Title: Beautiful Mother
Characters: Cady, Pete, and baby Townshend, John Entwistle
Word Count: 1,552
Rating: PG [cuteness]
Warnings/Spoilers/Summary: It's Mother's Day, 1969, and The Who are on tour. Pete and Cady's firstborn is two months old and Cady is suffering from some baby blues. Contains spoilers.


May 11, Detroit

Curled on her side in bed, Cady gently caressed her infant daughter’s head. The baby wiggled slightly but remained sleeping. Not wanting to roll out of bed any more in that moment though than she did any other time, Cady remained mostly motionless. Tucking her hand back under the pillow, she sighed as she gazed at Audrey. While she truly was amazed at how perfect her baby was, she could not help the darkness she felt at the edge of her soul. Some days it threatened to consume her, and she would be lying if she said that alone did not worry her.

Cracking the door to the hotel room open, Pete peered in at his wife. Though he could not clearly see her face, he could feel the weight of the room pressing upon him. Biting his bottom lip and glancing down at the tea tray in his hands, he nudged the door fully open and headed towards the bed. Quietly sliding the tray onto the nightstand behind her, he kicked off his slippers and crawled into bed behind her. His arms quickly encircled her, his lips touching her bare upper arm. Cady leaned back against him but did not speak.

“My love,” he breathed, “it pains me so greatly that you are so sad. What can I do to make you feel better?”

“I don’t… I don’t know, Pete,” she whispered. “We have a beautiful, beautiful little girl. And you have been such a wonderful husband and father. I don’t know… what’s wrong with me.”

“There is nothing wrong with you, Cady. You are beautiful and the most loving woman I have ever known. You’re just adjusting to our changed life since Audrey’s birth. All mothers go through it. And I know, without a doubt, that you are going to be the best mother our little girl could have,” he declared. “I see it whenever you hold her, nurse her, and kiss her. It’s okay to be unsure, Cady, but you are not alone. We will figure this out together. I promise.”

Her arms covered his and she squeezed his hands tightly, “I love you, Pete.”

“I love you too, mama,” he kissed her ear. “And I brought you breakfast.”

She turned in his arms so that her eyes could look into his, “You are so good to me.”

He smiled, “I can do nothing else.”



With a bouquet of woody peach blossoms and yellow acacia blossoms, John entered the hotel lobby. Having already spoken with his mother at length on the phone, he could only think of one other mother in his life that deserved his affection. Presuming Pete had bestowed a more traditional floral arrangement upon her, it had been simple to choose the woody bouquet instead. He did not know what drew him to the flowers, but they seemed to speak to him, of Cady, so it was a simple purchase.

Stepping fully into the lobby, John halted, a smile lighting his face. Half facing the back window overlooking the hotel garden, Cady rocked in a rocking chair Pete had procured on their first night in Detroit. He could just barely see the reflection of baby Audrey in the window, happily nursing at her mother’s breast, though hidden mostly from view with a small blanket. It was such a precious moment, he was loath to interrupt, but he also did not want to remain standing where he was, watching without being noticed.

“I don’t think there has ever been a more beautiful mother in all of creation,” John stated softly.

Cady glanced over her shoulder at him, “I don’t know about that.”

Setting the bouquet on a nearby table as he approached her, John knelt beside her, his fingers reaching up to caress the baby’s head, “I am certain of it.”

She quickly glanced away. John’s hand left Audrey and covered Cady’s, squeezing gently. Her eyes did not return to his.

“Cady…” he muttered, still squeezing her hand. “What’s wrong?”

“John…”

His fingers curled under hers and he pulled her hand towards him after making certain her other hand supported the baby. He kissed her hand gently, an action that drew her eyes back to him. His heart sank with the confirmation that tears glistened on her cheeks. John quickly stood, pulling his hand from hers. Without pause, he wiped the tears from her cheeks before they dripped onto the baby and kissed her forehead.

“Why do you cry, beautiful?” he asked softly before quickly pulling a footstool over so he could sit next to her.

