AN: I know... I've been gone a while... But so much has been going on... depression doesn't begin to describe it... I just haven't had the inspiration... I'm slowly but surely getting back into the writing groove... Everything is pretty much on hiatus at the moment, Operation: Hurricane is slowly getting its next chapter written, but I'm focusing my attention on something a little out of the ordinary for me, just to try to get the juices flowing... And I'd like to get feedback on it when I get the first part of that up..
In the meantime... here's a little short featuring Trowa and Amelia (If you don't know who Mia is, go back and read I Can Hardly Refuse) and a little Valentine's Day surprise...
There's a Story for the Girls…
Valentine's Day was never a day that Trowa and I really… celebrated… We never saw the point, as it was with most holidays… Hell, Christmas was still one that confused me… Angel was going on six years old and I still didn't see why the others, especially Maxwell, spent so much money for stuff she didn't need… I understand that gifts aren't stuff you need, but she doesn't play with half the toys she gets more than once… and she outgrows the clothes after a month… She's going to be tall like Trowa…
But we're not talking about Christmas… Valentine's Day… Why in the whole Earth Sphere would people spend so much money on… well, crap… for one day? Aren't the other 364 days of the year equally as important when you have someone special?
Our friends seem to think it's a necessity… Ever since New Year's was over, all I've heard is "What are you doing for Trowa for Valentine's?" Nevermind the fact that we go through this EVERY year… And even though my answer is always the same, the girls, Cathy especially, try to "lure me to the Dark Side" as Maxwell would say…
Cathy has been joking about getting Quatre a vacation… Poor man has been working himself to death, but I suppose that's part of being a CEO of such a large company, and he's been doing it alone now that ALL of his sisters are married off… I'm willing to bet he spent more money collectively on their weddings than his company makes in a decade… Though after a month of joking, she decided that's what she'd do and has been plotting with his sisters to do whatever it takes to make it happen… That's actually kind of sweet… and very practical…
Hilde… Oh boy… as Maxwell's wife, she really gets into the holiday… And if I hear one more story about… Ugh, I don't even want to think about it… I do NOT believe she's really THAT flexible… Some things should be kept secret…
Sally is right up there with Cathy on practicality… But, she's giving Wufei a vacation from her… Though I'm not exactly sure if that's more for her benefit or his… It's obvious they care for one another, but sometimes they just can't stand to be around one another… She just says that's what happens when you've been together as long as they have… I don't see it… Trowa and I have been together for a long while and there's never a time that I don't want to be near him…
But the girls say Valentine's Day isn't for practical gifts, really… It's all about romance… If 'romance' is another word for commercialism, I don't want any part of it… Seriously… flowers wilt after a day or two... cards are just a waste of paper… candies… how the hell are you supposed to know what those things are filled with? Hilde says, "Aww, but 'life is like a box of chocolates… you never know what you're gonna get…'" She seems to have picked up Maxwell's annoying habit of quoting old movies… Okay, 'you never know what you're gonna get'… but I'd like to know what I'm putting in my stomach…
But… there was something about this coming Valentine's Day… I wanted to do something special for Trowa… but the girls were no help at all… I didn't dare call Hilde… And Cathy had already whisked Quatre away for a whole two-week vacation somewhere… I had to spend most of the morning with Sally, anyway, so we had lunch together, and that was the topic of our lunch discussion…
"According to Cathy, no one has successfully surprised Trowa… I really think that would do it…" Sally sat back in her chair, a smug grin on her face as she sipped at her iced coffee. "And the girls are going to want to hear ALL about it in the morning… I even think that would topple anything Hilde might brag about…"
I had to admit… it was a REALLY good plan… probably a little devious, because it concerned something Trowa and I hadn't discussed yet… But it was definitely a good way to bring up the subject… And there was no money involved… yet… Oh, this was definitely going to be a special night…
"You don't mind taking Angel for the night?" I asked, actually feeling a little giddy about the plan. Did I seriously just say I was 'giddy'…? What the HELL is wrong with me…?
"Not at all… Meilin loves having Angel stay the night… And she's really upset that Wufei didn't take her with him, so it would definitely cheer her up… She is such a Daddy's Girl…" Not to mention she's got her father wrapped around her pinky so tightly, I'm surprised he managed to get away without her… Two years old and she's such a diva… It really surprises me how Wufei spoils that girl…
So… the plan was in motion… Angel was staying the night with Sally… I told Trowa on the phone it was because Meilin was lonely… First time in my LIFE I have lied to him… though it wasn't exactly a lie…
And, since we were going to be dining alone, he offered to pick up dinner from our favorite take-out place on his way home from the office… Great, I didn't have to cook anything that probably wouldn't get eaten tonight, anyway…
With our daughter gone, I only had one thing to do to prepare the night… a strategically placed photograph that Sally had taken for me earlier… Then I had to find something to keep myself busy so I wouldn't blow the surprise with my unexpected giddiness…
I was in the living room, picking up a few of Angel's toys when I heard the back door open, and the rustle of take-out bags as Trowa set them down on the kitchen table. I waited until I heard him shut the door before I walked into the kitchen, because I was just too excited to contain myself… I wouldn't get a proper reaction. But I never heard the door close. I didn't hear anything… except a loud thud following the crash of one of the dining chairs toppling over…
That was an unexpected reaction… I walked into the kitchen and had to stop myself from laughing out loud… There was Trowa, sprawled out on the kitchen floor, having completely missed the chair he was going to sit in… It was rare that he lost his sense of grace… but extremely charming… I doubt he even realized I was there until I got down on the floor and slid up next to him. Instinct was the only thing that made his arm automatically encircle me as I laid my head on his chest. Neither of us said a word as he held the photograph up.
And for a good hour or so, we just laid there, looking at a black and white photo of two blobs labeled, Baby Barton #1 and Baby Barton #2.
"We're going to need a bigger house…," Trowa said after a long moment.
I just smiled.
Now there's a story for the girls…