Hey everyone. Happy Thanksgiving! Sorry it took so long for me to update. I was on vacation. So without further ado, here is a new chapter!
And y'all know I don't own shit... Except maybe Sam. Yeah, I own Sam. Everything else is based off works owned by Disney.
(Please read an additional note at the end of the chapter)
Sam launched himself into Mitchie's arms as soon as Alex and Mitchie walked into Laser Zone. Mitchie beamed as she wrapped her arms around her son, holding him close and savoring every moment. She placed a kiss atop his head before letting him go so Alex could take a turn hugging him. As the they greeted each other Shane sauntered over, hands in his pockets as he watched the exchange.
"Thanks for inviting us," Mitchie said to him.
"Of course," Shane said, waving off the comment. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out two bracelets, handing them to Mitchie. "I got your wristbands. They're good for unlimited laser tag games."
"Thanks," Mitchie said, noting that Shane and Sam were already wearing their own wristbands. She nudged Alex lightly with her elbow to get her attention and held out a wristband for her to take, which she did.
They helped each other put them on, and then Mitchie paid for a locker to put her purse in. Once it was safely stowed away she and Alex met Sam and Shane in the game room area, where the father and son duo were playing a game of air hockey.
Sam was pretty terrible at it, often times swiping at the puck and missing, and when he did hit it there was no aim, so it just bounced off the side of the table. Shane was obviously going easy on him, moving his striker out of the way when Sam managed to send the puck anywhere near the goal. Eventually Sam "won" the game, pumping his fist triumphantly as he made his seventh goal.
"I won!" he said happily, a huge smile on his face. "I can't believe I beat you, Dad. I never win against Mom or Mama."
"Really?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at the women.
"We don't go easy on him," Alex said with a shrug. "He needs to learn to lose sometimes. That way he knows what it's like to fail and he doesn't become one of those kids who cries and makes a scene when he loses."
"Plus, think of how rewarding it will be for him when he finally beats us on his own," Mitchie added.
"He's eight," Shane said. "You're savages."
"Oh, please," Alex said with a snort. "He kicks our butts at Monopoly and pretty much every video game we've ever played with him."
"You're so bad at video games, Moms," Sam said, looking back and forth between his mothers. "Dad's way better."
"Well you can play them with him instead of us from now on," Mitchie told him, reaching out to stroke his hair fondly. "Do you want to keep playing in the game room, or do you want to go play laser tag now?"
"Laser tag!" Sam answered and grabbed hold of Shane's hand to drag him to the starting area.
"Wow, didn't even wait for us," Alex said, pouting slightly as she and Mitchie began following after Shane and Sam.
"He's just excited," Mitchie said, hoping Alex wouldn't get upset over Sam not waiting for them. It was something she wouldn't worry about normally, but after her mood swing that morning she was afraid something else would set off her wife. "You know how he is. He has a one-track mind."
"Yeah, you're right," Alex agreed as they got to the starting area.
They showed their wristbands to the worker at the door and were ushered inside a dark room lit by black lights. Shane and Sam were standing in the corner, and Mitchie and Alex joined them. There were several other people in the room, including a group of teenagers and a couple of families with children around Sam's age. After a minute or so the worker closed the door and went to the front of the room. He looked to be high school age, and he had greasy hair and acne dotting his face.
He went over the rules, the first one being that no running was allowed. Mitchie nudged Alex gently when he said this, earning a loud sigh from the pregnant woman. Once the rules had been run through the worker opened the door to the room with all of the laser tag gear. The group of players entered the room and started picking their sides. Alex and Mitchie chose to be on the green team, while Sam and Shane took red. The green team got the sets of families, while the teenagers picked red.
The Torres-Russos (and one Grey) wished each other luck before heading to their starting positions. A buzzer went off, signaling the start of the game, and the teams were off. Alex attempted to bolt through the door, but Mitchie grabbed onto her arm and held her back, making sure she walked into the arena calmly. Alex groaned and protested that they were going to be sitting ducks, but Mitchie held onto her firmly until they were deeper inside and able to find cover.
"We need to get to their base," Alex said, peeking around a corner. "Which way should we go?"
