And here you have it. A little angst, and a lot of Christmas Hallmark-y goodness, etc...

December

"Evening, Max." Alec bent down and kissed her stomach. "Baby One." He kissed a little farther over. "Baby Two."

Max was lying on her side. Alec had found a special hospital bed that had a mattress that inflated randomly in different spots. It was meant for patients who were at risk for pressure sores because of a lack of movement. They were turning her regularly as well, but they preferred her on her left side for the babies' sake. Something about putting too much pressure on something. They were always throwing medical information at him, and at this point he was just nodding.

They were still thinking that Max had a couple of months until her due date. She looked worse and worse, though, as the days passed. The babies were sucking her dry. They'd placed a feeding tube through Max's nose, which they were using to feed her almost constantly, as well as to give her medication, along with the IV fluids and meds. It wasn't enough, though. The babies were getting big and needing more and more. Max's organs were showing signs of strain, and the doctors were getting concerned.

"Everybody have a good day?" he asked, and as usual there was no response. "That good, huh? Everybody already had their dinner, too?" He moved the chair up closer to her. "Good to hear."

It was getting late, and most of the infirmary was deserted. There were a couple of people hanging around in case of a disaster, but the rest were all tucked in their beds. They'd already dimmed all the lights, including the ones in Max's room to cue her brain that it was nighttime.

"Been a long day." Alec sat down and rested his head next to Max's. "Looks like you had a pretty long day yourself," he whispered. "Hard work keeping the kids in line, huh?" He brushed a hand over her dull, patchy hair. "I know they're a handful, Maxie. You can manage 'em, though."

Alec sighed and brushed a finger over her sunken cheek. "You got this, Max. Just a little longer. Not too long, though. I need you to wake up for me. I'm getting kind of desperate here." He huffed out a tired laugh. "Don't tell anybody I said that. They think I'm keeping it together."

He could almost hear her response. Don't worry. They already know you're an idiot.

"Yeah, but it's just theory right now. I don't want to make it a fact."

A theoretical idiot is still an idiot when he's talking to a comatose wife.

"Don't I know it. Still… has to be done. I had a rule to make you laugh every day, and I'm not stopping now just because you're ignoring me."

I always ignore you. It's how I stay sane.

"Says the woman who married me twice."

I was making a political statement. You just happened to be there.

"Do you always hire a caterer when you make political statements?"

I was pregnant and hungry. Sue me.

"Still hungry, aren't you, Maxie?" He sighed. "The liquid diet's just not cutting it. I promise I'll fix everything in the kitchen for you when you wake up."

One of the doctors poked their head in. "Everything ok tonight, Alec?"

"She's a chatty one, but I told her she needs her rest."

"Ok," the woman said, used to his terrible jokes by now. "Let me know if you need anything." She left him alone, and he heard her sit back down at the far desk where there was a TV.

"I need my wife," he whispered.

"What about the Perkins job?" Alec asked. He and Mole were in his office going over the day's jobs.

"Delta Team will be done tomorrow, as long as everything goes to plan. They should be back by Monday," Mole said.

"I've got a note here about a call from Rafferty?"

Mole snorted and chomped on his cigar. "If you can believe it, they're sending us a shipment of potatoes to thank us for helping set up the joint research project. They say the research is showing promise."

"I'm thrilled," Alec said. "Nothing says thank you like potatoes. They pay their bill?"

"Yup."

"Then I hope we never hear from them again, potatoes or no potatoes."

"I was kinda hoping for tomatoes, myself. Maybe I should call Stephenson and tell him about the potatoes." He grinned around his cigar. "He'll send a truckload just to outdo Rafferty."

Alec just smirked. "Hoping for some ketchup with your fries? Didn't know lizards ate either one."

"I didn't know jackasses like to eat fists, but I'm about to ram mine down your throat."

"Wow. Didn't know lizards were so touchy either. Manticore must've stirred some badger in your cocktail."

