HAVING a baby just before visiting hours when you have a lot of friends and family is asking for trouble or at least asking to be inundated. Though getting out early might be the key!

Sabine and Dave had been joined by Neville, who'd grabbed Sarah's bag and a change of clothes for Dane, and Lizzie who was here to visit Emerald – but close to going home. They were the only ones in the waiting room with everyone else on standby.

First babies take a long time to be born – mostly and so it was decided that the rest of the friends and family would "wait and see" – but young Lysander was an eager beaver and just three and a half hours after his mother made the hospital his father was cutting his umbilical cord and an hour later the little family were all back in Sarah's room.

That's when Dane made a rookie mistake and sent the picture out of Sarah and the baby. They had not long settled into the room and Sarah had managed a quick shower and a change of clothes but that was all. Soon Lizzie, Neville, Sabine and Dave were ooohing and aahing over the newborn – though Dave and Sabine left a short time later to let the two Hilditch-Huntington couples talk and bond and cry.

Neville kept shaking his head as he watched Dane and Sarah with their newborn. It was something he'd always thought inevitable but had never really thought would happen. But here they were. They'd finally made it this far and it had only taken them 17 years since that drunken night at the family home when they'd finally lost their virginity to each other – not that they knew he knew that at the time. He'd been hopeful then that they'd actually figure out they were meant to be together and of course they hadn't but then he supposed they had a lot of growing up to do back then. However as Sarah held their son and Dane starred at them like they were the moon and stars, he crossed his finger. It was nice to be a family there in the room together again, things had been tense between all of them after the accident, blames were laid even if those thoughts were never really uttered out loud. But Lysander was a new beginning the sign of a family healing – unless these two fucked it up.

Lizzie was still in a wheel chair while her pelvis healed but it was nice to see her smile, it was nice to see the two sister-in-laws looking comfortable together again. Em's lungs were finally working on their own and she was putting on weight – though he doubted she'd ever be as big as her cousin Lysander who was already eight and a bit pounds and more than 21 inches long.

"You look really happy," Neville whispered to Dane as Lizzie took the little boy from Sarah for a cuddle.

"I am," Tom hissed back.

"For the first time I feel........." he thought about the next word cautiously – "content" he finished.

"I've asked her to move in with me – just platonically at first I don't want to rush her."

Neville rolled his eyes.

"Yes because knowing and loving her since you were kids is rushing her," he sighed and Dane laughed. "This is Fox remember!"

And Neville sighed again. Yes, she was one of a kind his cousin/sister – a walking contradiction, strong and independent and yet riddled with self-doubt particularly when it came to personal relationships. He guessed it was the Aspergers but then, in that case, Dane must be well up on the spectrum too – heaven help them when Lysander started to show his true colours, he guessed the little boy was going to be a handful. But it looked like he was going to have two equally strong-willed parents to guide him. He wasn't supposed to but Neville knew what had been going on – he always did – he knew something was up with Sarah and he'd spoken to Petra and then Boyd and Dmitri, and although a little hurt she hadn't said anything – he knew why – he knew he would try to talk Fox out of it. But he also knew that it had to be her decision, no one wanted to be the person she blamed for making a decision she'd regret and no-one wanted to drive her to make the wrong decision. Everyone including Boyd and Dmitri had hoped that this would be the out-come – Dane, Sarah and Lysander together.

Mind you none of them would be easy to live with he suspected but life would never be dull – for them or those that loved them. And they all loved them – he watched Lizzie and Sarah chatting about babies (something he'd never thought he'd see) and saw Dane anxiously watching them wanting to get back to his young family, totally besotted with both his lover and their child.

"Come on!" Neville said loudly moving back over to the other side of the room where the girls were.

"I think it's time uncle Nev got to have a cuddle of this young man before his grandfather arrives and none of us gets a look in!"

Dane watched his friend with his son, holding him with the natural confidence of an experienced father and he wondered if that would ever be him. They were such stuff ups they hardly had anything prepared for the little one – mind you he hadn't played fair coming three weeks early. But he'd been checked over and he was healthy and fully developed, they were just monitoring them now.

"Oh god, you don't think the whole family will turn up?" Sarah said shifting a little on the bed and wincing, she didn't want to think about how many stitches she'd ended up with.

"We're only here until later tonight or first thing tomorrow, depending on the next medical check," she said yawning. The energy she'd found during labour, the excitement and adrenalin afterwards threatening to desert her now. She just wanted to get home, though she had nothing at home to eat and nothing at home for a baby and she didn't fancy a grocery shop just after giving birth.

"See if you can stay overnight," Lizzie said looking at her tired sister-in-law. "A bit of a sleep and support tonight and then you can start fresh in the morning."

"I hate hospitals," Sarah sighed.

"Yes I know," Lizzie laughed "I heard you broke out of here days before the doctors wanted you to!"

"There hasn't been a hospital built that can keep Sarah Huntington, and son, captive!"

Neville rolled his eyes. "Oh god there are two of you now – well," he said looking at Dane, "there were always two – now there are three – heaven help us all!"

Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Too much Huntington-Hilditch is never enough," she giggled.