Mitchie pondered for a moment, scanning the area. "Why don't we go up that ramp and go over everything?" she strategized. "The railings up top will give us cover, and the height will give us a vantage point to be able to pick off the others."
"And the ramp comes down right near the other base," Alex said, realizing the brilliance of Mitchie's plan. "That's genius."
"Play smarter, not harder, babe," Mitchie said with a smirk and a wink. "Let's go."
Mitchie led the way, shielding Alex as they went because it was a little harder for her to walk up the ramp than usual. They only got hit once or twice as they went up, but once on the second level it was easier to move through the course. Members of their team had the same idea, but so had members of the red.
Mitchie and Alex made their way across the bridge to the other side, ducking and covering when necessary. As they got to the other ramp leading down they spotted Shane and Sam coming up. Mitchie and Alex crouched behind a wall until they had a clear shot, then fired on the boys. Their vests went blank, and they both groaned in frustration. The women took this opportunity to come out of their hiding spots, grinning triumphantly.
"Seriously, guys?" Shane asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Did you have to shoot us?"
"We're on different teams," Alex said as she brushed past him. "It's the whole point of the game." She flashed him a smirk as she began to go down the ramp, Mitchie following after her.
Mitchie, knowing Shane's and Sam's vests would reactivate in a moment, turned and started walking backwards. When their vests lit up once more she shot them again, earning shouts of protest and frustration from the pair.
"They're not very good at this," Mitchie said with a snicker as she and Alex reached the ground level again.
"Good because it looks like we're carrying our team," Alex said, pointing to the parents on the upper level who had since quit playing and were just standing around playing on their phones while members of the opposing team shot at them mercilessly. Their children were running around shooting at each other, seeming not to realize it did nothing since they were on the same team.
"We really need to tag their base, then, to get extra points." Mitchie nodded matter-of-factly and started moving cautiously towards the area she knew held the red team's base.
The coast looked clear, but she knew there was bound to be members of the red team lurking, no doubt guarding the base. They crept forward, guns at the ready in case of an ambush. As they entered the enclosure they prepped themselves, but nothing happened. No one popped out at them, and they smiled to themselves. It seemed Red forgot an important aspect of the game: never leave your base unprotected. They shot at the triangle of sensors on the ceiling, and after a couple of hits a soft explosion sound went off, and the lights on the base went out.
"That was easy," Mitchie commented. "Almost anti-climactic."
"Who cares?" Alex said. "Wanna go see about guarding our base now?" she asked. "Because obviously no one else on our team will."
"Sure." Mitchie nodded. "Lead the way."
Alex nodded as well, and she turned and left the enclosure, Mitchie following behind. They made their way across the floor, ducking behind walls and posts to avoid fire from Sam and Shane, who had taken up post on the upper floor and were picking off players sniper-style as they went by. They were so busy firing back at their son and his father that they didn't notice a group of rowdy teenagers running around the corner. The teenagers had the group of children on their tails, screaming as they chased down the older kids. One of the teens looked back to see if the kids were still there, and in that moment of preoccupation, he knocked into Alex's back.
She stumbled, dropping the gun and placing her hands out in front of her to catch herself. Her palms connected with the wall, and luckily, she was able to catch and steady herself. Mitchie was at her side in an instant, her own gun clattering to the ground as she grabbed onto Alex.
"Oh my god," she said frantically. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Alex assured quickly.
"Did you hit the wall?" Mitchie placed a hand on Alex's shoulder and another on her stomach. Panic swelled in her chest, and she could feel the color draining from her face.
"Just with my hands, I caught myself," Alex said.
"Not your stomach?" Mitchie asked, still not satisfied.
"No," Alex told her, placing a hand over Mitchie's on her stomach. "I'm fine, Mitch, honestly. And she's fine, too," she said, looking down to her belly.
"Good," Mitchie said, breathing a sigh of relief.
"I'm so sorry, Ma'am," the teenager who had knocked into Alex said. He was wide-eyed and obviously guilt-stricken. His friend who'd been with him had since left, taking the children with him. But the kid who was involved in the incident felt too bad to just leave. He'd practically trampled a pregnant woman. He wanted to make sure she was okay. "I didn't see you, I swear."
