Disclaimer: I own nothing, except my own creations.
Author's Note: Welcome to my next City Homicide story, a sequel to 'Mia' and 'Promises'. In order to fully appreciate this one, I suggest you read those stories first.
Enjoy.
Allie wrapped her hands around her warm mug of coffee as she looked down at the large piece of paper her daughter had out before her on the kitchen table. On the paper was a family tree that Mia had laboured over in after school care for the past week. She made sure to dedicate her full attention to her daughter as she began to explain it all.
"Grandad and Grandma are first," the five year old explained, pointing to a box that proudly declared 'Paul and Linda Buchanan'. "Then there's a line to Daddy, and then there's you and then there's me." Mia nonchalantly drew invisible lines in the white space next to her name on the chart. "And then there's all my baby brothers and sisters that I'm going to have."
Allie rolled her eyes. She saw Mia spoiling for a fight, the frequent – and very much one-sided – discussion about when a much longer for sibling might be coming. Taking a sip of her coffee to hide a snort, she eyed the ever so innocent gaze of the child that turned her face up to her. Her daughter was not as innocent as she made out to be. "Mm," Allie decided to answer neutrally. "Moving on."
Mia's face drooped before she turned back, pointing at another line running under her adoptive grandparents. "There's Uncle Andy, Aunty Lisa and Candy, Con and Cass." The box with Candice – Mia's favourite person in Nick's extended family – was coloured in brightly, standing out boldly next to her brother and sister. Allie noted the distinction with a smile then quickly followed Mia's rapid speech as she moved onto the next line, the last of Nick's brothers. "There's Uncle Rick, Uncle Chas and Emery."
Allie actually laughed out loud when Mia spoke the last name. "Emery's not a cousin sweetheart, she's a dog."
Mia turned her stubborn face – much like her mother's – to Allie. "But Daddy said that Emery is Uncle Rick and Uncle Chas' kid cos they can't have any kids."
What was she supposed to say to that? "Fair enough," she agreed vaguely.
Mia wasn't finished though. "Why can't they have kids?" she posed thoughtfully.
Allie opened her mouth and then shut it again. She was going to need to speak to Nick about that one. She'd been hoping to put off that conversation for a few years yet. "Some people can and some people can't," she fudged, hoping the answer would be enough.
"But you still can right?" replied Mia craftily.
Allie sighed inwardly. "Yes Mia."
Mia nodded her head in satisfaction and turned to another section of the page. "Plus there's Uncle Matt, Aunty Emma and 0.62."
"0.62?" asked Allie in confusion.
"Yep," said Mia cheerfully. "That's what Aunty Em called it when we went shopping. The closer and closer until the baby comes, it will get older and older and then it will be born and then it will be 0 again."
The little girl nodded her head as she finished her explanation before her brow creased. "Hang on, that doesn't make sense. Wouldn't the baby be one by then?"
"How about you ask your Aunty Em next time you see her?" replied Allie, handballing the questions off to her friend with a little guilt.
"Okay." Mia's attention was back on the chart. "And then there's Uncle Duncan and Uncle Simon too."
"Uncle Simon?" asked Allie warily.
"Uncle Simon," said Mia, nodding her head in a determined manner, tongue poking out as she carefully fixed up the line running from the long gone cop to the head of this family tree labelled 'Mummy and Daddy's work'.
Complete, Mia lifted up the piece of paper with a wide grin on her face as she surveyed her work. "Looking good sweetie," complimented Allie as she rose from her chair, empty coffee mug in hand. As she stood at the kitchen sink rinsing the mug, her daughter kneeled on her chair and peered over the back. "Daddy has a lot of people on his side of the family," the five – almost six – year old said curiously. "Why don't I have any aunties and uncles on your side? Don't you have any brothers and sisters?"
Allie suddenly felt tired as she placed the mug on drying rack. Who would have thought that an after school activity would be a minefield?
She was exhausted by the time that Mia declared she was done and dashed from the table. Gathering up her last bit of energy, Allie ordered her daughter back to clean up her pencils and put her homework in her homework folder where it was supposed to go.
"But why?" came the whine. "Hi-5 is on!"
"And it won't be for much longer if you don't get your butt back here," called Allie.
There was a pause before her little hurricane came flying back into the room, picked up everything with a sweeping motion and raced for her bag in the hall before disappearing into the lounge room.
Having a sinking feeling that the pencils were now swimming at the bottom of her daughter's school bag and the carefully crafted family tree was now crushed, Allie stepped into the hall. She looked into the blue backpack as the Hi-5 theme music wafted down hall. Sure enough, Messiness 101. "Mia Kingston, get your butt back here and put it in your bag properly."
"It's Mia Buchanan now Mum!" called the five year old and Allie wondered the smartarse-ness had come from. Probably spending too much time with Nick, she reasoned.
Her daughter's declaration triggered a sudden flashback, and standing in the hall, Allie remembered New Year's Eve ten months earlier.
Just hours after Nick had proposed to her – and with Mia and Candy camping in Mia's room – they were in her bedroom. Nick's head resting on her chest, she ran her fingers though his dark hair, each move drawing attention to the foreign engagement ring on finger.
She interrupted the comfortable silence when she suddenly laughed. Nick tilted his head with a question in his eyes. "Did you know that the first time I explained Bacchus and what a Daddy was to her, Mia assumed you were her Daddy."
A slow smile spread across Nick's face. "Really?" he said warmly. "How about we make it official?"
The shock hit her left, right and centre. Nick shifted and braced himself over her, looking her in the eye. "What?" he shrugged. "I want to adopt Mia."
"Why on earth would you want to do that?" She'd known Nick a long time and Mia had known him for as long as she had lived, but it still amazed her that he wanted to do this. She still didn't trust herself to believe that this was real. "You don't have to do this you know?"
He'd smothered her objections with a kiss. "I'm marrying you and she's part of the package. I want to." Several kisses later, he teased her when he spoke again. "Too much for one night?"
Rolling her eyes, Allie pushed at the cocky man's chest. He fell backward on the bed and she'd smugly straddled his chest. "I'm not going to be your typical woman, barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen you know?"
She felt his laugh rumble in his chest. "Oh trust me, I know." His hands rested comfortably on her thighs as he looked up at her. "But how about that three course meal?"
"Keep dreamin'," snorted Allie as she lowered her lips to his.
"Oh I will…"
Shaking herself from the memory with a smile on her face, she found herself looking at her ring on the hand clasping Mia's bag. "You've got 'til the count of three missy. One… Two… Thr…"
Typically, her daughter dashed back out, signing the latest Hi-5 song at the top of her voice, at the last possible moment. She placed her pencils in her case and shoved the paper into her homework folder with as much care as she could – which wasn't much. "Love you Mummy!" she cried, giving Allie's legs a quick hug before she raced back to the television.
What could she say to that?
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