Another one-shot from me. :P
Once again, thanks to Lily Moonlight for her help and encouragement. :D
Mac wasn't sure exactly when the quiet patter of rain on the window had become muffled by the wind, but now there was a genuine storm going on outside. There was something relaxing about sitting by the window in his favourite chair, with his coffee and a book, while listening to the weather going crazy outside. Although another sound had gotten his attention a few minutes earlier; a quiet giggling coming from the next room.
He had already noticed that the door was ajar and a blue eyed girl was occasionally peeking out, trying hard not to be seen by her father, even though they both knew he wouldn't get mad. It wasn't the first time that night she had gotten out of bed.
About 20 minutes earlier, she had suddenly appeared standing in front of him in her purple Cinderella pyjamas, her head slightly tilted as she asked him what he was reading. By then he had already known it would be a while before she would be asleep.
He didn't want to be strict with her. It wasn't often they were home alone and he wanted to enjoy his night off with his daughter. If that meant letting her stay up a little while longer than usual, then that was how it was going to be. He was pretty sure Stella wouldn't agree with him on that, but right now she wasn't home to keep an eye on them.
He couldn't help but smile as he noticed Julie sneaking closer to him. He didn't have to look up from his book to spot her bare feet walking on tiptoes across the floor.
"Daddy?" she asked as she poked his shoulder. "I'm thirsty."
"Go back to bed and I'll get you some water." he told her, well aware that this was just part one of her little game. Sometimes he caught himself wondering if she was just as bad when Stella was home with her, but he doubted she was. Stella wasn't as easy as he was when it came to Julie.
"I don't like water," she stated with a pout.
"Well, then I can't help you." Mac told her, although he made sure not to sound too stern. "After you've brushed you teeth, it's water."
"Then I'm not thirsty." she said, crossing her arms in defiance.
"If you're not thirsty, you should go back to bed." he said. His voice was calm but the authority was obvious in his tone.
"I'm not tired..." she tried, but a sudden crack of thunder made her flinch and and she instantly forgot she had been about to get mad. Instead she clung to Mac until she was sure there was no danger.
"There's nothing to be afraid of," he assured her, but there was a look of scepticism on the young girl's face. One that she without doubt had gotten from her mother.
"Is thunder really not dangerous, Daddy?" she asked. Mac smiled as he took her hand and led her back towards her room.
"Not at all. It might sound scary, but it's just a loud noise." He brushed a strand of hair out of Julie's face before he continued. "It's bedtime now."
Julie crawled into bed and hid under her duvet. Only the top of her head and her eyes were visible, but there was a hint of determination in her eyes, she wasn't ready to sleep.
"But lightning is dangerous." she exclaimed.
"It won't hurt you," he promised, pulling the duvet down to reveal his daughter's doubtful face.
"Because I'm inside?" She looked at Mac in admiration. Her dad was smart. She knew that no matter what she'd ask he'd always have the answer. Her trust in him was something he cherished. He knew that one day she'd realize he didn't actually have the answer to everything but hopefully her trust wouldn't fade in time.
"That too. Don't worry, just go to sleep." With those words he tucked her in and got up to leave her room. "I'll be right out here, but try to go to sleep."
"Daddy?" Julie asked as Mac reached for the door. "Can you tell mommy to come say goodnight?"
Mac offered a nod and a slight smile before he left the room and went back to his chair with his book.
Even though his eyes travelled across the pages, he didn't catch on to the words he read. Instead he listened to the storm outside. The weather hadn't improved and a few bolts of lightning and the following thunder had interrupted his reading.
He couldn't help but worry about Stella, who had to make her way home in this weather. After Julie was born, a little less than 6 years earlier, the occasional naps at the lab had become no longer an option.
After a little while, the sound of Julie's bare feet on the floor got his attention again.
"Daddy?" she asked again, this time her voice sounded a bit different, but he couldn't quite place it. "I'm scared."
"The storm is outside, there's nothing to be afraid of." he reminded her with a slight smile, but she didn't look any less scared. Instead she hugged her pillow tightly.
"Mommy is outside." she said, chewing the corner of her pillow as she waited for her dad to reassure her.
"She'll be home soon," he said, hoping the same, as he got up from his chair and took her hand. "How about you go lie down on the couch and turn on the TV. Then I'll carry you back to bed when you're asleep?"
"Can I?" she asked with a smile that made Mac chuckle.
"Just this once," he told her and the even larger smile on Julie's face made him laugh out loud as she skipped off to the couch.
As soon as she was settled on the couch with the TV on, she started yawning and rubbing her eyes, but she wasn't quite ready to give in yet.
"Can't we call mommy?" she asked after a little while. The innocent look on her face almost made Mac agree, but if they disturbed Stella at work she'd just worry that something was wrong.
"We can't disturb her while she's working, but she'll be home soon." he said, walking to the couch where he sat down by Julie's feet. She accepted his answer with a sigh, but kept her attention on him hoping he might just change his mind.
Only a few minutes later, Julie realized there was no need for Mac to change his mind, as the sound of the front door being opened caught her attention.
She jumped off the couch and sprinted out of the room calling for her mom, before Mac could even think to get up. By the time he pushed himself up and headed for the door, he could already hear their voices.
It was a strange, yet heart-warming sight that met him when he reached the entrance. Stella was, without exaggeration, soaked to the skin. Her coat was clinging to her body and her hair hung flat over her face, yet she wore a happy smile as she wrapped her arms around Julie, who already had her arms tightly around her mom.
"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Stella asked the young girl, but the mocking look she sent Mac was unmistakeable; she knew what had happened while she had been away.
"Daddy said I could stay up," Julie told her mom innocently, the look on her face could have fooled anyone.
"I don't think..." Mac began, but his subtle protest was ignored by both girls as they continued their conversation about how he had let Julie watch cartoons after bed time.
Less than 15 minutes later, Mac was sitting in the couch with his book. Julie and Stella had disappeared into Julie's room to get Julie changed into a dry pyjamas and to get her to sleep.
He had been listening to their quiet voices as they talked about their evening apart, but it had been several minutes since either of them had spoken. He wanted to go check on them, not because he was worried, but because there was something reassuring about seeing his wife and daughter together.
He waited another few minutes before he got up. He didn't want to disturb if Julie was almost asleep but as he neared the door he was sure he heard snoring on the other side. Julie was asleep so he wouldn't disturb by pushing the door open.
Stella was sitting on the edge of Julie's bed, holding the sleeping girl's hand. She seemed lost in thought as she watched her daughter sleep.
She didn't notice him before he was standing behind her, his hands resting on her shoulders as he, too, watched Julie rest peacefully under her warm duvet.
"Almost seems too good to be true." Stella whispered as she got up, allowing Mac to wrap his arms around her.
"She does." Mac agreed, pulling Stella closer. Even though she had changed her clothes, she was still a little cold. "But so do you."
"Flirt." Stella chuckled, poking Mac's side gently. "Come on, before we wake her."
Mac and Stella left their daughter's room quietly, they'd be headed to bed soon as well, but not before they had taken a few minutes to unwind on the couch with each other. It was a promise they'd made long ago, that if they weren't able to have dinner together, they'd at least take the time to sit down and talk about their day.
It was in those moments, safe inside with the storm blowing outside, that Mac realized how lucky he was. Sitting on the couch with his wife, talking about ordinary everyday things reminded him that having a life outside of work wasn't just for everybody else; he had it too and wouldn't change it for anything.