding his arm out for her.

She walked over and let him pull her close, her eyes falling shut as he pressed a tender kiss against her lips, "I'm sorry," She murmured, stroking his cheek, "For a moment I just didn't want your Dad to think we're raising a baby in a pigpen."

"Jamie?" He raised his eyebrows, "Seriously?" He teased her, the smile on his face growing.

"I know," She bit her lip as he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry."

Caleb ran this thumb across her cheek, knowing that deep down her words were spoken out of a dash of lost self-confidence, "You're being the most amazing Mom," He hushed, "There is no one else I'd want to do with this."

Her lips moved into a smile as their eyes pooled into each other's, "I love you," She said gently before she lifted her mouth and pressed it against his.

He smiled, his nose nudging hers before he pulled away, "Go get ready before birdie wakes up," He encouraged her, his hands dropping down to cup her butt, "I'll sort out the flat."

"Thank you," She stroked his arms, before he released his hold on her and let her go. He sighed contently as Hanna's familiar scent mixed with the smell of a newborn that filled the room. He looked down at the baby one final time, unable to resist reaching out to lightly stroke her cheek but she stirred and twitched in her sleep, making a noise that made Caleb pull his hand away. Hanna would appreciate the time to get ready and he couldn't allow himself to get distracted by their creation right now. "I better put your clothes away."

Almost an hour later, Hanna found herself stood at the front door to their apartment, buzzing Jamie in on the intercom. She'd just finished nursing her baby girl and given her to Caleb to wind, only for her to spit up down her onesie. Caleb had already settled into the role of Daddy perfectly though, holding her close and uncaring of his own clothes as he took her down to the nursery to change her. It always made Hanna's heart race.

She was broken from her thoughts by a knock on the door, opening it to reveal Jamie waiting patiently, a bright pink balloon on a string in his hand and a pink gift bag in the other.

"Hi," Hanna couldn't help but laugh, pulling him in for a hug before he grinned at her and handed her the balloon that had the words 'It's a Girl!' emblazoned across it.

"It felt appropriate," He smiled, following her inside as she opened up the door further.

"Come in," She said, ushering him inside, "Caleb's just changing her," She explained, sensing Jamie looking around for both his son and granddaughter, "She spit up a bit of her lunch."

"Ah, you forget that babies poop and throw up when in the pictures you get they're just looking pretty," He remarked.

"Has Caleb sent you a lot?" Hanna asked, leading them into the kitchen area.

"Yeah," Jamie grinned, pulling his phone out, "This one's my favourite," He told her, showing her a picture of their tiny baby girl being cradled in Caleb's arms, staring straight up at the camera.

"She already knows her angles," She murmured, the photo filling her with warmth, "Do you want a drink or anything?"

"Sure," He agreed, shoving his phone away as his eyes took in all the baby paraphernalia that now seemed to adorn the countertops. It hadn't been like this when he'd visited a few months ago, but it was a welcome change; he just wanted to meet his granddaughter. "Coffee would be great."

"We're living off this stuff right now," Hanna snorted, pulling down two mugs, "When they say you don't get any sleep, they're not lying."

Jamie laughed, "It's all worth it," He reminded her, watching as she pulled down a separate pot of coffee beans for herself.

She sensed his questioning look, "I have to have decaf," She explained, "No caffeine whilst I was pregnant, no caffeine whilst I'm nursing her."

"Ah," Jamie nodded. "Well hopefully she'll start to sleep a bit more soon."

"Yeah," Hanna sighed, "I think birdie's been going through a growth spurt this week so she's been keeping us up more than usual."

"Birdie?" Jamie laughed, "Have you changed her name or something and not told anyone?"

Hanna smiled at him, "Caleb started calling her it when she was awake a couple of weeks ago at like 5am refusing to go to sleep and I guess it's just stuck. She's our little birdie chirping away as the sun rises."

"So you guys really aren't getting much sleep then?" He asked as they moved through to the living area.

"Can't you tell from the bags under my eyes?"

Caleb faintly heard Hanna's voice as he finished up changing their baby girl. He had to admit he'd taken longer than usual, paying as much attention to her as possible as his mind thought about the man in the other room. "Are you ready to meet your Grandad?" He whispered, leaning down to press a gentle kiss on her cheek, "He's not perfect," He murmured, his eyes lighting up as the baby made a noise and jerkily moved on of her arms around, "But neither am I," He shook his head, smiling as her hand collided with his face, "But I'm trying to be," He turned his head to press his lips against the soft skin of her arm, "And I know he is too."

The baby stared up at him, her eyes blinking slowly as they took each other in. There was still a lifetime of things they had to learn about each other. "I love you," He whispered, kissing her one final time before he wrapped her up like a burrito in her swaddle cloth, just the way they'd learnt she liked it.

As he walked down the corridor, he heard Hanna's voice drifting towards him again, "I'll go see where he is."

"I'm right here," He appeared, their baby cradled tightly in his arms.

"We were starting to think something had happened," Hanna moved over to him, wrapping an arm around his waist as her other hand reached out to stroke the wide-awake baby's cheek, "Hi," She cooed almost inaudibly at her daughter, her hand moving up to stroke the wisps of chestnut-brown hair there were peaking through.

"She's happy," Caleb smiled, his hand running down the back of Hanna's hair as he watched the two of them interact.

Jamie coughed awkwardly from the sofa, conscious they'd probably forgotten he was in the room. "God," Hanna shook her head, "Jamie, sorry," She said, taking a step back, "When she's awake we always try to make the most of it," She tried to explain as Caleb moved over to give his Dad a one-armed hug.

