**Author's Note!**

600 READS!!!!!!!! I'm ecstatic- I honestly never thought I'd get one read on this -or any- story, and I can't even begin to describe how happy I am! You guys mean the world to me, everything you do, whether it be reading passively or commenting with every chapter, all the support you've given me this whole time is honestly so amazing! I love you all, and I mean every one of you (yes you, the person who is reading this!) and if I make you a quarter of how happy you make me with these stories than I can feel truly proud. It feels like only yesterday (and it was only a week ago) I was screaming because I had 500 reads, and now I have over 600?! What is this! This is just so amazing and I can't stress that enough! The thought that 600 people (I know it isn't actually 600) liked this strange story of mine is just astonishing. Thank you all so much for being the WONDERFUL people you are!

And now, gush over, (is it ever really over though?) enjoy!

October 14th, 2026- 5 Months Later- 9 Months Old-

Otabek's POV 1st Person

"Bye Sacha!" Yuri calls as I push him out the door, shutting it firmly behind us. "Beka-" He begins but I cut him off,

"No," I tell him, "You are going. We decided this months ago, you can't back out now." 

"I'm sure they wouldn't mind-" He tries but is silenced by my raised eyebrow. He's been invited by the Skate Canada coordinators, as someone who's won the event 6 times consecutively, to award the winners their medals and do a meet and greet thing with his fans, because, although he's not competing this season, the Yuri's Angels are still very much active.

"They requested you especially, they will definitely mind." He chews his lip, knowing that I'm right but really not wanting to leave. "Look," I tell him, putting a hand on his shoulder, "It'll be fine, Sacha won't even know you're gone,"

"I know that," He says hesitantly, "But still- what if something happens?" 

"Nothing will happen," I reassure him, "You'll only be gone three days. Sacha will be fine, I promise," When he looks dubious I add, "Yuri, I'm perfectly capable of taking care of my own daughter," He sighs,

"You are," He agrees, "But I still worry, she's crawling now and you know how difficult she can be, I couldn't do it on my own,"

"You could," I tell him firmly, "And I can. I promise you, it'll be like you never left. Plus-" I say, looking briefly inside the house, "You deserve a break, relax and enjoy it," He nods, looking a bit more confident after my reassurances.

"I guess," He says, then, glancing at the waiting taxi, "I love you," He hugs me and I respond by giving him a quick kiss,

"Bye," I say as he turns to go, suitcase in hand, and get a wave in return. Once the cab is out of sight, I head back inside, closing the door behind me. "Sacha," I call as I pick her up from the playpen, "Looks like it's just you and me now," She gurgles happily and her hands make little fists as she tugs on the collar of my shirt.

Taking the cue, I kneel down and set her gently on the playmat on the living room floor. She touches the soft fabric experimentally for a second, before recognizing her location and turning her attention to me, expectant. I sit down next to her and bring out the small basket of toys from under the coffee table, setting them around her so she can choose which one she wants to play with. She selects a plush grey elephant and pets it gently, making a face of deep concentration. I chuckle slightly as she grabs one of her stackable blocks and puts it on the elephant's head. It falls off and she looks confused, repeating the process several times until she seems to accept that it won't work and tries (successfully this time) placing it on another block. She smiles once this works and claps her tiny hands, setting another block on top of the others. 

Eventually, when the pile becomes higher than I deem safe, I dismantle it and divert her attention instead to a board book. She allows herself to be distracted from her goal of making a block stack higher than she is tall (if she was standing) and reaches a hand out to touch the images on it. I pull her into my lap and open the book, pointing at the pictures and saying the words aloud, overenunciating each one. At nine months old, Sacha's on the verge of talking, making little sounds without any meaning and trying to request what she wants verbally. Naturally, she hasn't yet accomplished it, and Yuri and I are eagerly hurrying along her progress, excited about what her first word will be. Right now, though, she stares at me as if I've lost my mind.

