A/N: So this chapter takes place in the capitol city of the United States and is chock full of American History. All of these places and objects exist in the D.C. area. I know that this fandom reaches so many more people than here in the states, so I've tried to select scenes which would be meaningful to a broader audience. I hope you enjoy.
Hailey had her choice of an aisle or window seat. She was flummoxed at what to choose – the window, where she could see the plane take off and the scenery go by or the aisle, where she could peer out and keep a nosy eye on the going-on's of the flight attendants. Piper watched her daughter's puzzled look and chuckled since she had a fairly good idea of what was going through her offspring's mind, especially as Hailey kept bouncing from seat to seat, forcing a rather patient Alex out of her way each time.
The next time Alex was in the aisle seat, she leaned over, between the other boarding passengers, and whispered to Piper. "I suppose we should really let her out of the house more often." Piper grinned. Alex turned to Hailey and pulled her onto her lap. "Hey monkey. You know when the nice people say so, you are going to have to pick a seat and put on your seat belt, right?" Hailey nodded, her light blue eyes widening much as Piper's do. No matter how old her daughter got or how tall she grew, Alex could not get over how much she resembled Piper. Their child was truly a blessing.
One of the male attendants came over to the row before them and leaned over. "Hi I'm David. What's your name?" He offered his hand.
Hailey looked at Alex for assurance. As Alex nodded, she shook his hand and said, "I'm Hailey. And this is my Mama Alex." She pointed right across the row. "And that's my Mama Piper."
David gave a wide smile. "Well Hailey, somebody told me that this is your first flight and you are going on a very special birthday trip. Is that right?" Hailey nodded. "We love first time fliers here. Would you like to meet the pilots?" The excitement on Hailey's face was unmistakable as she scrambled over Alex's lap and up the few rows to the cock-pit door. David took her hand and introduced her to the pilot and co-pilot. Hailey began animatedly talking to the adults, as usual, with all of her cuteness and charm.
Taking advantage of the short break, Alex slid over a seat to allow Piper to move over briefly. "Hey."
"Hey back. Are you okay sitting over here with the monkey?"
Alex chuckled. "Yes Pipes. But to be fair, how about every time she switches seats we rotate? Give each other a break."
Piper turned to face Alex but was interrupted by a tapping on her shoulder. She looked over her shoulder to find Hailey looking at her with an odd look on her face. Knowing what was about to come out of her daughter's mouth, Piper fought to keep her face serious. "Yes?"
"You are in my seat mama." Hailey crawled into Piper's lap and showed off the wings she had gotten from the pilots. She excitedly told them about what all she had seen and learned in the cockpit.
After Hailey was finished, Piper made the suggestion about the seats. Hailey could sit by the window as the plane took off, but then she could pick which of the three seats she wanted while they were above the clouds. But every time she switched, her mamas would switch, too. Hailey seemed satisfied with that proposal.
The flight was right under two hours, so Hailey actually only changed seats twice so she could watch the take-off and landing. Once they located their driver and he had collected their luggage, they were on their way to their hotel, The Hays-Adams. Piper had fallen in love online with this vintage 1920's hotel which had maintained all of its charm. She had spent considerable time on the phone with the concierge deciding what type of room to book. Piper struggled with Alex's spare-no-expense approach on this trip as it was Hailey's first vacation, and Piper didn't want Hailey to feel this was the rule as opposed to the exception. Nobody enjoys a spoiled brat. Piper wanted Hailey to appreciate what she and Alex could give her rather than expect it.
When Alex walked in on her planning one afternoon, the decision was immediately made. They reserved one of the two bedroom suites which had views of the White House. Alex justified the second bedroom simply by whispering in Piper's ear. "Now that you put it that way, love – I agree. We will go all out on this trip." Piper blushed as she agreed to the possible/probable need for adult privacy at some point during the trip.
As the Vause's were quickly checked into the hotel, Hailey held one of the large, traditional brass keys in her tiny grip and enthusiastically dashed into the elevator as it opened. While she looked like Piper, her mannerisms were all Alex. She bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet while the family waited for the elevator to reach their floor. As soon as the tone rang for their floor, Hailey raced out the elevator doors as they opened and down the hall to their room.
