Chapter 2
"Mom, I had this dream that dad came home and-" Keira had walked into the bedroom and was already crawling into the bed when she realized that her mother wasn't alone, that her father was home and staring at her out of one half-closed, green eye. "DADDY!"
Taker caught her before she could actually jump and land on him, experience teaching him that kids were not so gentle about where their knees or other flailing limbs landed. "Princess, what are you doing up at...seven?" He asked, glancing at the alarm clock on the side table.
"Cartoons."
Juliana slowly opened her eyes, her body tingling from head to toe from all the wicked wonderful things Taker did to her body earlier that morning. They'd barely gotten to sleep by six and their loving daughter was already up at the crack of dawn because of cartoons. "Morning sweetheart." She mumbled sleepily, snuggling against the pillow, keeping the blanket up so her daughter didn't see anything she was supposed to. "I thought for sure you'd sleep longer after staying up until 3 AM with your Uncle John..." When Keira bit her bottom lip, Juliana simply raised an eyebrow. "Was it his idea and don't lie."
"No, it was mine."
Keira sighed, sincerely hoping she wouldn't get punished for admitting this. She was always told that liars wound up in trouble and telling the truth meant no trouble. Sometimes, however, that wasn't the case. Adults were funny and tended to change their minds at the drop of a hat.
"He actually told me I should be in bed, but..." She shrugged nonchalantly. It was Uncle John, she had shot something and he forgot all about bedtime and was more focused on the game.
Taker was considering this, wondering if Keira would lie to save John's ass, arching an eyebrow at her.
"Honest Daddy!"
"John probably warned her she'd get in trouble and as soon as she started playing, his little pea brain focused on the game."
Juliana yawned loudly, trying to wake up, but her body was deliciously sore from the multiple encounters she had with her incredible...boyfriend. Was he even her boyfriend anymore or something more? It was too damn early to decipher that as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"I'm leaving the punishment up to your father, Keira. If he thinks you don't need to be punished, then you won't." It was Taker's turn to discipline their child; Juliana was tired of always being the bad guy. "You need to learn how to listen when I tell you to do something."
When Keira turned those big hazel eyes onto him, Mark mentally steeled his resolve, damn that child and those large, adorable eyes. "No XBOX for a week." He grunted, ignoring the way her tiny mouth turned down into a half-frown, half-pout. "And if you played over MY game, heaven help you."
"I didn't play over your game...I beat mine." She announced with a tiny hint of a smirk, shrieking when he growled and shot upright. "MOM!" She laughed, her face tingeing pink as she began laughing, being tickled mercilessly by her father.
Juliana STILL couldn't believe Taker actually ENJOYED playing the XBOX after cursing it to hell and back when John used to blare the TV while playing it. John lived with them until two years ago when Taker finally couldn't take another man living in his house, which John didn't mind. He had a small shack down the street now and it was fully paid off thanks to Juliana.
When Taker protested it, she told him to deal with it because John was family and she as helping her family. Taker shut up after that and they never spoke of it again, having always kept their finances separate. It was almost as if they lived separate lives whenever Taker left on his trips, but now that he was staying home maybe all that would change and they could finally be a real family.
"Keira, guess what?" When her daughter's eyes moved to her mother hopefully, Juliana's smile widened. "Your Daddy is staying home for awhile now."
Keira looked back and forth between them, wondering if this was some 'white lie' they were feeding her to make her not feel sad about Dad's eventual leaving. "Really?" She demanded with an arched eyebrow, looking skeptical.
Taker had seen that very same expression before, numerous times, on her mother and hid a smile, forcing himself to look solemn. "Yes darlin', I'm staying home for awhile. I have to catch up on my game. "He ignored that damn little smirk. "Spend time with your mom..."
"And me!"
"Spend time with the dog..."
"Dad, we don't have a dog."
"And the cat."
"Or a cat, what about me?"
He grinned, laughing outright when she decked him.
