I know I should probably be updating my NCIS fic, but this had been sitting on my laptop for a while. It's inspired by the song 'You and me against the world' by Helen Reddy. I hope you enjoy it. Please tell me what you think.
Sometimes it feels like you and me against the world.
Catherine watched her daughter sleep. She looked so peaceful and fragile. Her golden blonde hair was splayed across her pillow like a halo framing her angelic face. Her lips were slightly parted as she breathed softly. She was beautiful.
Catherine couldn't believe how quickly her baby girl had grown up. It seemed like yesterday that she was skipping around, her blonde pigtails flying around haphazardly, with that cute smile on her face. She had always been the perfect picture of innocence, even though she was more often than not causing mischief.
It had always been Catherine and Lindsey against the world. Eddie had never been a good enough father or husband to warrant a place as their protector. He would occasionally swoop in, taking Lindsey out and spoiling her rotten. But, at the end of the day, it was always her mother who was there to pick her up when she fell. Her mother was the one who wiped her tears away and told her it would be okay when she was upset.
Catherine remembered the time when she and Lindsey had visited the circus. Lindsey had been begging her to go since the kids at school had been raving non stop about it. Catherine had begrudgingly agreed to take her daughter, knowing she would never hear the end of it if she didn't.
"Mommy look!" an excited Lindsey said, she was bouncing around as she held her mother's hand and pointing at almost everything. "The tent is so pretty!"
"Yes, it is, baby," Catherine agreed.
"Are we going in there?" Lindsey asked, her baby blue eyes twinkling.
"Yeah, we sure are," Catherine smiled affectionately at her daughter's child like inquisitiveness.
"Oooh,"
Lindsey beamed. Catherine chuckled silently.
The mother daughter duo made their way over to the tent where a small crowd of people were. They entered with everybody else and found seats. Lindsey was brimming with anticipation as the lights dimmed. She 'ooohed' and 'aahed' at the spectacles that played out in front of her.
When the clowns emerged, however, throwing water balloons and making loud noises Lindsey whimpered a little. She had hated the brightly coloured clowns. They seemed to be dancing mockingly in front of her eyes. She buried her head in her mother's side, pouting.
Lindsey had always held a disdain for clowns after that. Even now, as a teenager, she always wrinkled her nose at them. Of course, now she claimed she disliked their in-your-face brightly coloured immature spectacles. Catherine just smiled lightly when Lindsey said this, remembering that day at the circus. She would let her daughter's pride remain in tact, though.
They had been through some hard times together. They had experienced their ups and downs and had gone through rough patches. But they had always emerged stronger, with a more unbreakable bond, their relationship strengthening with every minor disaster they faced.
Catherine had watched over the years as her daughter grew from a beautiful curious little girl into a vibrant, strong and often very opinionated young woman. She knew she and Lindsey would always share their special bond. They had always been close and shared their precious memories. She wouldn't trade what they had shared for anything.
But, Lindsey would soon go off into the world to make a life for herself. She would no longer need her mother everytime she had a problem. Catherine would no longer be able to protect her daughter from the heartache and the cruelty of the world.
Catherine knew she would always have their bond, but it would no longer be Catherine and Lindsey against the world. She would merely be watching from the sidelines as her daughter made a life for herself, ready to catch her and pick up the pieces if she should ever fall.