"I'm gonna need your help tomorrow," Spot said, attempting to take the boy's mind of Molly.
"Huh? .. For what?" Chris shook his head to clear it and looked at him quizzically.
"I'm gonna move mine and Rae's room down here to the playroom..."
"Oh... okay... Is the playroom going to be your old room then?"
"Yeah. Rae really doesn't to try and climb those stairs anymore."
"Do you think Molly is okay?" Chris asked, drifting off topic again.
"She'd be a lot better if she would just tell Kendra the truth."
"I don't understand why she's so afraid... If she told Kendra now, Kendra wouldn't hate her because she's too little to really get it."
"That's what we keep trying to tell her."
Chris frowned leaning back on the chair he sat against.
"If I thought kicking her out would help I'd do it in a heartbeat," Spot said.
Chris was not amused. "You can't kick her out!"
"I didn't say I was going to!"
He sighed and stared up at the ceiling. What was he going to do with her?
"Maybe I'll just send them both down to the cabin and tell Molly she can't come back until she tells Kendra," Spot mused.
"That could work."
"You would have to stay away."
"Well... that might not work..."
"Chris..."
"What? If it was Rae, could YOU stay away?"
"It would be hard...but if it would help her...yes."
He sighed and looked up again. "I wish I could help her..."
"This may be the way..."
"But... I want to be there to help her... you know? I want to feel like we worked on this together...."
"I understand...Listen...I'm giving her one week to tell her...if not...they will both move out to the cabin."
He nodded. "Will you warn her? Or just make her go if she doesn't?"
"I'll let her know at breakfast tomorrow. Or you can tell her if you wish."
"And hope she doesn't get mad at me."
"Would you rather that I tell her?"
"I don't know..."
"You need to make up your mind."
He sighed. "I know..."
"Why don't you sleep on it and let me know before breakfast."
With a nod, he stood. "I'll try."
"It's getting late...see if you can't get those hoodlums of Sippi's to go to bed..."
"Me??"
"Why not?"
"Because aren't they that ... 'Sippi guy's brothers and sisters?"
"Yes."
"Then why doesn't he do it?"
"Because I don't know where he is...and I'm ready to go to bed...and I'm not about to go to bed with all of them still up."
"Well... why don't you put them to bed? You know them better."
"You need to learn to pull your weight around here."
He gave Spot a bit of a look. "I do...." With a sigh, he stood and went to find them, though he was pretty sure they wouldn't even bother listening to him. He tapped a boy about his age on the shoulder. "Spot said it's time for all of you to go to bed."
"They're MY brothers and sisters. Spot doesn't decide when we go to bed," the boy replied.
"This is SPOT'S house."
"We're not hurting anything. We're just sitting in here."
"It's time for bed!" Chris hissed.
"I'd like to see you make us go!"
Chris growled. The boy stared back at him, clearly not willing to back down. Someone behind Chris cleared his throat. The boy made a funny squeaking noise and looked down, shame-faced. Chris looked around and saw it was 'Sippi, their brother. He looked very displeased.
One by one the others looked up, making the same shame-faced look as their brother before scampering out of the room.
"Thanks," Chris mumbled, looking kind of embarrassed at the fact that he couldn't make a few kids obey him.
"It's not you," Sippi said, as though reading Chris' mind. "I'm the only one they'll obey."
"Must make things tough..."
"Most of the time."
Chris leaned against the wall. "I knew they weren't going to listen to me," he said with a faint smile.
"Then why bother?"
"Spot told me to."
Sippi smirked. "Figures. Always sending someone else to do his dirty work."
He looked at him. "You don't like Spot much, do you?"
"Is it that obvious?"
He nodded.
"Spot stole my girl."
"Rae?" This was news to him.
"Yep."
"Did she love you?"
"You know...I never really knew for sure..."
Chris nodded a little and began to pick up the scattered toys left around the playroom.
"Leave it," Sippi said. "I'll make them clean it up before breakfast."
He smiled faintly. "Okay."
He started for the door and then stopped. "I've got a question."
"Huh? What about?"
"They won't obey anyone else...but all it takes from you is a look...or a word...and they obey...Why?"
Sippi smiled. "I'm their older brother. I'll dunk their heads in horse troughs if they don't," he joked.
Chris sent him a funny look. "Right."
He simply smiled again and headed off for bed.
Shaking his head, Chris headed toward the stairs where Spot was checking on the lock of the front door.
"That 'Sippi guy is one weird person."