"Mind you we have nothing ready, he did kind of catch us both on the hop."

Neville smiled then looking from his tiny nephew back to Sarah with a glint in his eye.

"I wouldn't worry too much about that – Dehlia and Barb were here a couple of hours ago and grabbed the spare key of your house off me – I believe they and the boys, mum and Jayne were on a mission to make sure Lysander had everything he needed, at least for the first couple of days and you can borrow my car to take him home in," Neville offered looking at Dane who nodded and thanked him but looked a little disappointed.

Maybe he thought he should be providing everything for his family, Dane could be every bit as pig-headed and independent as Sarah when he wanted to be. But he understood, understood that feeling of wanting to be in control wanted to nurture and protect your family. Neville understood it better than anyone – he'd almost lost half of his family in one horrible Sunday afternoon. Dane was still struggling to claim his, terrified of losing them.

"I wanted to take you both home to my place, it's bigger, a family home," he said looking at Sarah with big puppy dog eyes a spaniel would be proud of. With his hair a little longer and disheveled he had the look of a mournful spaniel, needing to be patted, long overdue for a walk.

"Yes but if even a whisper of this gets out, there will be press there looking for us, we won't be able to move and then the whole world will know and I know you don't want that," she said dismissively.

Hurt bloomed across his face, hurt and steely determination.

"I want the world to know Sarah," he said passionately moving towards her.

"I want everyone to know that you are my partner, that Lysander is mine, ours!"

Sarah wasn't looking at him though and her dismissive. "For now while the euphoria of the birth is still fresh let's sleep on it for a day or two let reality seep in a bit," she said, suddenly finding a spot on the wall interesting.

Dane came right up now, grabbed her hand. "Look at me Sarah," he said angrily and she did. "This!" he said moving his hand around to point to her and to Lysander sleeping in his uncle's arms. "This is my reality, you and our son, you are all that matters, my career can go to hell at the moment and when I have to work again we'll work it out, work it out so I'm not away from you too long and you're not away from me too long. I love you Fox – you and Lysander are everything."

"It can't work Will – not like that," she started but he reached down and touched her chin tipping it up to him.

"Be buggered it can't," he said and for the first time since the birth of their child, he kissed her on the lips, strong, hard and passionately.

Behind him, he heard Neville laugh and Lizzie whoop.

"Oh look who finally grew a pair! About bloody time," his sister intoned.

When he finally broke away, she looked dazed. "But," she started and he put his finger over her lips.

Her tongue inched out and licked him then and he rolled his eyes at her pulling the digit away.

"Well I could have bit it!" she said wryly as Dane wiped his finger on his shirt and Neville stifled a giggle this was vintage Will and Fox.

"Get ready for a lot of this Sander," he whispered in the oblivious baby's ear, looking over to Lizzie who was obviously enjoying the show as much as he was, they should leave them to it but........it was too entertaining.

A staring contest ensued with Dane and Sarah in perfect Mexican stand-off mode. It was something they had perfected over the years and Neville and Lizzie both wondered who would back down first, it was often Dane but maybe not today, he had a new determination they'd only ever really seen when he talked about his career. But here he was staring down the unsinkable Sarah Huntington – an immovable object and an unstoppable force.

"Fine!" Sarah said flinging up her arms in mock defeat.

"But your place is even less prepared for a family than mine – move in with me for now and we'll look at making your bachelor pad into something we can all share," she conceded.

"But only because it's bigger!"

Dane smiled, that smile that widens his face and makes his face crinkle and his eyes sparkle. He'd won the first battle and he was going to be a smug git about it and they both knew it. Just as well he also knew she loved him.

"Yes dear!" he said moving in to kiss her again, longer this time, embarrassingly long.

Neville coughed, putting Lysander back in his small crib.

"Well maybe time for us to leave Elizabeth," he said grabbing the back of his wife's wheel chair.

"We'll take a taxi – I'll text you the position of the car in the carpark," he continued taking his car keys off his key ring and leaving it on the side table as his cousin and brother-in-law (his best friends) continued to "make out" both waving but not breaking contact.

Breathlessly a minute or two later they were brought back to the here and now by a couple of little doses of reality – one biological and the other technological; one small squalling dose of humanity not happy and a phone that needed answering. Sarah took one, Dane the other.

"Hey so are you okay for tomorrow? I'll swing by to your place and pick you and Sarah up at 6 am or will you be at hers?" Mark asked.

"What for?" Dane asked.

"The program – remember!"

Shit.

A Television appearance on the BBC breakfast show about the Shakespeare Spectacular.

Shit.

Shit.

He looked to where Sarah was changing Lysander's nappy next to him on the bed, it looked like it was only wet thank god – they'd been warned about those first nappies – they were going to be scary from all accounts.

Sarah was struggling a bit, she'd practised on a doll at birthing classes but Lysander was no doll – he wasn't happy to be uncovered and he was squirming. And she could see Dane watching them, his face a cross of amusement and frustration. Lysander had picked the perfect time to arrive- not. He could almost hear his mother's voice telling him that babies always came in their own time!

