AN- I got a request to do another future fic with Sam and Freddie's kids, so here it is! Oh, and Seddddddie, if you're reading this, I didn't forget about you! I'll have your story up next chapter!
….
Death
"Stupid mailman got skid marks all over our driveway," Sam said angrily, tossing the pile of mail onto the kitchen counter. "So I called him out on it today and he threatened to call the cops on me! Can you believe that?"
"Um, Sam," Freddie said. "Those skid marks are from your car. Remember? You were rushing to the store to buy Jason supplies he needed for his school project that was due the next day?"
"Oh," Sam said, blinking. "Well, maybe I shouldn't have called the mailman a brain dead useless lump of monkey fur then."
"Probably not," Freddie said, grinning at his wife.
"Oh well," Sam sighed. "Hey, did you remember to change the water in Miko's cage?"
"Oh…Miko," Freddie frowned. "No. I try not to think about that stupid bird if I can help it."
"I know, I know," Sam nodded. "That thing wouldn't shut up yesterday! All afternoon he kept reciting the theme song to The Cosby Show."
Miko was the colorful parrot that Sam and Freddie both detested to the highest degree. He was their five-year old daughter Emma's pet. She had won it at a carnival that she had gone to with Carly without her parents three months ago, and since then Sam and Freddie had to suffer through continuous squawking and annoying T.V. show phrases reiterated by the bird.
"Are you sure the mailman didn't make those skid marks?" Sam asked Freddie as she followed him into the living room where Miko's cage was. "I never liked that guy; he seems like trouble."
"Sam, just because he delivered you Bacon Digest a day late doesn't mean-hey. What's wrong with Miko?"
The parrot, which usually sat on the perch of his cage making as much noise possible, was laying at the bottom of the cage; motionless.
"Is he asleep?" Sam asked.
"Birds don't sleep like that," Freddie frowned.
"Well then poke it," Sam said.
"I'm not going to poke it! You do it!"
"Why me?"
"Because last week I spent nineteen hours putting together the new entertainment system," Freddie said triumphantly. "Which means I'm one point ahead!"
"Right, and how many points do I get for giving birth to your four kids?" Sam asked, crossing her arms. "With a combined 43 hours of labor?"
Freddie groaned. "You know, one day you've got to stop using that excuse."
He grabbed a pen from the coffee table and began prodding the bird. "Miko, oh Miko," Freddie said. "Wake up you stupid parrot."
But the bird didn't move.
"Is-Is he dead?" Sam frowned.
"I think so," Freddie nodded.
"I guess that's why the house was so quiet this morning," Sam said.
"How do you think he died?" Freddie asked.
"I don't know," Sam shrugged. "You probably did it, you tell me."
"I didn't do it!" Freddie exclaimed.
"Oh come on, you hated that bird," Sam grinned. "So did I, but still, killing it?"
"You did it," Freddie accused. "You hated that bird since it got here!"
"I did not! You-"
"Mommy! Daddy!" Emma called, running into the house from the backyard where she had been playing.
Sam and Freddie instantly stopped fighting and stepped in front of the birdcage to block it from their daughter's view.
"I dug up a bunch of bugs and worms to give Miko," she said proudly, holding out her dirt-covered hand.
"Wow, really?" Sam said. "That's-that's great, sweetheart."
"I'm going to give Miko his bugs now," Emma said, stepping towards the cage.
"Hey, wouldn't you rather have some candy instead?" Sam said quickly, picking up Emma and turning her to face the other way.
"Yeah!" Emma said happily.
"Okay, we'll go get you some from the kitchen," Sam said. "Here, we'll just give daddy the bugs first though."
She took the insects and worms from Emma's hand and quickly shoved them into Freddie's.
"Gee, thanks," Freddie said.
"Alright, Em, let's get you some sugar," Sam said. As she headed towards the kitchen she looked back and Freddie and mouthed, "Get rid of it!"
"So what kind of candy do you want?" Sam asked, setting Emma down on the countertop. "Jelly beans? Carmel swirls? The good chocolate mommy keeps for herself?"
"Um…" Emma said thoughtfully.
"Or you know what, just take it all," Sam said, not being able to stand the look of innocence's on the poor girl's face.
"Yay! Thank you, mommy!"
Freddie walked into the kitchen carrying a shoebox.
"Is it in there?" Sam whispered, walking over to Freddie so that Emma couldn't hear.
