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Hope you enjoy!
Full Bed (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
"Doesn't sound like it's going to blow over," Steve said with a wince, glancing toward the ceiling as if he could see the increasing wind and rain outside.
"As long as there's no–" Catherine began but was interrupted by a loud CRAAAAACK followed by the rumble of thunder.
Steve and Catherine waited to see if the sound had woken either of their children. They heard a door fling open and quick feet run down the hall. Both were already sliding out of bed when the feet skittered to a stop outside the mostly closed door and they heard a tentative, "Mommy? Daddy?"
"Come in, DJ," Catherine said, opening the door and immediately kneeling to pull him into her arms. "Are you okay, honey? Did the storm wake you?"
He nodded against her shoulder, sniffing. He looked down as Cammie pushed her head against his side to offer her own comfort and he corded his fingers through the hair at her neck.
Steve caught Catherine's eye over DJ's head and motioned that he would go check on Angie. He paused beside them and ran a hand over DJ's hair, leaning down to kiss his head. "I'll be right back, buddy, I'm gonna check on your sister."
"Come on, honey," Catherine said, taking DJ's hand and standing. "Let's get on the bed." She led him over and followed him onto the mattress, pulling the duvet over his pajama-clad legs. Tucking his head under her chin, she put her arms back around him and rocked him gently. "It's okay to be scared, but you're safe inside the house."
Steve returned alone, coming around to his side of the bed and sitting on DJ's other side. He squeezed his son's shoulder. "How're you doing, buddy?"
"I wish I was brave like Angie," DJ said quietly, glancing over at him from the safety of Catherine's arms. "She didn't come in."
Catherine smiled. "She's brave, yes, but also a sound sleeper. She almost always sleeps through storms."
Steve nodded. "Including this one, apparently."
CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!
A particularly loud thunderclap split the air and DJ startled, pressing closer to Catherine. Cammie turned toward the door a split second before Angie's scream came through both the monitor and the walls.
Steve was already moving toward the door and into the hallway, Cammie right behind as DJ whimpered against Catherine.
"Shhhh, it's okay," she whispered to him, running her hand over his hair and rocking him again.
"Hey, Angie, I'm here, Daddy's here," Steve's voice came through the monitor.
"Daddy!" she cried.
"Come on, let's go see Mommy and DJ," he said, and a moment later he returned to the master bedroom with a teary Angie in his arms.
She spotted Catherine immediately and reached for her. "Mommy, 's wowd, Mommy."
Catherine took her, settling the toddler in her lap and putting her arm back around DJ as Steve moved to join them on the bed. "I know, baby girl," she said. "The storm is loud, but you're okay. We're all okay, see?"
CRAAAAAACK!
DJ climbed into Steve's lap and buried his head into his father's chest.
Steve moved them closer to Catherine and Angie and smiled at Cammie looking at them plaintively from the side of the bed. He patted the mattress. "Come on up, Cammie."
She jumped onto the bed without hesitation and settled close. Angie reached out for a comforting handful of Cammie's fur.
"This is the biggest storm we've had in a while," Steve observed as rain pelted the window panes.
"Is it really okay we're in here with you?" DJ asked, looking between his parents.
"Of course, honey," Catherine said immediately.
DJ paused, worrying his bottom lip with his teeth. "Before … before I lived here …" he said haltingly. "I used to go in the closet when I was scared during a storm."
"Ohh, honey," Catherine said, reaching to stroke his hair even as Steve tightened his arms around the boy.
"I did that once here, too," he admitted, looking down.
"DJ …" Catherine started, her heart aching for her son.
"It was a long time ago," he said hurriedly, looking up at her and then Steve. "Before we were official. Before you asked me to live here forever."
"I'm sorry you ever felt that was the safest place," Steve said, rubbing his arm.
"I don't anymore," DJ said.
"Good," Catherine said, touching his cheek gently. "But I want you to promise you'll always come find us when you're scared. Of anything."
He smiled and nodded. "I promise."
"Pwomise," Angie echoed. She reached for her brother's hand. "DJ happy?" she asked.
"I'm happy," he told her, and she smiled at the reassurance. He looked at Steve and Catherine. "Do you think the thunder is all done?"
CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK
Angie's hands flew to her ears as she leaned against Catherine, and DJ turned his head back into Steve's chest. Steve and Catherine exchanged a look over the kids' heads as they comforted them.
Steve cleared his throat, looking down at them. "Hey, do you know what causes thunder?"
DJ shook his head.
"Sometimes knowing why something is happening can make it less scary," Steve said.
"Okay," DJ said, hope and absolute trust in his voice as he looked up at his father. He scooted back just enough so he didn't have to crane his neck to look up.
"So, during a thunderstorm, tiny drops of ice and water in the clouds bump against each other over and over again," Steve said, motioning with his hands. He looked to see Angie copied his movements and he smiled at her. "Because of that, electricity builds up in the clouds."
DJ looked over at the light on the night table. "Electricity?"
"Ricity," Angie echoed, snuggling into Catherine and enjoying what to her seemed like an impromptu story.
"Yep, and when the cloud fills up with electricity, it releases either to another cloud or to the ground as lightning," Steve continued.
"But what about the thunder?" DJ asked, his brow creasing worriedly as they hadn't reached the scary part yet.
"That comes from the lightning," Steve explained. "Lightning is really, really hot."
"Like the oven?" DJ asked.
"Even hotter," Catherine put in with a small smile. "Hotter than the Sun."
"Whoa," DJ said.
"Whoa," Angie echoed. "Hot hot sun," she said, and grinned at having added to the story.
"Right," Steve said, smiling at them. "So the lightning heats up the air around it really fast," he continued, snapping his fingers, "and makes that cooler air vibrate." He demonstrated with his hands. "We hear that movement of air as thunder."
"It's just air moving?" DJ asked, clearly relieved by the explanation.
Steve nodded. "Because of the lightning. And it's the lightning that's dangerous," he continued seriously, "that's why it's important to be inside during a storm."
DJ nodded emphatically. "We'll remember, right, Angie?"
She copied his nod. "Wight."
Catherine chuckled, kissing her head. "Not quite so scary when you know what it is, huh?" she asked, squeezing DJ's shoulder.
"Yeah," he said.
"And it seems like the storm is calming down," she continued, glancing toward the window. "We haven't heard any thunder for a few minutes."
DJ looked a little nervous at the implication of her words but Catherine smiled.
"Do you and Angie want to stay here and sleep?" she asked. "Just in case?"
Angie squealed and wiggled off of Catherine's lap and down onto the bed, crawling under the covers without hesitation and flopping her head on Catherine's pillow.
Steve laughed. "I think that's a 'yes' from Angie."
"It's really okay?" DJ asked, looking between him and Catherine.
"Of course, honey," Catherine said. "Our own little sleepover."
DJ relaxed and laid down next to Angie.
She beamed at him. "We sweep in Mommy 'n Daddy bed, DJ," she told him, as if sharing a funny secret.
He grinned back. "Yeah."
"Okay, try to get some sleep," Steve said, leaning down to kiss them both as Angie's giggles faded. "Remember, just the air moving."
"Just the air moving," DJ repeated, his voice getting drowsy now that he was comfortable. "Out of the way of the lightning," he added.
Steve smiled proudly. "Right. And next storm I'll tell you how we can figure out how far away the lightning is, okay?"
DJ smiled, his eyelids drooping. "Okay."
Catherine kissed them both as well. "And remember, you're safe here with us. We love you."
DJ's face relaxed even further at that and his breathing evened out as he slid into sleep. Beside him, Angie had already nodded off, a contented smile on her face. Cammie had shifted down the bed a little when the kids moved, but had made herself comfortable at the foot of the bed and clearly didn't intend to go anywhere in case she was needed.
Steve and Catherine exchanged an amused look at how their evening had turned out.
"I don't think I ever expected our bed to be this full," she observed quietly.
He chuckled, acknowledging the point. "Or that having such a full bed would make us this happy."
She smiled, leaning carefully over the kids to give him a kiss. "Come on, Commander, let's get some sleep in our nice, full bed."
He grinned back. "Until the next storm."
Hope you enjoyed!
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