Authors Note:
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Yipppeeeeee!!
Hope every one had a fun and relatively safe new years celebration =)
I did.
Anyway, I was lazy and couldn't summon the energy to actually post all that I've written, that's why you get two in one day.
Thank you all for reviewing.
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"Girls tell your cousin the rules while I get the tickets, k." Letty said smiling as they stood out side the ticket booth. Liz had bought another ticket at a ridiculously high price and had it forwarded to the booth.
The girl nodded solemnly, the rules were the most important things when going out with Auntie Letty.
She made you recite them every time she took you some place. If you broke the rules, even just one she wouldn't take you anywhere for over a week.
"We have to be in sight at all times." Dolly began
"No more than three feet away." Jessa continued
"We have to hold hands in chain when we walk around in a place with lots of people." Dolly stated.
"And we can't ever, ever tell anyone how much junk food Auntie buys us." Jessa finished.
Taylor nodded, understandingly.
"oh!" Dolly exclaimed a moment later, "...and we have to follow all instructions exactly. Or she'll never take us out again."
"Got it?" Jessa asked him
He nodded and looked up at Letty who had showed up at rule three and was waiting for them finish. "I gots it." he said softly.
"Good..." Letty said smiling. "Lets get going then. We have about thirty minutes before the show starts.... Dolly give me your hand and take Taylor's with your other. Jessa come on this side of me..." she waited till the children did as she asked before moving. "Lets play a game and get something good to eat." she said and the girls enthused.
A voice inside, told her she should take Taylor's hand, him being the youngest and all.
But she didn't want to.
The less contact she had with him the better.
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"Its mine... she won it for me..."
"nu-uh she got it for both us..."
"she gave it to me..."
"for both us..."
The girls tugged a stuffed lion back and forth between them. Finally Dolly who'd claimed the gift had been for both of them turned to Taylor who stood quietly watching.
"Wasn't it for both us, Taylor." she demanded authoritatively.
Taylor looked from one twin to the other and inwardly sighed. He glanced quickly to where Letty was a few feet away buying them yet more stuff to eat.
"I wasn't looking." he said softly.
"yes you were." Jessa insisted now. "tell this bonehead its my lion."
Dolly glared at her sister, "shut up barf-face" she said yanking the lion.
"Fart-breath"
"dirt-eater..."
"stupid-head..."
"ok here we go, cotton candy for... what's happening here?" Letty asked as she approached them, holding three cotton-candy's.
Frowning she noted the girls glaring at each other, each holding one end of the lion she'd won earlier at a side show. Taylor was looking decidedly uncomfortable as he glanced between the two.
"Tell her Auntie, the lions' mine." Jessa wailed, yanking at it.
"it is not..." Dolly growled, pulling it back.
Letty sighed, she knew where this was going. They'd both end up in tears, covered in scratches and the lion would be missing some stuffing.
If Mia were here she'd threaten to take them home and magically they'd solve the problem themselves.
If she uttered similar words, though, she'd be roundly ignored for they knew she'd never go through with it.
People were rushing past them on all sides, shrieks of laughter and the babble of voices creating a sort-of background music that everyone heard and no one registered.
The show was starting in approximately two minutes.
There was no time for her to win a second lion, which would be the only peaceful solution.
Unless....
She smiled and said sweetly, "Actually girls, the lion is for Taylor." they stopped and looked up at her incredulously.
"So he can remember our trip and how much he loves his cousins' when he goes home." she added, they still looked up at her, mutely. "Go ahead, girls, give him his lion." she said still smiling sweetly but firmly now.
Reluctantly, Jessa released her end and Dolly handed the animal to Taylor who just looked at.
"Go ahead Taylor, take it." Letty said, her smile softening as she saw his wary his look, her voice was almost tender as she added softly. "It's a present from us to you."
He looked at her and nodded, taking it as reluctantly as the girls had given it.
He didn't want these new cousins to be mad it him.
"Good, now you take these." she said, handing the girls' the cotton candy.
"The blue is one if for you Dolly, the purple is yours Jessa. You said you didn't want any right Taylor."
He nodded.
"Okay, lets head inside."
The girls were upset about the toy but didn't want to show it. They knew Aunt Letty wouldn't like them to be selfish and they didn't want Taylor to feel bad or cry or something. They liked the little boy. They just liked the lion too. Sighing, they both consoled themselves with the thought that Aunt Letty would probably buy them something else.
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"hold on to Jessa's hand, Dolly." Letty said softly.
The blonde nodded sleepily as Letty grasped her hand firmly as they stood on the curb waiting to cross the street.
Both girls had huge bears draped over their backs, the kind that had Velcro at the paws and could be worn like a shawls.
Letty had won them for the girls. The things were nearly as big as them and seemed immense compared to the rather small lion Taylor clutched.
Taylor...
