Chapter 1:
"Rae? Spot? Can I talk to you two about something?" Molly asked one night a week or so after Christmas as she walked into the living room.
"Sure," Rae said, adjusting Sam in her arms.
She sat down on the couch and looked at them seriously. "I've... been thinking. I... miss my family... well, there's nothing I can do about my father when he's out at sea, but Andrew.... and my newfound sister...." She began.
"We aren't keeping you here, Molly. You are free to leave whenever you wish."
"I just thought... I'd let you know... I mean the both of you have done so much for me..."
"We should be the ones to thank you, Molly," Spot said. "You've been a big help around here."
Her cheeks flushed a bit and she smiled. "Well... I'd like to head to Brooklyn then, for a little while... If... well, if you could tell me how to get there?"
Spot exchanged a glance with Rae. "Either I can take you, or we can wire your brother and he said he would come get you."
"If it's not a bother, I'd like you to take me, Spot."
"No bother at all. How soon do you want to leave?"
"Tomorrow?"
"Sounds good. If we catch the 8 o'clock train we should be there around dinner time and I can catch the late train back home."
She smiled brightly. "Wonderful! Thank you!"
"Your welcome. Why don't you go start packing?"
"Right!" She leapt to her feet and ran upstairs.
Rae smiled at Spot. "I'm going to miss her."
"I'm surprised to say I am going to too." Spot grinned. "Can you believe she was such a brat when we first found her?"
"She's grown up, Spot. They all have. Ann and Andy will be ready to start school in the fall."
Spot shook his head, amazed. "I can't believe it..."
She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. "How long have we been married?"
"Eleven months, two weeks and three days."
She laughed a little. "Been keeping track, haven't you?"
"I had nothing better to do on those long nights in Brooklyn. You weren't there to cuddle with."
She smiled, snuggling under his arm. "Well I'm here to cuddle with now."
Spot smiled and then frowned. "Do you... smell something?"
Rae sat up. "Something's burning!"
Spot jumped to his feet and ran upstairs, following the trail of smoke. Rae placed Sam in his cradle and followed close on his heels.
"It's coming from the boys' room!" he called over his shoulder, rushing into the room. They threw open the door to find the curtains covering one of the windows in flames. Spot coughed, swatting the smoke out of his face.
"Quick! Get some water!" he shouted to Rae, stomping out some of the flames that were creeping across the carpet.
Rae grabbed the pitcher from across the room and handed it to him, before reaching for Andy, who had been asleep before the fire started. Spot dunked a rag into the pitcher and flung it on the flames, stomping along the smoldering, stinking mass of charred fabric as the flames died down. Meanwhile, Rae carried Andy out into the hall to check him for burns, as the bed had been near the window.
Andy woke up coughing a little. "Momma? What...?" And then he started to cry.
"It's alright, sweetheart," she said, kissing his forehead. "Are you hurt anywhere?"
"N-n-no," he whimpered, calming down a little.
Julie stumbled into the hall in her nightgown. "What's going on?" she asked.
"Will you bring me a glass of water from my room, please Julie?" Rae asked.
Yawning sleepily, she nodded, went to retrieve the glass of water, and returned a few moments later. "Why do I smell smoke?"
"Because we had a little fire, but everything is alright. Go back to bed."
"A fire?" Her eyes grew wide. "Where?"
Rae handed the glass of water to Andy. "To bed Julie!"
She nodded and turned, looking a little upset that she wasn't told.
"Goodnight, Julie," Rae said before turning back to Andy. "Drink the water for Momma."
Andy whimpered a bit more. "My throat hurts..."
"I know, buddy," she said, brushing the hair from his forehead. He took the cup and drank in large gulps.
Spot walked out into the hall. "The fire is out."
Rae sighed in relief. "Thank goodness... What could have started it?"
"It looks like someone left the candle on the table under the window."
Rae nodded. "We can make a pallet on the floor for Andy in our room for tonight."
"I don't wanna go back to sleep in there...."
Rae took him in her arms. "That's fine Andy. We'll move you into Molly's room tomorrow," she said, kissing his forehead. She looked around. "Where's Chris?"
Spot shrugged. "I don't know.... Now that I think of it... He wasn't in the room..."
"Do you want me to help you find him? Or do you want me to get Andy back to sleep while you find him?"
"I'll look for him... you take care of Andy."
Nodding, Rae led Andy into her room and pulled some quilts from the cedar chest at the end of the bed. She folded them and placed them on the floor. "Alright, Andy, back to bed."
Andy sniffled and rubbed his eyes. "Night Momma..."
She kissed his forehead, "Sweet dreams."
He nodded and gave a wary glance at the curtains across the room before settling down on his pallet and closing his eyes. She tucked the quilt around his shoulders and slipped back downstairs to get Sam, who had been left in the cradle in the living room.
