His Saving Grace (Don/OFC-Emily, OCs, PG)
Written for fanfic100 prompt: Children...
Title: His Saving Grace
Pairing/Characters: Don, OMC-Kyle Eppes, OFC-Sadie Eppes (mention of Don/OFC-Emily James)
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1788
Summary: Moments like these reminded him that, more than anything, he was a good dad.
Spoilers: 6.05 - Hydra (to be safe)
Notes/Warnings: I know that I fudged the timeline a little bit but when I saw Episode 6.05 - Hydra, my inner Daddy!Don was mortified by comments made. So, we had to write this. Please see Author's Notes for additional information.
Disclaimer: If you recognize it, regrettably - it's not mine.
The house was quiet when he walked in, finding only the reading lamp on in the living room to guide his way. He’d been working long hours for a week now so this wasn’t anything new. He certainly missed the tackle of Eppes children greeting him and his wife’s warm body waiting for him at the door.
But tonight, the stillness was ok. Tonight he welcomed it. This case had been particularly trying and at the moment there was only one thing he wanted to do.
He made his way up the stairs and into the room across from the bedroom he shared with Emily. Opening the door carefully, he peeked inside. He didn’t want to wake her if she were sleeping, and sighed with relief when the light caught her eye and she turned a smile toward her daddy.
Sadie, his only daughter in a house with nine children, was just three months old. Despite her young age, Don knew she would be his saving grace tonight… even as she reached for him across the room and brought a smile to his face.
“Hey, princess,” he whispered, turning on the soft light in the corner of the room before he made his way to her crib. As soon as he peered over the rail, she began to flail her little arms and legs… so very happy to see her daddy and completely stealing his heart in the process. She reached for him again and this time, Don leaned into the crib - scooping her up into his arms and instantly pulling her into a hug against him.
“Daddy missed you,” he breathed against her skin, sinking down into the nearby chair before he pulled back to look into her beautiful face. “Daddy missed you a lot,” he cooed as he leaned forward to kiss her nose, loving the way she closed her eyes in anticipation of his warm breath against her face. He rubbed his nose against hers as he let her hands flop gently against his face before he pulled back and gave her another smile. He drew her once more to his shoulder and slowly started to rock with her, knowing that she should have been sleeping but thankful that tonight she’d been awake for him.
He closed his eyes as he rocked, resting his head against hers to keep her from rutting around and to just be close to her. And as he breathed her in, words from the past couple of days came crashing back to haunt him.
I don’t cry when I throw away a Petri dish. The words echoed through his mind and he remembered the cold stare he’d received from the man who pretended to be a concerned father. In actuality, he’d been nothing more than a scientist looking for his prize. A child he’d raised the past five years should have been like a daughter to him, but all she was to him was a science experiment. Five years old with long blonde hair and the saddest blue eyes Don had ever seen - she wasn’t just some thing in a test tube… she was a little girl and her name was CJ.
Don remembered his mortification over the man’s words. He’d just offered his condolences for the loss of a daughter, and he’d been spat at about science and years of tests and research. Just thinking about it made Don hold Sadie a little closer, kissing her temple. “I love you, Sadie… Daddy loves you so much,” he breathed, somehow knowing that she understood the words as his hand rubbed against her back. He heard her sigh contentedly and knew that she was drifting to sleep. There was absolutely nothing like this feeling… nothing like it in the whole world. His children had taught him so many things, not the least of all that life was so very precious… and it blew his mind that anyone could ever mistreat a child.
Then again, the scum bag from this particular case reminded him of another important lesson his children had taught him. He, Don Eppes, wasn’t just a father… he was a daddy. Any man could be a sperm donor but it took a real man to be there through the broken arms and broken hearts, to be the protector when his kids tested limitations and to be the comedian when his children were in tears over scraped knees and nightmares. Don held his entire world when he held his wife and his children, and as he continued to rock back and forth with Sadie in his arms, he thought about CJ.
