AN: This was inspired by a morning with my five-year-old son.
Twelve: Little Green
Kayo wakes to the feeling of a body wriggling its way under the covers, a body too small to be the one she was expecting.
"Logan?" She ventures into the pre-dawn twilight, suddenly glad that she went to bed wearing her ankle-length chemise rather than sleeping skin to skin with Virgil, as she usually did. "You okay, baby?"
A sigh and another wriggle, this time pressed right against her back. "Yeah," comes the sleepy admission. "Just had a bad dream."
"I'm sorry, honey." She rolls over and gathers the boy into her arms, pressing a kiss into his rumpled dark hair.
"Where's Daddy?"
That's a good question, actually, and she pulls back the covers to rise from the bed. She turns back to tuck the blankets more securely around the boy, who's already asleep, then leaves the room to go find her missing partner.
She finds him-where else-in the hangar with his beloved 'Bird. He is sitting in the command chair in pajama pants and a faded Stanford tee, speaking in a low voice to the dark haired baby girl on his lap. The baby's hazel eyes are wide, if uncomprehending, and her tiny fingers are wet as she reaches out to touch the shiny buttons.
Kayo stands in the doorway, not quite ready to give away her presence. As she watches, Virgil flicks a switch, and a 3-D schematic of Thunderbird 2 pops into view above the console. He chuckles as the baby's eyes go wide in surprise and wonder. She reaches out and swipes her hand through the display, which sends the holographic image of TB2 spinning like a merry-go-round. Delighted, the baby claps her hands and giggles, drawing a chuckle from Kayo as well.
"You two are up early."
As one, father and daughter turn to see her standing in the hatchway. Virgil grins at his wife and shuts down the display, then turns the chair to face her. The baby coos happily at seeing her mother, and Kayo leans to scoop her up, but Virgil takes that moment to sneak a kiss. Kayo smiles and is lingering a moment longer on her husband's lips, when her eyes pop open and she lets out a yelp.
"Ow! Lucinda, let go of Mama's hair," she cajoles, as the baby tugs hard on the braid that has fallen over Kayo's shoulder.
"No-no, Lu," Virgil warns, carefully extricating Kayo's hair from their daughter's grip. He gives Kayo a sheepish grin. "Maybe that haircut you were talking about might be a good idea."
She snorts. "At least until she's old enough to understand English."