"Don't be stupid. It's snapping turtle," Mole shot back, and shuffled the papers in front of him. "Secretary Gordon's people called. A catering employee took off with some sensitive info from an embassy in Canada. His people have run out of ideas."

"Put Bravo Team on it. Dirk's ribs are all healed up?"

"Yeah. I'll let them know."

"Slick check in yet?" Alec's team had been working without him for the most part the last few weeks. Currently, they were in China bringing in an undercover agent who'd been exposed and needed assistance exiting the country.

"Negative. He's still within his window though. Has another couple of hours."

"Ok. Just let me know. We can scramble Echo Team if there's a problem. Anything else?"

"Yeah." Mole waited until Alec raised his head and looked at him. "When was the last time you slept?"

"Huh?"

"Exactly."

"I'm fine. We've got a business to run and we're all working overtime with Max down."

"Yeah, but we're not all spending every second of our downtime in the infirmary with her. You're running on fumes."

"Maybe so." Alec just shrugged. "But that's the way it has to be, so just let me do what I gotta do."

Mole shifted his cigar from one side to the other. "Uh huh."

Alec had to admit he was grateful for the concern. Mole, Dix, Luke, and every other person had made allowances for him. They'd all stepped up to help. Given how they'd all been raised, it always amazed him that they weren't all sociopaths just out for themselves. They really did work well as a team.

Mole was definitely right, too. Alec was running on fumes. He felt exhausted, stretched thin and ready to break. Every waking moment that he wasn't working, he was with Max. He didn't know what else to do. He sat and held her hand. He talked to her and the babies. He read sometimes. He played the radio. He told her about the missions she was missing. He talked until he wanted to weep from exhaustion and frustration. All the while, he watched as she was fading in front of his eyes. He was losing her.

"Speaking of… Is there anything else?" he asked.

"Nope. We're bringing everybody in, pretty much. Christmas in a few days and all. Everybody's going to try to take some time."

"Sounds good," Alec said. He gave him a tired smile. "Might even get some sleep."

Mole just grunted. "Whatever. Go on. I know you want to get back to Max."

Alec just stood up and pulled his jacket on. "I'll tell her you said hi."

"Hey, Big Fella."

"Alec!" Joshua said happily.

Alec had decided to stop by to see his friend. It's was Christmas Eve. Well, Christmas Eve morning. Everybody was back in TC for the holiday for the most part. That meant there wasn't a whole lot to do to keep his mind occupied. He'd read in a chair next to Max's bed for a while, but he'd been going stir crazy, so he decided to take a break.

"What you working on?"

"Painting for nursery."

Alec just nodded. He'd spent a lot of time getting the nursery in their apartment ready. It had absolutely everything he could think of that Max and the babies might need. He hated that Max hadn't been there to see it all come together, and tell him how she wanted things.

"It'll be great," Alec said. "We've got a perfect place for it."

"Alec have breakfast?" When he shook his head, Joshua let out a doggie whine of distress, and headed to his little kitchenette. In no time flat, he had some eggs, toast and some little sausages that he always kept on hand. He shoved the plate into Alec's hands. "Eat," he ordered.

Alec let out a tiny huff of amusement, which was about all he could manage at the moment. He was so tired, he barely knew if he was hungry or not. Nevertheless, he picked up the fork Joshua had propped on the plate and began to eat.

"Sit on sofa," Joshua ordered. He walked to his mini-fridge and poured out a glass of milk. He set it on the side table by the couch where he wanted Alec to sit. "Medium fella be quiet and eat. Joshua needs to paint."

"Far be it from me to offend the artist when the muse is upon him."

Joshua snuffled and scrunched up his nose, then pointed at the sofa. "Quiet. Eat."

Alec sat down and kept picking at the food. He watched Joshua as he walked back to his easel and began shuffling through his supplies looking for a particular color. Soon enough, he was humming, using his brushes to create… well, Alec wasn't too sure what it was, but that was ok. He finished his breakfast and set the plate down on the table. He drank the milk as well.

