Authors Note/Disclaimer: I don't own WA 3, it belongs to Media Vision/Sony.
This chapter is kinda short compared to the others, since I ran out of funny to put in it early. Ah well, after I type this, I'm gonna work on the last two chapters and maybe they'll all be done tonight. Whoo hoo! Oh, and the first story Catherine tells is based on my true life babysitting experiences with my two year old niece. And the last scene was inspired by Excel Saga. Tee hee.
Month Seven: Baby Stories And The Power Of A Good Book
Catherine was really showing her size as she maneuvered herself carefully onto the couch. Virginia, who was also sitting on the couch, waited for Clive to get up from the chair and help her, but to her surprise, he didn't move.
The young woman glanced over to where he sat, engrossed in a book. He looked up as he noticed her eyes upon him. "What?" he asked.
Virginia blinked. "...nothing."
"Oh, okay." With that, Clive returned to his book, a look of slight confusion on his face. Virginia gave Catherine a funny look.
"Did that seem kinda weird to you?" she whispered so Clive couldn't overhear.
Catherine shrugged. "A little," she admitted, also keeping her voice down, "but even that's normal. You should have seen him when I was pregnant with Kaitlyn."
"Tell me?" asked Virginia, a devilish smirk on her face.
"Well, there was one time, around this same stage, he bumped into me and the freak out I expected never came. I think he calms down the closer to the due date I get."
"Makes sense," laughed Virginia.
A paper airplane soared into the room and, as though aimed by an evil spirit, lodged itself into Clive's hair.
The sniper never noticed, flipping the page in the book he was reading as his daughter and Gallows entered the room. Gallows retrieved the airplane from Clive's hair and still the sniper did not notice. Kaitlyn giggled.
"Daddy's absorbed in his book," she said, and poked him.
Clive blinked and looked up from his book again. "Yes?"
Kaitlyn giggled again. "Nothing, daddy."
"Oh, well, okay." Clive still looked vaguely confused as he turned back to his novel once more.
Catherine and Virginia exchanged looks again. "Okay, that's kinda scary," said Virginia.
Catherine nodded. "We could take this chance for me to tell you embarrassing stories about Clive." Everyone turned to look at Clive, but he didn't respond.
"Wow, he's really zoned," commented Gallows, and poked at his rattail, and once again, Clive never noticed. He looked up to Catherine, smiling. "So, what about those embarrassing stories?"
Catherine chuckled. "Well, I can only think of a couple, but they're more funny than embarrassing. Still want to hear?"
"Of course!"
"Well, there was this one time when I had to go out when Kaitlyn was about a year and a half old. Clive offered to watch her for the night. When I came home, he was trying to put her down for bed and she was being fussy. You should have seen the tired, irritated look he gave me as he stood there holding her as she squalled and squirmed. Apparently, he'd been trying to get her to down for the last hour."
Kaitlyn laughed. "I didn't do that, did I mommy?"
"You most certainly did," her mother replied.
"Can you tell us more stories?" asked Gallows.
"Oh, if I can think of another," replied Catherine, thinking.
"What about the time I hit daddy in the head with a ball?" piped up Kaitlyn.
"There's not much to tell," replied her mother. She turned to Virginia and Gallows. "When Kaitlyn was about three, she threw a softball at her father and hit him in the head with it. She thought it was pretty funny. Clive had a bruise on his forehead for days."
"That was not funny, it hurt."
The others looked up to find Clive watching them, a bookmark tucked into his novel. "I can still hear, you know."
"Oh, if you're paying attention, why don't you tell us some stories?" suggested Catherine. Clive shook his head.
"There's nothing I could add to that."
"So, Clive," asked Virginia now that she had his attention, "how come you've been ignoring Catherine lately?"
"I have not been ignoring Catherine," he replied.
"But you didn't run to help as she was sitting down," noted Virginia.
"That is because I was reading a book. And besides, Catherine is a big girl. She can take care of herself."
The others exchanged looks and Catherine reached over and poked him. "Who are you and what have you done with my husband?" she asked.
Clive laughed. "I am still me. It is just... you know how I tend to get when I am absorbed into a good book." He held up the novel as proof of what he was saying.
"Awww..." moaned Gallows in mock disappointment. "I was hoping to get to play another prank." He paused for a moment. "Hey, where's the punk? I could play a prank on him!"
X X X
Jet was comfortable, relaxing against a tree a short distance away from town. He blinked.
"What? You mean this is my only scene in this entire chapter?"
The forth wall shattered with a lovely and somewhat musical tinkling sound.
