Dan laid on his stomach on his bed as he worked on editing a video, while Livy was busy following Phil around the flat and he could focus on editing the video. It had been a half hour or so since he had heard Livy or Phil, since Phil decided to work on laundry and went further back in the flat.
Dan had made it through quiet a few of his edits when he heard his name being shouted and Phil marching into his room. Following close at his heels was Livy, mimicing her Uncle. "DAN!" Phil shouted again putting his hands on his hips, while Livy pulled her hands to her hips and shouted "DADDY!" Dan puckered his lips to keep from laughing out loud. Phil realized this an glared slightly dropping his hands to his sides, followed by Livy doing the same thing "she has been doing the same thing as me and saying everything she can say I have been saying for the last hour I have had her" Phil announced to the amused Dan.
Livy smiled "last hour" she manged to say since Phil was talking fast and she didn't have a large vocabulary since she was only a year and a half old. "To get her to stop I put her in my laundry basket. She loved it by the way" he added with a chuckle at the event as Dan tilted his head "oh its just because she loves and adores her Uncle" Dan said in defense of the half- pint copy cat. Dan pulled himself to a sitting positon on the bed and fixed his hair as Phil picked up Livy and handed her to Dan who promptly reached back up for Phil.
Dan rolled his eyes playfully at his daughter as he handed her back to Phil. Phil settled her on his hip as she set her head down on his shoulder. Dan worked on saving his files on his laptop when he was done with the final save he closed the top and set it back on his desk. He followed his flatmate and Livy into the kitchen where Phil set Livy on the counter top and held on to her so she wouldn't fall. "You know Dan its been a while since we had Livy in a video maybe we..." he got interrupted as Dan stiffly said "no" Phil frowned as he looked at his burnette friend.
"Ok but why we all had so much fun the last time?" Phil inquired while his voice sounded kind any one who knew Phil well could tell the undercurrent of hurt in it. Dan cringed as he was one of the people who knew Phil well "look Phil its not that its just..well...um" Dan faultered because he hadn't told Phil about the letter from six months ago. Dan sighed as he went into his room and got the letter from where he had hid it he wasn't even sure why he had even kept it, it only served to piss him off. He also was uncertain why he hadn't told Phil, part of him thought it was because he didn't want to scare Phil by thinking they might lose Livy, his other half was because he thought it wasn't going to happen anyway so why worry him, and himself for no reason.
He walked back into the kitchen and handed the letter to Phil, who looked confused as he took the letter "its your answer" Dan said sadly as he picked up Livy. Phil only nodded as he opened the papers and started to read them as he walked in circles while Dan avoided looking at him and bounced Olivia while he murmured words to her as a distraction. Phil looked up from the letter "ok I understand no more videos got it but why didn't you show me this when you go it six months ago" he reproached Dan cringed again as he looked at his socks trying to dig a hole in the sole, since he kept flexing his toes.
"I didn't want to worry you" he said quickly as he handed Olivia back to Phil since he doubted Phil would kill him if he held Livy. "I can't help you if you keep things hidden" he started when Olivia placed her arms around Phils neck and cuddled to him as she whimpered a sad "Sworry" as if it was her in trouble and not Dan. Phil opened his mouth to say more but one look at Livy's sad eyes and Phil melted like ice cream and hugged the girl back "its ok baby no need to be sorry" he said as he stroked her hair while a smile bloomed on her face. Dan grinned glad his daughter had gotten him out of the hot seat "never again promise" Dan promised quickly Phil nodded in response as he rocked Olivia "so what do we want for supper toni...FUCK!" Dan shouted in pain as he grabbed his socked foot and bounced on the other "FUCK" shouted Olivia, while Phil's blue eyes widened in shock at the child in his arms.
"No No just No" Dan said as he put his foot back on the ground and picked up the large lego off the ground "I thought we picked these up" he complained as he threw it with a pile of others "and no bad words" he said to Olivia who giggled and hid her face in Phils chest. "We did pick them up so she felt obigated to pull them back out" Phil said with a chuckle as he handed Olvia back to Phil who thankfully didn't repeat the word "ok so I need to be sure copy cat her doesn't say any of those words until she is older I can already imagine a teacher telling me off for that" he said on a sigh at how quickly Olivia picked up on that word.