He set his head back, and watched. Joshua kept humming a tune Alec couldn't quite place. The brush rhythmically skimmed and scratched across the canvas. In the next apartment, he could hear people laughing. They were wrapping packages or something, but it was a distant pleasant hum in the background.

Alec's eyes began to droop, and he didn't have the strength left to fight it. He didn't have the strength for much of anything. He didn't have Max. He felt like he was missing half of himself, his better half. She was the one who knew right and wrong. She was the one who kept him headed in the right direction. She was fading away, day by day. He'd lost a lot of people, but this was different.

The last thing he felt was Joshua putting a blanket over him. "Sleep," Joshua said. "Wake you up when painting ready for nursery."

Alec walked into the infirmary and headed toward Max's room. He sped up, however, when he saw a group of doctors heading in to see her. They only worked in herds when something was up.

"What's going on?" he demanded, furious that something was happening and nobody had called to tell him. He'd slept for longer than he should have on Josh's sofa, but Joshua had just shrugged and said he needed it.

"What is going on?" Alec demanded more loudly, when no one paid him any attention.

Dr. Gupta looked up and saw him. She elbowed Peterson, and nodded toward Alec. Peterson took the hint and moved to head him off.

"Let's go outside. We need to talk," Peterson said.

Alec allowed himself to be led back into the main room. "What is it?"

"We're doing another assessment, but-"

Peterson stopped talking when there was a flurry of movement from Max's room. They were opening up part of the wall so they could move the bed.

"Talk to me, Peterson," Alec demanded.

"One of the babies is in distress," the vet said. "The heart rate's dropping and we're not getting as much movement."

"And?"

They both paused as Max was wheeled out of her room toward the surgical suite. Alec's eyes widened when he realized what this meant.

"We're prepping for a C-Section," Peterson said, confirming Alec's suspicion.

"Why didn't you call me?" he demanded.

Peterson raised an eyebrow. "Would you rather I take care of Max, or stop and make a few calls?"

"Fine." This was getting him nowhere and it was a moot point now. "What's next?"

"Next we get you in a gown and we go deliver your babies. Come on."

Peterson grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the surgical area. It wasn't all that different looking from the rest of the infirmary, but it was closed off so they could work in peace without crazy transgenics wandering in and making a scene.

Alec was helped into a gown and ordered to stay up by Max's head while they worked. They even hung a sheet just past Max's neck, so Alec couldn't see everything they were doing.

He hadn't been prepared for this. Not today. He was supposed to be a father in a couple of months. The painting Joshua had made for the nursery wasn't even dry. He was going to have two babies in just a few minutes. What was he supposed to do?

He didn't have Max.

Max was supposed to be here. She was supposed to be taking care of them right alongside him.

Then he remembered what else Peterson had said. One of the babies was in distress. Their heart rate was dropping.

No one had prepared him for any of this. It only took minutes. He was going to be a father now.

No one had prepared him for the smell either. Why hadn't anyone warned him? He had a transgenic sense of smell, and this was almost enough to knock down a rhino: blood, amniotic fluid, every other awful smelling thing a body under stress could produce.

He heard the small clank of surgical tools. Instead of looking, he bent down and brushed his hand over Max's hair. "Almost there, Max. We're almost there. Just a few more minutes, then they'll be here and you can wake up, ok. Just a little bit longer."

An infant's cries cut through the sounds of the room, and Alec felt his heart swell to the point of bursting. He was a father. There were lots of sounds, and movement, and he couldn't tell what they were up to. Finally, one of the medical people brought the baby around so Alec could see. It was a little girl.

They took her to a side table and began cleaning her up. The rest of the doctors remained, however, and Alec turned his attention back to them. He looked around the sheet partition. They were pulling his son through the incision they'd made. They used some sort of suction thing to clean out his son's nostrils and mouth, but there were no cries this time.

Time seemed to slow as Alec realized his little boy wasn't breathing. The team closed around the child as they worked. Alec wanted to bulldoze his way through so he could see what was happening, but he ordered himself to stay. These men and women knew what to do and he didn't.

