A/N: Okay, now it's this one's turn for an update!

Also, about 1984. I wasn't going to watch it just because I didn't bother finishing the last season and Idk, even though I love slasher films and the 80s, I was hesitant. Anyways, I was forced to watch the first episode and it hit me that I was watching an opening that did not begin with Jessica Lange or Sarah Paulson. It was like I wasn't even watching AHS lol None of the original cast was there which bummed me out a bit BUT it wasn't too shabby. I like Billie Lourd and it had its funny moments. Idk if it was just me but did anyone else notice any Asylum parallels? That was interesting or maybe I was looking too into it. But I mean, no big complaints or anything, should be a fun watch. Who knows, maybe it'll inspire some new crossover stories?

.

TWENTY-SIX

'Cause I Love You

.

.

West Side Market was the first stop of their first day in Cleveland, Ohio. The grand historic inside market was filled with multiple people, shopping amongst the wide variety of vendors for a multitude of goods. The young Winters boy watched with wide cobalt eyes filled with both amazement and unease from the safety of his adoptive mother's arms. It seemed like every day since they left Boston held some kind of new adventure; ones he welcomes with both excitement and hesitation.

His little arms clutched tightly onto Wendy as she and Lana made their way through the market in excitement and delight. Every other minute or so Johnny would look around to make sure his birth mother was still there with them. Whenever he spotted Lana, his little body would relax and he'd go about eyeing the rest of the place in quiet peace.

Wendy lifted Johnny higher in her arms. He was growing heavier with the passing days but neither of his mothers seemed to mind it. "Wow, Lana. Look at these." She stopped in front of a stand with multiple assortments of nuts and granola.

Lana stood at Wendy's side, "Huh. Would you look at that."

"Have you seen so many kinds of nuts before?"

"To be honest, no." Lana bit back a smile.

Wendy noticed her mischievous look and glowered at her, "Oh, don't be gross."

Lana laughed and turned her attention to Johnny. She softly gave his chubby cheek a squeeze and ventured off to the next vendor. Johnny perked up as soon as he saw Lana walk away and pointed to her, "Muh-me!" He kicked his little legs wanting to follow after Lana.

Wanting to buy some macadamias and almonds for the road, Wendy set him down and watched as he made a straight line to Lana. "Lana, the baby!" Wendy called Lana and then turned her attention to the vendor once she saw Johnny safely clutch onto Lana.

Lana extended her hand as Johnny came crashing against her, taking a hold of it. "I got him!" She called back to Wendy and picked Johnny up in her arms. They had opted to leave his stroller in the car and she wasn't too comfortable with him walking amongst the sea of shoppers where he could easily be tripped over or stepped on. Not to mention that he tended to wander off.

Pleased to be with his mother, Johnny turned to the table in front of them where there were multiple bowls filled with different kinds of herbs and spices. Lana ambled along, eyes on the goods, mildly interested until she decided to move on to the next vendor. She stopped at a small baked goods stand where she bought Johnny a cookie. He happily munched on it without a fuss and patiently waited for their mothers to finish their shopping.

Wendy met back up with them after she had acquired some snacks and dried goods for the trip. She had also purchased some home made soap she claimed was organic.

"Organic? Since when do you worry about that sort of thing?" Lana asked, eyeing her skeptically.

They found a seat at an indoor picnic table close to the ready to eat food stands for a late lunch. They opted for a Mediterranean stand; Johnny only seemed interested in picking at the rice and eating the hummus.

"Well, I think it's important since we're raising another human being." She looked to Johnny who sat on her lap, munching on a piece of pita bread. His eyes were set on the crowd that walked by, continuing their shopping.

Lana watched Johnny eat and reached over to clean his face from the hummus he had smeared on his cheek. "I suppose you do have a point."

.

They left the Westside Market after another hour shopping and returned to their hotel room where Johnny fell fast asleep.

"We should visit the Metroparks Zoo tomorrow." Wendy suggested, setting their bags on the dresser.

"That sounds like an idea." Lana took Johnny's shoes off one by one, her mind had been wandering since earlier that day. The little boy didn't stir from his sleep, unencumbered by his mothers' talking.

Wendy noticed that Lana had been a bit on edge since they left Boston. She didn't know what it was but it felt like she was wanting to pick a fight. She watched Lana tend to Johnny, making sure he didn't roll off the bed.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Hmm?" Lana glanced up, a bit distracted.

Wendy walked over to her, wrapping her arms around Lana's waist. "What's the matter? You're like a million miles away."

Lana studied Wendy's eyes and forced a smile. "Nothing's wrong. I'm fine." She knew that it wouldn't be worth starting an argument in the middle of their vacation.

Wendy frowned at this, "Lana, I know you. Something's bothering you."

Lana sighed heavily and freed herself from Wendy's embrace. "I don't know, I'm just distracted is all."

"But why? Did I do something?" Wendy grew worried.

"No." Lana answered without a second of hesitation. She walked over to Wendy and took hold of her hands, "You did nothing." She kissed her lips and pulled away, leaving Wendy just a little bit more confused.

.

.

That night Johnny began to toss and turn in his portable pack n' play where he had been sleeping most nights. Lana was up and out of bed in seconds after hearing him whine. She made her way to the pack n' play and reached down to rub his back and quietly shush him back to sleep. Johnny whined once more and settled back to sleep before he woke Wendy. Unable to sleep, Lana lay back in bed with Wendy and let her mind wander until she finally dozed off to sleep.

