Seasons Of Love

A Year...and Then Some

A/N - I tried so hard not to make this date night be more than one part...but when this was already over 2,000 words I just had to split it. I promise you will not be waiting long for part two! Enjoy <3

Their first wedding anniversary came and went without much celebration. Rose was just two months old at the time and they were still in their little bubble as a new family, they didn't want to interrupt their time together to go out to celebrate. And they certainly weren't ready to leave Rose with anyone else if they weren't going to be in the next room, available the second she needed them. But after leaving her with Carly at the Halloween party, even for just 20 minutes, they saw that they could do it. In every picture Carly took with Rose, she looked so happy. Sure, she fussed for a few minutes right as they left; but it took no time at all for her to return to her usual, smiley self. On top of that, they had a whole line of people waiting for their chance to spend time with Rose, all of whom were highly qualified to spend an evening taking care of her. The couple knew that their daughter would be in good hands as they had a long overdue date night.

Winter wanted to make the whole day special for his beautiful wife. They were celebrating one whole year and then some as the Fortune-Knights, a year filled with so many changes and so many sweet moments. They grew together, healed together, and became parents together. Winter may have said it every year since he and Autumn got together but he truly believed that it had been the best year of his life. That morning, Winter woke up as early as possible to set to work on his plans for the day.

Autumn had always been the late riser of the pair, allowing him plenty of time in the morning to take care of her. He would wake up at least an hour before her to warm her dressing gown in the dryer and make her favorite breakfasts before returning to the bedroom to wake her gently with a compliment and a kiss. On a few occasions, Autumn did catch him sneaking out of bed and would pull him back insisting on an extra hour of cuddles, which of course Winter would never deny her.

Ever since having Rose, waking up before his wife had become a much harder task. Even the smallest noise out of her daughter could wake Autumn from a dead sleep, making the active sleep newborn phase incredibly hard on the new mother. Many nights Winter would wake to find Autumn standing over the bassinet softly singing to Rose as she stroked the little girl's cheek or putting a gentle hand on her chest to make sure she was still breathing. But as their daughter grew out of the newborn phase and slept for longer periods of time, Autumn was starting to get more sleep as well. So now that a routine was starting to become established, Winter was determined to bring back a little of their old routine as well.

After watching Autumn put her needs last in favor of taking care of their daughter over the last few months, Winter was determined to treat Autumn like a queen. He woke up bright and early to his favorite view in the world: the woman of his dreams sleeping safe and sound in his arms. He gently brushed away the hair that was covering her face to get a better look at her, doing all he could not to wake her. He was determined to let her get as much sleep as she possibly could. As he tucked the stray locks behind her ears he was overcome by her beauty. Her hair was a mess, her face completely free of makeup, and she was wearing one of his hoodies as pajamas; no matter what she wore Winter always thought she looked amazing but this look was always his favorite. She looked completely natural, completely comfortable, and completely perfect. She looked like the love of his life.

He was pulled from his thoughts as he heard Rose stirring in her cot, quiet babbling filling the air as the little girl woke up. Winter quickly jumped from the bed to grab his daughter before she could wake Autumn.

"Shh, shh Bug. We're going to let Mama sleep a little bit more okay?"

Winter knew he would have to take Rose out of the room if he was going to let Autumn rest. Once their little girl had found her voice, she had not stopped using it. Their days were filled with the coos and giggles of their daughter, sounds that neither Winter or Autumn could get enough of. They loved sitting with her and having "conversations." They truly could understand every "word" their little one was saying to them; they could tell when she was happy, when she was about to cry, when she was hungry. As her personality was developing more it was becoming quite clear that she was her mother's daughter; her baby death stare always caused both parents to break out in fits of laughter, as it was already nearly identical to Autumn's and just as effective on anyone other than her parents. They really felt like they were getting to know their daughter and they couldn't have been more in awe of her.