"You must be excited Amy." Jack said grinning as he looked at her pudgy cheeks. "Only 5 more days until your birthday."
"Jack." She said happily. He loved the way she said his name, with extra emphasis on the k. "Mo." She pointed to her empty bowl
"Okay," Jack said and got up to get some more. "How old will you be turning?" He asked her as he scooped more Rugrats macaroni and cheese in her dish.
"Two," She said holding up two fingers.
"That's right Amy!" He laughed as she dug in using her fingers and got the cheese all over her face. "Well no point in trying to be clean now." She already was covered up to her elbows. "Somebody's going to need a bath later."
"Me," She said.
"That's right."
"Dougy home?" She asked.
"No," Jack replied. "He's coming home late tonight. Past your bedtime." His tone became less playful.
"Again?" She asked.
He hadn't realized she'd picked up on so much. "Yeah," he said. "But that's okay it'll just be the two of us tonight." He said developing a fake enthusiasm for Amy's good. "That's all we need." Jack and Doug's relationship had been rough for the past few months. There was a definite possibility they could mend it, but he'd been trying to keep Amy from growing attached to him. He was trying to get himself used to the idea of being a single parent. A single, gay dad raising a daughter, now there was a hard task.
"Are you ready for bed?" Jack asked.
"No, no, no!" She shouted gleefully.
"5 minutes," he said, "then BBB time."
"Bath. Book. Bed."
"Exactly," He said. "You know the drill."
She finished her cake and Jack washed all the cheese off of her. He was impressed she managed to get it on her ankle. Jack sat on her bed and held her hand as he read her a story. "The end," He finished. "I love you," He said. He turned around to leave. "Mommy loved you, too. Never forget that." He said very softly.
He walked back to his bedroom to watch some TV and heard Doug fiddling with the lock on the door. He walked out into the hall. "Shhh…" He whispered as Doug walked in the door.
"I know. Don't worry I'm used to the bedtime schedule," He whispered back.
Doug took a quick shower and got in his pajamas he was beat from the long day at the police station. "So how was your day?" He asked, joining Jack on the bed.
"Fine. Andie called she's going to come up for Amy's birthday on Saturday. Have you heard from Pacey and Joey yet?"
"Yep. He just called up today and they'll be here."
"Cool," Jack replied. Then he paused and there was an awkward silence as they waited for him to continue. "Doug?"
"Yeah."
"I think we should show Amy the tape on her birthday."
"The tape of her mother?" Doug asked.
"Yeah," Jack replied. "I want her to grow up knowing Jen. It's the way Jen would've wanted it. I have the recording on dvd. Dawson gave it to me. I think it would be nice if we all watched it together when our friends come to visit."
"It's too soon," Doug spoke definitively.
"It's been a year since she's…" Jack always had trouble saying it, "passed away."
"Not since that. It's too soon, Jack. She's too young."
"She understands a lot," Jack argued. "She's knows you've been coming home late recently."
"I've got work!" Doug was growing angry.
"I know. I'm just saying, we've talked to Amy about her mother before and soon she is going to start asking questions. I want her to be able to talk about this."
"No," Doug said. "Wait a couple of years. You've showed me the video and everything Jen said is going to go over Amy's head."
"It's not about what she said. It's about Amy seeing her mother. Jen made that tape before she died because she wanted her daughter to know her."
"I just think-" Doug pressed.
"I wasn't asking your permission, Doug. Jen was my friend and I know how she would want her daughter be raised."
"But Jack," Doug said. "We're the ones raising this child. It can't always be about what Jen would have wanted."
"It has to be," Jack said.
"Jack," Doug said, "She's dead."
"And Amy is all she has left and she left me to raise her. I think you better go." He was getting angry now.
"Where?" Doug asked.
"Away."