"Hey, Jinx, look at what I caught!" Rowan said happily as the little girl bounded out from around the bush, clutching a little sparrow carefully in her hand.
"Oh, wow! Pretty!" Rowan opened her hand slightly so Jinx could see the beautiful tiny bird. "Here, when we get inside, I'll find my old bird cage for you to keep her in."
Rowan silently helped Jinx put groceries away and Jinx suspected that she was, once again, feeling homesick for her friends and sister. I can't send her back now, she thought. If I do, then I could be putting her in danger from the others, without me there to protect her.
"Bullshit!" she muttered under her breath.
"Did you say something?" Rowan asked and Jinx shook her head.
Jinx knew that Raven alone would be enough to protect Rowan from her bullish, but not overly bright, partners in crime. Not to mention that she was certain that the others wouldn't allow anything to happen to her.
Rowan was gripping her hand once again, smiling sweetly. Jinx giggled, lifting Rowan off the floor, hoisting her up on her waist. "You know, you're kinda cute with a baby on your hip," See-More said as he entered the room. Rowan's grip around her neck tightened. "Easy, munchkin, I come in peace." Jinx watched him suspiciously, setting Rowan back on the counter. Rowan was sucking her thumb again. Jinx didn't say anything. See-More was searching for a coke in the fridge and Jinx was still glaring at him, standing between him and Rowan. "Easy, mamma grizzly, I'm not going to hurt your baby." Rowan tilted her head and crossed her arms, objecting strongly to being called 'baby'. "You need to tuck in that bottom lip before you trip over it," he told her. Jinx smiled. She should have known he wouldn't hurt her. She knew he was loyal to her. Rowan was swinging her legs and twisted a lock of her hair that had fallen out of her braid between her fingers.
"Here, let me fix that for you." Jinx lifted her off the counter and sat down in the chair, placing Rowan in her lap. She grabbed a hair brush from her bag and pulled the braid loose so she could fix it. See-More was watching with amusement.
"You know she's not a baby doll, don't you?" He said, sitting next to her. Jinx rolled her eyes as she tightened the ponytail holder at the end of Rowan's braid. Rowan slid off of Jinx's lap and sat in a chair nearby. She yawned and was sucking her thumb again.
"Come on you, time for bed." Jinx lifted Rowan off the chair and carried her back to her bedroom. Rowan was already almost asleep when she tucked her in bed.
"Goodnight, sweetheart. I'll be back in a few minutes. Go to sleep." She turned off the light and shut the door, slinking back down the hallway to the kitchen. See-More was still there as she begun to do the dishes.
"She's cute," he said absently. Jinx nodded, placing a plate in the dishwasher. See-More was watching her now and she rolled her eyes.
"What!" she snapped.
"You know that I had nothing to do with Gizmo grabbing her." Jinx nodded, only half listening. He chuckled. "You know, I never took you for the maternal type." She shrugged.
"I like kids." He nodded.
"You should have had a little sister." Jinx accidentally dropped the plate she had been loading into the dishwasher. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah." She said as she quickly cleaned up the glass. "I'm suddenly feeling very tired. I'll finish this in the morning." She said, retreating to her room. Rowan was already asleep when she slid under the covers, pulling the small girl against her. Rowan was sucking her thumb. Jinx tried to sleep but found herself lost in memories.