He and his team rescued her. She was now on a plane with her mother, going somewhere that no one could touch her. CJ would smile and laugh, she would cry and have her heart broken, she would grow and learn… and through it all, she would have a mother that loved her - not because she was a successful experiment, but because CJ was her daughter. In the world of chaos he’d known for many years, he’d learned that few things mattered more than a parent’s love. The team had done a good thing that day and as he let this realization sink in, he whispered again to Sadie that he loved her even as he felt her hands instinctively clutching at his shirt as she started to sleep.
Don closed his eyes again and breathed her in. His little girl… his daughter... looking more and more like her mother every day. Man, he was going to be in trouble when the boys started calling, he chuckled to no one even as he rested his head against hers once more. He kept his eyes closed to absorb this moment with her, to just be, and to realize he was home… and his whole world was right here with him.
He didn’t rest long before he felt a pair of eyes on him and he looked up to see his fifteen month old son, Kyle, standing in the doorway to the nursery. His little red sleeper covered him all the way to his toes as he stood there with his favorite bear in one hand while the other rubbed at his sleepy eyes.
“Hey buddy,” Don sighed, wondering how Kyle had escaped the confines of his bed. “What are you doing awake?” he asked, his tone tender as he pulled one arm away from Sadie to open it for his youngest son.
Don watched Kyle take slow steps into the room, his bear nearly dragging the floor behind him as he walked toward his dad. With Sadie against his shoulder and Kyle trustingly coming to him, Don felt his heart swell with a love like he never imagined… the same love he felt every time he and Emily welcomed a new child into the family and the same love that grew and grew until he thought surely he’d just explode one day. Yet, he never did. Just one more lesson his children had taught him - there was always more room for love in a father’s heart… no matter how full he believed it to be.
“Did you and Teddy come to check on Sadie?” he asked when Kyle was halfway into the room.
He watched Kyle rub his eyes again as he shook his head and continued his trail. Don tilted his head as a thought occurred to him before he smiled, “Did you and Teddy come to check on daddy?”
Kyle had just put his little hand on Don’s knee when he nodded, looking up at his dad with tired eyes.
“You came to check on me?” Don asked with emotion in his voice as his heart melted for what had to be the billionth time in his life since he met the mother of his children. Kyle nodded again as he tried to climb up on Don’s lap. He wasn’t quite big enough just yet so with one scoop of his strong arm, Don picked Kyle up and sat him on his lap without even disturbing Sadie.
He wrapped a comforting arm around his youngest boy, his little caretaker, as Kyle moved to rest his head against Don’s chest. Don had to close his eyes as he felt grateful tears warming his face. Moments like these reminded him that, more than anything, he was a good dad. He saw it whenever his kids looked at him. There was no disdain, no fear. Even when he told his kids no and they swore they hated him, there was only complete love and trust shining back at him. That meant he was a good man and to him there was nothing more important than being that good man for his wife and all the children they had.
“Daddy’s better now,” Don sighed when he saw Kyle looking up at him with what he knew was concern. “I just missed you so much,” he added, hugging his son to him.
“Her too?” Kyle asked reaching out a hand to touch his sister’s foot, curled under her as she rested on Don’s shoulder.
“Yeah, Sadie too,” Don chuckled, hugging Kyle just a little tighter. He was the youngest boy, but he always looked out for his little sister. Hell, he looked out for all his older brothers and Emily too when Don wasn’t there. “And I missed mommy, and Danny and Seth and Jake and Ryan and Zach and Craig… and… I even missed Riley too,” he kidded, knowing full well he loved Riley as much as any other even though Riley had proven himself to be the trouble maker.
Kyle seemed to pick up on the amusement as he chuckled too and snuggled himself a little closer to Don. “Miss,” he breathed with his eyes closing as he pulled his bear into his lap to hold on to him.
Nope, Don thought as his heart swelled with pride as it did every time he held his children. There was just nothing like this in the whole world… and he suddenly felt sorry for anyone out there who failed to understand that. He was a lucky man to have all this. His wife, his children… they were his reason for everything. They were exactly what he’d been looking for and now they were all he needed.
Don tightened his hold on each of his youngest children and continued to rock. He rocked and smiled, until both were asleep. He kept rocking and holding them, whispering to each that daddy was there. He rocked until he fell asleep with them, completely content in knowing this wasn’t the first time he’d slept in this chair… and hoping that it wouldn’t be the last.
