xp_logs | Madelyn, Nathan and Rachel

x-madelyn.livejournal.com posting in

Madelyn's on night shift, and checks in on Nathan and his family. He's a touch loopy, but very, very happy.

He kept trying to come up with words besides 'perfect' and 'beautiful' and kept falling short. Standing over the bassinet, Nathan stared down at Rachel, who made a face every so often in her sleep as if something was irking her very profoundly. Her thoughts shifted like liquid light, and he watched in fascination, part of him also registering the sound of Moira's soft breathing from the bed behind him.

Madelyn paused in the doorway, just watching the scene and enjoying the expression on Nathan's face. 'This is what it's all about,' she thought, smiling softly. Life, family, love... she wished there could be more days like this. "I thought I'd see how you and your family were doing," she said quietly. "Just fine, by the looks."

Nathan looked up with a smile, then beckoned her over. "Asleep," he said very softly. "I should probably be enjoying this as much as possible, no?" Despite his obvious weariness, the sparkle in his gray eyes made him look ten years younger.

"Until the four hourly feeds and the broken sleep starts, yes. Only you don't need regular sleep as much, so I guess there goes that idea. Bask away." Madelyn approached, leaning over the crib and making a soft noise of appreciation. "She's beautiful, Nathan. Just beautiful."

"I can't get over the red hair," Nathan said, taking a deep breath that was only a little shaky. He was tired. Exuberant, but very, very tired. "Thank you," he said, looking sideways at Maddie. "I meant to say that earlier, but I think in all the rushing around it may have slipped my mind."

She made a sort of shooing gesture with her hand. "I should be thanking you for trusting me to help deliver her," she said with a grin that was almost as silly as his. "Something like this... it's just incredible. I was honoured to be there."

"She has... the most remarkable mind," Nathan said very softly, looking back down at his daughter. "Charles and I were installing the circuit breaker, and it's like light and water all at once... and that's what she sees us all as right now, Maddie. Dim shapes, with her eyes, but dancing light with her mind."

"It must be incredible, seeing the world like that..." Madelyn's tone was almost wistful as she carefully tucked the light blanket around Rachel a little more. "Charles will be helping her deveop the telepathy?" she continued, her tone becoming a little more business-like, although not entirely.

Nathan nodded. "You should see some of the exercises he's devised," he said softly. "Just very basic, meant to help strengthen her mind and keep it healthy without rushing her along. He and Askani have been putting their heads together for weeks."

"It must be handy, having an expert from the future available as well as the leading expert of our times," Madelyn teased gently.

"Handy," Nathan said with a grin, "and very, very reassuring. Believe me." Rachel yawned widely, her eyes opening. She gazed up at her father, then emitted a small squeak. Nathan put his fingers to his lips. "Don't wake up Mom."

"...ooo?"

"Definitely don't wake Mom - it's the first decent rest she's had in a while, and will have for a while too." Madelyn smiled down at Rachel. "Hey there, sweetie. Welcome to the world."

Rachel stared up at Madelyn, her eyes very wide and to all appearances focusing on Maddie, for all that she was only a few hours old. #...oooo?# was the telepathic query, and then Rachel yawned again, her little face wrinkling up.

Madelyn chuckled quietly, and reached out to stroke Rachel's cheek very softly. "Being born's a lot of work," she agreed, before looking up at Nathan. "That has to be the strangest thing, having baby thoughts in my head."

"You think that's odd," Nathan murmured, still smiling, "you should try it when she's humming the Hallelujah Chorus." Rachel was asleep again, a little ripple of pleasure in her thoughts at Madelyn's gentle touch, and Nathan wondered if it was physically possible to turn into a puddle. Because he really, really felt the urge. "She is," he said, very softly but very dryly, "going to have me so wrapped around her littlest finger. I think she already does."

"Really?" Again that gentle teasing tone. "Nathan, this little one's had you wrapped around her finger almost from conception. And that's exactly as it should be. It's the trademark feature of father-daughter relationships." Not to mention the feature of his father-figure relationships. "Besides, this one's going to have us all wrapped around her fingers, I suspect."

"Wouldn't be surprised," Nathan murmured, adjusting the blanket. "It's a good thing Mom's the toughest woman in the world, then, isn't it?" Rachel made a soft noise in her sleep that sounded undeniably like a raspberry.

Madelyn privately thought Moira would be as puddle-like as the rest of them, and chuckled again at Rachel's response before glancing over at the sleeping Scot. "Tough as they come. I thought she was going to break Hank's hand earlier, before you got there. Or possibly Charles’ neck."

"I cannot believe she went into labor last night. Of all nights." But Nathan was grinning rather helplessly as he said it. "The two of us and our timing..."

"Like it was going to be any different," Madelyn replied. "With Murphy as the patron saint of the school. Heaven help us if Scott and Jean ever decide to get married - both on the team at once doubles the chances. At least with Moira and I..." She realised what she was saying, and blushed. "Um, not that Hank and I are planning anything just yet." Or aloud, at least. She'd been looking after Billy whilst Hank did team related business for weeks now.

Nathan let his eyebrows head for his hairline, even if the smile lingering. "Of course not," he said easily, then looked back down at his daughter so that Maddie couldn't see him grinning quite so well.