"Did he go to sleep easy?" Spot asked when she entered the room.
She nodded wearily and walked over to Sam's cradle. He crouched next to her and helped gather the blankets and such that she had left behind. As they walked up the stairs, Chris came walking from the kitchen.
"Where have you been?" Spot demanded.
"I got hungry," Chris answered.
"Do you know anything about the fire that started in yours and Andy's bedroom?" Rae asked, shifting Sam from one arm to the other.
"What fire?"
"Did you leave a candle on the table under the window?"
"Yeah."
"It set fire to the curtain!" Spot yelled. "You could have burned the house down!"
"I didn't do it on purpose!" Chris retorted angrily.
"We know, Chris.... but please, be more responsible next time!" Rae said.
"He thinks I did it on purpose!" Chris yelled, causing Sam to wake up and begin to scream.
"Just- just go to your room!" Spot sputtered, stepping up next to Rae in attempts to help her calm Sam down.
"He can't sleep in there tonight, Spot. He'll have to sleep in one of the rooms on the third floor," Rae said.
"Then.... then go find another room!" he ordered, thrusting his finger towards the staircase.
Chris growled in frustration and made his way past them up the stairs.
"He's lucky the whole blasted house didn't burn down!" Spot vented as they followed up the stairs a few minutes later.
Rae placed her hand on his shoulder. "Please calm down. No one was hurt and for that we should be thankful."
"But... he... he was so... irresponsible! I can't believe that! He's NEVER that way...."
"I'm sure it was just an accident. Let it go," she said, sitting in her rocking chair with Sam in her arms.
"But..." Spot sighed, sitting across from her. "I guess I'm just worried is all..."
"I know," she whispered, glancing at Andy sleeping on the floor across the room.
Spot glanced at Andy as well. He looked a little sooty, but the boy slept peacefully, as if the trauma hadn't happened. He sighed. "I just hope he doesn't have nightmares like Ann tends to have."
"I don't think he will...." She chewed her lip though, watching Andy for a moment longer.
Spot stood and walked over to her. "Get some sleep," he whispered, reaching to take Sam from her.
"I don't know if I can..." she replied hesitantly.
"At least crawl into bed and rest for a little while."
After a moment, she consented with a yawn. "All right... For a little while."
Spot took Sam and helped her to her feet. He kissed her forehead and moved to place Sam in his cradle. Rae climbed in bed and watched him with a small smile on her face. Spot knelt beside the cradle and gently ran his hand over his son's fine, dark hair.
"I knew you'd be a wonderful father," she said with a yawn.
He turned and smiled at her. "And just how did you know that?" he asked with a smirk.
"I don't know. I just knew." She smiled and threw a pillow at him.
He caught the pillow. "If Andy wasn't sleeping over there, I'd get you."
"Guess I'm pretty lucky then..."
"I wouldn't count on it," he said, making his way toward the bed.
She held up another pillow as a shield. "Uh, uh. Andy is still sleeping there. You wake him up, you're putting him back to sleep," she warned with a giggle.
"Then you better be quiet."
She giggled more and whacked him with her pillow.
He grabbed the pillow with one hand and pulled her toward him with the other. "You'll have to pay for that, Conlon."
"Oh will I? You don't scare me, Conlon," she teased with a grin.
"Good," he whispered, kissing her. "I would hate to think you were scared of me."
"Mmm, I learned a long time ago that there was nothing to be scared of," she replied, kissing him back.
"Have I told you recently how wonderful I think you are?"
"Mm, nope. But I won't mind hearing it again," she grinned.
"I'll keep on telling you. As long as you don't get a big head."
She laughed. "No one can get as big a head as Brooklyn's Spot Conlon."
"Watch it!" he said, leaning to kiss her. She grinned, accepting his kiss. He settled her back onto the pillows. "Now sleep!"
"Yes sir!" she exclaimed with a small laugh.
"I love you," he whispered.
"I love you too," she whispered back, kissing him gently.
He smiled at her and lay down next to her, putting his arms around her. "Will you go to sleep now?"
"I think I will now."
"Good girl."
She laughed a little, yawning.
"Will you be alright here tomorrow while I take Molly to Brooklyn?"
"I'll be fine," she replied with a slight nod.
He kissed the side of her head. "Now, please, get some sleep."
She nodded sleepily and closed her eyes.
* * *
Spot bent down and gently kissed Rae.
"Go away, Spot! I just fell asleep," Rae muttered.
He laughed. "You've been asleep for 3 hours and Sam is hungry again."
"Feed him then," she mumbled, snuggling deeper under her blankets, not even thinking about what she had just said.
He pulled the covers back. "You know that I can't do that, Rae."
"You should be able to," she whined. "I'm so tired..." But she got up and picked Sam up. "I love you, little one, but I really wish you'd get a clock..." Gently, she kissed his forehead.