Title: His Saving Grace
Pairing/Characters: Don, OMC-Kyle Eppes, OFC-Sadie Eppes (mention of Don/OFC-Emily James)
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1788
Summary: Moments like these reminded him that, more than anything, he was a good dad.
Spoilers: 6.05 - Hydra (to be safe)
Notes/Warnings: I know that I fudged the timeline a little bit but when I saw Episode 6.05 - Hydra, my inner Daddy!Don was mortified by comments made. So, we had to write this. Please see Author's Notes for additional information.
Disclaimer: If you recognize it, regrettably - it's not mine.
The house was quiet when he walked in, finding only the reading lamp on in the living room to guide his way. He’d been working long hours for a week now so this wasn’t anything new. He certainly missed the tackle of Eppes children greeting him and his wife’s warm body waiting for him at the door.
But tonight, the stillness was ok. Tonight he welcomed it. This case had been particularly trying and at the moment there was only one thing he wanted to do.
He made his way up the stairs and into the room across from the bedroom he shared with Emily. Opening the door carefully, he peeked inside. He didn’t want to wake her if she were sleeping, and sighed with relief when the light caught her eye and she turned a smile toward her daddy.
Sadie, his only daughter in a house with nine children, was just three months old. Despite her young age, Don knew she would be his saving grace tonight… even as she reached for him across the room and brought a smile to his face.
“Hey, princess,” he whispered, turning on the soft light in the corner of the room before he made his way to her crib. As soon as he peered over the rail, she began to flail her little arms and legs… so very happy to see her daddy and completely stealing his heart in the process. She reached for him again and this time, Don leaned into the crib - scooping her up into his arms and instantly pulling her into a hug against him.
“Daddy missed you,” he breathed against her skin, sinking down into the nearby chair before he pulled back to look into her beautiful face. “Daddy missed you a lot,” he cooed as he leaned forward to kiss her nose, loving the way she closed her eyes in anticipation of his warm breath against her face. He rubbed his nose against hers as he let her hands flop gently against his face before he pulled back and gave her another smile. He drew her once more to his shoulder and slowly started to rock with her, knowing that she should have been sleeping but thankful that tonight she’d been awake for him.
He closed his eyes as he rocked, resting his head against hers to keep her from rutting around and to just be close to her. And as he breathed her in, words from the past couple of days came crashing back to haunt him.
I don’t cry when I throw away a Petri dish. The words echoed through his mind and he remembered the cold stare he’d received from the man who pretended to be a concerned father. In actuality, he’d been nothing more than a scientist looking for his prize. A child he’d raised the past five years should have been like a daughter to him, but all she was to him was a science experiment. Five years old with long blonde hair and the saddest blue eyes Don had ever seen - she wasn’t just some thing in a test tube… she was a little girl and her name was CJ.
Don remembered his mortification over the man’s words. He’d just offered his condolences for the loss of a daughter, and he’d been spat at about science and years of tests and research. Just thinking about it made Don hold Sadie a little closer, kissing her temple. “I love you, Sadie… Daddy loves you so much,” he breathed, somehow knowing that she understood the words as his hand rubbed against her back. He heard her sigh contentedly and knew that she was drifting to sleep. There was absolutely nothing like this feeling… nothing like it in the whole world. His children had taught him so many things, not the least of all that life was so very precious… and it blew his mind that anyone could ever mistreat a child.
Then again, the scum bag from this particular case reminded him of another important lesson his children had taught him. He, Don Eppes, wasn’t just a father… he was a daddy. Any man could be a sperm donor but it took a real man to be there through the broken arms and broken hearts, to be the protector when his kids tested limitations and to be the comedian when his children were in tears over scraped knees and nightmares. Don held his entire world when he held his wife and his children, and as he continued to rock back and forth with Sadie in his arms, he thought about CJ.
He and his team rescued her. She was now on a plane with her mother, going somewhere that no one could touch her. CJ would smile and laugh, she would cry and have her heart broken, she would grow and learn… and through it all, she would have a mother that loved her - not because she was a successful experiment, but because CJ was her daughter. In the world of chaos he’d known for many years, he’d learned that few things mattered more than a parent’s love. The team had done a good thing that day and as he let this realization sink in, he whispered again to Sadie that he loved her even as he felt her hands instinctively clutching at his shirt as she started to sleep.