Freddie nodded. "And I think I know how the bird died. Its beak was full of birdseed. Must've chocked eating."
"Stupid thing," Sam muttered. "So how are you going to tell Emma?"
"Me?" Freddie frowned. "No way! I'm not doing it!"
"Come on, you can't make me do it!" Sam pleaded.
"We'll do it together," Freddie said. "We just need to think of a calm, delicate way to tell her."
"What if we buy her the new bike she wants?" Sam suggested.
"How will that do anything?" Freddie asked.
"Well she'll be so happy with the bike she'll forget about being sad!" Sam explained.
"Interesting…" Freddie said thoughtfully. "Or we could just break the news to her while she's watching Tim and Larry; you know how happy she is when she watches that show."
"Yeah, and then once she finds out her bird died in the middle of it she'll never want to watch it again," Sam pointed out. "I rely on that show to keep those kids quiet for one hour a day, Freddie. You can't take that away from me! Let's just do the stupid bike idea!"
"Fine," Freddie said. "You keep her busy while I go out and buy the-"
"Hey, where's Miko?"
Sam and Freddie looked back at the counter. Emma was no longer sitting there. She must've wandered into the living room while Sam and Freddie were fighting and was now standing in front of the birdcage.
"Crab," Sam mumbled.
"Did he get out of his cage again?" Emma asked, looking around the room as though expecting to see her bird flying around near the ceiling. "Miko! Where are you?"
"Um, sweetie, why don't you come and sit down on the couch with me and mommy?" Freddie said gently.
"But I have to find Miko," Emma said.
"Listen, Emma," Sam said as her daughter sat down between her and Freddie. "Miko…he, um…hey, do you want a new bike?"
"Sam…" Freddie said. He picked up Emma and placed her on his lap. "You see, Emma, Miko-Miko, well he, er-"
"Yeah, not so easy, is it?" Sam hissed.
"Where's my bird?" Emma asked. "Is he at the vet?"
"No, no, honey," Sam said. "Do-Do you remember Jason's goldfish? Spotty?"
Emma nodded. "He had to go on a vacation down the toilet, right?"
"Um, kind of," Freddie said. "See, Spotty had died. That's why we don't have him around anymore."
"But dying is like sleeping, right?" Emma asked.
"No," Sam said softly. "Um, when-when someone, or something, dies…they don't wake up."
"Ever?" Emma asked, her eyes widening.
Sam shook her head. "No."
"Oh," Emma said. "Someone should tell Jason that then. He probably misses Spotty."
"Yeah, okay," Freddie said. "But the reason we brought that up was because Miko…Miko also died sweetie."
"W-What?"
Sam and Freddie looked at each other as their tiny daughter's eyes began to fill with tears. They could practically hear the others' heart breaking.
"So-So I never get to see Miko again?" Emma asked, tears now falling freely from her eyes. "He's sleeping forever?"
"I'm afraid so, Em," Sam said gently, stroking her hair as she buried her head into Freddie's shoulder, sobbing.
"But that's not fair!" she wailed. "I loved Miko!"
It was true. When Emma had first brought the bird home, Sam and Freddie were convinced that within a week she would lose interest in him and they would then be able to give it to some pet store. But for the past three months Emma had played with Miko, fed Miko and even read as much as she could from her picture books to him every night.
"I know baby, it's not fair," Freddie said.
"Is-Is Miko in that shoebox?" Emma asked, lifting her head to look at the box on the coffee table.
"Yeah," Sam said. "Daddy put him in there for you."
"Can I put his favorite toy in there with him?" she sniffed.
"Um, sure," Freddie nodded. "And hey, you know what; we can have a nice funeral for Miko right now."
"Yeah," Sam agreed. "We'll dig a hole and we'll bury him right underneath that tree he got stuck in last week and daddy had to climb up and get him."
"Can I dig the hole?"
"Yes you can," Freddie said.
Emma slowly got up and headed to the backyard.
"That," Sam said. "Was the worst thing I've ever had to do in my life."
"I swear, my heart's broken in at least ten places," Freddie said. "She cried!"
"I know, I know," Sam sighed. "You know how attached to that bird she was."
"Yup," Freddie said, looking at the empty cage.
"You know we're going to have to get her a new parrot," Sam said.
"Oh yeah," Freddie nodded.
…
AN- I'm going to be unable to update until Sunday; I'm very sorry, but I'm going to be out of town going to my college for freshmen Orientation and I will not have time to write.