Alec leaned down. "They're working on him, Max. Just hold on, ok?" He moved around the sheet again so he could see. It looked like CPR, but slightly different for an infant. Alec held his breath and counted. One… two… He closed his eyes like the coward he was. He couldn't bear to watch.

Ten.

Fifteen.

Twenty.

Twenty Five.

Thirty.

At thirty-two, the cries of a second child filled his ears and Alec sobbed in relief. He put his hands down on either side of Max's head. He leaned down and kissed her lips. "It's ok, Maxie. It's ok." He sobbed again, and didn't care who heard it. His children were both breathing, both crying, both alive.

Alec looked up and saw they were carrying his son to a second table that was set beside his sister. They set to work cleaning him up as well, all the while, he squalled and squalled, and it was the most beautiful sound in the world.

Dr. Gupta appeared in his line of vision. She seemed a little frazzled, but she was smiling. "The cord was wrapped around him," she said. "He got twisted up and gave us all a good scare."

"I think I just lost ten years," Alec said, and it was close to a rasp.

"They're fine now, Dad. Why don't you go say hello?" She took him by the arm and walked him closer to the group surrounding his children. They were still a little crusty looking, but the cords had been clipped and cut.

"Five pounds, two ounces," Peterson said. "They're a bit early, but your daughter looks very healthy." He was smiling broadly. He turned and without asking, placed the child in Alec's arms. He fumbled a bit in surprise, but accepted the baby.

Suddenly, a fresh terror spread through his veins as he looked down at her. He cradled her carefully. He knew exactly what his hands were capable of. He'd been using them to harm, maim and kill for as long as he could remember, and now this baby was relying on him to care for her.

"It's going to be all right, Alec," Peterson said kindly. "You'll figure it out. Everyone does."

Alec just nodded, unable to speak. His mind and heart were a jumble of fear, gratitude, love, worry, and a dozen other emotions.

And Max wasn't awake to hold her little girl.

Dr. Gupta and the others were giving his son a more thorough inspection after the problematic birth, and Alec left them to it. He walked back toward Max. A pair of medical people stood on either side of her, taking care of her and closing her up. Alec left them to their work as well. He held their little girl close to Max.

"You have to wake up now, Max. You have to meet her. She's as beautiful as her mother. Maybe more beautiful." There was no response and Alec sighed. "Ok, you rest. Just not too long. I need you, Maxie. They need you, too."

Max blinked her eyes open. It took a few moments for them to focus. It took several more for her mind to focus as well.

"Where…" She coughed. Her mouth felt like something died in it. "Where am I?"

Her body felt heavy, like she could barely move. She reached up, her arm shaking with the effort, and felt the tube running through her nose and down through her throat.

Max looked to either side of her and recognized one of the longer term rooms in the infirmary. The last thing she remembered was going to bed in her apartment. She looked down and her eyes widened. Her baby belly was gone. If anything she looked thinner. Panic gripped her.

The babies. What happened?

Max tried to roll over but was hindered by her lethargic muscles and all of the lines attached to her. Her heart was pounding, but she had to find someone.

"Hey, Max," Dr. Peterson said, coming through the door. "Setting off alarms this morning, huh?" He suddenly stopped when he looked at her. "Max!" He rushed to her side, and broke into a wide grin. "You're awake!"

"Why wouldn't I be?" she croaked, and coughed again past her dry throat.

"Max, let me take a look at you and then we can talk. You've missed-"

Max grabbed the front of his shirt and jerked him closer. "What happened to the babies?"

"They're fine," he soothed. "You have a beautiful boy and girl. They're with Alec, ok?"

Max released him and fell back to the bed, exhausted by that little bit of exertion.

"Just give us a minute to check you, all right?"

Peterson ran for the door before she could grab him again. He was quick for an ordinary.

A few minutes later, Peterson returned with several more people, all of whom were smiling. They drew blood, and checked her vitals. One of them suggested removing the feeding tube, and Max was whole heartedly for that, since it was bothering her the most. Removing it was also one of the oddest sensations, and one she never wanted to experience again.