"You just now figured that out?" Spot asked.
"Pretty much."
"Just don't make him mad...he'll pull out this whip...and it ain't pretty..."
Chris stared at him. "He... carries around a whip?"
"Yep," Spot said, jogging up the stairs.
"Why?" he wondered aloud and, a minute or so later, headed upstairs as well.
~*~
Chris was waiting in the hall the next morning when Spot left his room early the next morning.
Spot looked at him sleepily. "What's the matter?"
"You said I had to make up my mind," Chris said.
"Huh?" He blinked once or twice before he finally seemed to remember. "Oh... yes... right. Well?"
"I can't tell her."
Spot nodded. "All right. Then I will."
"Do you want me there when you tell her?"
"You can be, if you want."
"I think I'll wait out in the hall...she'll probably come looking for me anyway."
Spot shrugged. "All right."
"I'm going for a walk," Chris said, heading down the stairs.
"Don't be gone too long. Breakfast will be ready in about half an hour."
Chris nodded.
Spot headed down as well and began to make breakfast. Molly came in about ten minutes later with Kendra and Sam.
"Good morning Molly, did you sleep well?"
"Not really."
"Care to talk about it?"
"Not really," she said glancing at the two little ones.
He smiled down at them. "Morning... are two hungry?" Kendra nodded sleepily, while Sam just made a face. With a laugh, Spot crouched in front of Sam. "What's the matter?"
"Bed," he muttered.
"What about bed?"
"Wanna go bed."
He smiled. "Is that so?"
Sam nodded, closing his eyes.
He picked him up and carried him into the living room. "Why don't you lie down here for awhile, okay?"
Sam nodded and curled up in a ball on the couch.
Spot then returned to the kitchen. "Would you like to help me with breakfast?" he asked Molly.
Molly nodded and turned to Kendra. "Go play in the playroom."
"Okay!" the little girl replied brightly and scampered off.
After a minute Spot broke the silence. "We need to talk, Molly."
With a sigh, she leaned against the counter. "Don't we always?" she moaned.
"You have to tell her."
"I know, I know..."
"You aren't going to like this...."
"Like what?"
"Tell her before the end of the week, or you'll both have to leave."
She blinked at him. "Wh... what?"
"You heard me Molly."
"But I...."
"I hate to have to do this to you."
She frowned and glanced in the direction Kendra had toddled off in. "The choice is yours, Molly."
"I know... she murmured. Then she glanced up at the ceiling. "I think I hear Rae moving around up there."
Spot glanced up as well. "Yes... I think she is..." He sighed. "Mind finishing breakfast so I can go help her down the stairs?"
She nodded quietly, then headed into the kitchen, still frowning a bit. Sighing Spot headed up the stairs.
Rae was slowly making her way around the room getting ready for the day.
"Need any help, Sweetheart?" he asked.
"Getting my stockings. They fell off the chair and ... I can't reach them." She patted her belly.
Grinning, he crossed the room and scooped them up. "Where you this big with Sam?" he teased.
She wrinkled her nose. "Not even half as big, I don't think."
"I don't think you can get much bigger."
She hit him.
"Ow," Spot laughed, rubbing his arm. "I love you, no matter how pregnant you get," he said playfully, kissing her cheek.
She sighed deeply and looked at herself in the mirror. "I hate being so fat."
"You're not fat."
"Look at me!!"
"I am. And I see a beautiful woman who is carrying a life within her."
Tears filled her eyes. He hugged her gently. She rested her head on his shoulder and sniffled. "I'm sorry, Spot."
"What are you sorry about?"
"For crying all over you."
He smiled. "You can cry all over me any time you want... "
She sniffled again and looked down at the stockings in her hand. She sighed. "I wish I could go barefoot."
"Then why don't you? As long as you don't go outside, since the weather is getting cooler..."
"It would be so much easier."
"Then why don't you?"
She tossed them across the room.
He smiled. "Ready for breakfast?"
She nodded. "I'm starving."
"Then let's get you fed!"
"Alright," she said, waddling into the hallway, only to bump into Sippi.
"'Morning," he said cordially, nodding at the two of them. "Sorry to be in the way."
"You aren't in the way," Rae said. Spot rolled his eyes behind her back.
'Sippi barely gave Spot a glance, because he knew he'd probably say or do something rude if he did. He smiled and nodded at her. "Well, I'm glad. Would you like an extra arm to help you down?"
She smiled. "Yes please."
