"Martha?"

"No."

"Abby?"

"No."

"Maddie?"

"No."

"What if we spelled it the British way, after her dear uncle?"

"No."

Alfred made a small tut with his tongue; not too obnoxious but just enough to show his mild dissatisfaction.

"Matilda."

"Now you're just being an asshole," her words were harsh but a sliver of a smile could be seen against her partner's chest, which she had buried her face in. Alfred has his arm draped like a wing over Natalia's plush robe-clad shoulders as her entire body was turned under his frame. In front of them sat a large window and behind that sat rows of little pink and little blue beds. Itty-bitty cherubs lay within them; some curled up in exhaustion, others kicking out their stubby limbs in a jig of pure amusement.

A particularly dainty infant in a box of Pepto Bismol pink snoozed soundly in front of the couple, oblivious to the determination of her fate taking place not a few feet away. The girl's plump peach skin glowed under the fluorescent nursery light, as did the crown of her head glittered with a smear of silver hair. Her miniature chest delicately rose and fell with the eternity of seconds that sailed on by while two adults, both caked in sweat and drenched with exhaustion for two very different yet very similar reasons gazed at the bundle.

"Well, if you're going to shoot down all of my suggestions then I'd like to hear your opinions," Alfred spoke into the woman's hair where his cheek rested, unable to rip his eyes from the infant.

Natalia lowly hummed in thought and dipped her head deeper into Alfred's neck.

"I like Anastasia."

"Oh, yes, because we all have beautiful Russian accents which make names like 'Anastasia' sound completely effortless."

"You were the one to ask me of my opinion."

"I did indeed, my dearest, and now I am asking for another one."

His companion remained silent, but he was okay with that. Names, whatever. They had time. There was a freaking baby behind that pane of glass, and it was theirs.

"You know, our family may have interest in this subject."

"Maybe yours, but my brothers have made very clear their choices on a name."

"Oh?" Natalia made a half effort to look up at him but she soon decided that the action took much energy and settled for immersing her face further into Alfred's chest.

"Well, Arthur likes Lily-"

"No."

"And Matthew thought Emma-"

"No."

"And you'd never guess who liked the name Francine."

Natalia spared a smile, most likely a cynical one.

"But he also agreed with Matt on Emma."

She made a noise of indifference and fell silent. Alfred joined her.

The two hovered in front of the still babies, both wanting nothing more than to go back to their room and drift away but not finding themselves physically able to move a millimeter.

Suddenly, "Catherine," Alfred whispered in suggestion, but it didn't take but a second for the name to move from suggestion to truth.

The painfully tiny pile of pink and porcelain slightly twitched as the only warning before her eyes opened, lazily darting around the crib walls, up to her fellow babes, and then, Alfred swore, directly at her parents with the most knowing twinkle shimmering her turquoise irises. Catherine's rosebud lips jiggled and her midnight eyelashes shivered when the infant bat her eyes, wide-eyed and wonderful. Eyes of the open sky and open dreams, just like her father's.

"Catherine," Natalia repeated. "Catherine the Great."

The baby beamed a gummy smile, but god be damned if it wasn't the brightest smile on the planet.

Her parents followed suit.

Hey look at me I've pulled another couple hundred words out of my ass. Yay!

Brought on by Community fanfiction and I sincerely apologize for it.

FACE's favorite names are the most popular names in their respective nations with the exception of Alfred's as they're presidential related. The British spelling of "Maddie" is "Mattie," hence the baby possibly being named after "her dear uncle."

Written fast, edited fast, please help a sista out should you find errors.

Errbody loves babies, right?

Thanks for reading!