After that, they gave her a mug of water and ordered her to sip it slowly. All the while, Max wiggled her toes, her ankles and feet, working her way up. She was stiff, as if the muscles hadn't been used in too long.

"Alec brought in a physical therapist," Dr. Peterson said. "They did their best to work your muscles every day, but it might still take some time to get back to full strength. Knowing you guys, though, not nearly as long. Your muscles are… I'll be nice and say weird."

"How long was I out?"

Peterson looked at the others and with a sharp nod, told them to wait outside. Since they were well aware of Max's occasional blow-ups when told bad news, they practically bolted.

The doctor backed up until he was just out of grabbing range as well. "Max, you've been asleep for the better part of two months."

"Months?" she said in horror.

"We think your body was so severely stressed, you went into a sort of energy saving mode, almost like hibernation."

"I wasn't…" Max felt tears beginning to form. "I missed it. The babies were born and I was asleep?"

Dr. Peterson nodded. "Yes, you were, and I'm truly sorry for that."

"Two months." She tried to get her foggy brain to think. "We were thinking February. Were they early?"

"They were born several days ago," he explained. "One of the babies was in distress, your son. We performed an emergency caesarean. Your daughter was born first and was fine. We had a little trouble with your little boy, though. He wasn't breathing, but we were able to help him very quickly."

Max quit breathing herself. Her son had almost died and she'd slept through it. What kind of mother was she? She'd already messed up right out of the gate.

"He's ok, though?"

"He's fine." Peterson gave her a reassuring smile. "He stayed with us a little longer than his sister, just to make sure, but they're both home now with Alec."

She brushed the tears away and forced herself to focus on the more important business at hand. The babies were fine. They were alive. They were with Alec, and she needed to see them.

"When can I get out of here?" she asked.

"Do you want me to call Alec?" Peterson asked, rather than answer.

Max immediately shook her head. "No, I'll go. I want them home, and I want to be there with them."

Peterson just sighed. "You're going to pull all the lines anyway as soon as I turn my back, aren't you?" Max just raised an eyebrow. "Because let me tell you, pulling the catheter is not something you want to do before we deflate it."

"Still don't care."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine. As long as the blood work comes back on the up and up, then we'll get all the lines off you and I'll get somebody to help you to your apartment. You have to promise me several things though."

"I'm listening."

"One, you have to promise me you'll take it easy." She simply nodded. "Two, you have to promise you will come back if anything, and I mean anything, seems off." Again, she nodded. "Three, you will come back tomorrow either way for a checkup. The babies are supposed to come in then anyway, so you should be coming as well."

"No problem."

"Four," he said, and Max could tell this was the most important, "go easy on Alec, ok?"

"What's wrong with him?" she asked worriedly.

"He's been watching you night and day for two months. He's worn himself to the bone trying to take care of this place, and take care of you, and the whole time you were wasting away in front of his eyes. He was barely keeping it together, Max. We were all hoping you would wake up after the birth, but it's been almost a week. Alec's been to see you every chance he gets, but we were starting to give up hope and he could tell. Just… go easy on him."

"I will. I just need to see my babies," she said. It was like an ache that was getting stronger the longer she sat there. "I need to go."

"I can tell him you're awake. I'll ask him to bring them-"

"I'm about to start pulling these lines," she warned.

Peterson held up his hands in surrender. "Ok, ok." One of the other doctors came in with a piece of paper. Peterson glanced at it and smiled. "Labs look good. These anyway. The others will take a bit longer, but I know you won't stay." He clapped his hands. "Let's get you free then, shall we? Nothing personal, but we're all kind of tired of looking at you."

"Thank you," she said. "I owe you."

Peterson laughed. "I'll remind you of that next time I ask for a raise."

Joshua stopped outside the door to Max's apartment. He'd helped her get there from the infirmary. He'd started out half-carrying her, her muscles were so weak and under-used, but a transgenic's muscles were unbelievably quick to be reconditioned. By the time they got to the apartment, she was exhausted, but a little more stable on her feet. Given a few days, she would be back up and running. She wasn't starting from complete zero either because of the physical therapist Alec had brought in to work with her while she slept.