Phil laughed at him and sat at the island "so Livy what don't we say" Dan asked when she started to say the word Dan gave her a stern look and changed her answer to "one you said" she lisped at him with a blink of her large blue eyes Dan smiled at her "good girl" he said as he set her on her own two feet. Livy's smile grew at the praise as she stuck to her father, getting under his feet as the two adults cooked spagetti. Phil and Dan talked about possbilities and about the letter while making dinner. Both wanted to keep Livy safe and not lose the little girl they have come to love for a year and a half as they set up plates of food at the table.
"That woman doesn't deserve her. I mean she just left her at our door step who knows what could have happened to her" Phil cried out wanting to use a different word than woman in reference to Livy's mother the more they talked about the letter the more angry Phil got, Dan let him since he himself had gotten to release his anger six months ago, so atleast one of them was thinking clearly about the situation.
Chocolate brown eyes furrowed in concern as Livy started sneezing rapidly than started to cough. Dan was at her high chair in a matter of minutes as he put a hand to Livy's forehead "oh no she has a fever" he announced sadly hating when she was sick she was so sad when she was Dan didn't like when she was sad. She reached out for Dan "Daddy" she said sadly as her eyes started to well up with tears "oh baby girl come here" he said pulling her from the high chair as he went to the bathroom and set her on the edge of the sink keeping a hold of her as he rummaged through the medicine cabinet. Finding the children's cold medicine he opened the cap and poured some onto a spoon and held it to the ill child who closed her lips and looked away from Dan.
Dan sighed "Livy this will make you feel better you need to take it" he tried to reason, even if it was futile he was goign to give it a try as she turned her head to look at him and simply said "no" as she turned her head again. Dan sighed again as he looked at Livy "Olivia Howell" Dan rebuked gently she stayed firm in her position though, Phil had come to stand at the door to watch when Dan grinned as he came up with a plan. "Hey Livy, you know Uncle Phil here takes his medicine real well" he said trying not to grin to wide as Phils blue eyes narrowed but plastered a smile on his face when Olivia took a tentive peek at him "right Uncle Phil?" he asked as Dan held the spoon to him while Phil glared at the younger man.
"Right Livy" he said as he looked at the spoon as if it would bite him and quickly closed his mouth around the nasty medicine and quickly swallowed "see Livy its not bad" he said trying not to grimace at the bitter taste in his mouth. "Ok" she said as she opened her mouth for the medicine when she closed her mouth and swallowed she quickly gagged and acted like it was killing her "thats about right" Phil said as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"You know Livy I think Daddy might be getting a fever as well" Phil announced in mock concern as he placed his hand on Dan's forehead while Livy looked at her father with wide concerned eyes getting pulled into Phil's plot. "No Daddy" she said in a dramatic fashion only little kids can do "ya Daddy no" Phil repeated while Dan glared at his best friend "you know what he needs Livy to make him all better" Phil asked she scrunched her dark eye brows up in confusion "mediciene" she tried to say even if it was incorrect "thats right sweet pea medicine" he said as he took the bottle from Dan's hands who despite having to take the medicine as well was smiling at Phil's antics.
"Open up Dan" he said as he placed the spoon to Dan's lips who didn't even bother to hide his grimace since she had already taken her medicine as he quickly put it in his mouth. "Why must it taste like that" he said as he picked Olivia back up off the sink and carried her to his room "thanks for that Phil" he quipped sarcatsically as Phil passed to go to his room "your welcome buddy" he said cheerfully as he went into his room and closed his door.
Dan shook his head as he layed on his back while Livy climed onto his chest and rested her head just below his chin his mind wirled with thoughts as he thought about Livy, her mother, what could eventually happen to Livy nothing to bad of course and the fact that tomorrow was the first time he was leaving Livy a whole day with some one other than Phil called for a restless night.