A/N: Thank you all for your reviews! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far! :)
Upon entering the empty kitchen, Myrtle set Cordelia onto her feet on the floor. It was early, at least for those in their teenage years, so the other girls were still in bed and wouldn't be awake for quite a while. Spalding usually took care of their dining needs, but Myrtle didn't have the heart to wake him. Aside from that, Cordelia had insisted that Myrtle make her special pancakes for breakfast. Cordelia meandered over to the side of the kitchen where a few of her toys had been set aside, and plopped onto the floor, quietly talking to herself as she kept herself occupied.
Myrtle smiled at the little girl who possessed a fruitful imagination, and then turned away to pull out the ingredients for the pancakes. The special ingredients were cinnamon and sugar, which made them sweeter for the young girl to consume since maple syrup didn't seem to satisfy her sweet tooth. As Myrtle set up everything on the counter, and began to measure the mix for the pancakes, she caught a whiff of Chanel No. 5 and a faint trace of cigarette smoke. At the touch of fingertips on her waist, she shied away, moving closer to the counter.
"Fiona, please," Myrtle let out puff of air in protest as she tried to maneuver herself away from the woman's grasp. In doing so, she nearly spilled some of the powdered pancake mix onto the counter. "You're distracting me."
"Ohh, c'mon. I can't show my affection? You're always harping on me to be more loving toward Delia...think of it as good practice." Fiona smirked as she continued to pursue the stubborn redhead, fingertips tickling along her waist.
"Yes, because she's your daughter, Fiona. And speaking of, she's right over there, so we - you shouldn't really do this." Continually evading the blonde's dexterous fingers, Myrtle slid the mixing bowl down the length of the counter as she attempted to make breakfast for them. It pained her to rebuff Fiona's advances, but she couldn't bring herself to allow the behavior in front of Cordelia, and especially when she knew Fiona would eventually find a suitor of the opposite sex and leave her behind.
"Really?" Pausing to regard Myrtle with a look of incredulity, Fiona placed both hands on her own hips. "I doubt she'll hardly be traumatized to see her mother hugging her 'auntie,' and she's too busy with her 'Dora the Explorer' dolls." She refrained from further action as Myrtle started to pour small circles of mixture onto the griddle.
"It's 'Go Diego Go!' and, this isn't just...as simple as...a hug. You know it, and I know it."
"Oh, whatever, they're all the same to me," she said in reference to the toys. As soon as the last drop of mixture hit the griddle, Fiona slipped both arms around Myrtle's midsection and leaned in close, propping her chin on the woman's shoulder. "I know it's not simple, but why do you keep making this so much more difficult than it has to be? You like me, and I like you. I fail to see what the problem is here." Her voice had softened and she let out a breath of air against Myrtle's neck, still holding her close.
Myrtle wasn't sure if it was the obvious simplicity of this complex situation that Fiona had just formulated into words or the tickle of her breath on her bare skin, but in that moment, she realized that the often arrogant Supreme made a sliver of sense. She shut her eyes, relishing in the warmth of the woman's close proximity as it sunk into her bones while they stood there in silence for a brief moment, listening to Cordelia's content rambling as she played with her toys near the table.
"The problem, or one of the problems, is that I never meant for that kiss to happen." Myrtle sighed. "You will always be searching for someone new and exciting. You're going to want to travel and have a man around. I don't exactly possess certain...parts that you appreciate." With a slight shrug that may have signified indifference, Myrtle finally opened her eyes to check on the pancakes.
"Well, I'm glad it did happen because it made me realize that the whole reason I have been trying to be a better mother is because of you, damnit." Fiona rolled her forehead against Myrtle's shoulder and let out a huff. "We can travel, you know, and they make...fabulous substitutions for those parts. Jesus, I don't even care about that. Don't you get it? It's you that I like." The confession was matched with a firm squeeze of her arms around Myrtle's thin body.
"Fiona, you're just going to leave me eventually...the next rich good-looking guy that comes along...you'll be gone." Myrtle whispered.
"And what if I said I wouldn't leave? Or that I won't be looking for one?" As if to prove her point, Fiona grazed her lips against Myrtle's shoulder and then left a lingering kiss upon the smooth skin of her neck.
