February 19th 2021

Chapter 50
Our Plans For Valentines

When Lucas came home that evening, he found Elizabeth and Cara in the kitchen, appearing to be on the last stretch of dinner preparations together. There was no sign of Maya or the baby, as he was soon informed that they were both in the Hex. Tasked with bringing them back so they could sit to their dinner, all together, he moved through the back door and up the path toward the hexagonal structure. The light wasn't on where it would have been if no one was supposed to come in, so he knocked and opened the door. Maya turned slowly in her big chair, showing Marianne lay there in her arms, sleeping.

There was music coming from the speakers, low enough as to not bother her in any way. As he shut the door again, Lucas listened for a while, first just standing there, then moving to sit in the second chair. It was only the instrumental track, but he had been hearing her hum the tune under her breath for a while already and he recognized it. This was the song she'd been working on, for the Marvelers.

"Wow…" he spoke when she finally turned it off.

"Yeah?" Maya asked, sparing a look to their daughter to check if she still slept.

"It's different from what you've been doing for Ree, and the band," he stated.

"Good different? Marvelers different?" she wondered.

"Very much," he promised. "What about the vocals?"

"Well, I finally talked Sam into recording the demo for me. I'm thinking I should do one with just him and another one with a couple more voices, you know? Give a bigger idea of what it could be. He's coming over this weekend." Turning just enough with the chair, she was able to give him an open view of Marianne's face, which got her smiling for how it got him smiling first. "She was a real champ today. Cried a bit, but she got through it, didn't you, pumpkin? Yeah…" she whispered.

"What about you?" Lucas asked as he reached over and lightly set his hand at Marianne's back.

"What, did I cry?" Maya guessed, chuckling. "No tears from me, but New York Maya was right there and ready to raise hell if they put this one in too much distress over these shots."

"I can see that," he laughed.

"I haven't had the heart to put her down since we came home," Maya went on, and Lucas nodded in a show that he wouldn't interrupt this for them. "Speaking of hearts though…" she hummed and looked back at him.

"Cinnamon, candy, or chocolate?" he asked, making her laugh.

"Any kind, all kinds," she replied. "What's the plan here, Huckleberry? You've been playing it all nice and sneaky on me, but if you've checked your calendar, you will find that tomorrow is the fourteenth day of this month of February, and I know we've been up to our ears in diapers the last few months, but…"

"Don't worry, I didn't forget you," he smiled.

"Who's worried here? I'm not worried, no, never."

"Well, like before, the plans come in two options…"

"A or B, alone or baby?" she guessed.

"Something like that, yeah," he laughed. He was good either way, and she'd know that as much as the fact that this next step would be up to her. If she chose for them to leave Marianne to one sitter or another, they would do that, but if she wanted to stay with her instead…

"Do you have any preferences?" she asked him.

"Well…" Lucas considered this. "It'll be Thursday night, I guess it could be like an… added bonus if we were a bit more homebound. More relaxed, easier to head into Friday, and…"

"And you want to be here with her," Maya cut in.

"Am I that obvious?" Lucas breathed out.

"Yes, but I don't see how that's a bad thing, wanting to spend time with our daughter. In my book, that's a gold star. Consider me properly romanced," she declared, and now he laughed. "What about you? Are you properly romanced?"

"Always," he vowed. "Might push it over the edge if I got to hear the rest of that song…" he added, voice trailing.

"Wow, is that all?" she mock gasped. "Couldn't really do it justice right now, not if I want to keep her sleeping."

"Was thinking more tomorrow night. Anyway, I was supposed to bring you guys in for dinner, so…"

"So, we better go before someone comes looking for us." Turning everything off, they left the studio and locked the door before starting back for the house. "You know, I think I'm being punished for all those times I messed with Sam for how uncomfortable he got at the mention of anything with us," Maya told him as they went.

"How's that?" Lucas asked.

"Well, I kind of… might have said something earlier that was… not so mildly suggestive… and Cara was there, and let's just say that now I'm the one getting uncomfortable."

"Oh?" he blinked.

"We shouldn't though, should we? It's nothing to be…" She didn't go on, instead coughing and tipping her head as though to say 'act natural' when they reached the back door again.

Dinner was as dinner was, usually with the four of them around the table and Marianne in her highchair. This time though, she spent the meal just as she'd been, in her mother's arm. Lucas was finally able to take her up later on, as the night began and saw the two parents summoned from sleep now and again. They attended her as needed, and time moved along.

In the morning, Lucas woke first, and he went and held his baby girl as long as he could before he needed to get ready and head out to work. This really was the way to go, this time at least. Maybe next year they would feel more at ease leaving her behind. It wouldn't be any change of affection toward her, not at all, but right now she was simply… too fresh in their hearts, until proximity felt that much more needed. Maya and Marianne… they held so much of him, so on this day of love, he couldn't exclude her.

