Jac will probably seem a little out of character here because this is basically just pure domesticated fluff. Sorry not sorry.
Jac woke to a voice, soft and cooing, in the next room. A dim light peaked onto her floor boards, guiding her to the source. She slowly got out of bed, yawning big and wide with a stretch of her limbs, her bedside clock reading 4:26.
"He sprang to his sleigh, to his team with a whistle." She heard in a hushed, soft voice, telling of tails. The story, Jac knew was one of her girlfriend's favourites had been coming from the nursery room next door. She heard more clearly the closer she got to her own door. "And away they all flew down of a thistle."
Jac smiled sleepily. It wasn't a common experience, her daughter having woke in the middle of the night without her knowledge. Sometimes she was in too deep of a sleep and so Zosia took it upon herself to get up and see herself to Emma. Checking she was alright, staying up until she fell back to sleep before returning to the bedroom.
"But I heard him exclaim," Jac was out in the hall, hair a mess, clothes in disarray, probably some dried drool on the side of her mouth, and on a hunt to witness the early morning story. She wouldn't admit it but she loved listening to the brunette talk. Her voice just brought a calm over Jac, it was strong, smooth and collected, like a warm hug from your favourite person. "As he drove out of sight."
"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight!" Zosia's voice dropped low in an imitation of Santa Clause, almost making Jac laugh at the ridiculousness of it.
Jac peaked in through the half open door and smiled gently. Zosia had Emma curled up in her lap, head resting on her chest and feet dangling off of her crossed legs. She was half wrapped up in the Christmas blanket Dom had made for her with her thumb stuck firmly in her mouth.
Zosia placed the book beside her on the bed and drew a knuckle delicately across her slightly flushed cheek. She looked content, absolutely exhausted and shouldn't at all be up at four thirty in the morning, but she seemed happy to be in that moment. Happy to watch the two-year-old stare back at her, happy to have aching arms from holding Emma in the same position for too long, happy to have read a Christmas classic before the sun itself had risen.
Jac had been worried, scared, about waking the brunette up in the middle of the night with a whining baby. Scared that it would be too much for her, that it would turn her off, turn her away. It was weird to think about that after a year of it, a year of Zosia pushing her back into bed and taking care of the young child.
One year.
One year of crying, of diapers, of next to no sleep. One year of firsts she had never thought would happen, never dreamt that they could happen. One year of smiles and goofy faces, of making a fool out of herself to just for Emma's benefit. One year of learning. And one, glorious, year of unimaginable love.
"You'll have to be more boring than that, March." Jac mused from the doorway, finally letting herself be known.
Zosia jumped with a startle, whipping her head to the side to find the red head stifling a laugh, her lips twitching at the sight. She fixed her with Zosia's version of a scowl. "You can't just sneak up on me like that."
"Oh, but I can." Jac smirked and opened the door the rest of the way, walked in and went straight for the empty side of the small child's bed, just big enough to fit them both on it with half of their bodies hanging off the sides.
"It's not nice." Zosia commented tiredly, moving the book to the bedside table to make room for her.
"I'm not nice." She said simply. She settled in next to the brunette, fitting in perfectly beside her in a very familiar way, a comforting way.
"That's what she likes to think, but we both know that's not true, don't we Emma?" Zosia cooed to Emma, placing her hand on her tummy and rubbing it in comforting circles. She could feel the pointed stare from her superior but it only spurred her on. "Mama's a big ol' sap isn't she? Playing hide and seek, making bubble beards, and one look from those big blue eyes of yours and she's a goner."
"Stop feeding her lies." Jac pushed her shoulder.
Zosia giggled. "I only speak the truth."
"Oh yeah? What about Santa?" Jac challenged her, arms crossed and ready for the explanation.
Zosia shot her a look of pure horror. "Jac!" She reprimanded and looked back to Emma, seeing if she realised what had just been said. Emma just stared back at her, wide awake and not at all the sleepy toddler she'd hope to have, they had been up for at least an hour, trying and obviously failing to get her back to bed.
"Oh relax Zosh, she doesn't understand yet. She's only two." Jac rolled her eyes.
Zosia glanced between the two Naylor's, sceptical. "What if she does? What if she never gets the chance to enjoy the true magic of Santa because you told her before Christmas had even started."
Jac let out a breath and met her eyes, holding them to show how serious she was, how sincere she was. There was a flutter, a tiny little flutter that lasted less than a second, it was weird and she didn't know what it was so she decided to just ignore it. "You watch, in a couple of years, Emma will be driving you crazy with how excited she is for Santa. And you'll be the one to wait two hours in line to meet the creep."
Zosia hesitated but smiled dopily. They were both still exhausted but there were more pressing matters at hand. It was cute though, sleepy Zosia. "Okay."
Jac allowed a fond smile to slip onto her face at Zosia's reaction, that flutter in her stomach appearing again.
She took a second to think when had her life become like this? When did she become a part of the domesticated sappy couple that she hated so much?
She shook the thoughts from her head and instead leant over to press a kiss to Zosia's forehead, brushing the hair out of her eyes. She held eye contact with her for a moment too long, just letting herself appreciate the woman sitting before her.
She quickly leant down to press a similar kiss to Emma's forehead, watching the smile form on her little girl's lips at the action. Her lips spreading around her thumb.
"I'm going to go make us some coffee, god knows we're going to need it today." She remarked before getting up and leaving the room, Zosia's eyes following her out.