John slipped quietly out of the bedroom with the baby in his arms. She had woken up hungry, happy, and horribly, horribly wet and he decided that it was time to spend some quality time with his daughter without her mother's intervention. After taking care of her sanitary needs the little tyke slammed back a bottle of milk like a champ. John knew that it was best for the little one if he woke her mom up and let her handle the feeding naturally but mom desperately needed her sleep. The little angel looked up at John with a huge toothless smile and his heart soared. "My baby girl..." he whispered.

Placing her on his shoulder he began to pat her back and began singing softly to her.
"Are the stars out tonight?
I don't know if it's cloudy or bright
'Cause I only have eyes for yoooooooooou dearrrrrrrr..."

The little one joined in the chorus with a belch that would have rattled the windows had there been any in the vicinity. "What? You don't like that one? Here I am trying to woo my little girl and she doesn't like her daddy's singing? Let's try this one, here's a song that won your momma's heart for me." He held her in front of him and looked deep into her eyes and as romantically as possible began to sing again.

"There she was just a walkin' down the street singing
Doo waa diddy diddy dum diddy doo... hey!"

With a shriek of joy the little girl took her chubby little fist and bopped her daddy in the nose. He began tickling her until she was shrieking and trying to push his hands away. He looked at her angelic face and saw his dad, and a little of his sister, some of his mom especially those steel blue eyes, but her raven locks, her proud nose, and that million megawatt smile was all from her beautiful mommy.

He held her up under the shoulders causing her little nightshirt to ride up over her cute chubby little belly. He pressed his lips to her tummy and blew making a raspberry sound that caused her to shriek in joy again. "I zerbert you!" he said as she giggled.

"I zerbert you."

"I zerbert you."

"I zerbert you."

"Don't you think she's had enough John?" He looked up and saw Aeryn standing in the door way, her robe pulled around her, her hair askew from sleep, and a big sleepy smile on her face.

"John?" Something was wrong, she was talking but her lips weren't moving.

"John?" Suddenly his arms felt horribly empty he looked and the baby was gone! He was about to scream in horror.

"John are you all right?" He shook his head and suddenly he was back on Talyn on his bunk next to Aeryn looking out at the stars. He looked down at his empty hands and his heart broke with longing to hold that baby once more. But then deep down inside he knew he would, this was just a memory of things to come.

"John, is everything ok?" Aeryn asked again, the concern in her voice touched John deep inside and his heart soared knowing that this woman, a woman he inadvertently traveled millions of light years to meet, was the woman he will spend his entire life with.