Bracing herself by placing a palm against the kitchen counter, Myrtle sucked in a breath of air sharply. "...you're asking me to trust you?"
"Yes..." Another promise was marked by the tip of her tongue meeting the redhead's neck. "I...adore you, Myr," Fiona whispered close to her ear. "You make me want to be a better mother. A better Supreme for this coven. A better everything."
The spatula nearly fell from Myrtle's fingers, but somehow she managed to flip the few pancakes over so that they didn't burn, albeit a bit shakily. She found herself unable to reply for a moment, not fully prepared for the very words that had just been spoken.
The gentle squeeze of Fiona's arms around her waist reminded her of the lack of response on her part, and she set the spatula down on the counter. "I...have feelings for you, too, Fiona," she said quietly. As the words left her lips, she felt a sudden lightness in her chest. The weight of holding such feelings inside seemed to disappear. No longer would she have to sit by and bite her tongue or try to quell the jealousy when Fiona would flippantly discuss her latest conquests of men. Having this out in the open made her feel so much better, and dare she think it, happier.
"Oh? Care to show me those feelings Myrtle dear?" Fiona chuckled, giving another loving squeeze to Myrtle as she pressed her cheek against her shoulder.
"Aunt MyrMyr, are the pancakes ready?!" Cordelia suddenly appeared near the two women, looking up at Myrtle eagerly. A small hand came to rest on Myrtle's hip as Cordelia tugged at her robe. "Lemme see!"
Since Cordelia didn't even mention the two embracing, Myrtle made no effort to shrug off Fiona's arms or step away from her. "Sure my little one. Let your mother hold you up and you can watch." Myrtle smiled at the young girl and then removed the cooked pancakes before pouring more batter onto the griddle.
Fiona reluctantly removed her arms from Myrtle and stooped just enough to lift her daughter into her arms. In an untypical fashion, she pressed her lips to the girl's cheek and hugged her close before settling her small body on a jutted hip so she could see Myrtle make breakfast.
The small display of affection did not go unnoticed by Myrtle and she hid a smile. Perhaps this wouldn't be such a bad idea after all. Fiona appeared to be trying to improve herself for the better, even if she still resorted to smoking and drinking. At least she had been able to convince her not to smoke around Cordelia, and to cut back slightly on alcohol. The other unknown factors plagued her mind; would Fiona tire of her or want to pursue a man? Despite these unanswered questions, Myrtle knew that this was their chance to see how things would go and she'd be a fool to let it slip through her fingers.
Warm pancakes in one neat stack were presented to the two observant blondes; one who's eyes were glued to the food and the other's were affixed to Myrtle. "Who wants to eat?" Myrtle asked them as she moved toward the table with the plate and a container of syrup.
"Meeee!" Cordelia shrieked, her face beaming with a smile.
Fiona grimaced at the sound, and walked to the table to set her daughter on a chair. Brushing past Myrtle who was cutting up a pancake into small pieces for Cordelia, she leaned toward the woman, lips close to her ear. "What I'd like to eat isn't on this table..." She murmured, smirking as she sat down in her chair next to Cordelia.
The knife and fork tumbled from Myrtle's fingers as Fiona spoke, clattering onto the table.
"Ut ohhh," Cordelia stated as she glanced up at Myrtle. "You gots butterfingers!" The girl let out a giggle and turned her attention to her food as she began to pick the small pieces off her plate to shove into her mouth after dunking them in syrup.
"Ohh, I bet they would be slippery..." Her voice was quiet but Myrtle heard every word. Fiona smirked and began to eat her breakfast, watching the redhead's reactions.
"Fiona...you're not allowed in here with me for breakfast anymore. Ever." Myrtle practically choked on the words.
"But...but Auntie Myr...how will mommy eat?!" Cordelia had overheard the comment while busily chewing her food.
"Oh, Delia, mommy will eat, don't worry about that, sweetheart," Fiona quickly replied, the smirk growing on her lips as she snuck a glance to Myrtle who was staring open-mouthed at the Supreme.
As Fiona and Cordelia ate their breakfast with a nonchalance, Myrtle simply watched them, her attention honing in on Fiona for the most part. That woman would be the death of her, and Myrtle found herself not minding it one bit.