Milk Eyes

[Leah Bennet]

Leah Bennet was not a first-time mother, nor was she even a second-time mother, this was her third child and despite the experience behind her, it never got any easier. In a mess of blood, sweat and tears she loosened her grip on her husband’s hand from the deathly vice she had had it clasped in whilst she was in labour and gazed up at him with an exhausted smile. Whatever she might have screamed, however many knuckles of his she had broken, she just wanted Fletcher to know that she still loved him all the same, perhaps even more now if that was possible as the squawks of their newborn daughter rang within the private hospital room. The sound was one that they would tire of in the next few weeks as they arose at one, two, three and four in the morning to those very same cries but in this moment Leah could not possibly rejoice it more. In the last few days leading up to her due date, the thirty year old had begun to spin all kinds of scenarios in her mind that although were horrible, were something she could not get out of her head. The worst she feared for her daughter was a fate like Alexis and Izaak’s little Ella, just the thought alone could have left her sobbing, she couldn’t imagine the pain her best friend and her brother would have gone through. But thankfully she and Fletcher had been blessed with a beautiful, healthy baby girl.

Alexis Bennet, perfect, pink and bundled up snugly in a white hospital blanket, was handed to her eager mother with a word of congratulations from the midwife. And with an extraordinary smile through her shiny-faced exhaustion, Leah knew that it also never become any less invigorating to cradle your baby for the first time. “Hi Alexis,” she whispered in soft awe to her tiny daughter who had, for now, settled her cries into the gentlest of mewls. “My beautiful little girl.” Leah was in love, faster than she had even fallen for Fletcher who had had her before hello. Her hand reached up to carefully push back the blanket by the slightest amount and was shocked to discover the soft crop of hair atop her daughter’s head. It was not so much the fact that it was there in the first place, Leah had been born with hair and a hell of it too, but the colour of it rendered her speechless. It was far from her own blonde locks and just as far from the deep brunette of Fletcher’s, but instead was somewhere in the middle. The baby girl seemed to have taken more than the name of her mother’s late best friend; she had somehow wound up with her colourings too. “Oh my goodness.” She mumbled as her fingers grazed gently across the down-like softness of their baby’s honeyed red hair, it simply couldn’t be a coincidence.

A single, happy tear traced down Leah’s face as she tore her azure eyes away from her daughter long enough to find her husband. “She’s perfect sweetie, thank you.” Gratitude overwhelmed the woman as she leant up ever so slightly to press a loving kiss against Fletcher’s cheek, whispering into his ear while she was there, “I love you.” It wasn’t long though until she had to gaze down at their daughter again, watching with overpowering love as she stirred amongst the folds of the blankets. Leah couldn’t wait to introduce her to the rest of the family, to Jay, to Gabriel, to her brothers, her mother and Fletcher’s parents, and of course young Avery. The pride and the excitement was all building so rapidly inside of her she felt as if she might burst with happiness. But instead she just grinned, knowing that Izaak would be here with Jay soon enough, besides she was more than content to cuddle up to baby Alexis with her husband in the meantime.

 

[Fletcher Bennet]

Fletcher had taken time away from work, letting the captain take over while he was away, so he could be with his beautiful wife in a time where they were both shaky and nervous. He had not gone as far as Leah had in dark thoughts, he knew he simply couldn't, so he just comforted her as much as he could. He held her when she cried, assured her that their little girl would not have the same fate as Izaak and Alexis' daughter had. It must have been something tide in with her condition and if he knew Leah, which he did, she was not a Werewolf. Of course, it wouldn't matter if she were but she was healthy and so was their baby. Fletcher's only fear was that he wouldn't be the father that their daughter needed, he was scared that somehow he would mess up and he would loose everything and this fear intensified when Leah announced that she was going into labour and he had taken her to the hospital after dropping Jay off at Izaak's. Everything was going so fast... until they got to the hospital. It took hours for Alexis Bennet to greet them and the world around her but when she was and Leah was ready to push he felt his stomach twist, only now fearing that their daughter would be born without air in her lungs or a beat of her small heart.

Thankfully, the birth had happened without a hitch, aside from his hand which could be dealt with later and not when muggles were around. The process would be much faster just to wave his wand over his hand so he could actually be of some use for his two best girls: Alexis and Leah. However, he instantly forgot about his broken knuckles when their beautiful daughter was handed to Leah and he looked down onto her face, taking in everything he could as he exhaled, "Wow." Words failed him, instead he just watched her completely in love with her and he knew that she was the apple of his eye, the reason his heart beat... even more than his wife and that was a feat no other could ever accomplish. Fletcher wanted to hide her away from the world so Alexis could be only his and Leah's forever, so she did not have to face everything that even he might not be able to protect her from because he knew already that he would try with all his might.

The man watched as Leah moved the pink blanket from their daughter's face, extending one of his arms carefully and putting it under her neck, despite one of Leah's hands already resting there. She was so breakable, like a china doll, and Fletcher was worried that the little girl he was so ready to dedicate his life to would be snatched away from him. But this fear was distracted when he saw the colour of hair that rested on the little girl's head. Like Leah, he was surprised and looked between his wife and his little baby girl, wondering if somehow their daughter had known who her namesake was. From the corner of his eye he saw Leah look at him and Fletcher returned the gaze, his eyes pale blue eyes glassy from the overwhelming love he had for little Alexis and Leah Bennet. They were his family, along with Jay, and they were absolutely perfect. Fletcher didn't quite understand why she had thanked him but he didn't ask, instead he returned it with the kiss and watched with a content smile as Leah looked down on their daughter. Fletcher kissed Leah's temple before taking the hand that was rested over Leah's and stroked their daughter's gentle face with the back of his index finger, slowly and softly. "I love you," he whispered to the little girl and looked at Leah for what felt like a long time but was only a brief second before returning to the face of their beautiful daughter. Time seemed to slow, the way he wanted it to. If he could have this moment frozen, he would only miss one thing. Everything else he needed was in this hospital room... but that one thing, was Jay Finch who he had considered to be is son.​