Room 614, the Arms Hotel, Saturday lunchtime

[momslilassassin]

Turns out that waking up as a woman when your daughter is expecting you to be a man is not the most exhilirating start to a morning-now-heading-into-afternoon.

"Come on, Val," Ben soothed, rocking the sobbing infant as he paced the room for the thousandth time. "It's me. I still feel the same in the Force, I just...look different."

Perhaps philosophical discussions of gender and sex were not the place to start with a distraut one month old. "Ender?"

Comments

[momslilassassin]

"This is why you were a brilliant admiral," Ben declared. "Good idea."

[endsthegame]

Ender kissed his cheek, and then pulled away to move onto the bed, scooting up towards the back.

He rearranged the pillows to make a little nest for them.

[momslilassassin]

Ben scooted back as well, handing the baby out to Ender. "Need some more Val time?"

[endsthegame]

"Need, no, but I'm willing to take her," Ender teased, taking Val into his arms. "Hi, little one."

[momslilassassin]

Val flailed out her arms at gave him a toothless grin.

"She missed you," Ben translated.

[endsthegame]

Ender laughed softly. "Did you miss me now?" he asked Val. "I'm sorry, Valentine. I missed you too, though, if that helps."

He let her grab a hold of his thumb with one of her tiny hands.

[momslilassassin]

Ben's whole face went soft at that. "You and her," he murmured. "It'll never get old."

[endsthegame]

Ender smiled up at him. Softly, too. "If there's only one thing in the galaxy I can thank you for, it's this," he said. "I love you both."

[momslilassassin]

"We love you too," Ben whispered, kissing him again.

[endsthegame]

Ender kissed him back firmly, finding Ben lurking in the pressure right behind that unfamiliar mouth. Then he dipped his gaze down and smiled at Val. "Well?" he asked. "Can you tell it's us, yet?"

[momslilassassin]

Val gurgled a bit to herself and settled in against Ender. That part had felt familiar.

[endsthegame]

"I'm glad to hear it," Ender said, laughing a little. He cradled her with one arm and settled in more comfortably, running his fingers gently along her tiny arm.

[momslilassassin]

Ben kissed Ender's cheek and settled in against the pillows, content.

[endsthegame]

Ender curled up against him, Val still cradled firmly into his arms.

He relaxed.

[momslilassassin]

"This is better," Ben murmured. "But I still think we need to move."

[endsthegame]

That got him a squint. "Well, I'm not moving right now," Ender said. "I just got comfortable."

[momslilassassin]

Ben smiled. "Not now, but July."

[endsthegame]

"I'm okay with that," Ender said softly. "The question is, are you?"

[momslilassassin]

"I'll get there," Ben said, chewing his lower lip. "I want what's best for Val."

[endsthegame]

"I know you do," Ender said quietly. "I just want you to know I'm here if you want to talk about it. You don't need to bottle it up."

[momslilassassin]

"I know," Ben said, resting his head against Ender's free shoulder. "I love you so much."

[endsthegame]

"I know you look forward to this each year," Ender said. "I know you miss them."

[momslilassassin]

"I'll see most of the people I want to at Jaina's wedding," Ben said. "It'll be okay."

[endsthegame]

Ender nodded. "You want me to stay at home with her while you go to that?" he asked.

[momslilassassin]

Ben shook his head. "I think we can all go and we can leave Val with the nanny droid, who doesn't freak her out and is also very heavily armed."

Because of course it was.