"Why were you running?" Mitchie said angrily, letting go of Alex to advance on the boy. "Running isn't allowed. Are you stupid? You could have hurt someone. You could have killed our baby."
"I—I didn't mean to," the boy sputtered, backing away as Mitchie continued to march towards him.
"That doesn't change the fact that you plowed into my wife," the songstress said. She was fuming, so much so that it felt like steam was coming out of her ears.
"Mitch, he's just a kid," Alex said, grabbing her wife's arm gently to stop her from backing the poor boy into a corner.
That seemed to bring Mitchie back, and she remembered herself, stopping in her tracks. She took in the sight of the boy, big brown eyes wide with fear and his bottom lip quivering. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "Just… Be more careful, okay?" she tried to offer a gentle smile, but it came off as more of a grimace.
"Yes ma'am," he said with a gulp before running away.
Mitchie let out a deep sigh and ran a hand down her face tiredly. Suddenly she didn't feel like playing anymore.
Alex seemed to feel the same because she said, "Okay, I think we're done."
She picked up her and Mitchie's guns from the floor and handed Mitchie hers. The dark-haired woman took it wordlessly, her eyes trained on her sneakers. Alex took her hand and led them across the arena, to the exit. They discarded their equipment in the room they'd been in before the game then went back out into the game room area.
They found a table in the café, and Mitchie made Alex sit while she got them drinks from the counter. Alex waited for Mitchie to return, her hands on her stomach as she absentmindedly ran her hands over the growing bump. She was shaken from the almost-fall, but she tried not to show it for Mitchie's sake. Her wife was standing at the counter, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited in line. She kept looking over to Alex, not wanting to take her eyes off of her for more than a few seconds.
When she returned with the drinks she placed them on the table before taking the empty seat next to Alex. She scooted closer, wanting to put as little distance between them as possible. Placing a hand softly on Alex's stomach, she looked up to her wife questioningly.
"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked. "We could always leave and go to the doctor. Dr. Matthews told us to call her if we were worried about anything. I could call her right now." She quickly reached into her pocket for her phone.
"Mitchie, I'm fine," Alex said, reaching out and taking Mitchie's phone from her hand. She placed it on the table before taking the other woman's hand in her own. "I promise. I feel completely normal. There is nothing to worry about." She gave a warm smile to reassure the singer, but the crease between Mitchie's brow remained.
"Maybe we should just go home," she muttered. "Spend the rest of the day in bed, just to be safe."
"Mitch," Alex said with a groan.
But before she could protest anymore Sam and Shane appeared, both slightly sweaty and panting. It was obvious they'd been running, despite Shane pointing out that very rule to Mitchie earlier that morning. Sam reached for Mitchie's Sprite and took a huge sip through the straw.
"What happened to you guys?" Shane asked airily, still trying to catch his breath. "I didn't see you for the whole last half of the game."
"One of those teenagers ran into me, so we decided to sit the rest of the game out," Alex explained, causing worry to cross Shane's and Sam's faces.
"Are you okay?" Shane questioned, reaching out and placing a hand on Alex's shoulder.
She almost jerked away out of reflex. She'd never been Shane's biggest fan, and she'd always been vocal about her disdain for him. Honestly with the way she treated him at moments she was surprised he was so nice to her now. They hadn't always had the best relationship, and she didn't expect much from him. Sure, he was Sam's dad, but she'd never really considered him a friend, always harboring resentment for him after what he'd done to Mitchie. But the way he was looking at her with so much concern, the way he genuinely seemed to be worried about her well-being, it made her feel an unfamiliar appreciation for him.
"I'm good," she said softly. "But I think we're gonna take off." Mitchie blinked in surprise at this, so Alex gave her a wink. "Spend the rest of the day taking it easy, just in case."
"That's probably for the best," Shane said, nodding. "Looks like it's just me and you, Sam," Shane said, removing his hand from Alex's shoulder to place it on Sam's. "Ready for the next game?"
Sam looked back and forth between his mothers and his dad, seeming torn. He was silent for a few moments before peeking up shyly at Shane.
"Actually, can I go back home with Moms?" he asked in a small voice.