“I can’t… I can’t do this, John,” she muttered.

“Can’t do what, Cade?”

“Be a mother.”

“But, Cady,” he reached over and caressed Audrey as she continued to suckle at her mother’s breast, “you are a mother. There is no doubting that.”

“I don’t think… I don’t think I can raise her… be responsible for her… I…”

“Cade… you are going to be an excellent mum to Audrey. I do not doubt it for a moment. You are an excellent wife to Pete and an excellent friend to me. And I can see that you love her very much. You are going to be an excellent mum,” he assured her.

“But–”

“You’re going to be an excellent mum, Cade. Trust me,” John stated.

Her eyes held his for a long moment before glancing down at the babe at her breast, “I trust you, John.”

“Good,” he grinned, holding his hands out. “Let me see my beautiful goddaughter.”

Nodding she eased the baby off her breast and slipped her into John’s hands before quickly fixing her shirt and offering him a blanket to burp the baby on. He kissed the baby before shifting her to lean against his shoulder as he rubbed and softly patted her back. Watching her best friend take care of her daughter brought a smile to Cady’s face. It was almost as touching as Pete interacting with Audrey.

Seemingly the thought of him, conjured him, for Pete stepped into the lobby a moment later. His eyes darted from his mate to his wife and he smiled. He did not know what John had said nor done to lighten the weight of the room, but something had changed ever so slightly.

“Hello, mate,” he greeted John, softly patting his free shoulder.

“Oh, hello, Pete,” John moved to hand the baby to him.

Pete shook his head and stepped around to fully face his wife. With little pause, he leaned down and kissed her fully on the mouth, making the chair rock back slightly in the motion. As he pulled out of the kiss, their eyes met and she smiled slightly. Pete kissed her again briefly on the lips before showering her face with quick kisses. She smiled a bit more.

“Dinner is ready, love,” he muttered softly.

“You weren’t cooking, Pete,” she pointed out.

“Correct,” he held out his hands to help her up. “I picked it up. From a place like your favorite restaurant.”

“You shouldn’t have. I could have cooked us some–”

“Nonsense. It’s Mother’s Day,” Pete interjected. “I haven’t let you do anything all day. Do you really think I was going to let you make dinner? I think even John would agree that wouldn’t be right.”

John smirked, getting to his feet with the baby still in his arms, “He’s right, Cade. And this is my cue to sneak out after tucking this little beauty in her bed.”

“I can take her,” Cady reached out for Audrey.

He shook his head, “Go eat your romantic dinner with Pete. I’ll tuck Audrey into her crib and stay with her.”

“But–”

“Happy Mother’s Day, mum,” John kissed her cheek, keeping the baby out of her reach. “Go enjoy it.”

“The crib is in our room,” Pete stated, tugging Cady towards the dining room.

Nodding the bassist headed out of the room before Cady could protest any more. Giving in, she accompanied Pete into the dining room, where he had already plated their meal from the French restaurant. John did as he promised, laying the baby in her cradle in their suite and sitting in a nearby chair.

Midway through the meal, Pete noticed Cady fidgeted and kept glancing towards the elevator. With a smirk, Pete wiped his mouth with his napkin and set it on the table before getting to his feet. He held his hand out to his wife, smiling sweetly at her. Wordlessly she set down her fork and slipped her hand in his. They headed to the hotel room without a word spoken. Pete opened the door quietly and clicked on a small lamp nearby, rather than the bright overhead. Without pause, Cady released his hand and headed directly over to the cradle, her fingers curving around the edge as she gazed down at their sleeping daughter, completely ignoring John as he slipped out the room, only pausing to silently shake Pete’s hand.

Pete stepped up behind her, slipping his arms around her waist, “She looks so much like you, so beautiful.”

Cady leaned back against him slightly, “I still cannot get over the fact that we created her.”

“That was the second best day of my life, when she was born.”

“What was the first?” she asked softly.

“Marrying you.”