Joshua released her, and then pulled her into a crushing hug. "Joshua happy Little Fella awake."

"Me, too, Big Fella." She was also glad when he let her go. She was feeling a bit more delicate than usual.

"Now go see Alec. See babies."

"You don't want to come in?"

Joshua shook his head. "Later. Now, Alec need you. Babies need you." He gave her a big, sloppy kiss on her forehead, and then headed back to his own apartment.

Max couldn't wait any longer. She opened the door and walked inside, holding on to the door jamb. At first sight, nothing looked any different. All of the furniture was in the same place. Nothing was broken, or missing.

On closer inspection though, she could see the differences. There were little things that had been left out, small blankets and cloths, a diaper on the table, a half-filled bottle.

She looked down at herself. Her breasts weren't any different. Whatever had happened meant she wouldn't be breastfeeding apparently.

She heard Alec in the next room talking and she headed that way, using various pieces of furniture as stabilizers. She was getting very tired, but she wasn't going anywhere near a nap when she'd been asleep so long and missed everything. She'd missed the birth.

She stopped in the doorway and saw Alec swaying back and forth with a tiny baby, all swaddled up in his arms. Alec was in stocking feet, wearing a black t-shirt, and some old jeans. His hair was longer than she remembered, and mussed.

"Better now?" he asked. "New diaper, had a little bit to eat. What more could a little guy want, huh? Maybe a nap? Every guy likes a nap now and then, don't we?" He continued swaying back and forth, smiling down at the child.

Max looked past him and saw the other baby was lying in the crib, apparently fast asleep. She took a moment to look at the nursery and it sent a fresh wave of pain through her. She and Alec had picked out some of what she saw, but they'd been so busy they hadn't put the nursery together yet. Now it was all arranged, and there were new items added that they'd talked about, but not found. Joshua had added one of his paintings as well, and she was happy to see it, even if she was sorry she'd missed when he'd delivered his present.

"Alec?" Max said softly.

Alec startled and looked up. His mouth dropped open and for several seconds he just stood there. It gave her a chance to look at him. There were dark, dark circles under his eyes, and he looked thinner, sadder.

"Max?" he whispered. He turned away from her and gently set the baby down in the crib. He then turned back and in two strides, he was standing in front of her. He tentatively set his hand against her cheek, as if to ensure himself that she was real. She leaned into his touch, and it was like a dam breaking. He wrapped her in a crushing embrace, and let out a sob. He held her and lifted her off her feet. He kissed her face over and over, all the while saying her name. Suddenly, he set her back down and framed her face with his hands, examining her. "Are you all right?" he demanded.

"Muscles are a little weak, but I'm ok," she answered. "You?"

"Don't worry about me," he said, and smiled widely. "Come over here."

Alec put his arm around her and drew her toward the crib. They had two cribs, but both babies were in one at the moment. Alec and Max stood at the side, and gazed down at them. The little girl was fast asleep, wrapped up in her blanket. The baby Alec had been holding was still awake, however. Alec picked him up again, and turned to Max. "This is Kit." He looked down at the baby. "Kit, do you want to meet your mom? She finally woke up and she wants to talk to you."

"Kit?" Max asked. It wasn't one of the names they'd talked about, not that they'd ever settled on anything.

Alec just nodded and moved closer. Max held out her arms and let Alec transfer the tiny bundle to her. It was as if that one small movement made her entire world shift on its axis. She was holding her son. He wasn't a figment of her imagination anymore. He was real, and so, so beautiful.

"Hello, Kit," she whispered. She brushed a finger across his cheek, and felt how soft his skin was. "I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner."

Alec set a hand on her back to urge her to look into the crib again. "This is Merry. Which fits, I guess. We've all been saying she's a contented little baby. Doesn't cry very much."

"All?" Max asked.