Don closed his eyes again and breathed her in. His little girl… his daughter... looking more and more like her mother every day. Man, he was going to be in trouble when the boys started calling, he chuckled to no one even as he rested his head against hers once more. He kept his eyes closed to absorb this moment with her, to just be, and to realize he was home… and his whole world was right here with him.
He didn’t rest long before he felt a pair of eyes on him and he looked up to see his fifteen month old son, Kyle, standing in the doorway to the nursery. His little red sleeper covered him all the way to his toes as he stood there with his favorite bear in one hand while the other rubbed at his sleepy eyes.
“Hey buddy,” Don sighed, wondering how Kyle had escaped the confines of his bed. “What are you doing awake?” he asked, his tone tender as he pulled one arm away from Sadie to open it for his youngest son.
Don watched Kyle take slow steps into the room, his bear nearly dragging the floor behind him as he walked toward his dad. With Sadie against his shoulder and Kyle trustingly coming to him, Don felt his heart swell with a love like he never imagined… the same love he felt every time he and Emily welcomed a new child into the family and the same love that grew and grew until he thought surely he’d just explode one day. Yet, he never did. Just one more lesson his children had taught him - there was always more room for love in a father’s heart… no matter how full he believed it to be.
“Did you and Teddy come to check on Sadie?” he asked when Kyle was halfway into the room.
He watched Kyle rub his eyes again as he shook his head and continued his trail. Don tilted his head as a thought occurred to him before he smiled, “Did you and Teddy come to check on daddy?”
Kyle had just put his little hand on Don’s knee when he nodded, looking up at his dad with tired eyes.
“You came to check on me?” Don asked with emotion in his voice as his heart melted for what had to be the billionth time in his life since he met the mother of his children. Kyle nodded again as he tried to climb up on Don’s lap. He wasn’t quite big enough just yet so with one scoop of his strong arm, Don picked Kyle up and sat him on his lap without even disturbing Sadie.
He wrapped a comforting arm around his youngest boy, his little caretaker, as Kyle moved to rest his head against Don’s chest. Don had to close his eyes as he felt grateful tears warming his face. Moments like these reminded him that, more than anything, he was a good dad. He saw it whenever his kids looked at him. There was no disdain, no fear. Even when he told his kids no and they swore they hated him, there was only complete love and trust shining back at him. That meant he was a good man and to him there was nothing more important than being that good man for his wife and all the children they had.
“Daddy’s better now,” Don sighed when he saw Kyle looking up at him with what he knew was concern. “I just missed you so much,” he added, hugging his son to him.
“Her too?” Kyle asked reaching out a hand to touch his sister’s foot, curled under her as she rested on Don’s shoulder.
“Yeah, Sadie too,” Don chuckled, hugging Kyle just a little tighter. He was the youngest boy, but he always looked out for his little sister. Hell, he looked out for all his older brothers and Emily too when Don wasn’t there. “And I missed mommy, and Danny and Seth and Jake and Ryan and Zach and Craig… and… I even missed Riley too,” he kidded, knowing full well he loved Riley as much as any other even though Riley had proven himself to be the trouble maker.
Kyle seemed to pick up on the amusement as he chuckled too and snuggled himself a little closer to Don. “Miss,” he breathed with his eyes closing as he pulled his bear into his lap to hold on to him.
Nope, Don thought as his heart swelled with pride as it did every time he held his children. There was just nothing like this in the whole world… and he suddenly felt sorry for anyone out there who failed to understand that. He was a lucky man to have all this. His wife, his children… they were his reason for everything. They were exactly what he’d been looking for and now they were all he needed.
Don tightened his hold on each of his youngest children and continued to rock. He rocked and smiled, until both were asleep. He kept rocking and holding them, whispering to each that daddy was there. He rocked until he fell asleep with them, completely content in knowing this wasn’t the first time he’d slept in this chair… and hoping that it wouldn’t be the last.