Note: I'm supposed to be working on another story. I am not.
Clint pulls the pillow out from under his head and burrows under it, using it to block the sun that is peering through the crack in the curtains.
Ten seconds later, he's wide awake, trying to figure out what's wrong. It's something to do with the sun, and the silence, and …. He sits upright as beside him, Laura slumbers on. He squints at the alarm clock and is stunned to see it's 9:17. The kids should have woken him up hours ago.
He climbs out of bed and pulls on a pair of jeans, then heads down the stairs to investigate. The house isn't quite as eerily calm downstairs. There's the scent of coffee in the air, and the sound of the TV drifts down the hall, punctuated by childish laughter and the low, husky chuckle of his partner.
He stands in the doorway and takes in the scene. Cooper is sprawled on the floor, three … no, four pillows scattered around him. Nat is curled up under a blanket on the couch, Lila snuggled in close to her and a bowl of Corn Pops in her hand. As he watches, she takes a handful of the cereal and pops it in her mouth.
The roadrunner runs into the tunnel the coyote painted on the rock, and the coyote is flattened when he tries to follow. Nat laughs as Cooper explains that this happens every time, affecting a worldly tone that makes him seem a little more mature than he really should be.
He's growing up so fast. Both of them are, really.
While Nat is distracted, Lila steals a bite of cereal. Nat catches her, and Lila bats her eyelashes and puts on the most angelic expression he's ever seen. Nat pulls her close. "Well done", she says. "I never would suspect you were the evil thief after my cereal". She tickles Lila , and only a quick handoff to Cooper prevents the cereal from spilling.
He leans against the doorway. Nat knows he's there, of course, but the kids haven't noticed him, and it's fascinating to watch the three of them interact.
He'd known Nat needed a family when he brought her here, but he hadn't realized how much his kids needed an adult who spent time with them because she wanted to, not because she had to.
When the laughter has died down, he speaks for the first time. "Dry cereal? Really, Nat?"
She grabs her bowl back from Cooper and looks up at him innocently. "We're not allowed to have milk until an adult is there to pour it."
He nods at the coffee cup sitting on the end table. "I see you didn't need an adult to make coffee."
She shrugs. "There isn't a rule about coffee. Just milk."
He shakes his head is mock disgust. "If you drank the last cup, there's gonna be a rule about coffee."
Leaving them entranced by the cartoon, he goes to get his own cup of coffee.
Thoughts? Suggestions?