"Hi Sami! Hi baby!" Tabitha Smith cooed at her newly born daughter, lifting her out of her crib. Sami made a soft noise, and snuggled close to her mother.
The small blonde moved to the rocking chair near the crib, and sat down slowly, still snuggling the little girl. She moved her so that she was cradled in her arms, and Tabitha looked down at the infant. Sami's bright blue eyes were wide open, and she was staring at her mother.
Tabitha's lips trembled, and it was all she could do to keep from breaking down and sobbing. Her daughter's eyes were her father's…the man Tabitha loved with all her heart. The only one that reveled that love was their child, newly born.
"It isn't fair, you know that, Sami? It isn't fair that you were denied the chance to ever see your daddy. He would love you so much." Tabitha whispered to the infant.
Sami looked at her, her eyes glowing much like her father's. Tabitha sob softly, clutching the child to her body as well as she could.
"I love you so much. I do, Sami." The mother whispered, kissing her daughter's fine fuzz of auburn hair. "Do you wanna know about your-daddy?" Tabitha could barely force the word out of her mouth.
Tabitha still had trouble talking about Sam Guthrie. She still woke up crying out for him at night, just like she had every night since she had found out he was gone. Sami helped her mother's heartbrokenness, but it was always there: pulsing, black, and depthless. If she ever fell into it again, like she had those first months, she might never return.
Talking about Sam didn't help; in fact, it just made it that much worse, strange as it may be. The professor and Jean had both said they had never seen anyone mourn the way Tabitha did.
"I can't tell you." Tabitha whispered, agonized beyond words. 'I can't tell you what your father was like-I can't tell you about him. I can't…I'm so sorry…"
Tabitha hugged the baby again, kissing her gently. She trembled violently, still holding the baby. The thought that she couldn't tell her daughter about her father was so staggering, so horrifying, Tabitha was terrified that she was going to shake to pieces.
Thankfully, Demona Wagner, Rictor's girlfriend, chose that moment to poke her head in the door. Her golden eyes widened when she saw Tabitha's quaking, and she rushed to her friend's side. Gently, she took Sami, and placed her back in the crib, before turning to Tabitha.
"Tabitha…what happened?" The woman asked with her soft German accent.
"I-I can't tell her." Tabitha sobbed, burying her face in Demi's shoulder. "I can't tell her!"
"Tell who what?" Demi asked, hugging her close.
"Sami…I-I can't tell her about him. I can't tell her!" Tabitha's voice rose to a near scream, as she sobbed brokenheartedly. The other woman pulled the girl to the floor with her, worried.
Demi held the sobbing girl; rocking her back and trying to find soothing words. But none would come.
"I can't tell her…"Tabitha wept in a whisper, still crying.
"You will be able to someday, Tabitha." Was all Demi could say.