The Fifth Hour
{12noon - 1pm}
"Ice cream, ice cream, ice cream" sang Connor happily as Mike lifted him from his car seat, setting the little boys swinging feet down on the dusty ground and grabbing his hand before the tot could take off in search of his cool treat.
"After, lunch buddy" reminded Mike, struggling to keep his hand on the little boy whilst helping Matilda unbuckle and climb over the back seat to get out. He threw a leg around Connor instead, pinning the child to the car as Matilda leant against him, swinging down to the ground.
"You alright there?" teased Kate gently, standing perfectly still with Gemma a few metres off whilst his eyes bulged in pain, Matilda hitting him accidentally in the gut as Connor started playing drums against his knee cap.
He grunted a reply, finally leaning down to swing Connor up onto his hip, trusting that Matilda was old enough to make her own way between both parents.
After Mike had enjoyed a rather peaceful but short nap, the clock had struck 12 and Connor had begun demanding lunch – and ice cream – right away.
Attention spans had run short then as all three children decided enough was enough; Kate only just succeeding in finding a place to pull up for lunch before World War three erupted, for the thirtieth time that morning.
"Daddy can I have chippies?" asked Matilda suddenly, grabbing Mike's larger hand as they crossed the car park.
He glanced over at Kate, twitching his lip in question as they both deliberated over the answer.
"Chips or ice cream" replied Kate finally, knowing that if Mike was left to answer nothing would happen.
It often amused her how on board he was perfectly capable of making split second, life saving decisions which nine times out of ten were correct. When it came to his children however he seemed powerless to decide - needless to say Kate had been left to choose the kids names.
"- Ice cream -"
"- Chips! - "
"Daddy!"
"Alright!"
Mike stopped dead in his tracks, Matilda jolting as his hand held tight to hers whilst Connor sank back into his arms.
He breathed out slowly, mouth opening before a snicker caused his eyes to flash, words ready to tumble in anger before he realised it was his wife.
Kate giggled lightly, watching Mike in amusement as he tried to calm himself.
Ignoring her he instead bent down to face a cowering Matilda, little head hung low before he gently tapped his finger beneath her chin, meeting her gaze.
"I didn't mean to yell sweetheart, but you have to stop arguing with your brother. Understand?"
He smiled gently as Matilda nodded, wrapping an arm around his leg for a three year old version hug.
He laid his rather large hand a top her blonde locks, ruffling them lightly before bouncing a distracted Connor in his arms, poking the child in the stomach.
"Same goes for you buddy" he nodded, watching as Connor frowned in agreement "No more fighting with your sister"
"Or daddy will get really angry" called Kate, eyes widening teasingly at Mike.
Connor stared opened mouthed at her, eyebrows raised as he pondered the thought of his daddy getting even angrier than before!
Mike smiled playfully at his wife, stepping quickly behind her and wrapped arm round her waist, pinching the soft skin of her side so she jumped and squirmed away from him.
"That's not funny" she growled, shuffling Gemma in between herself and Mike's straying hands. He merely laughed happily in reply, resting his hand at the small of her back as the family walked towards where lunch awaited, Matilda's small hands pushing her parents apart slightly as she wormed her way between them.
---
"Nuggets please!" yelled Matilda loudly, reminding her parents why they'd chosen to sit outside.
Kate nodded quickly, turning to face Mike and Connor who'd somehow gotten himself onto his fathers lap.
"Ice Cream"
"After lunch buddy" reminded Mike, patting his sons stomach with the hand wrapped around him.
"But…"
"Sandwich" nodded Kate finally, knowing it would take the little boy hours to decide upon something which he wouldn't eat.
"Coffee"
Kate's eyebrow rose slightly as Mike stared up at her, mouth set firmly closed after his first request. Her head fell lightly to the side as Gemma sang happily from her high chair.
"That all…?"
"Like the kids are going to eat a full meal" he smiled gently, winking at her as she nodded in understanding.
