I'm alive! I'm so sorry for the long delay major writer's block on top of some personal things that I will not get into here, but everything is fine. In the meantime enjoy this new chapter and stay tuned at the end for another note (not long don't worry lol)

29-First Word

"C'mon, Gene, " Mai pleaded as she pointed to herself. "Mama."

Now the drooling, dark chocolate haired, blue eyed nine month old sat on the floor in front of his mother with an interested look in his eyes. "Pa-pa."

Mai let her head fall and groaned with disappointment. She gave a pleading look to her son. "Gene, be serious." She pointed to his chest. "Gene." She pointed to herself. "Who am I? Ma-Ma?"

"Pa-Pa…" the little boy annunciated, with a bit of a spit spray. Not that Mai really minded, she had been covered with much worse than baby drool.

Mai slouched again in defeat. This back and forth had been going on for the better part of the day after they got home from visiting Naru at the office. Of course the infant didn't seem to mind the inner turmoil his mother seemed to go through. No, he had just learned to crawl, he was going to make use of his newfound mobility. Mai watched with a pout on her face and let out a sigh. "It's just not fair." She crossed her arms as she heard the front door open and close.

Mai glanced at the watch her husband had given her for her birthday a year ago. He's early, she thought as she looked back up to see the man walk into the living room and place his briefcase on the chair nearby. "I'm home," he said in very much the same way he did everyday. Not much emotion in his tone, but reading his eyes, Mai knew he was happy to be back.

Gene heard his father's voice and crawled his way over to him. Naru knelt down to pick up the excited boy. The small smile the man wore holding his child would normally have swelled Mai's heart, but she was still a little bitter about the day's activities. When Naru looked up and saw the sour look on his wife's face, he raised a brow. "Everything okay?"

Mai let out a breath and marched over to the two boys. She poked her finger lightly on Gene's squishy torso. "Gene." She poked her own chest. "Ma-Ma."

Gene of course simply cocked his head to the side and pointed to himself. "Gleeblaskoosh," came out in his baby babble as he pointed to his mother and let out a similar sounding garble. Mai groaned and sunk her shoulders in defeat. To which Gene only laughed.

"Long day?" Nau asked, still unsure how to handle this situation.

"I really want to call him a little something that I shouldn't, but that's more so because I'm annoyed that he's trying to make a liar out of me." She ran her hands through her longer than normal hair (just above her shoulders).

"You haven't lied yet," Naru said with a shrug.

"I've been trying to get him to say Mama all day, he started to get the sounds right after we left the office, but as you can see…"

"He hasn't tried to say anything else, maybe he's not ready to talk yet."

"And that's how he's trying to make a liar out of me." She was met with a confused look from her husband. "It's not fair, I mean I know we both spend a lot of time with him, but I spend more time since I'm home more. So why can't he say Mama!"

"He might not be ready, a lot of babies don't say more than babble until they are at least a year," Naru said, trying to make Mai feel a little better. Reading those baby development books sometimes had their benefits.

"I was so close!" she pouted at Gene who giggled like mad. "But all he could say was Papa."

Naru perked up at that. Now he understood why Mai was close to hysterics about this, believe it or not she does have a competitive streak and like her husband she hates to lose. Maybe that was why Naru was having a hard time not laughing at the situation. "You can say Papa, now?" The corners of his lips twitched as he looked down at his son. He merely gave some more babble, thus proving Mai wrong again. "Well, even if he did, he's done now."

A glare was sent at the narcissist, nearly causing him laugh again. With a "humph," she brushed passed the two she loved unconditionally and headed for her room. "I'm taking a shower and no, you can't join me," she said, closing the door behind her.

Naru looked down at his son with mild amusement. "You've gotten us both in trouble with Mama," he said sitting the boy down on the ground like his mother had done not very long before. "Well, she wouldn't be like this if you didn't actually say anything, so here goes." He pointed to Gene. "Gene." He pointed to himself. "Papa."

Gene pointed to himself. "Gleeblaskoosh." Pointed at Naru. "Ma-Ma."

Naru narrowed his eyes a little, pointed at himself again. "Pa-Pa."

"Ma-Ma."

"You really are a little something I shouldn't say," Naru said with a nod that the boy mimicked.

Pretty much every parent has had a similar situation lol. The twins I nanny are saying names now and one of them I got to say everyones name and when I said "can you say (my name)?" she just looked up innocently and went "uh-uh" She can be a little shit sometimes but i love her lol.

Anyway I want to know what are your favorite moments in the Haunt Continues? I have an idea for an upcoming chapter and would like to know which chapters I should highlight or reference in it. Thanks and please review!