Hey babes! Look at me, actually updating on a Saturday. I'm so proud of myself, aren't you proud of me? :)
I think you're all going to like this chapter. It's pretty cute, I think. It takes place basically during the same time as the last chapter, just so you're aware.
Hope everyone had a good Christmas or Hanukkah, whichever you celebrate. And if you don't celebrate, I hope you had a good few days. :)
Enjoy!
Taking Sara's overnight bag from her after the door closes, Phil sets it down on the couch before turning towards the young girl. "First things first," he begins, "dinner. I was thinking about making some burgers. Does that sound good to you two?"
"Sounds good to me," Melinda replies.
"Me too," Sara agrees. "I love burgers. Especially cheeseburgers."
"Well then you're in luck," Phil smiles. "Because I make amazing cheeseburgers."
"He really does," Melinda says to Sara.
"Can I help you make them?" Sara asks Phil. "Sometimes I help daddy make dinner and I'm really good at helping."
"You sure can," he smiles. "Go wash your hands and then come meet me in the kitchen."
"Okay." Sara looks down at Buddy, "Sit." Buddy drops his rear end to the carpet. "Stay." She sets his leash down on the ground and then slowly starts backing up towards the bathroom. Buddy goes to follow after her but she points a finger at him, "Stay." Buddy moves back to where he was. "Good boy," she smiles and then turns to make her way into the bathroom.
"She's getting good with Buddy," Melinda comments.
Phil nods his head, "She is. Do you think Skye would have been like that if we would have gotten her a puppy when she was Sara's age?"
Melinda chuckles and shakes her head, "As crazy as she was, I don't think so."
"You're probably right."
"Of course I am," Melinda smiles at her husband. "Now go on into the kitchen and get those burgers made. I'll hang out in here with Buddy."
"Sounds good," Phil smiles back, leaning forward to give her a quick kiss before making his way into the kitchen.
...
"Mm," Melinda smiles as she walks into the kitchen, Buddy right on her heels, "smells good in here."
"That's probably the burgers," Sara tells her from her spot at the counter, carefully cutting up fruit. "We're also making a fruit salad."
"Well it certainly sounds delicious too," Melinda says. "Are you two having fun cooking?"
"I think we are," Phil replies. "What do you think Sara?"
Sara nods her head, "Yep. And the food is almost ready."
"Yes it is," Phil agrees with a small nod of his head. "The last of the burger patty's are on right now and should be done soon."
"Fruit salad is almost done too," Sara says.
"Excellent," Phil smiles. "Because I can tell from here that the fruit salad looks absolutely delicious, and I'm sure it'll taste just as great."
"Thanks," Sara smiles. "I like cooking, it's fun."
"Yes it is," Phil nods his head in agreement. "I used to cook with my mom a lot when I was your age. That's how I got so good at it."
"Dad lets me help him cook a lot. Do you think I'll be a good cook like you and dad when I get older?"
"Well I definitely think you have a lot of potential," Phil tells her. "But just like when you're dancing, you have to practice, otherwise you won't go anywhere with your skills."
"Okay," Sara replies. She finishes chopping up the banana in front of her and tosses the pieces into the glass bowl. "Done chopping the fruit," she announces. "Now I just have to put in the Cool Whip."
"There's some in the fridge," Phil tells her.
Sara hops down off of the stool she's using and walks over to the fridge, pulling the door open to find the container of Cool Whip. When she finds it, she shuts the door of the fridge and climbs back up onto the stool, standing over the bowl of mixed fruit. She scoops out some of the Cool Whip into the bowl and mixes the contents of it together.
"Fruit salad is done," she tells Phil and Melinda once she finishes.
"So are the burgers," Phil adds. "Time to eat."
"Alright, Sara," Phil says, clapping his hands together once as he sets the last of their dishes from dinner into the sink. Melinda and Sara are sitting at the table, Buddy curled up on the floor next to Sara's feet. "We have the whole rest of the night for just the three of us. What would you like to do next?"
Sara shrugs, "I don't know."
"Well think," Melinda says to her. "What are some of your most favorite things to do?"
Sara thinks for a moment, "Um, well I love to play Monopoly with dad and Skye. Do you guys like to play that?"
"You know, I think it's actually been a really long time since I've played Monopoly," Melinda tells her. She looks up at her husband, "Phil, don't we have a copy of that game somewhere?"
"We might. It'll probably take some looking for, though. Because it's most likely in a place we hardly ever go; the attic."
"Why would it be in the attic?" Sara asks curiously.
"Well, we put up there because we stopped playing it as much as we used to when Skye was younger."
"Can we play it?" Sara asks.
"Of course we can," Phil smiles. "But first I have to go and find it."
"I can help," Sara tells him.
"I think if we all look for it, it'll get found a lot faster," Melinda says.
"Then it's settled. Off to the attic we go," he turns and makes his way towards the stairs at the front of the house.
Melinda just smiles and laughs at her husband before turning to Sara. "Come on, let's go help him before he accidentally hurts himself."
Sara giggles and then stands up from her chair, grabbing Melinda's hand in hers as the two girls make their way up the stairs, Buddy following closely behind them.
...