Taylor, whom she held in her other arm... asleep.
She hadn't been going to take him in her arms. The minute she'd seen his little eyes begin to slide shut she'd told herself 'NO'.
For no reason would she carry him...
That was too much contact...
The less contact the better.
She'd make him walk.
"I'm okay" he'd said as he stood from the seats they'd occupied during the show. Stumbling a little, she'd nodded accepting him at his word.
Silently marveling over this three year old that seemed to have the composure of a thirty year old.
Just then though, a group of people had walked by and the little boy had been carried away by them, the stuffed lion had slipped from his hands, shuffled away by the feet.
He'd cried out.
His eyes filling with tears, as he lunged for it.
It was the first evidence Letty had seen that he was just three, the way his bottom lip wavered in a pout.
She'd reacted quickly lunging for the boy and grabbing his shirt, before he dove underfoot and was trampled by the masses of people intent on leaving the huge tent after the hour and half showing.
When the people had passed, she'd retrieved the lion for him, dusting it off and telling him it was no worse for wear.
He'd hugged it quickly, tightly... without even looking up at her.
His eyes sliding shut, as he pressed his little face into the fury mane. He'd nearly fell as she guided him and the girls to the exit. "I'm okay." he'd repeated his tiny voice infused with sleep.
And he might have been. If they hadn't stayed for another hour after that. The girls had wanted toys, they'd wanted chips, they'd wanted candy, they'd wanted to play games, to ride the carousel, the merry-go-round, the Ferris wheel...
And of course Letty had let them. Taylor tagged along after them, like a little puppy - doing what they wanted to do, going where they went, playing what they played, eating what they ate....
And like dutiful owners they occasionally turned around and fed him a morsel of attention.
It was almost endearing. They'd played nearly every game, ridden practically every ride, and sampled from almost every stand. Until finally Dolly had said, "Ok we're finished."
It was the traditional ending, of any of their expeditions.
By the time they'd made it out of the arena, Taylor had been falling asleep on his feet, stumbling every couple of steps.
It was Dolly who'd looked up at her and said almost sternly, "You should carry him, Auntie Let, he's only a little kid."
She could have told her niece, 'No', that he could walk a little and sleep in the car.
Should have even...
...except for the fact that sometimes she truly believed she genetically composed to not being able to say that word to them.
She didn't think she ever had.
Not even Taylor Torreto would be the cause of her to start now.
She knew shouldn't have...
....but she did.
She'd bent and lifted him into her arms supporting his weight with her hip.
Almost instantly he was asleep, the lion clutched tightly to his side.
Now she stood on the curb and glared at the old lady who was shooting her a sympathetic look.
She knew what that lady thought, what she looked like...
...like a young mother taking the children out for a night of fun.
The girls were quiet, the only evidence of there weariness. They held hands as she'd instructed and once at the door of the car they piled in.
She waited for them to get settled before placing Taylor inside, "Hold him while I'm driving." she told the girls and they nodded.
She was at the first red light when she glanced at the dashboard clock.
10:43 glared at her in neon green.
Fuck, Mia's gonna kill me, was her only thought.
Sighing she turned the corner, its not like its my fault she reasoned, who the hell plans a children's show on a weekday?
True the show had been over for nearly two hours but that wasn't the point.
Sighing to herself she admitted there was no point, Mia was gonna be pissed and that was that.
Glancing in the back she saw all three children asleep.
Dolly's blonde head bordered on either side by dark curls.
Caressing their sleeping faces with her eyes she slowed her speed.
Speed.
There was something she hadn't felt in a little too long. It'd been almost four months since her last race. She'd have to ask guys to let her in on one this week.
Had to take the opportunities when they came...
....and these days they didn't come to often...
"Auntie Letty...." Jessa murmured softly from the back.
"mmmmmm what is it sweetie?" Letty asked glancing back briefly through the rearview mirror to find the bright blue eyes focused on her.
"I'm 'b'very tired."
"me too." chimed in a quiet Dolly.
Letty smirked, she knew where this was going. "really, well that's terrible. what can we do about that?"
"Sleep." Jessa answered.
Letty nodded, "That's a good idea."
"but you see there's a lil problem." Dolly proposed.
"oh and what is it?"
"school." she answered simply.
Jessa nodded, "it happens very earlier."
"Does it?" Letty's eyes were twinkling as she kept her them on the road in front of her.
"yes." they answered simultaneously.
"could's you talk to mom..."
".... about us sleeping tomorrow." One said after the other.
Letty laughed lightly, right 'cause Mia was gonna be real open to all her suggestions when they got home.
"We'll see." she said softly.
"you promise?" Dolly questioned.
"I promise I'll try." Letty answered.
The girls nodded and closed their eyes again.
Ten minutes later, Letty pulled up to the house.
The house whose lights were still all ablaze.
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