"Gem's been helping, and Joshua. O.C.'s been here a couple of times. Stat, too." Max nodded, remembering that Stat had also been through a difficult pregnancy, but finally delivered a beautiful little boy. "They've been showing me the ropes, and giving me a break or two."

Max kept one arm around Kit, and leaned into the crib to set her hand against her tiny daughter's chest. She could feel the gentle rise and fall of the baby's breathing while she slept on. "Hello, Merry."

"She'll be awake before too long," Alec said quietly. "Then you can meet her properly."

Her arm was starting to get tired. She looked down and saw that Kit had closed his eyes. Alec must have realized what was happening. He gently accepted the boy and then placed him back in the crib to rest near his sister.

"Kit," Max said thoughtfully. "Why that name?"

Alec scratched a hand through his hair nervously, which struck Max as odd. "It's, uh… short for Christmas. That's his name. Kit for short."

Max just stared at him as if he'd lost his mind. Of all the names they'd considered, of all the conversations they'd had, and this was what he'd done?

"Tell me you're joking," she said. She kept her voice low because she didn't want to wake the babies.

Alec winced. He scrunched up his face, and shrugged.

"You named our kids Merry Christmas?" she hissed. She threw her hands up in complete disbelief. "This is what happens when I leave a six year old in charge."

Alec's face completely changed, and Max felt her heart constrict painfully. She remembered Dr. Peterson's condition to go easy on Alec. The expression on his face now told her she'd broken that promise. Alec looked… crushed.

"No," he rasped, "this is what happens when you spend week after week watching your wife wasting away, thinking you're going to lose her, and then you're going to lose the two little lives that are draining her dry. Then it's Christmas Eve and you've been given the most beautiful, most precious gift that anyone has ever given you, two perfect children. And you're terrified that the woman you love isn't going to be there to raise them. She's not even there to help you give them a name.

"And then it's Christmas morning and you're alone with them and you promise them you're not going to fail them like you did their mother. They're going to have everything they need, when they need it, and not a second later, and that includes a name. And you're looking at these helpless, beautiful, precious gifts, and you think maybe the last thing your wife has ever done was to give you these two children. And you think, thank you, Max. Thank you for our babies. Merry Christmas."

Alec was breathing hard and Max could see that the past weeks had pushed him almost beyond his limits. He'd watched Rachel waste away and then Max had left him to watch it again with the added burden of their children hanging in the balance.

"Max, I didn't know what to do. You wouldn't wake up. Even after the birth, you wouldn't wake up. I-"

She stopped him with a kiss. She wrapped her arms around him and he peppered her face with kisses. He held her tightly, and Max stayed in his arms, swaying back and forth, almost a dance. Her handsome, brave, soldier of a husband held onto her like a drowning man to a lifeline. She could feel how terrified he'd been that he had lost her and would have to raise their children alone.

"I've missed you so much," he whispered. "I thought…" He squeezed her more tightly as if afraid she would disappear.

"I'm here," she said. "I'm right here. I'm mad, but I'm right here."

He released his hold. He pulled back so he could look at her, but kept his hands on her arms. "I could have named him Bucephalus, you now."

"Not about that," she huffed a bit of a laugh, then added more seriously, "I missed the birth."

"I'm so sorry. I'm sorry you missed a single second with them. They're already bigger than when they were born."

"Can you tell me about it?" she asked tentatively. She felt like she'd missed something crucial that she could never get back.

"Sure." He looked away, and once again she could see how scared he'd been, how alone. He swallowed heavily. "When Kit wasn't breathing… I couldn't watch," he admitted quietly, ashamed. "I couldn't do it."

Max set her hand against his cheek. "I love you," she whispered. "I'm sorry I left you alone in all this."

He shook his head. "I had lots of help."

"I know you were still alone."

"Maybe." His breathing hitched. "Please, don't do it again," he said softly, trying to control his voice.

She pursed her lips. "No hibernating. Got it."

He clamped his mouth closed, the muscles ticking in his jaw. He nodded, unable to speak he was so overwrought at having her back.