I sigh slightly, and continue on with the book, enjoying her reaction to the cow on the next page. "Mmaaoo," She says pawing at the black and white mammal. I laugh,

"Close. Moo," She stares fixated at the animal on the page, "Cows say moo," I tell her and get a blank look in return. I chuckle softly and shake my head, moving my hand next to hers to point at the object of fascination.

This is basically what our day consists of, an alternating schedule of feeding, playing, and napping. Yuri and I have gotten lucky- the sleep deprivation is relatively over. Sacha started sleeping through the night around a month ago and we're eternally grateful.

We end the day with a bath (which she hates, and I feel endlessly guilty for putting her through) and another book before going to bed. I set her down in the crib and watch as she drifts off, tired from her escapades in the baby-tub. The look on her face is so sweet, lips slightly parted and eyelashes fluttering gently. I take a picture for Yuri before heading off to sleep.

*** Two Days Later***

Sacha sits in her high chair, happily eating cheerios by herself as I drink my coffee. Earlier, I tried to get her to eat some mashed carrots, and she spat it all over me, so I'm content to let her eat the cereal without any interference. 

Soon, she signals that she's done, and, after wiping her face and hands, sticky with the crystallized sugar from the snacks, I lift her from the chair in which she's seated and place her on the playmat in the living room. I give her her toys and start to play with her as I normally do when my phone rings. I check the caller ID, and, finding it's Yuri, walk a few paces into the kitchen to take the call. I'd put on the Teletubbies for my daughter and it would be hard to hear him in the living room. Glancing over my shoulder to find Sacha playing happily right where I left her, I answer the call, content that she'll be okay for a few moments without supervision. She's nine months old, what's the worst she could do?

"Hey," I say into the phone, "How's the competition going?" 

"Fine," Yuri replies, "It's kind of irritating though, the skaters keep coming up to me- it's like they've never seen an Olympian before," I laugh, "So," He continues, "How's Sacha?" I look over my shoulder at my daughter on her place on the pink blanket, but find it empty. 

Fuck.

"Beka?" Yuri's worried by my audible intake of breath.

"Sorry, yeah," I trip over my words, "She's fine," I lie, "I just put her down for a nap though, so I don't think I should wake her," I say this while looking all around me. Where the hell could she be?!

"A nap? Now?" Yuri sounds concerned, "She never naps at this time of day, is she sick?" 

"No," I say slightly too quickly, forcing my voice to remain easy and nonchalant while I cross the bridge to panic. There's no point in telling Yuri so he can have a heart attack from 12 countries away. "She just got really messy at breakfast, and when I cleaned her up she almost fell asleep, so I just let her,"

"Oh," I can tell he's relieved, "That's good. Don't let her sleep too long, it'll screw up her schedule and she only just started sleeping through the night," 

"Uh-huh, I won't," I say absentmindedly, coming into the living room and bending to look under the chairs and table for my AWOL daughter. "Uh, I've got to go, I think she's waking up,"

"Okay, bye," Yuri replies

"Bye," I hang up, tossing my phone onto the couch and surveying the room, my heart pounding. It's empty and I make my way into the hallway, wondering how on earth she could've gotten so far away so fast. "Oh, thank god," Sacha sits on the doormat, staring at the light coming in through the window as though she wants to leave the house. I hurry over to her and scoop her up in my arms, still not quite able to breathe. "How the hell..." I don't finish the sentence, knowing she can't respond. I put her firmly on my lap on the couch, knowing she can't escape. "Don't tell your dad," I mutter to her under my breath, only imagining Yuri's reaction.

***The Next Day***

"Hey!" Yuri gives me a hug as he comes into the arrivals hall. Then, taking Sasha from my arms, "I missed you," He kisses her forehead and I grab his suitcase, putting an arm around him as we leave the airport, "Was she well behaved?" He aims this question at me.

"Yep." I say firmly, looking ahead, "Her crawling skills have improved," Yuri laughs, completely, blissfully, missing the meaning of my comment.

"I bet, she's very athletic," He says and tickles her tummy, getting a giggle in return.

"Oh, she is," I reply definitively, and, getting a confused look from my husband, "I have a hunch,"