A/N - In the first chapter Mike's mom is named Xia. I didn't know that she was given a cannon name. I have changed it here. Also sorry about the word count... staying at a thousand is an issue for me. I am going to try to make it every other chapter Mike/Tina POV.
To My Guest... thank you for the Review. I agree. This couple needed more screen time. acedefective28 and soccersk8ergirl21 thank you for favoriting this story. Enjoy!
Tina's house - September 1995
Removing her hand from the sleeping infants' chest Beth felt relieved there was only a scrunched-up face. It had taken an hour and a half this time. When they first brought the girls home, she hadn't realized how different adopting two children at a time was compared to just one. Logically she was aware. But knowing something and doing something are completely different.
She tipped out of the room and pulled the door to. Tina sometimes got a little loud when she was singing, and Beth didn't want her to wake the girls. She wouldn't get anything done if she had to put them back to sleep. She had promised to babysit this afternoon and at least wanted to pick up before Julia dropped Mike off.
Tina would be five in a couple of months. Too late to start Kindergarten this year, which meant doing something to keep the four-year-old busy. Her salvation came in the form of a set of six Disney sing-along vhs tapes with all the songs. Four months ago, when they found out that Tina wouldn't get to start school on time, they bought the dvd versions and showed her how to work the disc player.
Right now, she could her the strains of the "Bear Necessities' and her daughter's high-pitched voice singing along. Her mother worried about Tina becoming a television addict with as much time as the little girl spent watching it.
And Beth would agree if her daughter were really watching it. But it was nothing for Tina to turn on a program just for the songs. She could sit with her blocks and build towers or play with her barbies, even color in her coloring books, and only pay attention to it when the music came on.
Joon thought it was the cutest thing to hear their daughter sing along with commercials or theme songs from shows they would watch. And like a good dad he would often indulge her by sing along with her. Tina was very much a daddy's girl.
The night she finished washing dishes she came out of the kitchen and found her husband rewinding that day's episode of the Wiggles so he could sing with Tina tomorrow, she could only shake her head. It was bad enough the man took her to three of their concerts.
Beth made her way into the kitchen and sighed at the mess. She was transitioning the girls from just the bottle to some solid foods. They were beginning sit in highchairs and use spoons. Which meant more food went on the trays than in their mouths. Some days it felt as if all she did was clean.
An hour later the kitchen was spotless, and second batch of cookies were ready to go into the oven when the doorbell rang. Julia was right one time. She pushed the cookie sheet into the oven, set the timer and grabbing the dish towel she walked to the front door.
The five-year-old stood shifting his weight from one foot to the other looking up as his mother explained that his father had to work late and would pick him up after seven. He nodded in all the right places as she told him to be good, finish his homework before playing and to be nice to Tina.
Julia slipped the little boys backpack from his shoulders and handed to Beth before kissing Michael on the head and leaving.
To repay Michael Chang's generosity in helping with the adoptions Beth had been watching their son regularly for the last two years as the doctor's and lawyer's schedules often overlapped. Julia had quickly warmed up to the idea after noticing that the two children seamed content in each other's presence, and that Beth was a stay-at-home mom. She also got to know them better as her husband worked for almost a year helping them bring the twins back from Korea.
Beth watched as Michael slid between the couch and coffee table watching Tina color. Without looking up she handed the boy a blue crayon and two dark heads bowed in concentration of coloring the same page.
With a smile Beth laid the backpack on the couch within the little boy's reach reminding him that his mother told him to do his homework before playing. The bell on the timer dinged signaling the cookies needed attention. She left the two children discussing homework as she headed to the kitchen.
"We had to write our name five times for homework. But I already did mine. So, can I have a cookie?" Michael asked solemnly.
Tina held out a bitten cookie to the little boy who just looked at it for a minute and then accepted it with a slight shrug.
"What's homework?"
Mike chewed thoughtfully on the chocolate chip cookie in his hand and said, "Teacher says work we have to do at home."
"Why?"
"I don't know. Maybe they don't want us to be bored."
"How can you be bored? We have sing-alongs, and blocks and baby dolls."
"I know. Teachers are weird. Can I have another cookie?"
Tina hands him three. "Can I see your homework?"
"Okay." Mike opens the bag and pulls out the grey paper with blue lines on it. And shows her. He reads aloud the letters and says his name."
"That's my name."
"No, it isn't. It's my name."
No! It's my name. My name is Tina Cohen Chang."
My name is Michael Chang Junior.
"Mommy," Tina shouted.
"Yes Tina," Beth replied with gritted teeth as the little girl yelled from the living room.
"Michael stole my name."
"I did not. I was named after my daddy Michael Robert Chang Senior. I'm junior."
"Your daddy stole my name."
"Did not."
"Did too."
Beth walked into the living room to find the two children with arms crossed over their chest glaring and yelling at each other. It was odd as the kids were as close as Michael and Joon were said to have been during the time they had studied together in university.
"Mommy he stole my name."
"It was my name first. I'm older."
Beth bit her lower lip so the two little ones would not see the laughter. Chang, not a common name in Korea was common throughout Asian countries. It was how her husband and Michael's father met and became roommates. Lightly she cleared her throat. "Tina, Michael didn't steal your name. It's his name too."
Her daughters face scrunched up in bewilderment as she processed the information. Beth knew immediately when Tina accepted the truth, her little mouth formed a perfect 'O.'
"Is he my brother then?"
"Huh." Michael grunted confused.
Tina turned back to her companion and put her hands on her hips to explain. "Mommy said that my sisters had to go to court to get our name so they could be my sisters. Since you have my name can you be my brother?"
Beth shook her head at the logic of a child. Simple, logical, and completely wrong but in the most adorable way.
"Can I, Miss Beth? I can have cookies and spaghetti every day. And I could help Tina with her homework when she comes to school too."
"Mommy please. Can Michael be my brother?"
She was going to enjoy telling Julia and Joon about this one. They would appreciate the humor of the situtuation. "I wish we could Michael. But your mommy and daddy would miss you too much. You don't want that do you?"
Mike slowly shook his head no his lower lip slightly jutting out.
Suddenly Tina started crying.
"Tina sweetheart what's wrong."
Through tears Tina said, "I wanted Michael to be my brother."
Instantly both children were crying hugging each other.
Beth looked at the ceiling, holding her breath and trying to keep her face straight. She counted to ten, took a deep breath and said, "You can always play pretend while he is here."
She watched both faces as they unsquished from pouty, tearful to thoughtful. And suddenly the world was right again with only an occasional sniffle from Tina to give any evidence that anything was wrong moments ago.
"Miss Tina Cohen Chang and Mister Michael Chang, would you like to help me make cookies for Tina's daddy's lunch tomorrow?"
Both kids nodded enthusiastically bounding toward the kitchen on major crisis averted.