Throwing the door open, she ran around like a banshee proclaiming her moms to be the best parents ever. Piper guided her into the master bedroom and showed her how to unlock the French doors which led to the private balcony. For the first time since the plane landed, Hailey was silent, stunned. Alex had come out as well and both women stood behind their daughter appreciating the sight before them.
Hailey tilted her head backwards to see her parents. Her voice was reverent as she spoke. "Is that really the White House?" Piper nodded. "Wow!"
A light tap sounded at the outer door. Piper silently slipped out to greet the bellman, leaving Alex with Hailey to admire their special view. Apparently Hailey had found her voice again as the chattering increased from outside. Piper took advantage of the time to unpack the suitcases and put up the toiletries. Then she collapsed on the couch in small living area between the two bedrooms.
Piper's rest was short-lived as Hailey soon came flying out of the bedroom, launching herself onto the couch. "Mama P. I love, love, LOVE my birthday present."
"But you haven't even seen anything yet! Silly eight-year-old-girl." Piper tousled her kid's hair. "So what's first?"
"The White House!" There was no mistaking the first item on the agenda. Piper had not made arrangements with her congressmen for an inside tour, feeling that seeing the actual building itself – every night – would suffice the third grader's curiosity. Suddenly a loud growling erupted from Hailey's tummy.
Piper threw her head back and laughed. "How about lunch first? Then the White House."
The Vause's grabbed a quick bite to eat at the smaller of the hotel's café - Piper nor Alex able to enjoy the luxurious digs with a bouncing girl with eyes on one thing, seeing where 'The Man' lives. Alex kept laughing as she explained it wasn't polite to call the president "The Man".
As the family walked through Lafayette Square, Hailey talked incessantly. "Do you think we'll get to see Bo and Sunny?"
Piper smirked as she pointed to Alex. Alex placed her hand on the child's head. "I don't know kid. But if we don't see them today, we can look every day, right from the hotel window." Alex reached down to snag Hailey's hand as she realized the child was about to skip ahead. "Why don't you walk with me? I like holding your hand." Alex and Piper were both terrified of Hailey getting separated from them and wanted to keep her close at hand.
It was apparent Hailey was drawing on the multitude of brochures she had poured over as well as school lessons as she spouted off facts. "Did you know they have 32 bathrooms and almost as many fireplaces?" Alex muffled her chuckles as the two seemingly random facts were blended together. "The first White House was burned down!"
Soon they approached the wrought iron fence surrounding the presidential mansion. Alex let go of Hailey's hand so Hailey could go smush her face between the bars as if that would give her a better view. She pointed a variety of things to include the greenness of the freshly cut grass to the snipers patrolling the edges of the roof. She was certainly observant if nothing.
Once Hailey had her fill of examining the front of the president's home, they decided to walk around the building. As the Vauses turned the corner of the colossal home, there seemed to be a small crowd gathering on the corner around two dogs. Piper stopped as they observed the group of people. There were about five random people walking around with various bags and backpacks. It became apparent that the dogs were training as their handlers let out lead as the dogs sniffed and alerted on various bags. If a dog properly alerted, he was rewarded with a bounce of a tennis ball which was ferociously attacked as the dog wagged his entire body in pleasure.
Alex knelt by her daughter's side as she felt the little girl tug her hand. Alex explained what they were watching. The family went to head across the street so as to not disturb the training. Another person closer to them stopped them. "Are you afraid of dogs, missy?" She wore a Secret Service jacket and was speaking directly to Hailey who shook her head. "Do you want to help us?" Hailey's blue eyes widened as she listened. "If your mom here doesn't mind, would you mind walking through them, through all those people?" She motioned to the small crowd of trainers. "Our dogs aren't supposed to get distracted by civilians, and I want to see if they can resist saying hi to a cutie like you."
Piper and Alex agreed and walked normally towards the dogs, Alex keeping a firm hand wrapped around Hailey's. Hailey did everything in her power to get the dogs to come to her but both steadily ignored her except to sniff her backpack. Something as such might dishearten some kids, but Hailey seemed happy the dogs 'did their job' and ignored her as they progressed around the house. She turned back and waved at the Secret Service agent as she got the thumbs up for a job well done.
