Hope - A Louisentine Story

Chapter 23

Description: The final chapter of Clem and Louis's story. As Hope's first birthday approaches, Willy and Tenn prepare a surprise for her.

Wordcount: 4309

A/N: After two and a half months, here it is. The end of my first TWDG series. I'm really proud of how this whole story turned out, and extremely grateful for the support y'all have given me and my writing over the weeks. The picture is a beautiful drawing by @clemxlouis-y on Tumblr. Go follow her and see all her amazing drawings.

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"Look! She's doing it again!" exclaimed Louis with a chuckle, looking back to his wife. On the floor of their room, Hope was slowly crawling from Clementine to Louis. She stopped every few seconds to regain her balance, giggling when she reached her father.

Over the last six months, Hope had been growing strong. Her curls now covered her ears, and her freckles were increasing in number. Her teeth were starting to grow now, causing her to wake Clem or Louis in the middle of the night. It was hard to believe she'd been with them for eleven months already.

"That's my little princess!" he said, lifting her off the ground and spinning in place. "Daddy's so proud of you."

He nuzzled Hope's nose with his own, kissing her cheek. Clem stood up and approached father and daughter, a smile on her face. She stood on tiptoes to kiss Hope's forehead.

"We're so proud of you, sweet pea," she whispered.

"You sticking with sweet pea?" Louis asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Got a problem with that, Prince Charming?" she teased with a smirk.

Louis tipped her hat upwards and shrugged. "I think it's cute," he said.

"You're cute."

Blushing, Louis handed Hope back to her mother. An autumn breeze blew through the window, making Clem shiver. Smiling down on her, Louis shrugged off his trench coat and draped it over her shoulders. Hope's tiny hands reached for the flaps on Louis's coat, rubbing her cheek against the fur lining.

Louis looked down at his daughter, a smile etched on her face. She liked doing that from time to time, mostly when they let her lay down on their bed with them. Her small body rested on Clem's chest, humming softly. Louis leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her cheek, smiling when the corners of her lips curled upwards.

Before he had a chance to stand up straight, Hope's tiny hand shot up and took hold of one of his dreads, pulling down hard. Trapped, he looked up at his wife for help, but she just shrugged.

"Daddy's gotta get out of it himself," she told him, shooting him a fleeting wink.

He rolled his eyes and worked on his daughter's fingers, whose clutch on his hair was tight. He cursed under his breath as she pulled once more. Just as he was free of her grasp, Hope mumbled something unintelligible.

"What's that, sweetie?" Louis whispered, raising an eyebrow.

Hope's eyes found her father, the afternoon sun bringing out the golden hue of her irises. "Dada," she breathed, followed by a high pitched giggle.

Louis and Clem looked at each other wide-eyed, their jaws dropping. Tears in his eyes, Louis looked down at Hope. "What did you just say?" he asked gently, cocking his head to the side. Was he going crazy?

She took a moment to stare at him, pursing her tiny lips. Deciding it was worth another go, she opened her mouth and uttered, "dada," one more time.