*Runze's POV*
Bael's chest behind me and the impossibly small, delicate body resting against my heart hold me anchored to this moment. Every muscle in my body aches with a deep, bone-weary exhaustion, but the fragile weight cradled in my arms makes every tear, every agonizing contraction, and every second of pain fade into insignificance.
I gaze down at her tiny, delicate face flushed a soft pink, her chest rising and falling in steady, fast rhythms. A fine fuzz of dark hair clings to her scalp, so much like Bael's.
Slowly, carefully, I lift a trembling hand, tracing the soft curve of her cheek with the pad of my thumb.
"Thank you..." I whisper, my hoarse voice cracking on a breathless laugh. "Thank you for coming to us."
Bael tightens his arms around both of us, resting his jaw against the crown of my head, his steady breath enveloping our small world. "She's real, Runze. You brought her home."
