a/n so we've come to the end. Claire's been through some shit but everyone has to go through some tough times. Thank you to everyone who has made it this far, to those who have reviewed along the way. You all mean so much to me and I can't express enough gratitude.

-December 12, 2013-

I cradled Amelia in my arms, rocking her in an attempt to get her back to sleep. Sleep didn't come easy to her.

"Come on, ma chérie, please go back to sleep," I sighed but she continued to cry and fuss. "If daddy was here you'd be an angel, non? You're daddy's little girl."

She rarely ever slept through the night. With Mike away most of the month I was the one who had to wake up and settle her.

It was almost one in the morning; she had slept close to three hours before she woke up for the second time. I hadn't had a proper night's sleep since she was born.

She was six months old and it broke my heart because Mike had only been home for a few weeks. I'd seen Randy do the same when Alanna was born and while he said it killed him, I don't think I really believed him. Mike always said the same thing when he called and I wanted to believe he was telling the truth. It's hard though when he's still on the road all the time.

In a few hours he'd walk through the door with a huge smile on his tired face, kiss me and then check on Amelia – who would hopefully be asleep by then. It was a routine that he'd quickly fallen in to. It did make me feel better knowing that he was home often enough to be able to have a routine here.

When Amelia eventually did fall back to sleep I went back to bed myself but I was wide awake. The ceiling was as boring as ever and I had seriously considered painting it any other colour so I wouldn't be staring at white whenever sleep eluded me.

Hours passed and before I knew it, seven o'clock had rolled around and Amelia was crying again. Without hesitation I got out of bed and went to her, picking her up to cradle her to my chest.

Breakfast was uneventful, nothing interesting ever happened to me. I got up every morning, fed Amelia, fed myself and then got ready for a day of running errands and if I wasn't doing that I was cleaning. I was a housewife. I never wanted to be a housewife. The only solace I had in being one was that usually it allowed me to write.

It wasn't until midday that I began to get excited and slightly nervous. Mike's flight came in at half past eleven meaning he would arrive around the time I normally prepared lunch. I specifically made a proper meal for him, just as I always did, instead of the simple sandwich I usually made myself.

The sound of a car made my heart skip a beat and I couldn't resist the urge to run to the door. I had it opened before Mike had even gathered his things from the taxi's trunk. The smile that appeared on my face was instant and inevitable, it had been two weeks since he'd last been home and it was killing me. Amelia was still too young for me to fly her out so that meant I only got to see my husband when he had time off – which was rare.

"Mike," I breathed out, standing in the doorway until he had finished at the taxi. Like always, I had begun to cry. It was always so good to see him again.

He walked towards me quickly, leaving his bags at the end of the path so he could cup my cheeks and kiss me the moment he reached me. I put my arms around his neck, broke the kiss and just hugged him to my body tightly.

"I love you," he whispered in my ear. I felt safe and warm and loved when she squeezed me tightly. "I missed you so much."

"I love you," I said back, pulling away with a tearful laugh. "Amy misses you, too."

"Is she awake?" he asked, his eyes lighting up even more so.

"Of course she's awake," I nodded and let him past, laughing as he called out to our baby daughter.

As I gathered his suitcases from the end of the path, I wasn't even bothered that he'd have to leave in a few days. I didn't care that I was going to be alone again. All I cared about was him being home. I didn't care how long it was for, just that he was home. With me. With us. Where we could be a family.

Nothing mattered when he was around. Nothing at all.

a/n and we're out.