Shane's hand slid off Sam's shoulder and dropped limply by his side. "I thought you were having a good time?"
"I was," Sam said quickly. "But I'm worried about Mama."
Alex's heart felt like it was being squeezed, but in a good way at Sam's words. Most kids wouldn't think twice about going right back to playing, but Sam wasn't most kids. He was worried about her, and it took everything in her not to burst into happy tears at how much love she felt for him in that moment.
"Sam, there's nothing to worry about," she told him. "I'm completely fine. I'm just tired, so I'm going to go home and rest. You can stay with your dad and have fun."
Mitchie gasped slightly, and everyone turned to looked at her questioningly. She placed her hand over her mouth and shook her head slightly, showing it was nothing. Sam frowned and shifted his weight from foot to foot, mulling over his options.
"Are you sure, Mama?" he asked.
"I'm positive," she said, taking his face in her hands. "Kick Shane's butt for me, okay?"
"Okay," he said, a smiling stretching across his face.
"Good." She kissed his forehead before pulling him into a hug.
Shane smiled at Alex appreciatively and mouthed a thanks. She nodded to him as she let go of the boy, Sam going to Mitchie next to give her a hug goodbye. She held him to her, missing him before she even let him go.
Mitchie retrieved her purse from the locker, and afterwards Shane and Sam walked them to the door; but before they left Shane stopped them.
"Hold on, I have a question, Alex," Shane said, causing the women to pause as Alex frowned and looked to him questioningly.
"Okay?" she quirked an eyebrow at him.
"Why do you hate ski ball?"
She was taken aback, surprised he knew that. "Uh," she hesitated, feeling awkward suddenly. "It reminds me of one of my ex boyfriends."
It was Shane's turn to be taken aback. "A boyfriend? You had a boyfriend?" He shook his head, finding it hard to picture Alex with a guy. He'd only ever known her as Mitchie's girlfriend, and then wife. It boggled him to think she could have dated men at one point. "So, like, did he break your heart of something, and that's why you hate it? Oh god, did he turn you gay like I did to Mitchie?" He cracked a grin to show he was kidding. Obviously he knew a person couldn't be "turned" gay. Just like he couldn't have turned Mitchie straight just by sleeping with her. Being gay or bi or any other part of the LGBTQ+ community was something that was in no way a choice, something he'd come to understand after opening his mind and become more accepting. He credited Jason, Mitchie, and Alex for helping to educate him.
"No, he didn't break my heart," Alex said with an eye roll. "But his sister did."
Shane's smiled dropped, and he let out a small, "Oh."
"Yeah," Alex said in a monotone voice. "So now you know. And on that note, we're gonna go."
"Alex, I'm sorry," Shane said quickly. "I didn't know—I didn't think—"
"Don't worry about it," she said, cutting him off. "It was like, nearly a decade ago. Besides, I've got someone much better." She aimed a smile in Mitchie's direction, which the singer returned.
Shane let out a sigh of relief, and they said their final goodbyes. Mitchie and Alex walked back to the car, hand-in-hand. Mitchie surprised Alex by opening her car door for her, and while it was a change, it wasn't unwelcome. She climbed into the car beaming as Mitchie went around and got in on the driver's side. She started the car to get the air conditioner circulating in the hot vehicle, which felt akin to an oven in the LA summer heat. She didn't, however, move the car. Instead she turned to her wife and caught her eye.
"So, I noticed something," she began, causing Alex to quirk her head to the side and look at her questioningly, "Since Shane has been in Sam's life you have never, ever referred to him as 'Dad' when talking to Sam. You always just call him Shane. 'Shane's coming to pick you up,' or whatever."
"Do I?" Alex asked, and let out a thoughtful hum. "I never noticed."
"I did," Mitchie said with a small nod. "But just now, in there? You said, 'You can stay with your dad,'" she quoted, beaming. "You called Shane his dad."
Alex stared at her for a moment, chewing her bottom lip. When she released it she said, "I guess I did." She shrugged nonchalantly, seeming not to think much of it.
