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"You look tired…" Jonas rested his hands on Francesca's hips and kissed her lightly.
She stepped away from him and ran her hand through her hair.
"Charming, as ever."
He laughed and pulled her into a hug which she resisted for a moment before melting against him.
"I didn't mean it like that. I meant to ask how it was to go out again - it seems like you enjoyed yourself."
"I did. I don't think I can say the same for you, though. When did Elizabeth go? I wasn't gone that long, was I?"
"No… she didn't stay for long."
"And the baby?" Francesca looked past Jonas and he smiled at the look on her face.
"Saga is fine. She's sleeping again, I think. She'll probably be hungry soon, but she didn't give me any trouble. I still can't believe she's real - I could hold her all day and not get bored of looking at her."
"My brother wants to help."
"You don't think he'll have his own baby to worry about soon?"
"I don't know, but he told me enough that I don't think it's guaranteed. What makes you ask that? Did Elizabeth tell you something?"
Jonas shook his head, but he didn't think he had been convincing and he expected Francesca to press him after she had rested a little.
She disappeared into the bathroom to shower and when she emerged she went to feed the baby without speaking to Jonas again.
He wondered what had gone on while she was out, but he chose not to question her about it and he was more interested in making sure she was happy.
"You're right," Francesca sat down next to Jonas on their couch and he looked at her quizzically.
"I am?"
"I'll never get tired of looking at her. I think it's only just starting to sink in that we made something so perfect. I still don't want anybody else to see her - she's still ours right now and I don't want that to change yet."
Jonas smiled sadly, but Francesca didn't seem to notice.
He wasn't really upset; he just wished Francesca wouldn't feel a need to hide this part of herself from other people anymore.
"She's always going to be ours, Francesca…we’re her parents."
“That didn’t seem to matter to you where Linnea is concerned.”
“Was that necessary? Or are you being defensive because you have something on your mind?”
“No, I…” she trailed off because she could see there was no point denying it. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean that, and I know it wasn’t a malicious decision to abandon her; if it wasn’t for me you would have been a part of her life.”
“This isn’t about my mistakes, though, is it? I know you’re never going to admit it but it’s clear to me that Saga has taken a toll on you physically. You can’t keep your thoughts as private as you like at the moment; I know that you aren’t concerned by my relationship with Linnea- you don’t want her anywhere near Saga, and you don’t want her anywhere near you, and I understand that, but…”
“... alright. There’s no need to make me feel worse about my shortcomings, and I don’t think you need me to explain myself if you are so in tune with my private thoughts at the moment.”
“You’re the mother of my child; I think it’s normal for me to be more in tune with what you are thinking now, don’t you? Reading thoughts may not be the most common skill anymore, but I think that it makes sense for me to know what is bothering you right now - you like to think of things in practical terms, and I think it was probably something that helped people when they were at their most vulnerable, once.”
“I…”
“...you did something that no one else has been strong enough to do for generations, and I’m proud of you for that.”
“Don’t patronize me, Jonas,” she glared at him, but he ignored the look she was giving him and glanced towards the baby.
“You do realize how extraordinary she is, don’t you? What she represents? I know that it was difficult for you to rely on me, and to feel so powerless for such a long time; I would have been proud of you if there was nothing special about her. Francesca, you’ve brought something remarkable into the world, and I think people needed something remarkable to give them hope with everything that has happened.”
Francesca's expression softened and Jonas reached out to pull her into a hug.
"Thank you..." she sighed into his shoulder and he stroked her back, "I love you."
He smiled - she rarely expressed anything like that; he didn't doubt her feelings for him, but she showed her love for him in other ways. The fact she had let him leave with Elizabeth, or that she had come back to him when she knew the others might never forgive her; even smaller things like making sure there was food ready for him when he had been out in the forest, even though she was exhausted and asleep long before he got back.
He patted her back before kissing her hair. "I love you too."
"I love her, too."
"I know you do. And I know you're afraid right now, and that you think people are going to judge you for it."
"How are you so calm about this? You know we're more than her parents... we're responsible for her...she's a person who needs guarding, and protecting, and who needs raising to respect and understand what she is, and... that's more than just being her parents..."
"You're doing a great job with her, Francesca. You have had to bear the brunt of the world's expectations since the day you were born, and I know that a part of you can't let go of that, but I think that you're doing a great job as a parent already; you're a great mother, and you are making the right decisions for her. You're thinking about what will keep her happy and safe, and that is our job . She may be an extraordinary girl, but she's still a baby and you're still her mother - we may need to be more than her parents one day, but that day isn't going to come for a while and you are giving her everything she needs right now."
"I'm not going to let her down..."
"...I know," Francesca leaned back and he lifted her chin. "And I think you need to rest."
"I'm not sure I can. I'm a little uncomfortable right now."
"You were out for a while and you haven't been out as a wolf for a long time..."
"...and it was incredible, and I felt liberated, and unbelievably lucky to be somewhere as beautiful as this but I was counting on her being awake enough to feed properly when I got back and she was too tired for that so ...it's getting uncomfortable to ignore the fact I need to feed her again soon."
"I had noticed; it's not exactly subtle when you've gone a while without feeding her properly," he glanced down at her chest and when he looked back up at her he saw that her cheeks were flushed.
"I'm so glad my discomfort amuses you."
"I'm not even remotely amused," he grabbed her shoulders and lifted her up towards him to straddle his lap, then grabbed her hips and pulled them towards his.
"Behave..." she narrowed her eyes but smiled as she rested her hands on his chest, "you're far too old to be acting like this."
"And you're far too young to be talking back to me," he moved his hands to the middle of her back and pulled her close.
He kissed her softly, leaving her breathless when she pulled away.
"You are slightly terrifying at times."
"Only slightly?" he laughed, letting his hands drop from her back. "You should try to feed our daughter before she gets upset."
Francesca gave a small sigh, but she nodded and stood up.
"You're right, and..."
"...and I'm going to fetch her for you; you can tell me all about why you find me terrifying when I get back."
- Writer
