-1Title: Naked As We Came
Author: Stephanie aka LaurenBaldwin
Summary: "I lay smiling like our sleeping children. One of us will die inside these arms." - Iron & Wine
Rating: PG-13
Category: AU (story is set about two years in the future).
Status: WIP
Author's Notes: I've had the idea for this story floating around in my head for a while and I figured that now was as good a time as any to get the ball rolling. It would seem that naming fanfics after song titles is becoming a bit of a habit for me, but the song's lyrics match the tone of this story so perfectly that I just couldn't resist. Now I don't want to give anything away, but I feel the need to warn any of you who are thinking about reading this story that if sadness and angst aren't really your thing, you may want to skip this one. That being said, it won't be all doom and gloom so I hope you'll all bare with me. )
Chapter One: New Beginnings
May 10th, 2009
Carefully driving her luxury SUV into the designated 'Expectant Mothers Only' parking space, Lauren turned off the car's engine and sighed in exhaustion. It wasn't even noon yet and already she felt as though she'd run a marathon. It was Sunday. Mother's Day to be exact and Lauren had been looking forward to sleeping in, something she rarely got to do anymore. But unfortunately, her son was an earlier riser. An annoying character trait that he had undoubtedly inherited from his equally diurnal father. And since said father was busy working on yet another high profile case, she had been alone on Fen duty since 6:15am.
By some miracle she had managed to get the rambunctious toddler fed, bathed and clothed in under an hour. By 7:30am they were out the door and headed to their 8:00am 'Mommy & Me' class that she had foolishly signed up for. Who in their right mind wants to be surrounded by a bunch of screaming babies at 8'oclock in the goddamn morning? She made a mental note to kick Michael's ass for talking her into registering. After class, Fen had thrown one hell of a temper tantrum in the parking lot, refusing to get in the car until she finally relented and agreed to take him to McDonalds for a Happy Meal. Of course, it hadn't occurred to Lauren that it was still only 10am and that unfortunately Chicken McNugget Happy Meals were not included on the Breakfast Menu. Fen, of course, refused to order anything else and demanded to speak with Ronald McDonald himself to find out why he wasn't allowed to order chicken mcnuggets before 11am. Thankfully the teenaged cashier had taken pity on Lauren and instructed one of her coworkers to break the rules and toss a couple of nuggets into the deep fryer. Forty five minutes later, they were back in the SUV and headed over to Yves Bistro for their lunch date with Maggie.
As if on cue, Lauren's cell phone began to vibrate in her purse. Reaching over to grab the sleek Razr out of her Louis Vuitton, she flipped open the phone and retrieved her newest text message.
"LAUR WHERE R U? IT'S 11:15AM. UR LATE."
Lauren had grown extremely fond of the witty detective over the past few years and their friendship was warm and genuine. But the woman was a fucking stickler for punctuality. Break a date with her and she'd never let you hear the end of it. Sighing in resignation, Lauren undid her seatbelt with one hand and texted Maggie back with the other.
"I'LL BE THERE IN 5."
Snapping the phone closed with her chin, Lauren carelessly shoved it back into her purse before twisting around in her seat to check on Fen. He was fast asleep in his car seat, plum sauce and nugget crumbs smeared across his rosebud lips and pudgy cheeks. Shaking her head in amusement, Lauren reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a handful of wet-naps. Pushing open the heavy car door, she gingerly eased her tired body out of the SUV and into the surprisingly humid midday afternoon air. Spring had been slow to arrive this year. At times it seemed like the grey skies and torrential downpours would never let up. But the abundance of April showers had resulted in May flowers and Lauren took a moment to close her eyes and breathe in the heavenly scent of gardenias that permeated the area surrounding the bistro's main entrance. She loved it here. Every year she looked forward to the inevitable change in temperature that signaled the start of patio season. With its tranquil atmosphere and assortment of tropical drinks, Yves was definitely Genoa City's hot spot during the summer months.
It was also where she and Michael had shared their first kiss.
Smiling at the fond memory, Lauren opened the back door and leaned over her son's sleeping frame. He was out cold, his warm breath hitting her face in a deep and even rhythm. She grinned when she looked down and discovered that he was still holding onto his Shrek 4 Happy Meal toy, the jolly green oger clasped tightly in his chubby little hand. Lauren bent down and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, lightly combing her fingers through his chestnut brown locks. He needed a haircut. But the last time she and Michael had taken him to the barber shop, as soon as he spotted the pair of scissors in the barber's hand, Fen had leapt out of the chair and into his father's arms. Through gut wrenching sobs, the little boy had begged them not to make him get his hair cut and as usual, they agreed. So what if he was starting to resemble David Bowie in his Ziggy Stardust days? Maybe mullets would be making a comeback soon.
Ripping open the wet-nap wrapper, Lauren wiped his face clean with the lemon scented napkin. He didn't even flinch. He was like a little angel when he slept. So peaceful and blessedly quiet. Lauren was loath to wake him, but she could hear her cell phone vibrating from the front seat and knew that Maggie must be growing impatient. Sighing in resignation, she began unbuckling Fen from his car seat.
"Come on, baby. It's time to wake up." Lauren cooed, trying to gently coax her son into wakefulness by tickling his tummy.
"Noooo." he whined in response, eyes still clamped shut as he squirmed away from her probing fingers.
"We gotta go meet auntie Maggie for lunch." she urged, but he shook his head, refusing to get up. Lauren tried a different tactic, one she was positive would work. "Don'tcha wanna show her your new Shrek toy?"
"Yeah!" Fen replied with excitement, eyes popping open to stare at her in eager anticipation.
"Well, come on then. Up, up, up." she instructed him, moving aside and offering him her hand so that she could help step down out of the SUV.
"Carry me." Fen whined demandingly, raising his chubby little arms out to her in a silent plea. She sighed in frustration and reached out to pick him up out of the car seat.
"Sweetie, mama's too tired to carry you right now." Lauren said regretfully, bending to place him down on the pavement. He stomped his feet in protest, glaring up at her as he stuck his bottom lip out petulantly. "Do you wanna go in the stroller?"
"No!" he cried out in righteous indignation. "Dat's for babies. I'm a big boy!"
"That's right, you are." Lauren agreed distractedly, slamming the car door shut and walking over to the passenger side to retrieve her purse. "And big boys don't need their mommies to carry them around everywhere, right?"
"I guess." he relented, still pouting. She flung her purse over her shoulder and reached down to take his small hand in hers, but he pulled away.
"Fen, give me your hand." Lauren said impatiently. "I don't want you to run off and get hit by a car." Reluctantly, the little boy allowed her to grab hold of his hand, but he refused to meet her gaze. With his hand now clasped tightly in hers, Lauren lead her son through the busy parking lot as they made their way towards the bistro. They were almost inside when she heard him mutter:
"Daddy would carry me."
Trying to ignore how badly the child's words had stung, Lauren plastered a fake smile on her face and prepared to meet her friend.
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