Spot didn't look too pleased, even though he knew the extra arm would help. He darted forward to grab her other arm after noticing that they had started down the stairs without him.
Rae smiled at the two of them as she eased down the stairs. "Thank you both."
"You won't using these stairs anymore, Rae." Spot said.
"MMm... that sounds good to me," she said.
"Need a hand moving rooms around?" Sippi asked.
"Already got one," he said.
"Be nice Spot," Rae said.
"I am. Chris is already helping me."
"And you know that you need all the help that you can get."
He frowned. "I think we'd do fine.... But," he added, when she shot him the look, "the help would be appreciated."
She sighed in relief when they reached the bottom of the stairs.
"Why don't you sit here? Molly is probably nearly done with breakfast." Spot then excused himself and went to check on her.
Rae glanced at the chair and sighed, before attempting to lower herself into the chair. Reaching forward, 'Sippi took her arm and helped her lower herself down. "Thank you," she whispered.
He smiled. "No problem."
"I don't know what his problem is," Rae said, glancing toward the kitchen.
"He doesn't like me."
"You two used to be good friends."
"Well.... some things change..."
She sighed.
"Don't worry yourself over it," he said, squeezing her shoulder gently.
She nodded. "Alright."
With a smile, he went to go wake up his brothers and sisters.
She leaned her head against the back of the chair and closed her eyes.
"Breakfast is ready," Molly said quietly, coming up next to her with a plate.
"I could have come into the kitchen," Rae replied.
She smiled. "No... it's all right. "
Rae took the plate and looked at Molly. "Is something wrong, Molly?"
"No.... not really, anyway..."
"Want to talk about it?"
"It's only what it's always been about.... talking to Kendra."
"And?"
"And..." She sighed. "And, I have a week to do it, or Spot is kicking me out."
Rae's face flushed with anger. "Would you please tell Spot to come see me?"
Molly gave her a curious glance. "All right..." She left the room and did as told.
Moments later, Spot walked in. "You needed me?"
"You told Molly that she had a week to tell Kendra or you were kicking her out?"
"Yes."
"Why didn't talk to me about this first?"
: "I.... well...." He was silent for a few minutes. He didn't know why.
Rae sighed. "Do you think this will work?"
"I'm not sure.... I'm hoping it will, though."
"I hope you're right about this Spot."
"I hope I am too. I'd hate to have to throw her out... But my word is my word."
"What's going to happen to Kendra when you throw Molly out?"
"She's leaving with her. So she'll be forced to tell her anyway."
"Are you sure that's a good idea Spot? Molly will have a hard enough time looking out for herself... with Kendra along..."
"Well, I thought it was until you started questioning it..." he mumbled.
Rae sighed. "Maybe keeping Kendra with us would be a good idea...and Molly can come back...as soon as she's willing to tell Kendra the truth..."
"But that would just give her an excuse to wait longer."
"She's pretty attached to Kendra...I don't think she'll be able to stay away for long."
"But that's missing the whole point.... I want her to tell her now.... I don't want her to stall any longer."
"We can't force her to tell Kendra...but we can give her a shove in the right direction..."
"That's what I'm trying to do..."
"Giving her the choice of telling Kendra or leaving is all the shove we can give her...anything else and we'd be forcing her to tell."
"That was the whole point. I never said she ... well maybe I did, but I MEANT that she had the choice of telling her or leaving..." Spot pointed out.
"Why don't we just wait and see what this week brings..."
"... All right."
She handed him her plate of food. "I thought I was hungry...but I can't eat."
"Why not?" he asked a bit worriedly.
"I don't know..." She sighed. "My feet hurt."
"Would you like to lie down on the couch?"
She nodded.
Taking her arm, he helped her ease out of the chair and led her to the living room. With a smile, he poked Sam gently. "Wake up, buddy. Momma wants to lay down there."
He rolled over and fell to the floor.
"Sam!" Rae exclaimed.
Spot quickly crouched down. "You okay??"
He snored.
Spot stared. "I think he's still asleep."
Rae laughed softly.
Spot smiled a bit. "Peculiar."
Smiling, Rae tried to ease down onto the couch. He took her arms and helped her down. "I'll bet you'll be glad once the baby is born."
"You better believe it," She said.
With a smile, he kissed the top of her head. "I'm going to go help Molly finish serving breakfast. Are you sure you don't want anything?"
"Just a nap."
"All right, I'll tell everyone to stay out of your way."
"Thanks," she sighed.
"It's not a problem."
She smiled and closed her eyes.