"You guys have a lot of stuff up here," Sara remarks as she helps Phil and Melinda sift through all of their belongings up in the attic.
"That's because a lot of this is stuff that we didn't really use anymore, but couldn't exactly bring ourselves to get rid of," Melinda explains as she digs through a box. "Most of the stuff up here is from when Skye was little."
"Wow," Sara breathes out.
"Mel," Phil speaks up, "I found the box we filled with a bunch of Skye's stuffed animals when she felt she was getting too old for them."
Melinda smiles, standing up straight to go over to where her husband is. Sara follows behind her. "Oh I remember these," she begins pulling the animals and dolls out of the box one by one. "She got this guy from Nick when she was in the hospital for a broken leg when she was eight," she smiles down at the stuffed pirate bear in her hand.
"How did she break her leg?" Sara asks.
"She convinced Jemma to climb a tree at the park with her and then they couldn't get back down. So Skye decided to jump down instead of waiting for help and ended up landing on her leg wrong. She had a cast and crutches for a while. She wasn't too happy about it, but she managed to get through it. And she had a cute little pirate bear to keep her company." She hands the bear over to Sara.
"That's cool," Sara says, taking the bear from Melinda.
"Mel," Phil speaks up again, pulling another stuffed animal out of the box, "remember this one?"
Melinda smiles over at her husband, "It's the bunny you bought her from the hospital gift shop after she was born." She takes the toy from him and holds it in her hand, smiling at all of the memories held within it. "This thing was pretty much a security blanket for her when she was little. She never wanted to go on any kind of long trip without it."
"What's a security blanket?" Sara asks, reaching down to run her hand across the top of Buddy's head.
"It's something that makes you feel safe," Phil explains. "For some people it's an actual blanket, but for others it can be a doll, a toy, even a photo."
"Oh. So that bunny was Skye's security blanket when she was little?"
Phil nods his head, "Yep. But as she got older, she realized that she didn't need a stuffed bunny to make her feel safe."
"I don't think I have a security blanket," Sara tells them.
"Well that's okay," Melinda says. "Not everybody has to have one. Some people do, and that's perfectly okay. There's nothing wrong with having one."
"Look what I have," Phil says, holding a copy of Monopoly.
Sara grins, "You found it!"
"Shall we go downstairs and play it?" he asks.
"Yeah," Sara nods her head. "And can we watch a movie afterwards?"
"I think that's doable," Melinda nods her head. "But only if you brush your teeth and get into your pajamas first."
"I'll go change right now," Sara tells her. "So I don't have to do it later."
"Sounds like a plan," Melinda smiles. "We'll meet you down in the living room."
"Okay. Come on, Buddy," she makes her way out of the attic and towards the guest bedroom where she's staying.
"I think she lost her battle against sleep," Melinda comments, looking down at the little girl asleep in her lap as the end credits to the movie play out on the screen.
Phil smiles down at Sara, smoothing some of her hair back, "I'm not surprised." He looks up at his wife, "Remember all of those nights when Skye would fall asleep on us after begging to stay up late to watch a movie with us?"
Melinda chuckles, "Of course I do. I always tried to convince her that going upstairs to bed would be the better option. And you always went against me, the both of you trying to convince me that Skye would be able to stay up each night."
"Yes, well, none of that matters now. What does matter is getting this one into a proper bed for the night," Phil says, picking up the remote to turn of the TV.
"I think that's a great idea," Melinda says softly, gently lifting Sara's head off of her lap. She carefully hands the girl over to her husband, making sure she's secure.
Sara stirs in her sleep, "Mmm."
"Shh," Melinda soothes the young girl. "Go back to sleep, Sara. Phil's just going to take you upstairs so you'll be more comfortable."
"Kay," Sara mumbles, turning towards Phil's chest and snuggling closer to him.
Phil smiles down at her and then looks back up at Melinda, "I'll be back down once I put her to bed."
"Okay," Melinda smiles, pressing a kiss to Sara's temple as she smooths back some of her hair again.
Phil carries Sara upstairs and to the guest bedroom, pushing the door open and stepping inside. Carrying her over to the bed, he pulls back the covers and lies Sara down in the bed, tucking the blanket up and around her small frame.
Rolling over onto her side, Sara grabs the pirate bear doll she had snagged earlier, and pulls it close to her body.
Phil chuckles at the sight and then pulls out his phone. He unlocks it and goes into his messages, clicking on the one with Skye. He holds the phone up to snap a photo and then types, I know you're probably preoccupied right now, but I thought you should know, your mom and I found your old pirate bear from Nick earlier. I think Sara has claimed it now. I don't know if you're going to get it back. :)
Hitting send on the message, he locks his phone and pockets it, leaning down to press a kiss to Sara's forehead. "Goodnight, Sara," he whispers to her and then stands up to make his way back over to the bedroom door. Standing in the doorway, one hand on the doorknob, he takes one final look at Sara, a smile on his face, before he turns off the light and shuts the door.
So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below.
Yes, I know there wasn't any Skyeward in this chapter, but I really wanted to show Sara interacting with Phil and Melinda. I thought it'd be cute.
Until next time,
Jellybean96 out!
