I originally wrote and posted this story on Tumblr back in July as a thank you for all the birthday wishes I received, as well as to thank shana-rose, cassiemortmain, and the Yankee Countess for birthday fics they wrote me and to thank the wonderful Angie for the awesome gif she made for me. A link to the original story is on my author page.
A thank you to my wonderful beta scarletcourt, who helped me pick out the right story and for just being awesome.
Story Time
Sybil was sitting on the couch reading, enjoying the first quiet time of her day. She looked up at the clock on the wall, wondering how long her children had been napping. They had both been a handful that day. Nora was in a particularly obstinate mood, and both she and Michael had refused to go down for their naps at first. They had finally fallen asleep on her and Tom's king-size bed a little over a half hour ago. Sybil had placed pillows on the bed to prevent Michael from falling off when he rolled over, then had quietly walked to the family room.
Knowing that her children would be up within a half hour, the young mother closed her book and began to tidy the house a little. After fifteen minutes of cleaning, she heard Nora talking through the baby monitor. Worried that her four-year-old daughter was going to wake up her baby brother, Sybil hurried to the bedroom.
She stopped at the doorway, mesmerized by the sight before her eyes. Both of her children were awake, and Nora had grabbed one of Tom's books off the nightstand. She was "reading"Goodnight Moon to Michael, her legs curled up in a similar way to her father.
"…The cow jumping over the moon
And there were three little bears sitting on chairs
And two little kittens
And a pair of mittens"
What truly brought a smile to Sybil's face was the look on her son's face. Michael was lying on his back staring at his sister, captivated by her voice, his hands waving in the air in excitement, a look of pure wonder on his face.
Sybil stood in the doorway for several minutes, watching as Nora "read" other stories to her baby brother. Out of nowhere, she felt two strong and very familiar arms wrap around her. Smiling, she turned her head slightly to see her husband.
"You're home early," she softly said.
"I finished my article earlier than expected, and the rest of my work could be done from home." He turned towards his children and smiled. "This is a very nice sight to see."
She smiled. "I know. I'm thankful though. I was afraid they would argue like Mary and Edith."
He chuckled. "Want to join them?"
She nodded and they entered their room, quickly settling on the bed. Nora beamed at her father and scurried to sit with him while Sybil picked up Michael.
"Continue reading, love," said Tom, and Nora picked up where she left off, reading to her family.