Off the side of the White House, Piper pointed out the beehives and the gardens they had learned about on TV. Hailey was quite impressed that they got to see the actual gardens where the White House chefs and First Lady picked vegetables. From there, they meandered to the Washington Monument. There were no more tickets to go up the monument that afternoon, but Alex made a mental note to see if the concierge could arrange for tickets.
The last stop for the tourists this day was the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Hailey was mesmerized as she listened to the tour guide talk about how the paper money was designed, printed, cut and bundled. They slipped out of that building as it was about to close. The wee one was fading fast, so Alex hailed a cab to take them back around to the hotel.
The next few days were reserved for museums in which Hailey had expressed interest: American History, Natural History with the Insect Zoo and Butterfly Garden, Air and Space, along with the National Gallery of Art. It was an impossible to see all the exhibits the Capitol had to offer so they decided spending about a half a day at each would suffice for an eight-year-old. There were many things that caught her eye and just as many that she glossed over.
One of the exhibits at the entry of the American History museum was a small, tattered address book opened to what seemed to be a random set of facing pages. "Jack Warner's address book," Hailey read off the small card. "Who's he?" Hailey looked up at her captive audience not seeming to care which parent answered her.
Piper stooped beside her and explained who he and his brothers were and their significance in film-making and television. She then pointed out some of the names on the two pages. Cecil DeMille, undoubtedly an extraordinary film maker featured in the Warner Brothers Studio; Bette Davis, one of the greatest actresses of that time period; and Olivia de Havilland, another great British actress. Walt Disney and Salvador Dali also were in the phone book – Hailey didn't need any explanation of who the last two were.
As Hailey scooted to the next exhibit, Piper and Alex remained at the address book. "It's amazing the people Warner had on just those two pages. Can you imagine the rest of his book?" Alex took Piper's hand in hers. "It makes me wish I could look through it page by page!" The couple turned and caught up with Hailey who had only moved a few feet away.
Another exhibit upstairs that Hailey was particularly interested in was the one of the Star Spangled Banner flag. The behemoth shred of flag had been painstakingly restored and now lay at a slight angle in a darkened room. Hailey had just studied the history of the U.S. flag in school and could spout off interesting facts and tidbits about both the flag as well as the song that would later become the nation's national anthem. Hailey was disappointed that they were unable to take actual pictures of the two story sized flag but was delighted at the book and cards she selected from the flag gift shop.
As they crossed through the Natural Sculpture Garden to reach the National Gallery of Art, Hailey giggled at some of the structures. "Look Mama Al. That's a big round eraser with a brush just like what Lolly uses when she sketches. But it's so tall!" Alex definitely kept holding her daughter's hand as Hailey had taken to walking through the sculpture garden backwards. She particularly liked the silly rabbit sitting on a rock.
"Fuck!" Piper slapped her hand over her mouth. "Damn that scared me," Piper laughed at herself as she pointed to the yellow house in front of them. "It's following us!"
Hailey pulled her hand loose and ran up and down alongside the two dimensional structure of a brightly painted house. As the perspective shifted, the house did seem to become three dimensional as well as rotate. But as one got to either end, it was clearly a thin two dimensional structure. That particular instance was going to be Alex's favorite Piper-story to retell. The house warranted more than a picture, so Alex was able to wrangle a nice video as she walked around the house – showing how the dimensions changed and the house seemingly rotated.
Hailey was enthralled at the displays she saw at each and every museum. At one point she declared her brain was getting full, but Alex reassured her that all the pictures and videos they took would help her noggin'. Then Piper informed her that she was going to get to help make her very own scrapbook of her first vacation. This re-energized Hailey and apparently made room for additional knowledge.
This particular day was reserved for memorials and war monuments. The driver dropped them off at the Lincoln Memorial from which they could easily walk to the others. Hailey was silent as she tilted her head back to gaze at the towering, seated statue of the 16th president. Tugging on Alex's sleeve, she pointed to the chair arms on which Lincoln's arms rested. "Mama A, aren't those Roman columns? I thought Abraham Lincoln was American."