Juliana couldn't help laughing when Taker faked being hurt, holding his arm, shaking her head. She'd sat up in bed a little with the blankets still drawn up; knowing Keira wouldn't be leaving her Daddy's side for awhile. They told her countless times that Taker was staying home and he always ended up leaving for business. Juliana hoped he didn't go back on his word, though she wouldn't be surprised if he did because being cooped up in a house with her and Keira constantly was a lot for him to handle. He was a great father though and Juliana loved him unconditionally, flaws and all.
"You do realize that once she's older, she could probably whip your ass right?" When Taker arched a slow black eyebrow down at her, that same smirk Keira had on her face moments ago was now on Juliana's face.
"See, this just isn't fair." Taker had a playful side apparently, but it usually only came out for his daughter. "I come home and you two both gang up on me...you both even give me the same damn look!"
Keira decked him again. "I am a young and impress...impressed child."
"Impressionable."
"Yes, that. Mom, pancakes?"
Juliana groaned, knowing she wasn't going to be able to sleep in because her daughter wouldn't stop pestering her to cook. Taker couldn't make breakfast to save his life, but he could fry up a mean steak on the grill. Typical male. Juliana sighed and finally nodded reluctantly, watching as Keira bounded off the bed with a squeal of excitement.
"Go watch your cartoons and we'll meet you down there in a bit. Daddy can watch cartoons with you." When her big eyes widened with even more excitement, Juliana relished the look that came over Taker's eyes, giggling. As soon as Keira was out of the room, Juliana slipped out of the bed before Taker could make a grab for her, shaking her finger at him. "Not right now, I have to feed my second bottomless pit."
"And I have to watch cartoons? Are you kidding me?" Taker growled, hauling himself out of the bed, not bothering with a sheet. Knowing Keira, she probably already had the television on and was absorbed into whatever the hell she was watching. Leering wickedly at Juliana, he followed her into the bathroom adjacent their bedroom. "Before I go downstairs, I need a shower." He announced, smirking as he looked her over, getting a bit of a kick out of it when she raised an eyebrow at him. "I'd ask you to join me, but you got breakfast to go cook, woman."
Juliana shrugged nonchalantly, deciding she would play the game since he wanted to be a tease. "I got plenty last night, enjoy your shower and remember cartoons are waiting for you!"
She winked and pulled out some cotton shorts with a matching tank top, slipping panties and a bra on while the shower started. She giggled, hearing Taker grumbling through from the bathroom and brushed her hair, deciding she would take a shower after breakfast was done. Juliana stopped short when she heard a squeal downstairs, groaning.
"No..."
"UNCLE JOHNNY!"
Juliana was now in hell.
"Keira, my little homie, what is crackin'?" John's overly exuberant and completely cheerful voice seemed to reach the entire house. He had been up at the crack of dawn, had his morning cereal loaded with ungodly amounts of sugar and was now over for second breakfast.
"Dad's home." Keira announced, grinning brightly as she moved over for him to sit on the couch with her. "He and Mom were still in bed though. I think they're getting up."
"What's Mom making for breakfast?"
"Pancakes."
"Wicked!"
Taker banged his head against the tiled wall, wondering if it was an act of god that he could hear 'wicked' all the way upstairs, in the shower, where he currently was.
"You have a lot of nerve showing up here after what you pulled last night, Cena." Juliana stated from the doorway, causing both John and Keira to cringe, which made her feel a sense of accomplishment in itself. "You better hope Taker is lenient since you decided it would be wise to keep his nine year old little girl up until three AM blowing people up on the PS3."
She smirked when John paled a little and headed inside the kitchen to start breakfast. She wore a pair of loose black pajama pants with a matching tank top, her black hair pulled back in a clip of sorts since it was shorter. She enjoyed it being shoulder length and decided she might be cutting it shorter the next time she got her hair done.
"Keira, do you want blueberry or strawberry pancakes?"
"XBOX mom, it's an XBOX!" Keira corrected exasperatedly, shaking her head and shared a look with John. "Strawberry please."
"In my defense, I DID tell her to go back to bed...once..." John cleared his throat; glad Juliana went back to cooking, not so glad about Taker being home and possibly in a killing mood. He wasn't about to be frightened off though…oh no, he had a niece to continue corrupting. "So while we wait for breakfast..."
