Leaning against the shed, he silently watched the sun drift to the horizon. Rays of light seemed to burst around clouds, slowly dimming as the sky's color drifted from blue to pink, then pink to purple before darkness engulfed it. His simple blue eyes were zoned out, lost in thought. Peter knew the following days were counted, that the court would soon enough send a letter out to him, requesting an update on their progress. He knew only too well that little progress was made and his sisters would soon be taken from his grasp and forced into foster care. It was not that he loved them... No… The man would give up his life in a heartbeat for his sisters, but instead, it was the lack of his ability to care for them. He was already working two jobs, working as a ranch hand and a horse trainer when needed. It just never seemed enough as the end of the month rolled around and bills demanded to be paid and other various expenses due.

"PE-TER!!" A childish voice called for him back towards the house. Craning his neck to the side, he glanced and saw the youngest of his sisters standing barefoot on the porch. Her slender arms were placed on her hips as bright cerulean eyes skimmed the property for him. "Peter?" She called out timidly once more, not seeing him.

The man let a small smile slip onto his worn face before he stepped out from the shed, releasing a deep breath as he started his way towards the house. His sister soon spotted him and broke out in a run for him, skipping slightly as she met him half-way.
"Dawn says dinner is ready." She blinked, jumping slightly in front of him. "I think we're havin' spaghetti." The child nodded, reaching up for him.

His arms picked her up swiftly, hugging her close. "Good, good." Peter replied softly, carrying the child to the house. Setting her down softly, his eyes lingered on her for a moment. At five years of age, she was a rather sturdy child, long fiery red hair that was braided to the middle of her back. On most days, she was filled with questions about the world and way of life, wanting to know ever little detail of everything thought that filled her head. Peter feared the sex talk, knowing it was only a matter of time before it was one of the numerous questions that popped into her head. He had always answered her questions as truthfully as he could but was not sure how he would respond to such questions. Shaking his head softly at the thought, he turned his mind to matters in front of him.

A young woman stood at the kitchen counter, her back to him. Mouse brown hair was pulled back into a messy bun, as her small frame worked tediously on the meal before her. She soon turned around, carrying a plate with several slices of bread and placed it on a long table in the middle of the room. The table already had several bowls and a pan on it, as empty plates with silverware was placed in front of each seat.

The siblings soon took their seats at the table and started dinner. Casual talk about the day's events started between Peter and Dawn. News from around town, rumors that circulated and even the weather were all touched on, the conversation ending as Willow started up with questions.

"But whhhyyy is the earth round?" Willow insisted, taking her plate to the sink. She did not buy into Peter's reasoning that if it was square or flat, it would look funny.

"So small children like you can annoy their older siblings with questions they do not know the answer to." Peter sighed exasperatedly. He had grown tired of the question, as it came up most nights. His petty answers did not satisfy the hunger of knowledge his youngest sister searched for.

Willow blinked as a smile sparked on her features. "Okay, fine…" She paused for a moment before her face lit up with another question on her lips. "What do people mean when they talk about the 'birds and bees'? They make it sound really weird like it means something else but with the same meaning… Like a.. a.. synonononoman."

"Synonym." Dawn corrected, pushing a smile from her lips.

Peter glanced in the child's direction, blinking. Well, crap. He now wished they were back talking about why the earth was round. "Why does a child ask such silly questions?" The man responded back lightly. Dawn had lifted Willow onto the kitchen counter to dry the dishes as she washed them.

"Because," Willow started, wiping a plate with a towel in her hand, "when I was at Meredith's house the other day, we heard her mother talking about a boy chasing a girl. Then Meredith and I walked into the room and she suddenly started saying 'the birds and bees were out pollinating again'. I asked her what she meant and she told me to ask you…." The child shrugged, looking at the plate before back at Peter. "So what does it mean?"

There was a soft smile on Dawn's face but she remained silent as Peter remained baffled at the question. He knew he had to respond soon before Willow made her own assumptions.

"Does it mean the birds and bees are now friends and make pollen together? Like boys and girls are friends…" She paused as Peter held his breath at her answer. "But I dun know why boys and girls make pollen together… Who would want to make pollen?" Willow paused again, her face contorting in thought, shaking her head. "And boys have cooties… "She added, picking up another plate to dry off.

Peter could see the wheels turning in her mind as she tried to place the pieces together, grinning broadly as she mentioned that 'boys had cooties'. "That's right. Boys have cooties. And girls who kiss boys get cooties, so no kissing boys."

Willow looked up at his statement, horror and disgust crossing her face. "Ewww… But, but, I saw Meredith's sister, Hannah, kissing a boy…." Her face froze with concern, "I need to tell her! I dun want her to get cooties too!" The child soon started to panic as visions of Hannah getting these aforementioned cooties crossed her mind.

Dawn placed a slender finger on her nose, tapping her lightly. "Hannah will be fine. Cooties only attack small children. So as long as you do not go kissing boys any time soon, you will be okay." She nodded gently, going along with Peter as she passed another plate to the child to dry.

Peter suppressed a grin, trying to look serious as he remained sitting at the table. His eyes were skimming a newspaper as two swift knocks sounded on door. Dawn gave a nervous look towards the door, then at her brother who had risen to his feet at the sound. Finishing the dishes, she helped Willow dry the rest of them as Peter opened the door.

"Hello, Jake." Peter answered with a nod as a boy in his late teens stood awkwardly in the doorway. He had shaggy brown hair that always seemed to hang in his eyes, despite his attempt to brush them back. Jake was tall, almost as tall as Peter but on the lean side.
The boy nodded as Peter let him into the kitchen.
"So what brings you out here after dark?"

Jake's eyes skimmed the room lightly, resting momentarily on Dawn and Willow before looking back at the man before him.
"I have a letter from the court… And information about---"

"Dawn," Peter quickly interrupted raising his hand slightly to pause the boy as he glanced over at her; "don't you think Willow needs a bath and then be put to bed?"

Dawn looked up sharply, clearly showing that she wanted to stay and listen but Peter held a solid gaze. "…Yes…" She mumbled softly after a moment, letting a soft sigh escape her before brightening her features slightly as she faced Willow. "C'mon child." Picking Willow up off the counter, she started walking towards the hallway, towards the back of the house.

Willow blinked, not catching on about what was said, so continued on from earlier.

"Dawn?" She whispered loudly for the entire room to hear.

"Yes, Wil?" She questioned softly.

"Does Jake have cooties?"

"Why do you ask such silly questions?"

"Because I think he wants to make pollen with you…" Willow replied back in a loud whisper, staring over Dawn's shoulder at Jake before they left the room.

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So? What did you guys think? Should I continue or let it die as a thoughtful idea that just did not cut it?

Please read and review and tell me what you think.

-nods-