Clear As Mud
AN: I own nothing in this story. This is for Queen Alla so enjoy! Please R&R.
Elena pressed her back against the side of the house swiftly, brown eyes narrowing as they searched for her target. Exhaling, she jumped out from her cover and aimed. She was about to turn around and search the other side of the house when she felt a barrel press against her back.
She was doomed.
Her assailant started giggling then and pulled the trigger, soaking Elena with water.
"I got you Mommy!" Elena turned her head and grinned down at her eight year old daughter.
"You sure did Revy." The little girl beamed up at her but soon donned an oh so serious expression on her face.
"Where's daddy?"
"I don't know honey but how about we team up to get him, 'kay?" Revy nodded quickly, her long red hair moving with the motion. It was an unusual shade of red. It was more muted than Reno's and at times seemed almost black. Revy's brown eyes looked around.
Her father was a tricky one.
The pair were just checking around the trampoline when they were sprayed from above. Looking up, the mother and daughter saw Reno perched on the roof, a smirk lighting up his face.
"You guys are making this too-but the red head's boast was cut off when he saw his daughter's angry face.
"Daddy you cheated!" Revy roared, pointing up at him with all her might. The Turk slid down from the roof and landed on his feet with all the gracefulness of a cat. Revy stomped up to him and gave her best impression of her mother's 'you're in trouble' glare.
Elena started to laugh at how serious Revy was taking all of this but as her daughter turned the glare in her direction, Elena sobered up and walked up beside her daughter, her own eyes narrowed at Reno.
"What are we going to do with him?" Elena asked. Revy tugged on her jeans then and Elena leaned down.
"Let's put him in the mud pit," the child whispered in her ear.
The mud pit had been created in their backyard one day when Reno decided to barbecue. Needless to say his efforts ended up scorching a large patch of grass where nothing would grow. The Turk had been banned from ever touching a grill again.
Elena nodded at her daughter's suggestion and the two broke apart, looking at Reno.
"Daddy you're going in the mud, got it?" Reno sighed and nodded his head. As he was led towards the pit by Revy, he leaned close to Elena.
"I hope you know she gets her bossy attitude from you," he whispered.
"And consider this payback for switching my perfume with skunk spray last week," Elena shot back. Reno hung his head at that.
He was doomed.
Luckily it was hot outside and as Reno lowered himself into the mud, he released a calming sigh.
"Revy, you should get in here, it's fun!" Revy's face lost it's stern look from earlier at the word fun and she blinked her eyes rapidly.
"Really?"
"Yeah and people actually take baths in mud, did you know that?" Now Revy's eyes were wide and she looked up at Elena.
"Is that true Mommy?"
"It is, but you shouldn't go in the- but Elena was cut off at the sight of Revy jumping in the pit with her father. "Why do I even bother?" Elena murmured to herself. But she couldn't keep the grin from her face as she watched the two of them start splashing each other with mud.
"Mommy, come in with us!" Revy called out.
"The mud's fine Elena, trust me!" Reno joined in. When the only response they got was a raised blond eyebrow, the two looked at each other before turning back to Elena, pouts turned up to 11.
She tried to resist, she really did, but Turk training didn't include how to make you immune to pouting. So Elena walked up to the edge of the pit and put one bare foot in.
"It's not a hot tub Laney," Reno said. His hand wrapped around her foot and pulled her in then. Elena's head ducked below the surface and she came up sputtering mud.
"Mommy you look pretty," Revy said, grinning while spattering mud in her hair.
"I bet I do," Elena said dryly. Reno chose that moment to splash her with some mud and soon the entire family was in an all out mud war, shrieking and laughing to the sky.
Elena didn't know how much time had passed before she crawled out of the mud pit, helping her family out as well. Laying on her back, she felt Revy's and Reno's bodies laying beside her.
"That was fun mommy!" Revy said.
"It sure was. Isn't it nice to act silly once in awhile?" Reno asked, a smirk marking his lips.
"Yeah..." Elena said softly, watching the clouds drift by overhead.
Sure she was covered in mud and her clothes had seen better days but she was with her family.
And that was more important than anything else.
A deep cough came to their ears then and the family looked as one towards the tall figure standing a few feet away.
"Uncle Rude, did you know people take baths in mud?" Revy asked.
The expression on Rude's face caused Elena and Reno to start snorting with laughter and Revy soon joined in.
They certainly were a one of a kind family, Rude thought to himself.