"I'm grounded from the XBOX."
"Jules, can Keira spend the day with me?" John asked sweetly.
"You already know what your father said, Keira." Juliana reminded her daughter while stirring the pancake batter, sighing when Keira began whining. It was her summer vacation, but Juliana didn't want her up at all hours of the night, especially when Taker was home. They needed alone time and Keira staying up late would only make her think that once school started up again, she'd be able to continue staying up at all hours of the night. "Not to mention you're supposed to be spending time with Dad today by watching cartoons and then whatever else you wanted to do...besides playing the XBOX."
John clutched his chest, his blue eyes widening tearfully and his mouth turned down into a pout. "That is just breaking my heart, Juliana." He said, sniffling. "Who will I play with then?"
He was an overgrown child and admitted it. That and he secretly, and not-so-secretly, liked annoying his adopted sister…sometimes. Not so much her other half, he was deadly…literally. John still couldn't get over Juliana's taste in men, though even he had to admit Taker was the best fit for her. That and he protected her when John couldn't.
"Hey mom, let's put Uncle John on , he could meet a lady friend!" Keira suggested amiably.
John rubbed his chin thoughtfully, considering it.
"I don't even want to know how you know about that site." Juliana sighed somewhat wistfully, not believing how fast her daughter was growing up.
It was scary really. She remembered the day she went into labor and how Taker was moments away from missing the greatest moment in both of their lives: The birth of Keira. He'd been away on business, but because of her condition, Taker instructed her to contact him as soon as her water broke and he'd be there before the baby was born. He barreled through nurses and doctors to get to the room and made it minutes before Keira's cries filled the room.
Juliana couldn't believe he actually made it and that made her fall even more in love with him. They thought they would be having a boy because Juliana had kept having dreams about a baby boy, so they were very surprised when a little girl greeted them. No little girl was ever loved as much as Keira was, especially when it came to her godfather Uncle Johnny.
"Well, I know about that site -" Keira sang it like she was being paid to advertise it and did so cheerfully. "Because we have TV. TV has a lot of commercials, and it shows a lot of lonely adults. You guys need to buy some teddy bears and get some friends..."
John was just staring at Keira like she was the most fascinating thing he had ever seen, which...up to this point, she was. He was smiling again, his blue eyes crinkled at the corners at he listened to her. "Do you even have any idea what you're talking about?" He couldn't help asking, trying not to chuckle.
"Nope."
"She gets that from you."
"I think that's a great idea actually."
Juliana hated that John was alone, wanting him to find someone who could make him as happy as Taker made her...for the most part. There were times where Juliana wondered how they got here and how much hell they'd been through to get to this point in their lives. Then she thought back to when she witnessed Taker and John both being shot right before her very eyes, lying cold and presumably dead in the icy snow, while the brother she never knew about took her away to a secluded area. She ended up setting the house completely on fire and had nightmares about it for months afterwards, even after Taker revealed he wasn't really dead.
Lots of sleepless nights came and went, but Taker had stood by her through it all. Once in awhile, like the night before, Juliana still bolted upright in a cold sweat from nightmares of her past. She hated it and wished she could let everything go, but it that was clearly easier said than done. She'd been so deep in thought that she hadn't realized Taker came up behind her until she felt his arm snake around her waist, causing her to jump slightly and ended up flipping a pancake right on the floor.
"Damn it!" She cursed, immediately bending down to clean it up, knowing John was keeping Keira preoccupied in the living room. "You are very quiet; I thought you were in the other room with them." Juliana laughed it off, tossing the pancake in the garbage before beginning another one.
Taker had being quiet down to an art. For example, he was very quiet about the fact that since he was RIGHT behind her when she had flipped that pancake to the floor, and then bent down to retrieve it, that her ass rubbed right against his fresh out of a cold shower crotch. Planting a kiss on the side of her throat, he backed away and turned towards the table, eyeballing John.
"As much as the idea of finding him a woman appeals to me...I don't think we could pay a girl enough to date him." He said seriously, though his green eyes twinkled. "Maybe if we could find one who's had a lobotomy..."
"HEY!"