"It's ok," she said when his chin wobbled. "I'm here now."

He nodded again, and she saw him pack it away for another time. He gave her a watery smile. "It's about time, too."

They heard a sound of one of the babies waking, a stuttered sort of baby noise, and it was music to Max's ears. Together, she and Alec walked to the crib and looked down. Their daughter was awake, smacking her lips, while her brother was now fast asleep.

Alec leaned into the crib and picked her up. "Hello, Merry. I've got someone I want you to meet," he whispered. He leaned close so Max could see her. "This is your mom," he said. "She's a little late to the party, but you're going to love her."

"Hello, Merry," she cooed. She ran her hand gently, cautiously over her daughter's head, smiling at the feel of the tiny wisps of baby hair. Her hands were starting to shake, and she quickly drew away for fear of startling the baby.

"Sorry," Max said quietly. "Been standing too long. My muscles are going to take a few days."

"Let's go sit," Alec suggested. "Can you bring Kit?"

Max nodded. She didn't care if it killed her. She was going to pick up her son and carry him. She leaned into the crib, and carefully picked him up. It was a little awkward, but she had to hope she would get better at it. When she had him nestled in her arms against her chest, the little boy drew in a deeper breath and then let it out again, smacking his lips a bit as he slept. Max liked to think it was in contentment now that he had both his parents to take care of him.

She'd dreamt about her babies for so long. She'd daydreamed about what they would look like, about what they would act like. Nothing had prepared her for how beautiful they were. It felt like her heart was too full.

Max followed Alec back into the living room. She tried to sit down on the sofa gently, but bobbled a bit when her atrophied muscles gave out on the descent. Kit woke at the jostling. He let out a bit of a surprised squawk, then immediately started crying.

Horrified, Max looked up at Alec. He just shook his head and grabbed something from a bag sitting on the side table. She saw it was a pacifier, and he popped it into the squalling infant's mouth. It took a few seconds, but finally he settled.

Alec grabbed a throw pillow and set it on Max's lap. "That'll help until you're back to being my warrior maiden with iron muscles." He laughed, clearly happy at the thought, and then walked toward the kitchen.

Max made a face at him, but she had to admit she needed it. She let the pillow take most of the weight of the child in her arms, and simply kept him surrounded while he sucked at the pacifier.

Max's eyes wandered back to the kitchen. Alec was still holding Merry, so he was working one handed, but he looked like he'd been doing a lot of that lately and knew what he was up to. She recognized the bottle warmer they'd found. He removed a bottle and tested it against the skin of the arm holding Merry. It must have been ok, because he popped the bottle into Merry's mouth and then walked back toward the sofa.

Alec sat far more gracefully than she had and, together, they sat side by side, simply watching their children.

"That painting in the nursery?" Max asked.

"Don't ask me." Alec shrugged. "Joshua said it was for the nursery and I hung it up. He was so proud I hated to tell him I had no clue what it was."

Max smiled at that. "That's ok. It brightens up the place."

"Feel free to move everything around in there," he said, a frown pinching his brow. "I set it up the best I could, but I didn't know where you'd want-"

She shook her head to stop him. "It's perfect," she assured him, and looked down at the babies. "They're perfect." She ran her finger over Kit's cheek, and the little guy sleepily squinched up his face a bit, and made her smile. She could even deal with their names. She looked back up at Alec. "You did good," she said, "considering I left you hanging for a couple of months."

Alec let out a slow breath of relief. He suddenly looked exhausted, and set his head back against the sofa. She wondered if he'd been holding that breath since the day she fell asleep.

Max leaned closer, and set her head on his shoulder. "Merry Christmas, Alec."

Alec kissed the top of her head, and then leaned his cheek against her. "You slept past Christmas," he said. "It's been a week."

"Happy New Year, then," she said, thinking, hoping, that the coming year would be better than the one before. With the children they held in their arms, she didn't see how they could fail.

"Happy New Year, Maxie."

Well, that's all, folks! Hope you enjoyed this little year of vignettes. A very happy New Year to all of you, too.