Work Text:
Alan Grant had never been a gambling man. At the moment, however, he was sure that if he bought a lottery ticket, he'd win the jackpot. At the moment, Alan Grant considered himself the luckiest man alive. At some point in his life, he'd sworn he'd never have kids. He'd be the last of his breed. There was no need to bring any little Alan Grants into the world, at least in his eyes. In truth, he'd never even considered it. Until he'd fallen head over heels with a certain Ellie Sattler. Even then, he'd been adamant that he would never be able to help her fulfill her dreams of marriage, settling down and children.
And then they'd gone to Jurassic Park, and everything changed. They'd barely made it out alive. The physical and mental scars they bore permanent reminders of how close they'd come to losing each other. He'd warmed up to the idea of maybe one day evolving thanks to Lex and Tim Murphy. Within nine months he'd had the guts to get on one knee and asked Ellie to marry him, and much to his surprise she'd said yes.
Now, a little over a year later, Alan leaned on the doorframe of their bedroom. They'd moved into a new house a few months prior, and the domestic feel of it all had grown on Alan just a bit.
He couldn't help but smile as he looked on at Ellie feeding their daughter, heart fluttering in his chest. He looked at them and felt like everything was alright in the world. At some point he'd thought he would never be cut out to be a father, but now? Their daughter had been with them for less than a day and he'd already give anything for her. If only he had the guts to hold her.
He let out a soft sigh as he wiped suddenly sweaty palms on his khakis.
Apparently, it wasn't quietly enough as Ellie lifted her head, quirking an eyebrow at him slightly as she smiled at him. "Why are you smiling at me like that?" she asked him.
He blinked twice and shook his head slightly. "I just...like lookin' at ya" he said. "Can't believe this is all real"
She chuckled. "Believe it Alan, it's real" she said as she beckoned him to come over. He walked over, standing beside the bed. He couldn't help but give her his lopsided smile. "You're so beautiful..." he muttered. "And she is too" he said, looking over at their newborn daughter. He noticed the way she smiled at him, eyes bright and yet slight tiredness at the corners.
"You should rest" he said as he watched her move their daughter to a more comfortable position as she slept in her arms. "I'm fine" Ellie responded, voice slightly airy.
"She's not going anywhere love" he said with a chuckle. "You should sleep. Restore your strength"
She shook her head. "I don't think I'm quite ready to let her go just yet, honey" she said. "It's all so surreal. Like holding a newly unearthed fossil. But you know that"
He chuckled. "Not really" he said softly, and she raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Of course you...oh my god" she said with a gasp. "Alan, have you even held her yet?" she asked, and his heart somersaulted in his chest as he shook his head. She let out a half-groan. "Alan!"
"It's alright!" he said quickly. "Ya don't have to worry, she's comfortable in your arms already there's no reason-" Ellie pulled him towards her. "Get in this bed right now" she said, voice serious. "Ellie, I don't think-"
"Alan Michael Grant so help me if you don't get into this bed right now so you can hold your daughter-"
"Our daughter" he said as he quickly moved to slide beside her. She turned and gave him an exasperated look. "You foolish man, what am I ever going to do with you?" she muttered as she shook her head. She motioned for him to sit up like she was and made sure his arms were positioned correctly before turning to look at him. "Ready?" she asked him. "As I'll ever be" he said as she transitioned their daughter from her arms to his.
He held his breath as Ellie settled their daughter’s little head in the crook of his arm. “See?” She whispered as she laid her head on his shoulder, placing her hand gently on his bicep.
He was still as he could be, afraid to even breathe. Every muscle in his body tensed up as he looked down at their perfect daughter.
“Alan, honey, you can breathe” he felt her whispering in his ear and he let out a stuttering breath as their daughter stirred just slightly in his arms before settling in without opening her eyes.
And then Alan felt it. A warmth that started in the middle of his chest and it spread to his entire body. And he realized that he was utterly and completely in love.
”What’s it like?” He heard Ellie whisper as she pressed a kiss to his jaw. He moved his right arm to slowly wrap around Ellie’s shoulders, one of her arms coming up under his as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
“Like…like I’m holdin’ the world in my arms”