"So you're going to steal the children's food" she teased, leaning against the chair as his mouth fell open in protest.
"Well, no….but….You know exactly what I mean" he frowned finally, wondering how something as simple as not ordering anything to eat, because he'd be loaded up with finishing the kids meals anyway, had turned into a lets-confuse-Mike-moment of fun for his wife.
He scowled as she walked towards the counter, a young, somewhat gawky, teenager serving her.
"Daddy, are your friends old like you?"
Mike blinked rapidly as Matilda's question processed through his mind. He turned to face her, swivelling Connor in his lap, as the little girl stared up innocently at him.
"What do you mean 'as old as me'?" he asked finally, brow crinkling as he frowned.
Matilda stopped a moment, trying to figure out what her father meant.
"Are they as old as you?" she pushed further, now just as confused as her father. She tilted her head to the side so her pig tails fell off from around her shoulders.
"Are you saying I'm old?" asked Mike. Behind him Gemma squealed loudly, throwing the bib Kate had placed around her neck earlier to the ground. She pushed a hand against Mike's as he tried to place the now dusty bib back onto her high chair, finally giving up the fight and tucking it into his back pocket for extraction later.
"You, are way too cheeky" he grinned at her, brushing a finger across her chin before turning back to Matilda.
"And to answer your question before, no, most of my friends are younger than me" he smiled, watching the flurry of thoughts that flickered through Matilda's mind.
"They're close to mummy's age though" he added, smiling as Kate returned napkins in hand.
"5 minutes" she smiled, immediately reaching into the bag by her side to pull out another bib for Gemma.
"Daddy is you much older than mummy?" asked Matilda suddenly.
Mike glanced up at Kate, watching the wheels turning as she deliberated how to answer the question.
"Are you much older" she replied finally, correcting her daughters wording. Mike scowled at her, understanding that this it was his turn to answer next, no doubt when Matilda had figured out how to ask her question properly.
"Daddy…."
"Yes Matilda, I am older than your mother" he sighed finally, raising a challenging eyebrow at Kate, daring her to continue.
He all but gasped as she winked at him, taking the dare.
"Hey Mattie, daddy's 10 years older than me"
Mike sighed dramatically as Matilda's eyebrows sky rocketed, glancing between her parents as she pondered the thought of 10, long years in comparison to the almost-4 tiny years she'd been alive.
Kate giggled as Mike mouthed a sarcastic 'thank you' her way, resisting the urge to throw in she sounded like a 10 year old as she giggled with Matilda.
He sighed instead, brightening slightly at the thought of the week and a half to come. There was no way in hell the guys were going to believe that his wife was the same Lieutenant Katline McGregor who'd scared the lot of them just over five years ago. The X – he smiled at the thought, remembering a time when she'd been so closed off and snarky that simply mentioning her first name brought daggers to her eyes. He reached under the table and let his hand wander to her knee, climbing up it to squeeze her thigh, grinning boyishly as she jumped.
Her green eyes dazzled at him, but this time a challenge – not daggers – met his blues. There wasn't the threat of cleaning the ship with a toothbrush if he ever dared touch her again – in fact it was quite the opposite. A teasing promise of more touches if they survived the next 6 hours.
"Daddy, is Jake 10 years older than me?" asked Matilda, now leaning so far forward on her seat that only a few centimetres of her body was actually suspended on it, the rest of her hanging against the table.
Kate paused a moment, trying to remember how old their next door neighbour's son was before nodding finally, figuring that at 14 years of age he was close enough.
Matilda's eyes lit up at the sight, the thought of her favourite neighbour, who both parents had watched on many occasions go above and beyond to entertain the tiny girl when Mike knew he wanted to be out with his friends, causing a tumble of questions to flow from her mouth, the most poignant causing Mike to near choke on the mouthful of water he'd just stolen from Kate's bottle.
"Does that mean I can marry him?"