"Um can you cancel?" he asked as Sarah finished and picked up the baby only to have the nappy fall straight off his too slim hips, Dane tried not to laugh, don't laugh at the hormonal woman, don't laugh at the hormonal woman.

"Cancel god no of course not – oh hell have you and Sarah had a fight?" Mark sighed and then Lysander, not happy to be put back down by his mother for round two of nappy wrap, cried.

"Oh my god," Dane's PR and friend said. "You haven't had a fight, you've had a baby, when, what – are they okay – what's happening."

Dane laughed to hear his usually unflappable friend sounding flustered.

"Yes Mark, we've had the baby, he's a little boy well he was just over eight pounds so not so little, Lysander William and he came into the world just after 5 pm," he said.

"Oh wow so what's happening now?" he asked.

"Sarah and I are waiting for the doctor to check them out again and then we're going home to her place and then we'll move into mine," he said smiling as Sarah picked up the baby – nappy intact this time and moved gingerly back on the bed, he let out a little cry and she unbuttoned her top as Dane watched, she did it almost in a perfunctory way already. Lysander cried she opened her top – Dane wondered if in a few weeks that might work for him?

"So you're together?" Mark was saying. MMMM tricky question, she'd had his baby, they'd confessed they loved each other, they'd kissed but it was never that straight forward with them.

"Excuse the double negative but we're not, not together," he answered. Mark sighed, Sarah and Tom would be the death of him. They were together but not together, lovers but not lovers. And now they had a baby. Yeah, they would be the death of him.

"So are we issuing a statement?" he asked – and Dane mouthed the word to Sarah who was probably close enough to hear. Her eyes widened in shock and she shook her head. Dane tried not to sigh, she still didn't get that he was serious about being open about their relationship, about walking red-carpets and going to awards together, about being a family.

"Can you give us thinking time?" Dane answered. "We're still processing parenthood."

Mark sighed – yep the death of him.

"So are you still going on tomorrow morning, it's kind of late to cancel and well you won't be on your own you'll have the host of the thing, David Tennant," Mark asked. It was a hell of an ask the man had just become a father, just finished a tricky shoot on the US and he was going to be exhausted but it was a five minute piece with a journo who loved him to pieces and flirted mercilessly, mmm maybe it was a good thing Sarah was coming – though she and Sarah were friends and former school mates apparently. He wouldn't be surprised if Dane said no, though it would be a first.

Dane shrugged his shoulders at Sarah and she mouthed do it. "Sure?" he mouthed back and she nodded, she'd put too much work into this and they needed it to do well.

"Yes okay, but that's it for me for a month, no interviews, no PR – I just want to spend the next month with my family," he said.

"Whipped already!" Mark laughed.

"And loving it!" Dane giggled back.

"But we will have to sort out some sort of strategy – something like this isn't going to stay hidden for too long, not if you're living together," Mark said seriously.

"Yes I know and I want people to know he's mine, I don't want to hide my family,"

"Yeah leave it with me – I'll come up with some strategies but we will need to do it sooner than later, we want to control the narrative if we can!" Mark said signing off.

"Are you sure you're okay with it?" he asked after closing off the conversation with Mark.

Lysander was on his way back to sleep having had a boob or two. It was still only the colostrum with her milk not yet fully in but it was enough to keep the newborn satisfied. Sarah yawned "yes though I think you're going to be exhausted, maybe you should sleep at your place."

Dane lifted an eyebrow.

"Not a bloody chance!" he said. "I'm in for the long haul."

Sarah yawned again.

"Speaking of tired – you've had a big day – I'll take Lysander while you have a nap – I'll wake you when the doctor comes."

"You could put his lordship in his crib and curl up with me?"

Dane stifled a yawn, spooning with Fox and catching some sleep sounded heavenly but he had phone calls to make and he told her as much as he took the baby from her.

"There's every chance I'm going to get more chance to sleep than you tonight darling!" he said looking down at the peaceful little angel in his arms and guessing he wouldn't stay that way for long.

Too tired to argue she nodded and snuggled down in the bed watching lovingly as Dane held their child until her eyes drifted shut for her first sleep since she'd given birth. Dane knew she wasn't going to sleep long so he carefully put the baby in his cot managing not to wake him and positioned himself in a chair near the window. The room was sparse, as hospital rooms are, a bed, a metallic set of draws and a little cupboard, a tray table holder, TV on the wall and two chairs. One by the bed and one by the window where he now sat looking out towards London as he made his calls.

A call to Del told him all he needed to know about what was happening at Sarah's there was quite a gathering, roasts were being cooked and baby baskets, clothes, nappies and other essentials were being brought in, in preparation for their arrival. Not only were Del and Barb there but, Dmitri, Boyd, his mother, and Jayne were all on deck too – Petra would have been there if George had let her but with Sarah going early, he wasn't taking any chances.

A phone call to his personal assistant meant he'd have clothes for tomorrow and for the next few days.

But the phone call to his dad went unanswered which meant they were in for a visit. He had hoped to put him off but given his support and excitement, Dane supposed he was due a little visit with his grandson.