Mother Dear
A/N: Please please please REVIEW! REVIEW!
DISCLAIMER: I don't own 'em.
~*~
After a few seconds of looking at his hands nervously, Carter got up and approached Abby.
"Carter," she said, "go sit down."
"Abby, I insist," he stated firmly. He didn't object to her calling him Carter. Together they set the table quietly until Ashley approached them and took a seat waiting expectantly. Carter followed suit and Abby began to serve them all generous portions.
"So," said Carter, picking up his fork, "Nice place." Abby snorted as she sat down and Ashley nodded.
"It's nicer than New York," she said, looking at Carter curiously.
"Ashley, don't stare," her mother muttered. Ashley was pulling on one of her curls and she continued to stare at Carter, disregarding her mother's orders.
"You know," she said finally, taking a bite of her spaghetti, "I have a picture of you and Mommy from before I was born. Mommy looks years older now, but you look just the same." Abby turned pink and she and Carter both laughed. Ashley started to giggled too, though she had no comprehension as to why.
"Thank you, Ashley," Abby stated.
"I think your mother looks just fine," Carter replied gallantly and Abby turned a little bit pinker with delight. Ashley looked from Carter to Abby and then said,
"One time Mommy told me that you had 'boyishly handsome good looks'," Abby gasped unconsciously and Carter grinned at her.
"Okay, Ashley, I think that's enough," she said firmly, her face pink, an embarrassed smile on her face.
"No," said Carter, "I want to hear what else is being said about me." The little girl looked at Abby hesitantly and, upon seeing Abby's glare, stopped talking and continued to eat.
"This is really good, Abby" Carter pointed his fork at his spaghetti.
"It's spaghetti, Carter," she grinned.
"The best spaghetti I've ever tasted," he replied enthusiastically. Abby rolled her eyes sarcastically and continued to eat.
"Carter?" Ashley said out of the blue. Both Abby and Carter looked at her surprised.
"Yes?" he said awkwardly after a moment or two of hesitation.
"Nothing," Ashley said with a grin. Carter and Abby glanced at each other before returning quietly to their food.
Ashley shoveled some spaghetti into her mouth and addressed her mother,
"Don't talk with your mouth full," Abby said in a bored voice as though she had told the little girl this numerous times already. After a few seconds' pause, Ashley spoke up again.
"I was thinking," Ashley stated.
"Hmmm?"
"I don't think I'll be able to sleep very much tonight because Susan made me take a nap at her house today," she made a face.
"Dr. Lewis," Abby corrected her.
"Yeah, her. She told me to call her Susan. Anyway, I think I could stay up pretty late tonight if I had to."
"Do you?" Abby asked her amused.
"Yeah, probably." She said taking a sip of her juice and looking across the table at Carter.
"Good to know," Abby responded. She was trying to figure out what Ashley was thinking about, because she obviously had something more planned than just wanting to stay up.
"He could probably stay pretty late if he wanted to," she said nodding at Carter. Abby smiled.
"Ashley, HE has a name. Call him-"
"Carter," he interjected, "Call me Carter." Abby smiled at him and Ashley nodded.
"Yeah, Carter could probably stay really late. Maybe we could play a board game or something." Ashley suggested.
"I love board games," said Carter grinning at Abby.
"Ashley, you know it's a school night…" Abby stated, but Ashley and Carter looked at her with the same imploring eyes and she had to smile, "okay, we can play a board game. Why don't you run and get one while I clear off the table," Abby suggested the little girl scurried off to her room."
"Abby," said Carter, his voice low, "Thank you." She looked at him and he looked so grateful to just be there. She nodded and together they stood to clear the plates, taking them to the kitchen in satisfied silence.
~*~
"Okay," Abby said looking at her watch, "one game of monopoly." Ashley put the box down on the dining room table and handed pieces out to everyone. She insisted on being the car because 'cars have motors so they go the fastest'. Carter and Abby glanced at each other and grinned.
"So, Ashley, you're in first grade now, right?" Carter asked her off-handedly as he took the money she was handing him. She nodded and continued to concentrate on counting out the money carefully.
"Do you like school?"
"Yes, I have a friend named Ben and I won three races in a row at recess."
"Really?" Carter asked her.
"Yes, and when we played tag, I only had to be 'it' once. Ben told me that I could be play with them even if I am a girl because I'm the fastest girl he ever saw." She looked at him proudly, "And when Mommy tries to catch me at night to make me go to sleep, I can usually run around for five minutes or so until she catches me." Carter looked at Abby, his eyes twinkling.
It was nearly forty-five minutes later when Abby looked at her watch again.
"Fifteen more minutes," she told the little girl. Ashley was busy as a bee counting her money and controlling all the goings-on of the game. At times, Abby could catch Carter looking at Ashley with a silly grin on his face until he realized what he was doing.
"I think you're winning," Carter pointed out to Ashley, gesturing towards her heaping piles of fake money. Ashley grinned.
"Me too," she stated happily.
"Ashley's the monopoly queen," Abby said, "she always wins when we play."
Carter looked from mother to daughter, happy to finally be a part of their life. He regretted not knowing Ashley until now. He hated how she called him 'Carter' instead of 'Daddy'; he wanted desperately to make it up to her. Abby noticed him looking wistfully at Ashley again and she smiled sadly knowing that she was the cause of their not knowing each other.
"Okay, Ashley, wrap it up," Abby said finally, "everybody count your money." Ashley had, of course, won and she giggled with triumph before heading off to change into PJs and brush her teeth.
Carter stood up and watched awkwardly as Abby put the pieces of the game away.
"She's amazing," he said quietly. Abby nodded and stood up with the box in her hands.
"Yeah, she is. She looks just like you, you know," Abby whispered. Carter looked at Abby in surprise.
"She has your smile," he said finally, "and your same way of worming herself into my heart." They looked at each other quietly until Ashley came out to say goodnight.
"Good night, Ashley," Carter said as he watched Ashley give Abby a kiss. Abby looked at him quietly.
"Good night," Ashley said happily, "come again."
"Ashley, thank your father for the lovely gift," Abby said firmly. Ashley nodded.
"Thank you, Daddy," she said and a tear trickled down Abby's cheek as Ashley scampered off happily to her bedroom.
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