I have other WIPS but I couldn't resist and just had to write something for the FitzSimmons appreciation week. I'm hopeless, I know…

Not sure if I'll post all of these on the right day… but I'll try. :)

Anyway, here's the prompt for Day 1: Family.

Thanks to my Beta StarryDreamer01 who helped me edit this.

From Two to Three.

Leo was sure that he'd just closed his eyes and fallen asleep when he heard crying.

Again.

Bringing his arm up to shield his eyes, he groaned softly as he peered at the clock on the bedside table. He had to bite back another groan as he read the time: 4:18.

Yeah... He had just fallen asleep: it had been three thirty when he'd last checked.

The mattress dipped and the sheets shifted next to him before he had time to realise that he'd have to do something about the wailing human that was residing in the crib in their room.

"I'll get her. Go to sleep."

Leo blinked and sat up as Jemma padded to the crib by her side of the bed and picked up their crying infant daughter.

"No, wai-" He wrestled with the sheets that he'd somehow tangled around his legs. "It's my turn to-"

"Go to sleep, Leo." His wife didn't even look at him as she walked to the door, cradling Kathleen and murmuring soothing words.

"Jem-" She closed the door behind her before he could say anything. The sudden silence that filled the room was stifling and Leo felt his heart drop heavily.

God, he was an idiot.

They'd both been barely sleeping lately: Kathleen was colicky and that meant that she was crying constantly at random hours. They'd taken turns to take care of her so that they wouldn't be too exhausted in the morning (even though they'd both woken up as soon as they'd heard her cry).

However, the restless days and nights coupled with impeding work for Coulson were slowly straining their resilience and patience.

They had snapped at each other yesterday; their exchanges in the lab had been biting words and harsh retorts rather than their usual bickering. Jemma came to the lab whenever she could -whenever Kathleen was asleep- but it was Leo that spent hours there, alone. She had made some rather acerbic comments on a file he'd filled out for her and he'd swallowed his stung retort and continued working.

He missed having Jemma with him although he knew that their daughter needed her more right now. He knew that she missed being in the lab too and might be frustrated; he didn't expect her to take it out on him, actually...

But despite all of that, last night, after having calmed Kathleen and flopping into bed, Leo had grumbled about his lack of sleep and being useless in the lab as she'd said. He hadn't noticed that Jemma was looking at him and had seen the mix of guilt and hurt dancing in her eyes before she turned around; he dudn't have a chance to say anything...

He hadn't meant to upset her or make her feel as though it was her fault...

Knowing that sleep was the last thing he would do now, Leo got out of bed.

He had to fix this.

Leo slipped out of the room and walked down to the kitchen to make two cups of tea. It always helped soothe their nerves, especially if they had to talk...

He then carried them upstairs and walked to Kathleen's room -or her would-be room once she was old enough to sleep on her own. He peeked inside and saw Jemma slowly walking around the room, humming softly as she lulled their baby to sleep. He put the cups on the table near the door and looked at her carefully.

She looked exhausted with dark rings beneath her eyes as she cradled their daughter; yet he couldn't think of anyone more beautiful than her.

She was tired and frustrated, just like him. And she was probably just as terrified about how to be a parent like he was.

They had to help each other; he had to help her through all of this.

They were FitzSimmons; they had gone through too many things together -and apart- to let anything fracture their relationship. He loved her too much to allow that.

With that thought, as he watched his family, Leo approached Jemma as she stood by the window, swaying slightly. She must have seen his reflection in the glass because she froze for a moment and looked behind her shoulder, eyes uncertain.

He smiled at her and wrapped his arms around her waist, softly bringing her back against his chest without jostling the dozing baby in her arms.

"Leo..." She whispered. "I thought you-"

"I really couldn't sleep," he said quietly and sighed as he buried his face against her neck. "I'm sorry, Jem."

He felt her sink against him and relief flooded his body.

"I'm sorry." Her tone was guilty. "I shouldn't have been so harsh with you." She held Kathleen closer to her. "You're working twice as much and I shouldn't have-"

"Jemma..." He stopped her, nuzzling her neck and leaving one small kiss on her skin softly. "We're both working a lot... but you're doing twice the work I do between Kathleen and the lab."

He could feel her wanting to retort and disagree so he wrapped his arms tighter around her waist, bringing her closer to him. This sort of simple intimacy was something that they'd somewhat disregarded since their daughter's birth; they kissed, hugged and were together but they didn't spend time together as they did before. He realised that with their baby constantly needing their attention and their work, they just shoved their relationship in a corner, as something that they'd get to when they'd have time and weren't so exhausted.

"Being parents is... challenging," Jemma stated and he snorted slightly.

"It's bloody hard and terrifying sometimes..." He snuggled her. "But we'll figure it out. As we always do."

"Together." She leaned against him.

"Together." He held her closer.

"We do have this terrible habit of bottling things up until we burst, don't we?" Jemma remarked softly after a few minutes of comfortable silence and looked at him with a teasing smile.

Leo smiled slightly and nodded. All of their past arguments and fights had occurred because they didn't tell each other everything.

"We really never learn," he agreed. "Some geniuses we are..."

"I'm sorry," Jemma turned slightly, carefully holding their baby against her chest. Leo pressed his lips against her temple.

"I'm sorry, too," he whispered.

"I think we're still getting used to being a family." Jemma ran a hand down their baby's back. "It did take us a bit to get used to having each other around in the past and with her here now, it's-"

"-a big change," he finished. "I just wish I'd know what to do half of the times I hold her."

"You're doing brilliantly, don't worry." He noticed how her smile wavered slightly and felt a spike of concern.

"Jem?"

"I feel as though I'm not doing enough," she confessed, looking at the sleeping baby in her arms. "She's in pain and she's... she's so small. I should be able to do something to make her feel better."

Leo shook his head and held her close. The healer in her would always want to do something to make the pain go away from anyone; now that she was also a mother, that instinct just got a hundred times stronger.

And with their daughter being in pain? Every thought was directed to her.

"You're doing everything and more, Jemma," he replied. "I hate hearing her cry and want to ease her pain but we can't really do anything more than what we're doing." He moved a hand up and gently caressed their daughter's hair. "She's adjusting... She's just a month old and everything's just so new to her."

"I know... Mum told me."

"So did my mum and Alison."

Their families came to their house whenever they could to dote on the baby or to try to soothe their terrified-new-parents' nerves.

Jemma looked at him and smiled.

"We should put her back to bed," she said. "And we should get a bit of sleep too."

Leo nodded and unraveled his arms from around her. He followed her to their room with their cups of tea and watched as she put Kathleen in the crib, smiling softly.

When he handed her the cup, she smiled again.

"Thank you, sweetheart" she whispered and brushed a kiss against his lips. He grinned and they sat on their bed, side by side, drinking their tea and talking softly as they've done so many times.

When they finally got into bed, Jemma curled against him and Leo held her tight, feeling lighter than a few hours before.

"We'll make everything work together, Leo, right?" Jemma whispered against his jaw.

"Yes, Jemma..." He replied. "Everything will be fine."

She hummed softly and fell asleep against him while he drifted off, lulled by her warmth and scent.

They'd learn to be parents and be a family.

Together as always.

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