Stirring awake at the sound of whining, a hand stroked along your arm, a deep yet soft voice muttering a sleepy, "I've got it…" as the bed shook with the movements of your husband getting up and out of bed.

You drifted back off again, faintly aware of him soothing your baby before getting back in. He was such a good father…

The next time you awoke, it was at a more appropriate time, and to the sounds of happy gurgling and Simon making a fool of himself.

Sitting in the rocking chair by the window, Simon "Ghost" Riley, feared soldier and dead-man walking, was reading to his and your son, Tommy, in a quiet tone, using funny voices for the different characters. He lightly rocked back and forth, Tommy gently cradled in his lap, book propped open on his knee.

"– and then the bunny turned to the fox, "Quite ugly, innit?" He said about the vulture with its bald head and beady eyes. Then the fox said, "You're one to speak, with your buck-toothed grin."" Simon read, using a nasally voice for the bunny and a 'proper' voice for the fox.

Also… that didn't sound correct. Was he making things up again? He tended to do that, claiming it made Tommy's books "more interesting". He was probably doing it to make it more bearable for himself. There was only so many times he could read those baby books before losing his mind.

(If asked, Ghost would say books for babies and toddlers could be used as torture methods for interrogation.)

Waking up fully, you rolled over and saw that beautiful view. Tommy suckling on his dummy noisily, big eyes wide and naturally traumatised-looking as most babies looked, his hair a wild mess. And that wasn't even mentioning the boy's father, Simon wearing a pair of joggers and a tanktop, tattoo sleeve soaking up the sun as he lounged in the rocking chair, blonde hair equally as messy and wild.

Like father, like son, after all.

Glancing up, Ghost grinned upon seeing you were awake and watching them with soft, sleepy eyes.

"Mornin', luv." He murmurs, setting the book aside since Tommy was now cooing and reaching for you, making cute lil grabby hands. He chuckled, standing up.

"Little one wants his mummy/papa." He says as he plops down beside you, Tommy crawling over and sucking his pacifier aggressively right in your ear, the baby draping himself over your head.