"Hey, bring some of that over here?" Maya's sleepy voice requested, and Lucas smiled as he carried the baby over to the bed and sat with her while his wife sat up. There was no need to wonder how near or far Maya stood to his own feelings on Marianne's place today. Theirs was a bond all its own, would always be, and he would sooner praise it than lament it.

"So, for today…"

"Yes, go for it," Maya looked up at him. He took a moment to look at her, to lean in and kiss her, taking his time to sink just far enough into it that there was no suggestion either one of them didn't know what today was.

"You wear whatever you want to wear for this," Lucas told her.

"What if I want to wear something that makes your jaw a little…" she mimed its drop.

"I… can't do anything to stop you," he bit back on whatever reaction would have been born off the visual she inspired.

"Not one thing," she agreed with a mischievous grin.

"The only other thing is that the attic is off limits until tonight," he told her.

"I was wondering why the trap was shut… What if I need something in there though? Like… a pencil…"

"We have pencils down here."

"Yeah, but not the kind of pencil I'm thinking about…"

"You can ask your grandmother to go and get it," Lucas reminded her in a whisper near her ear, followed by a kiss to her temple.

"Alright, alright, I'll stay out of the attic," she relented. "But I am going to put on a really… really good dress," she held his gaze.

"Fair trade," he breathed, thankfully pulled back to focus by Marianne starting to fuss in his arms. "Didn't forget you, pumpkin," he promised, kissing the top of her blond head.

Making it through the day after this was undoubtedly made more complicated and interesting all at once. The years had not diminished Maya's abilities for mischief, especially when it came to messing with him, and especially when this came in tandem with a special occasion. Every so often, his phone would vibrate, and he would discover a new message from her, each one containing a picture of her, either alone or with the baby, with the closed trap conspicuously behind her in the shot. The message was clear enough in that respect. He trusted that she wouldn't go in… mostly… and at the same time he got this treat of these funny pictures of his wife and daughter. It was a win for both sides.

Finally, the day was done, and he left the ranch. Per his plans, he knew that Elizabeth Hart would have gone on her way and would spend the night at her grandson's apartment, even as Sam and Dora would have their own plans, out in the city. Then Cara was crashing over at Raina's place, though by the bag she'd packed and brought with her that morning, there was some belief that she might have been headed out on some Valentine venture of her own, more than likely with one Mateo Arroyo. Whatever was going on with those two, as of yet, Cara had remained tight-lipped, but she wasn't so clever as to hide from her big sister that clearly something was going on between her and the boy from the animal shelter.

"Hello?" Lucas called as he walked in.

"Up here!" Maya's voice reached him, soon joined by a short cry out of Marianne.

Lucas nearly got tangled in the small pack of dogs as they approached to greet him even as he attempted to climb the stairs. Trix and Lou abandoned the chase once he got there, though Crowley followed along, never one to be deterred.

"I might not have kept up my end of the deal with the dress thing, but… well, we would have been a bit mismatched, me and her," Maya pointed out when he found her sitting in wait on their bed, the baby laid before her and holding to one each of her fingers.

"Won't hear me complaining," he breathed.

"That's what I figured," she smirked. He did always say how she was stunning to him in anything, and that included the dress she did wear today. "So, can we go up there now?"

"Almost… well, it'll take until dinner is ready," he amended.

"More waiting then… Oh well, I guess I'll have to find some way to entertain myself until th… Hello," she smiled, having turned her head back to look at Marianne. She responded by kicking her little feet. "See? I'm good here."

After a long stretch of infant entertainment, with the distant sound of work down in the kitchen from time to time, Maya heard steps on the stairs and was about to move until she heard Lucas tell her to stay where she was. She gave an exaggerated sigh for him to hear. He was opening the trap, lowering the stairs. He went back down the stairs, then returned a minute later… She could smell food, and she heard him climb into the attic. He made another trip down to the kitchen, returned again to the attic, and finally he came to get her.

"Ladies?" he asked, smiling.

"You're really walking the line between very cute and very hot, I'm just saying, it's distracting like you wouldn't believe," she hummed, picking up Marianne and moving to join him.

When they climbed into the attic together, she found a table set for two, near the window looking out on to the lake in the distance, and the sun tinting the skies with its imminent setting. She also found the set up gave the rest of the attic space the feeling of somewhere they might go and dance, with a bit of mood twisted into it. It was really all they could need.

"Well, if I'm not mistaken… I think I owe you a song," Maya turned a smile to Lucas as she passed him Marianne. He peppered her squishy cheek with kisses as he carried her to the bassinet near the table. The song could wait. First, it was a dinner for three.

TO BE CONTINUED

See you tomorrow! - mooners