"He's going to go back to sleep when you finish, so why don't you just feed him in the bed," Spot suggested.
"Because then I'd have to get back up and put him in his cradle."
"I think he'll be alright sleeping beside you. As long as you don't forget that he's there and roll over and crush him," he added, winking at her.
"What about YOU rolling over?" she accused with a slight smile.
"I'm not going to because Molly and I are leaving."
She frowned. "Now?"
"It's almost eight, sweetheart."
"Already?" she murmured, smothering a yawn.
He smiled. "Yes, already," he kissed her forehead. "The others are downstairs eating breakfast, and they are under strict orders to make sure that you get lots of rest today."
"That's all I ever do," she whined.
"At least take a nap, alright?"
She nodded a bit. "You can count on that one..."
"Good. Now, can I get a kiss before I leave?"
"Mm, you better."
He smiled and bent down to kiss her.
"Hurry home," she said.
"You know I will," he whispered, running the back of his fingers gently down her cheek.
She held his hand to her face and looked at him. "Be careful."
"I will," he said, resting his forehead against hers
A moment later there was a knock on the door. "Spot?" called Molly.
He sighed. "I'm coming."
"I love you," Rae whispered.
"I love you too," he whispered, giving her another kiss. Then he grabbed his knapsack and left the room.
Rae sighed and looked down at her son. "Well, Sam, it looks like it's you and me again."
"And the rest of us." Julie poked her head into the room. "Hungry?"
"A little," she admitted.
She held up a tray with eggs and a slice of bread. "Here's breakfast.... I wasn't sure if you were going to come down or not."
"Thanks. I'll bring it back down when I finish."
"All right." Julie nodded and scooted out of the room.
"After you finish eating, little man, you are going down for a nap and I am going to go play with Ann and Andy."
Sam stared at her face, wide-eyed.
She grinned at him and laughed slightly. "I'm guess I'm not going to get an argument from you."
He waved his tiny fist in response.
After a few more minutes Sam fell asleep again, and Rae placed him in his cradle. After changing clothes, she made her way downstairs, tray in hand, to find Ann and Andy.
They sat at a table with cards in hand, playing "Go Fishin'".
"Got any twos" Ann asked.
"Nope. Go fishin'."
Rae sat next to Ann and kissed her forehead. "Havin' fun?"
"Yup!"
"Ann! Pay 'ttention! Do you got any acies?"
Ann sighed and handed Andy two cards.
"Ha ha! The acies are mine!" he crowed, pulling the pairs out.
Laughing, Rae stood and kissed Andy's forehead. "I think I'm going to clean out the playroom."
"Want me to help, Momma?" Ann asked, setting down her cards.
"Hey!" Andy protested. "Annnn! We were playinnnnng!"
"If you both come help me, then I'll play when we finish," Rae said with a grin.
Andy looked a little grudging but he nodded. "Okay I guess..."
"I may even be able to find some special little treat in the kitchen for my helpers..."
He perked up at that. "Treat?"
"Like maybe some..." she bent down to his level and whispered, "...cookies..."
"Okay!"
"Race ya," she taunted.
"I'll get there first!" And he tore off down the hall with Ann chasing after him.
Rae laughed and walked down the hall. When she entered the playroom Ann and Andy were arguing over who won and Julie was helping Kendra build block towers in the corner. She shook her head, placed her index finger and her thumb in her mouth, and whistled loudly. All four heads snapped sharply in her direction. "Enough," she said, looking at the twins.
"Yes ma'am," they chorused.
"Now come on, let's get this place cleaned up, okay?
"Okay," Ann squeaked as she walked over to the corner where her dolls lay scattered.
Andy went over to the papers where they were practicing their letters and began to make a nice stack out of them.
After a few minutes work, the room was clean once again. "Can we have the cookies now, Momma?" Andy asked.
She smiled, glancing around the room approvingly. "Yes, you may."
"Yippe!" Ann squealed, racing for the kitchen.
"WAIT FOR ME!" Andy bellowed, dashing after her.
Rae scooped Kendra up in her arms and rubbed her nose on the little girl's belly, causing Kendra to giggle. "Want to join us Julie?"
"Sure," Julie replied, climbing to her feet, and following Rae out of the room.
Balancing Kendra on one hip, Rae opened the cookie jar. "One cookie each," she said, handing Kendra a cracker from the pantry.
The twins snatched their cookies and Julie took one for herself.
"Have you seen Chris? I haven't seen him all morning..." Rae asked.
"He ate breakfast," Julie said, around bites of cookie. "But I haven't seen him since."
Rae frowned.
"I think he went upstairs," Ann said, with a mouth full of cookie.
She frowned again. He had been spending an awful lot of time alone lately- though he was growing up and would need his space, especially in their large household- but she was worried. He had, after all, let the curtains get on fire... what else might he forget?
