A/N: This is associated with the one shot 'Relic', but can be read as a stand alone. Just a silly one shot inspired by birthday week at my house (3 in 1) and the amount of cake I'll be consuming.
"It smells like a bloody bakery in here," Cal exclaims, wrinkling his nose with feigned disgust as he edges into the kitchen.
The twin giggles that meet his ears clench his heart in his chest. Gillian and Emily stand shoulder to shoulder, obviously blocking some confection from his view.
"It's a surprise, Dad. Shoo," Emily tells him, serious despite the grin on her face.
He looks to Gillian, but she quickly agrees with Emily.
"It's almost done. Just have a little patience," she says.
He grumbles, but goes into the living room anyway, listening to the sounds from the kitchen. The two girls laugh together and clang around with pots and pans, probably on purpose. He sits on the couch, leaving the TV off, so he can hear his girls' excited chattering as he waits to be called back.
Gillian and Emily put the finishing touches on the dessert, talking amongst themselves about the outcome.
"It looks great, Gill. He'll love it," Emily says.
Gillian grins.
"I hope so."
Gillian picks up the dessert and Emily grabs three plates and cutlery and the two of them make their way out to the living room.
"Happy birthday!" they both say in unison.
"I know you prefer your cake burnt," Gill says, suppressing a shudder as she places the dish on the coffee table. "But I couldn't commit such a terrible act of dessert homicide. So, I hope you like it anyway."
She shrugs a little, but he can tell that she's really put a lot of effort forth. He wants to tell her he'll like anything the two of them make for him, but it will just give them awful ideas. Instead, he grins.
"Go on, then," he urges, gesturing at the covered cake dish.
Emily lifts the lid with a flourish, setting it down to the side.
He looks down at the cake and laughs outright.
Written in icing, it says 'Happy birthday old man. P. S. We love you'.
"It's, um, earl grey with lemon," Gill says.
"Old man, huh?" he asks, grabbing at her sweater and pulling her nearly into his lap.
"Ancient," she teases back, settling close beside him on the couch.
"Thank you," he says to both of them.
Emily plops down on his other side.
"So, you gonna cut it or what?" she asks.
"Tea in a cake. Might do," he says, reaching for the knife Em brought.
"We might've forgotten the candles," Gill says sheepishly. "But, it's not like we could fit that many anyway."
"Very funny," Cal says, pressing a kiss to her nose. "I don't need a wish. Got all I need right here."
He squeezes both Gillian and Emily in side hugs to punctuate his statement.
"Corny," Emily says.
"Oh, yes," Gillian agrees. "Very sappy."
"Fine, I'll have a wish then," he says, whispering something in Gillian's ear that makes her blush crimson.
"Cal!" she exclaims, slapping at his forearm.
"You kinda asked for it, love," he says, laughing.
She kisses him swiftly to shut him up.
"Cake, Cal," she tells him. "I'm waiting."
He surrenders, slicing into the cake.
"It's really not a good idea to make this woman wait for anything involving sugar," he warns Emily, grinning foolishly.
Gillian rolls her eyes at him, but she can't keep the smile off of her face. Funnily enough, he can't either.