You felt the little fingers curl around your own. You watched the tiny fist cover the top of your ring finger and your heart felt like it could explode.

Your watering eyes traced the tight curve of the gold and green around your finger, the same gold and green having been there for almost 2 years. They trailed up to the pink soft skin of your newborn, holding your own skin as if it was a lifeline.

You closed your eyes and let the tears that had settled in them fall.

'Hey woah.' A throaty giggle drew your eyes open again. There was a hand on your face catching your tears and wiping them.

'Sorry. Sorry. Just... so happy.' You whispered and turned your head to kiss the inside of her palm.

You looked up to see her blue eyes watering too.

'Rao I love you.' She whispered back.

'I love you too. So much. I love you. I love you.' Tears still fell down your face and you let them. The happiness needed to spill out from somewhere.

You and your wife held steady eye contact for a minute before you couldn't help but flicker them back to her. Your daughter.

'You're both the most beautiful people in the universe.' Kara murmured from where she was seated next to the hospital bed.

'Come here.' You demanded through more tears.

She floated herself up and into the bed and attached herself to you like a koala.

She nuzzled into your hair and placed one hand on your baby's head and one around your waist.

'Thank you for giving me this life.' You breathed out. It wasn't enough. You thanked Kara everyday for all she gives you and it's never enough. It never will. The gratitude you have for this alien who turned your world upside down will never waver. But she says the same to you as response. So maybe your gratitude and her gratitude levels each other out. But you look at the baby in your arms, and the ring on your hand matching the one on the hand stroking your daughters cheek, and you can't be grateful enough.