AN: This story just wouldn't leave me alone, and in the interest of writer's block, here it is.
Disclaimer: Characters not mine...blah...blah...no permission...blah...blah...no money....blah...blah....no sue...etc.
Celeste curled her little six year old body as far under the covers as possible, until she couldn't scrunch up any more. Momma and Daddy were fighting again. It had started like it always did. Daddy said something that got Momma mad. Momma yelled at him for it, Daddy yelled back. Daddy always ended up leaving after these fights, and didn't come back until the sun came up. Momma cried all night. It was like this ever since Momma and Daddy had told her the new baby was coming. Daddy told her not to worry, Momma yelled a lot because her "hair-moans" were going crazy. He said once the new baby came things would be a little more normal. But Celeste still worried, especially since she'd told Michael what was happening with Momma and Daddy.
Michael's Momma and Daddy were divorced. Daddy had told her it was because Aunt Emma and Uncle Bobby had decided that they were happier not living together anymore. Now Michael spent half the year at home, and half in Boston with Aunt Emma. Michael was home now, and Celeste had told him about how Momma and Daddy had been fighting all the time. Michael had nodded and put his arm around her shoulder and told her that Momma and Daddy were going to get divorced. Celeste didn't want to spend half her time with just Momma and the other half with just Daddy. To make it worse, Michael told her it was all the new baby's fault. Michael was always right, he was nine and knew a lot more stuff than Celeste did. Celeste heard the door slam behind Daddy after he left and started to cry, she didn't want them to get divorced.
* * * * *
Merde, Remy thought, standing in the doorway in front of a very pregnant and very angry wife. "C'n I come in, chere?" He said nervously. S'good a start as any.
"Don't yah 'chere' me, swamprat!" Rogue spat at him, but obligingly waddled out of his way. "Breakfast is ready if yah still hungry." She shouted from the kitchen.
"Daddy!" A shout came from the hallway that led toward the bedrooms.
Least someone's glad ta see me. He laughed as he picked Celeste up and spun her around. "Mornin' tite, y'got a kiss f'r me t'day?" He asked, holding her out so they were face to face. But instead of planting a big kiss on his nose like she'd usually do, Celeste dove for his shoulder and clung to his neck for dear life, burying her head as deep as she could. "Hey, hey now punkin. What's de matter?" He held her on his hip as he walked toward the kitchen. By the time he reached his chair at the table, Remy could feel damp through his T-shirt. Shifting her so he could see her face, he noticed the tears running down Celeste's cheeks. "What are dose tears for, 'tite?" He asked, running a finger down her cheek.
At the sound of "tears," Rogue turned from the stove, coming over to Remy's side. But instead of calming down, their daughter started going hysterical, coming close to hyperventilating. It took them a few minutes to calm her down enough to get any sense out of her.
* * * * *
Daddy had hugged her so tight when he picked her up that Celeste didn't want to let go. She didn't want Daddy to leave. Momma was fussing by the stove, not really doing much, but she was ignoring Daddy. Celeste was starting to get frightened, and she was crying. Then Momma came over and stood next to Daddy and Celeste panicked. "No, don't go!" was all she was able to get out for awhile.
Momma finally got her to calm down though, she picked her up off Daddy's lap and sat her on the table, then put a cold cloth on her face. "Now what's tha matter, baby?" Momma asked her, while Daddy brushed the hair out of her face.
"I don't want you to get divorced." Celeste blurt out, she could feel the tears start to come back when Momma and Daddy just looked at each other and didn't say anything for awhile.
"Divorced?" Daddy asked, after he looked at Momma for a bit. "Who tol' you we were gettin' divorced, 'tite?"
She couldn't keep it in any longer. "Michael said you was gonna, he said you was fightin' just like Uncle Bobby and Aunt Emma was, an' that you hadda get divorced. An' I don' want you ta move Momma, an' I don' wanna have to go visit you in Boston, an' I don' want the new baby to come, I want it ta go away cuz it's all its fault that you and Daddy fight alla time now. Michael said new baby's nothin' but trouble, an' that you was gonna like the new baby better, an' you was gonna get divorced!"
"Oh, 'tite!" Daddy said, and grabbed her into a bear hug off the table. "Noboby's gettin' divorced, or movin' away." He whispered to her. "We all gonna stay right here," and he tapped her on the nose, "promise."
Momma took her from Daddy, and hugged her awkwardly around her big belly. "I know Daddy and I seem ta fight a lot right now, but thangs'll get better." It was getting hard for Momma to hold her, so she handed her back to Daddy, who held her close. "You never forget, youah Daddy an' I love each other just as much as we love you. When we fight its cuz we're mad at each other, but we forgive each other, just like we forgive you when yah do stuff that makes us mad."
"Like when we send y'to y'room cuz y'backtalk us." Daddy added, and Celeste nodded, she could understand that, she got sent to her room for that a lot, but Momma and Daddy always forgave her.
"So you're not gettin' divorced?" Celeste asked, just to be sure.
"No, honey." Momma said, rubbing her back.
"And we're sorry for makin' you t'ink dat, punkin." Daddy said into her hair.
Celeste let her face break into a wary smile. "Yah gonna kiss and make up?" She asked hopefully. Daddy got a grin on his face, the one Momma called his 'Devil Grin' and put Celeste down on the floor.
"Y'heard de girl, chere." He said with a shrug.
"Yeah, I heard her." Momma answered, then they both turned toward Celeste, Daddy grabbed her before she could run away and picked her up so she was between both of them and they both planted a big kiss on one of her cheeks. "How's that?" Momma asked, Celeste just giggled and wiped at her cheeks while Daddy plopped her in her chair. "Now, who wants some pancakes?"
* * * * *
"Dear Lawd, Remy." Rogue sighed, laying next to her husband on their bed and staring at the ceiling. "I had no idea she'd come up with a thought like that."
"She didn'" Remy mumbled. "Got it from dat Drake kid, I been tellin' ya he's a bad influence."
"Oh shush." Rogue said, slapping him across the stomach. "That Drake kid might be yoah son-in-law some day."
"Over my dead body!" Remy protested, sitting up in bed and looking at her disgustedly.
"Seriously Rem." Rogue said, running a finger absently up and down his closest forearm. "I had no idea we were being that bad. That poor chil' has probably been lying awake nights listening to us, I bet that's why she's been takin' naps lately."
"We'll jus' have to be more careful what we do to make each other angry, an' how we react." Remy said, lying back down and nestling his head on her shoulder. "She's always been such a sensitive kid, we shoulda known our fights would've affected her somehow."
"She gets that from you, yah know." Rogue said, shifting uncomfortably.
"Moi! Sensitive!" Remy mocked. Then he nudged Rogue into a sitting position and slid behind her so he could rub her back. "Can't wait til' dis one's born. Either gonna be a tomboy, or a man's man." He joked, moving his hands lower down her spine.
"Lahk you care." Rogue yawned. "Yah want this one born so you can get laid again, an' don't think I can't tell with y'all sitting behind me Cajun."
Remy laughed and kissed the back of her neck. "Je regrette chere." He mumbled in her ear.
* * * * *
For the first night in a long time, at least for a six year old, Celeste started to fall asleep without the sounds of a yelling match going on around her. Momma and Daddy were in their room, asleep on the big bed, and all was right with the world. Tomorrow she'd have to give Michael a black eye.