The older man stepped back, his eyes stuck on the precious cargo in his son's arms. "I can see why."

Caleb took a deep breath, pressing a kiss against the baby's forehead, "You ready to meet her?"

"I was ready three weeks ago," Jamie remarked, both of them sitting down next to each other, "I'm sorry it took so long for me to get up here," He muttered, slightly ashamed of himself as his eyes stayed on the baby. She was his son, she was his daughter-in-law, she was perfect.

"We're just glad you are here," Hanna said, watching as Caleb pressed another gentle kiss against the baby's head as she cooed away in his arms.

"You want to hold her?" Caleb asked, knowing he had to give her up. "Dad?" He asked, turning his head when Jamie didn't say yes immediately.

"She's tiny," The older man coughed, clearly unsure.

"You'll be fine," Caleb reassured him, stroking the baby girl's nose with his finger before he made a move to hand her over, "You should hold her. Just make sure you've got her head," He murmured, encouraging Jamie to move his arm a little bit as the baby let out a small noise at the loss of warmth.

"She's… beautiful, son."

Caleb looked over at his wife, their eyes meeting knowingly. "Yeah, she is," Caleb said, his gaze never separating from Hanna's. "Sometimes I can't believe I made her," He choked up, blinking his eyes shut.

"No," Jamie shook his head, "I can see you," He murmured, smiling down at the baby girl, "I can see Hanna."

Hanna smiled at them, letting them have their moment as three generations of Rivers met each other for the first time. She eventually stood, her hand trailing along Caleb's back as she walked past him to the kitchen to grab the gift bag Jamie had bought. "Do you want to open this for her?" She asked Caleb, dangling it in front of him on the way back to her seat.

"It's not much," Jamie said distractedly, his eyes stuck on the human being staring straight back up at him.

Caleb grabbed onto Hanna's hand, not letting her leave and instead encouraging her to perch on the arm of the sofa next to him as he opened the gift, "What is it?" She asked, her hand settling on the back of his neck.

"Peter Rabbit," Caleb smiled, pulling out a stuffed bunny rabbit in a blue cardigan. "Thanks Dad."

"You uh… you used to love it as a kid," Jamie said quietly, glancing up at Caleb before he looked straight back down at the baby in his arms, "And I thought maybe she'd love it too."

"Thank you Jamie," Hanna answered for her husband, her hand running through his hair as he processed the information and held onto the toy tightly, "I know she'll love it," She said, leaning across to stroke the bottom of the baby's swaddle, "Hey birdie, your grandpa's got you a present."

The baby screwed her face up, letting out a small whimper. "I'm not sure if I'm cut out for stopping any crying," Jamie said, panic permeating his voice as he attempted to rock her. She continued to whimper until Hanna took pity and swooped in, holding her on her chest.

"Shh," She whispered, pressing her lips against the soft baby hair on her head.

"She's absolutely perfect son," Jamie patted Caleb on the back, both of them lifting their heads to watch Hanna soothe the baby girl. "Never let them go."

"I won't." He agreed, "Ever."

"I've learnt from my mistakes Caleb," He muttered, unsure if the younger man heard him as he stood to help Hanna tend to their daughter, the three of them forming an unbreakable group, "And so have you."

"Jamie was great," Hanna murmured softly into the dark later that night, her head on Caleb's chest as his hand ran through her hair, "She loved him."

"Until she heard about Peter Rabbit," He snorted, his hand dipping down to tease the skin on her shoulder before it was back making soothing motions in her blonde locks.

Hanna tilted her head to look up at him, trying to read his expression in the pitch black. They should have been sleeping, taking advantage whilst they could, but all of a sudden this seemed more important. "Do you remember?" She asked tenderly, her fingers grazing his jawline.

"No," Caleb sighed, squeezing her tight, "I don't remember at all."

"Well I'm glad Jamie remembers," She said tenderly, pressing her lips against his skin, "It means I get another piece of you that I didn't know existed before," She added, "And birdie gets that too."

Caleb smiled to himself. Hanna could always turn any hurt he felt over his childhood and make him heal, make him feel grateful for what little he did have. "I could never leave her," He said quietly, "Or you."

Hanna took a deep breath, knowing exactly where his mind was running. How could Jamie do that to him? Their relationship had come so far, but she knew that whenever they saw him it would always bring up a deep-seated pang of hurt that would never dissipate. "You're not him."

"I know." He did. But it still didn't stop the pain.

"We love you so much," She whispered. And just like that, she'd healed him again.

"I'm sorry for calling her birdie."

"Why?" Hanna traced her finger across his chest, "She is our little birdie."

"Well we did spend two months deciding on a name which we never seem to use."

"She'll have her name for her entire life," Hanna murmured, "She won't be our little birdie forever."

"That's depressingly true," Caleb laughed, his fingers still roaming through her hair. "But we'll be there forever."

"Of course we will," Hanna agreed, sensing his mind running to dark places. "One day she'll realise how lucky she is."

"That she got her Mama's looks and a Dad that's stuck on her."

"That she's got a Mom and a Dad that will love her and be there for her no matter what."

Caleb sighed again, pulling her tighter against him as he breathed in her scent. She was always right, always speaking the truth.

"And I think we've been through enough to know what no matter what is," She added, her hand stroking his side.

"More than enough," He agreed, pressing his lips against her hair, "I never want her to know what that is."

"She won't," She whispered, tilting her head to press her lips against his, "Not with you here to protect us," She said gently, "We're right where we belong. And so are you."

"I'm alright, this is right where I belong"

Review? xoxo