By: Lady Fenix
Genre: Humor and romance
February 2003
To Nikki for insisting on dragging me along in babysitting her godddaughter. ^-^
"Usako, are you sure about this?" Mamoru asked for about the thirtieth time since they made their decision.
"Yes, Mamoru. I'm sure. Now will you stop distracting me and continue with your own packing? You're going to be very crossed if you find you only brought one pair of underwear with you." Usagi told her husband without looking up from her packing. Now lets see the diapers where packed, the wet napkins, and the toys especially the pink bunny (Chibi Usa's favorite toy). The bibs were packed as well; the soft fabric and the plastic kind. She wasn't so sure if the latter one would be required. Her daughter, she knew, hated to use that one but then again she only sat still for Usagi and Mamoru when it came to feeding. Otherwise she squirmed like an eel much to Ami's and Mako's frustration. But maybe Mina and Rei will have more luck than they.
"I'm not saying that I don't trust Mina and Rei. Its just that they've never had any experience with kids. Wouldn't it be much better if we left her with Mrs. Olsen until Ami and Zack comes back from their conference?" Mamoru asked while he absently pulled out a drawer and grabbed a handful of clothes. One of Chibi Usa's pink bibs caught by the string between Mamoru's shirts dangled in the air as he walked to the bed. Without much thought Mamoru dumped the whole content into the suitcase.
He turned to look at his wife and for the first time tonight since he got back from work, he got Usagi's undivided attention but those storming blues did not bode well for him. "Oh, oh." He thought.
"Mamoru if you don't stop worrying so much I swear I'm gonna unpack everything and let you go to this stupid cruise conference on your own! It's not as if I think this is fun. After all you are going there on business and I'm only coming along as decoration." Usagi told him and pulled the zipper on the bag close with an angry yank. Looking up she continued, "You think that its easy for me to leave her behind? She's only one year and five months old but I know how important this trip is to your career."
Seeing the hurt in her eyes, Mamoru felt like a heel. "Usako, I'm sorry." He said and gathered her into his arms. She resisted at first but then promises of comfort became to much and she clung to him. He held her close without saying a word, only kissing the top of her head now and then much for his own comfort as well as hers while she fought tears.
He knew that it wasn't just the thought of separation that caused Usagi her distress but something deeper. They never spoke about it though Mamoru wanted to, he knew Usagi did not at least not with him. He knew she talked to Ami and the others about it sometimes. While Usagi never regretted marrying him, he was aware with his whole heart that she missed her family terribly. They had not approved of him, a penniless med-student with no family. To make matters worse, he got their precious daughter pregnant and that was an unforgivable act. Despite the ultimatum they gave Usagi; them or Mamoru, she had chosen him and because that she had not seen or heard from them in over two years now. This separation while short reminded Usagi too much of loss she felt when loosing her family; a wound that has never quite healed.
Mamoru was hoping that this trip might be able to help her in that direction. He had it on good authority that a certain professor Tsukino and wife would be attending this cruise-conference also as one of the specialists in this area that the investors had invited along before they made any decisions on putting their money into the project Mamoru and a few others would launch. Had it not been for that knowledge Mamoru would never had cajoled Usagi into coming with him and leaving their daughter behind with the pretense of a make up honeymoon that he never gave her. He was hoping that time would have softened their wrath and make them realize just how much they missed their daughter, just like she had missed them.
"I'm sorry." Usagi told him after having cried out. "I know that its not easy for you either and I shouldn't have blown up at you like that. Its just that she means the world to me. You, Chibi Usa and the girls are the only family I have left and if we're going to be gone so long I really can't think of anyone taking care of her that is not family and who would love her like that. I know Mrs. Olsen is very sweet and all but…"
Mamoru reached out and helped to brush away the tears. "Schh." He said with a tender smile. "You don't have to apologize for anything, Usako. I understand. And I'm sorry for putting more worries on you. If you think Rei and Mina are the most suitable to baby-sit Chibi Usa then I'll trust your judgment."
"But not theirs?" She inquired.
Mamoru's lips drew back in a half smile. "Well face it, of the four of them those two have the most tendency to getting themselves into all sorts of weird incidents."
Usagi laughed and slipped her arms around her husband's waist. "I'm glad that you didn't choose the word accident-prone or I would have blown up at you again."
"Well I think that word is more suitable for another blonde that I know." Mamoru murmured and held her close. He grunted slightly when she playfully punched him. They looked at each other and started laughing. Soon though the laughter died out and with tenderness and love in their eyes they leant closer and shared a sweet kiss.
Wrapped in Mamoru's arms, feeling loved and cherished Usagi knew that she was one of the luckiest women on this planet. It didn't matter how long they were married. Or for how long they've known each other. Each time he held her she felt special and that they were the only two beings in the galaxy, nothing and nobody existed. She felt content and she felt happy.
She wished every woman on this planet could feel the same too. While she knew that to be a childish dream she hoped at least that her best friends would be blessed with that. Which is also what she told Mamoru as they helped to cajole Chibi Usa back to sleep later that night.
"Don't worry Usako." Giving her the smile that he only reserved for her. "From the way I see Ami and Mako I think they already have."
Usagi gave a wistful smil. "Yes they have, haven't they?" Her cornflower blue eyes took on a dreamy quality as she remembered Ami's garden wedding six months ago. "I must confess that I never thought Ami would get married before Mako. Considering how she has a tendency to analyze everything, she took the leap fast enough. I mean she only met him for three months and then wedding bells are ringing."
