# 3
"Hey! Bobbi.... cut it out! Ahhh!" Darien mock-complained, flinching away and protecting his eyes from the water and bubbles flying his way. His daughter giggled, blew him an unintentional raspberry and slapped her hands down in her bath again, splattering her mother.
"You can't say you weren't warned, partner." Bobby smirked, passing his husband a hand towel. "She loves water."
"Yeah... she loves it so much she wants to share it with everybody else." Darien commented wryly as he mopped his face and shirt. "Okay, tidal-wave- Roberta... time to get out. Her towel's on the sink, Bert...." Darien said, rising from his knees. Carefully lifting Bobbi out of the warm water, he firmly held his dripping, squirming little girl over the tub until her dad could get her special hooded towel wrapped around her and her head covered. Bobby then drew his baby into his arms. Talking softly to her, he followed Darien into the bedroom and laid Bobbi on the changing table, drying and diapering her while his husband chose an outfit for her to sleep in. Once she was dressed, both men settled on the bed and Bobby passed her to Darien. As the younger man gazed lovingly down at her, she began to sporadically communicate a run-down of her day from her point of view.
"So? What's she got to say tonight?"
"Not much. She wasn't too happy about the dog that gave her a sniff while Claire was walkin' her in the stroller."
"He didn't scare her, did he?"
"Nah. She just thought it was rude. Says he shoulda.... wait. He shoulda asked first? There something you're not tellin' me, baby girl?" he asked, giving her a skeptical look. Roberta merely grinned at him and blinked sleepily. Hobbes laughed.
"Oh.... boy. One more thing to add to the "wait 'till she can talk" list. Ya know.. that reminds me. I was thinkin' the other night. What if she never does?"
"Talk? Of course she's gonna talk, Bobby. All babies talk."
"Not all babies are telepathic, love. She don't exactly have incentive to learn to use her voice, now does she?"
Darien looked mildly stricken for a moment, but his smile returned.
"We don't have to think about that for a while yet. When it comes that time, we'll do what we need to do, but.... not yet, okay? she's growin' up fast enough. Let's not push it."
"I know, Ari. It was just a thought. I'm sorry for scarin' you."
"You didn't. I've been thinkin' about it too... along with other things." He murmured, softly stroking Bobbi's hair and face.
"Darien, don't. It'll be okay...."
"Like school, for instance. Where are we gonna find one for a kid that can do what she can? The invisibility, the telepathy, probably other stuff too.... it's not like we can send her to P.S. 118."
Grinning, Bobby pushed a stray lock of hair away from his husband's brow and caught Darien's eyes.
"Ari, stop. She's not goin' to kindergarten tomorrow. We've got a few years to figure this stuff out."
"Yeah.... yeah, I know. It's just.... so hard. I never realized what my dad went through after my mom was gone. Kids... they sneeze and every disaster the world has ever known runs through your head in about five seconds. We're her mom an' dad, Bert. We have to protect her..."
"We will, baby. No matter what. Thing is... look at Bobbi. I guarantee this beautiful, happy little girl ain't thinkin' five years ahead. We gotta take our cue from her. When we get to the fork in the road we'll decide which way to go. Until then.... we need to chill. You know she picks up on how we feel, not just what we think."
"You're right. Right now she's still little, but it won't last long. We need to enjoy this time with her before it's gone." Darien added, rising slowly and carrying his sleeping child to her crib. As she woke slightly then settled back down, both her parents watched her with expressions of awe and love on their weary faces then moved off to get ready for bed themselves.
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"Hey! Bobbi.... cut it out! Ahhh!" Darien mock-complained, flinching away and protecting his eyes from the water and bubbles flying his way. His daughter giggled, blew him an unintentional raspberry and slapped her hands down in her bath again, splattering her mother.
"You can't say you weren't warned, partner." Bobby smirked, passing his husband a hand towel. "She loves water."
"Yeah... she loves it so much she wants to share it with everybody else." Darien commented wryly as he mopped his face and shirt. "Okay, tidal-wave- Roberta... time to get out. Her towel's on the sink, Bert...." Darien said, rising from his knees. Carefully lifting Bobbi out of the warm water, he firmly held his dripping, squirming little girl over the tub until her dad could get her special hooded towel wrapped around her and her head covered. Bobby then drew his baby into his arms. Talking softly to her, he followed Darien into the bedroom and laid Bobbi on the changing table, drying and diapering her while his husband chose an outfit for her to sleep in. Once she was dressed, both men settled on the bed and Bobby passed her to Darien. As the younger man gazed lovingly down at her, she began to sporadically communicate a run-down of her day from her point of view.
"So? What's she got to say tonight?"
"Not much. She wasn't too happy about the dog that gave her a sniff while Claire was walkin' her in the stroller."
"He didn't scare her, did he?"
"Nah. She just thought it was rude. Says he shoulda.... wait. He shoulda asked first? There something you're not tellin' me, baby girl?" he asked, giving her a skeptical look. Roberta merely grinned at him and blinked sleepily. Hobbes laughed.
"Oh.... boy. One more thing to add to the "wait 'till she can talk" list. Ya know.. that reminds me. I was thinkin' the other night. What if she never does?"
"Talk? Of course she's gonna talk, Bobby. All babies talk."
"Not all babies are telepathic, love. She don't exactly have incentive to learn to use her voice, now does she?"
Darien looked mildly stricken for a moment, but his smile returned.
"We don't have to think about that for a while yet. When it comes that time, we'll do what we need to do, but.... not yet, okay? she's growin' up fast enough. Let's not push it."
"I know, Ari. It was just a thought. I'm sorry for scarin' you."
"You didn't. I've been thinkin' about it too... along with other things." He murmured, softly stroking Bobbi's hair and face.
"Darien, don't. It'll be okay...."
"Like school, for instance. Where are we gonna find one for a kid that can do what she can? The invisibility, the telepathy, probably other stuff too.... it's not like we can send her to P.S. 118."
Grinning, Bobby pushed a stray lock of hair away from his husband's brow and caught Darien's eyes.
"Ari, stop. She's not goin' to kindergarten tomorrow. We've got a few years to figure this stuff out."
"Yeah.... yeah, I know. It's just.... so hard. I never realized what my dad went through after my mom was gone. Kids... they sneeze and every disaster the world has ever known runs through your head in about five seconds. We're her mom an' dad, Bert. We have to protect her..."
"We will, baby. No matter what. Thing is... look at Bobbi. I guarantee this beautiful, happy little girl ain't thinkin' five years ahead. We gotta take our cue from her. When we get to the fork in the road we'll decide which way to go. Until then.... we need to chill. You know she picks up on how we feel, not just what we think."
"You're right. Right now she's still little, but it won't last long. We need to enjoy this time with her before it's gone." Darien added, rising slowly and carrying his sleeping child to her crib. As she woke slightly then settled back down, both her parents watched her with expressions of awe and love on their weary faces then moved off to get ready for bed themselves.
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