But Mitchie recognized the significance of the milestone. It wasn't lost on her, and something inside her buzzed with happiness as she put the car in gear. She'd grown to care for Shane despite how badly he fucked up her and her life all those years ago. After all, her life wasn't actually fucked up in the end. He'd given her a son whom she loved more than life itself, and the pregnancy caused her parents to move her across the country. Had that never happened she wouldn't have met Alex. So, in a weird way, she was thankful for Shane. And he'd made it up to her over the years. She'd learned to let go of her anger and move past it. But she knew Alex had always harbored ill-feelings towards the man. It sometimes made her nervous, waiting for Alex to rekindle the fiery hatred and go on the attack.
But this new development made her feel like things were finally starting to shift. Maybe Alex's stomach wasn't the only thing that was growing. Maybe so was their entire family dynamic, and for the better.
As soon as they got home they changed back into their pjs and climbed into bed. They pulled up the covers to their chins and settled into the blankets to watch a movie on the TV mounted on their bedroom wall. They decided to start the British version of The Office since they'd seen the American version so many times but never watched the original.
They watched for a while, interested but ultimately jarred by the stark differences and not particularly caring for them. Halfway through the episode Mitchie had tuned out, and when she glanced at Alex she saw her wife was playing a game on her phone, not paying attention to the show at all.
"Al?" Mitchie asked quietly.
"Hmm?" Alex responded, her eyes not leaving her phone.
"Why'd you tell Shane we were gonna come home?" she questioned. "When I asked if you wanted to go you insisted you were fine and that we should stay."
Alex closed the game and set her phone aside so she could look to Mitchie and give her spouse her full attention. "Because I knew you were worried, and you wouldn't feel better until I was home in bed or at the doctor," she said with a small smile.
Mitchie returned it, touched that Alex cared about her unease more-so than her own well-being. "Well, you're not wrong," she said with a small giggle. "Thank you for humoring me." She scooted closer and rested her head on Alex's chest as the other woman's arm wound around her shoulder. "I do feel a lot better now."
"Good," Alex said and placed a kiss on the crown of her head. "You got scary for a second, there. I thought you were going to smack that kid who knocked into me."
"I don't know what came over me," Mitchie admitted, grimacing at the way she nearly made that teenager cry. "I just went into, like, Mama Bear mode."
"Ah, yes, Mama Bear mode. That'll do it," Alex said with a smirk. That was what they referred to as Mitchie's moments when her over-protective mother side came out. It was usually only when someone was messing with Sam. One time a kid was picking on Sam at school and the moment Mitchie found out she insisted that she needed to call the child's mother to put an end to it. She did, but later, after Alex had been able to calm her down enough to sound civil when placing the call. Another time it came out when a kid on an opposing soccer time purposely kicked Sam in the shin. Alex literally had to hold Mitchie back to keep her from storming onto the field. "God help anyone who is on the receiving end of a Mitchie-Mama-Bear-mode attack."
"I love extra hard, okay?" Mitchie sniffed. "It makes me crazy sometimes, I admit."
"That's okay," Alex said with a laugh. "I'm a little crazy, too, remember? I literally broke down this morning."
"Yeah, but your hormones are all out of whack, so you have an excuse," Mitchie said. "I just look like a nutjob."
"No, you don't," Alex insisted. "Love just makes us do crazy things."
"I guess so," Mitchie commented, smiling up at the Latina. "And I sure love you a hell of a lot, babe."
"I love you," Alex returned, and she leaned forward and kissed her wife softly, not able to stop herself from smiling into it.
Mama Bear Mitchie is the best.
IMPORTANT PLEASE READ: Couple things going on. My hard drive is failing, so my computer is going back into the shop in a couple of days. Don't know how long it'll take to get fixed, but hopefully this will be the last time this happens. Also, I start work on my next gig Monday. I work in a fluctuating industry. I have been writing this over a period of months that I haven't worked regularly. I am about to go back to work, and it's going to be insane for me. 12-17 hour days, on my feet, nonstop. I will have very little time to write, and no energy or mental capacity to do so. That means this will most likely be my last update for a while.
Fear not, I will not abandon this story. I just want you all to be aware my updates will be fewer and far between than they have been since I started writing. I apologize in advance, but ya girl's gotta pay bills. Take care everyone. I'll try to be back as soon as possible (but no promises).