"Well I think its nice to see another side of Ami." Mamoru told her and congratulated himself for keeping such a straight face. He wasn't sure if Usagi would have like the fact that he had given Zack the advice to sweep the brilliant minded Ami of her feet.
Tucking the blanket more securely around their daughter's tiny body, Usagi took her husband's offered hands and rose.
"Zack truly makes her happy doesn't he?" Usagi murmured, there was no mistaking the happiness that shone in her eyes for her friend. Still holding hands the couple stepped out to the hallway leaving the door to their daughter's slightly ajar.
"That he does. Trust me, love, he won't stop doing that."
Usagi's eyes narrowed shrewdly on him. "Well he had better or you're going to be very sorry too since you're the one who introduced them."
Mamoru laughed but he could feel the nervous lump in his throat. "I'll break his bones if he makes Ami cry."
Usagi gave him a dazzling smile and raised herself up on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on his lips. "I know you will. Since you're showing so much chivalrous side tonight how about having a talk with Nate about popping the question to Mako anytime this century?"
"Now love you know how Nate hates when people meddle in his business. The more pressure he gets the more he's going to balk at the notion."
"Oh for God's sake, he's had five years. More balking and I am definitely going to advice Mako to stop wasting her time with him."
Warning bells rang in Mamoru's head. He knew from the looks in her eyes that Usagi was more than serious about it. Just what was the thing with women and marriage anyhow? Not that he had minded much to getting hitch himself but he knew that not all men shared his opinion of marriage. Nate with is share of ghosts was one of those.
Mamoru made a mental note of slipping away sometime tonight and make a phone call to Australia, where the couple were currently representing their country in figure skating. In the meantime he needed to work on distracting Usagi a little. Since friends seemed to be what she was in the mood to talk about he said, "I'm kinda surprised that you are so focused on Ami and Mako considering they each have a partner. Shouldn't you be more focused on your two single friends?"
"You know Rei. She would kill me if she knew I was matchmaking of some sort on her behalf. And Mina well I'm just never sure. She's always infatuated with someone half the time I don't know if its going to be him or not since she's always so serious about them. Face it none of the men I've introduced to them have worked out. Sofar you seem to know my friend's taste in men better than me."
She was wearing one of her forlorn looks, the one that made her look like a lost child. Mamoru felt his heart turn to mush. "Come now Usagi, I was just lucky. It was never my intention to matchmake when I introduced Nate or Zack to you girls. They just hit it off."
"Yes but you must have sensed something in them that told you they would hit off with my friends. Why would you have introduced them to us in the first place? You don't introduced all your acquaintances to us."
"They were more than acquaintance to me." Mamoru told her with a huff.
Of course she chose to ignore that. "What I'm trying to say it you have this knack for finding men that appeals to my friends. It seems like you know them better than I." Usagi's face dropped.
"Usako, that is not true and you know it. The five of you share a wonderful and special bond one that makes me quite envious. You know them far better than me. Just take this babysitting for example. I'm still a bit unsure of Rei's and Mina's suitability but you know them better than me that is why you are not worried and I'm sure everything will work out for the best."
"I'm not so sure, Mamoru."
Mamoru was getting exasperated. Since when has Usagi started to doubt her closeness with her best friends. "Okay how about if we make it a bet?"
Usagi frowned. "What kind of bet?"
"Well if Rei and Mina can handle the babysitting part, then it proves you do know them better than me. And I will invite two of my single male friends over for the Christmas party and see if Rei and Mina hit its off with them."
"Oh Mamoru thank you." Usagi breathed and launched herself into his arms. His breath was knocked out of him and he stumbled a few steps backwards moving dangerously close to the edge of the stairs.
"But what are the stakes going to be?" Usagi asked with a frown.
With pictures of them rolling down the stairs and breaking their bones still in his mind, Mamoru gave a tight smile. "How about we let the winner decide that?"
Usagi's brows lifted and a mischievous look came to her eyes. "A challenge huh? Okay it's a deal. Now lets get some sleep. Mina and Rei will be coming at six tomorrow morning to drive us to the airport."
Mamoru blinked. "Six? But love, our plane doesn't fly until nine."
"Yes but we need to unload their stuff plus give them the instructions of where everything are and how to do things. Chibi Usa has many special demands you know and you know how cranky she gets if she doesn't get her will through."
Mamoru winced. "Couldn't they have come today instead then?"
"Mamoru. I told you before Rei couldn't get tickets it was fully booked. The holiday is coming up everybody is eager to return home. She was lucky to even get tickets that would get her back tonight."
"Ok, fine. Six o'clock it is. Now I need to finish a report and send it to Stan. Why don't you turn in first."
"Well okay." Usagi leaned close and they shared a goodnight kiss before Mamoru headed downstairs to his office.
Usagi was careful of keeping her face until she reached the master bedroom and closed the door behind her before she clenched her right fist and bent down her elbow in that special way people did when they landed a project safely.
Mamoru was sometimes quite easy to manipulate if you knew which button to push. He hated getting involved the affairs of others especially when it came to matters of heart but if a person knew how to deal with him, he's quite successful in that area. No doubt he was this very moment talking with Nate over the phone warning him that she, Usagi was on the warpath. That ought to get that dense figure skating Latino moving in the right direction. And if things went as Usagi hoped, Mina and Rei will have a very interesting months ahead once Mamoru introduced his friends to them. She fully trusted him in his choices when it came to possible mates for her friends. Sofar he has not been wrong there.
As for the women concerned well a week in Chibi Usa's company should convince them that it was about time they settled down and started getting a family of their own. Afterall what could be more perfect than having love and family?