In the morning, they headed off to Metroparks Zoo like Wendy had suggested. Johnny was ecstatic, watching with brilliant blues, safely buckled in his stroller. Lana and Wendy walked side by side as Lana pushed the stroller. The two women laughed and joked like nothing had been wrong. Lana let her insecurities settle down for a moment and just enjoyed the day with her son and the woman she loved.

At one point they took Johnny out of his stroller and he spent the rest of the day in their arms, watching the animals from a safe distance, pointing them out with "Ooh's" and "ahh's". At one point while they watched the lions, Lana reached for Wendy's hand. Wendy noticed another family nearby and grew rigid. Lana pulled her hand away and set Johnny down, letting him wander a bit further down the exhibit just to have an excuse to walk away.

He wandered down to an enclosure where they had a couple of meerkats. Johnny leaned against the fence, excited by the funny little animals. Lana knelt down, securing an arm around his waist.

"Do you see that one?" She pointed one out, giving all her attention to the one person that never denied her love.

Johnny followed Lana's finger to a smaller meerkat standing on its hind legs, alert. Johnny giggled, "S'kitty!"

Lana laughed, "No, little boy, that's not a kitty."

"Kitty." He repeated, firmly, so sure of himself.

"It's a meerkat. Well, I guess you're half right in a way…" She held onto Johnny, comforted by his mere presence. She wasn't lying to herself when Wendy's hesitation felt more like a rejection. She always said she wouldn't deny them but when it came to it, she was still afraid. It took Lana every inch of strength to keep herself from crying in pure anger. It all felt like broken promises, one after the other. She honestly didn't know why she had put up with it. Lana glanced over her shoulder to see Wendy walking their way, her eyes off somewhere in the distance.

It was because Lana loved her.

But even though Lana felt the anger try to break her down, the look on Johnny's sweet face calmed down the violent waves of rage that crashed inside of her. He leaned his little body against her as he clutched onto her blouse with one little hand while he pointed at the animals with the others. "Kitty, Muh-me, kitty!" He looked back at her to make sure she was looking.

Lana genuinely smiled, feeling a million times better thanks to her boy. "Those aren't the kind of kitties we have at home in Boston, huh?"

He babbled a response but kept his eyes on the meerkats.

Wendy watched them from a couple of yards away as Lana and Johnny watched the meerkats together. She hadn't meant to freeze when she felt Lana's hand brush her fingers but it was like instinct. Still, it was no excuse and she was sure she'd pay for it later.

"Hey," Wendy went up to them after another moment of hesitation on her part.

Lana looked up and smiled as if nothing had been wrong, "Hey, have you seen these little creatures? They're the funniest little things."

Wendy softened at the look on Lana's face. She had been so forgiving and understanding even though she had her limits. She had suffered so much and Wendy had been so selfish. She smiled lovingly at Lana and slowly bent down to kiss her lips, unbothered by who might see them. When she pulled away, Lana was watching her with wide, surprised eyes. Her lips were parted, unable to speak.

Wendy glanced over to the enclosure to see the meerkats and laughed lightly, "They remind me of you. On their feet looking for the next story." She joked teasingly.

A smile slowly spread on Lana's face and she laughed, still surprised but completely elated by their very public kiss. "I beg your pardon?"

Wendy laughed again and knelt down by their side, "Just look at them, the little sleuths. Poking around like they have nothing better to do."

Lana laughed, "Wow, you're the worst."

"Yes but you love me." Wendy shrugged.

Lana still held that pearly white smile, "I do." She confirmed.

Lana purchased Johnny a stuffed otter at the gift shop just before they sat down for lunch. Lana and Wendy talked and joked amongst themselves and with Johnny who was extremely delighted by his mothers' cheerful moods. He had loved the otters the most and giggled up a storm when he saw them swim about. Pointing while he called them "Kitties". Every small creature had been welcomed into the feline family that day by the grace of young Johnny Winters.

The elephants left him in a still and frozen amazement while the giant python was a giant "No" on his part. He took one look from behind the glass and quickly turned around in Lana's arms. "No-no." He shook his head.

Lana laughed, holding him up steadily as she looked into the glass enclosure, eyeing the large yellow python; its tongue flicking about, "Johnny, it's just a snake. It won't hurt you."

Wendy frowned at this, "I'm sure that thing eats bigger things than Johnny."

Lana frowned at this, "Stop it, you'll scare him." She rubbed Johnny's back.

Wendy nudged her, "You're cute when you get motherly like that."

"Oh, bug off." Lana bit back a laugh.

Johnny took another peak at the snake and shook his finger at it, "No, Muh-me, no."

"Alright, no." Lana agreed with him and they moved to the next enclosure where a smaller snake was.

Wendy read the description. "It's a rattlesnake." She shivered, a bit weary of the beady eyed creature but when Johnny looked down at it, he smiled, liking that snake just fine.

"Cue!"

"Cute?" Lana raised a brow, "You think it's cute?"

"Ya."

"Can you say, 'snake'?"

"No."

Lana frowned at him, "You can't or you won't?"

"No."

"Hmph, be that way then."

They ended their trip an hour before the zoo began to close down for the day. Wendy had purchased a few more souvenirs, excited by all kinds of gifts. She had wanted to buy Lana a cheezy shirt with an animal pun to which Lana replied. "Absolutely not." and turned on her heels to wait outside.

The next morning they continued their road trip out of Ohio. Lana drove the car down the highway, unable to stop herself from smiling the entire time. She wished the feeling would last forever.