Piper and Alex both raised their eyebrows in surprise. Piper shrugged and again pointed to Alex. Alex again went to a knee to explain to Hailey that yes, the columns were a representation of Roman columns because the pillars had long represented power, for centuries, and Lincoln was known as an extremely powerful leader. They walked away from the structure to see the entire front and side façades. From that view point, Alex pointed out the Greek influences in the Doric columns. "The designer, Henry Bacon, felt 'a memorial to the man who defended democracy should be modeled after a structure from the birthplace of democracy'." Alex's heart stretched with pride as her daughter listened intently, showing an interest in and knowledge of ancient architecture which would be so important in future artistic training.
As they walked to the Vietnam Memorial, Hailey read from a brochure clutched in her hand. "There are over 58,000 names on this wall. That's a lot people who died." Her melancholy voice held the understanding of a young girl wise well beyond her years. When planning for the trip, Alex and Piper had debated on what all to visit on this trip. The decided the Vietnam Memorial was the most memorable and less horrific than the marching soldiers with their death stares who made up the Korean memorial. The design and form of this shiny, black structure could detract from the representation of death in the eight-year-old's mind.
As they approached the wall and walked along it with their reflections perfectly displayed on the perfectly polished granite, Hailey stopped at the apex. She looked at her brochure then looked up at where the corners met, peering at the dates then looking down at the other side. She knelt down and ran her fingers across the bottom most name. "This was the first soldier who died." Reaching up on her tip toes, she pointed to the top-most name at the adjoining seam. "That was the last. The names go in order like that, and they meet here like a full circle." Neither of her parents spoke nor did many of the visitors around them as Hailey made this proclamation. There were so many minutiae that went into this design that few knew all of the finer details such as one like this.
After the momentary pause, Hailey continued her journey up the other side of the wall. Spying an older man in uniform holding the wheelchair for another uniformed man, she hesitated, cocking her head sideways curiously. The man seated was holding a folder and a small box. The gentlemen seemed to be struggling to determine a way for the seated man to get out of his wheelchair. Hailey pulled free from Piper's hand and inched forward. "Hi." Her voice was quiet as she placed her tiny hands on the arms of the wheelchair.
The man looked over at her, mournful look on his face. "Hi beautiful." He gave his best attempt at a weak smile. He absently slipped a piece of paper and a flat edged charcoal stick out of the folder, eyes fixated in one area of the wall.
"Was he your friend?" Hailey asked intuitively. The man nodded. "Can I help?"
A single tear rolled down the elderly man's cheek as he handed the material to the innocent child and showed her which name he wanted. She got down on her petite knees and made a rubbing of the name and date belonging to the man's friend. As she handed him the rubbing, he opened the velvet box and extracted a heart shaped medal with a faded purple ribbon. He handed it to Hailey and asked her to place it in the trough beneath the name. For quite some time, Hailey was the only other person in the entire area that this man could see – everyone else was invisible. He allowed her to crawl into his lap and pose for a brief snapshot with the black wall in the background. Neither was smiling, but Piper was sure the picture would capture the gravity of the circumstance.
Alex took the wheelchair and helped push the man back up the slight incline to the top of the memorial. As they walked, they learned his name was Phil. Phil explained that this was his first time to visit his Army buddy's memorial. He did not go into detail about their last fire-fight together but did explain that his buddy saved his life when a grenade landed in their fox-hole. Unfortunately his friend died in that heroic act. Phil had left his Purple Heart out of respect for his companion who gave his life not only for his country but also for his friend.
Once at the top of the hill, Phil pointed to a near-by statue. "Do you have time to listen to an old man a little longer?" Of course everyone agreed, and Alex pushed the man to the Three Soldiers statue. There were three men, each representing a different race and a different branch of the military. The statue was situated under a small grove of trees with a direct line of sight to the black memorial they had just left.
"I don't know if it's true," Phil started. "But I heard a story once that this statue represents three fighting men walking out of the forest of Vietnam. The look of shock on their faces is because they see the memorial and can read their names on it." Piper shuddered as the tale gave her shivers. "Regardless, we veterans like to think they are the guardians of the wall and all of those who visit."
Eventually the men said their goodbyes to the family. Phil mentioned an additional fairly unknown statue they needed to visit, one honoring the women who served the conflict, many of whom were nurses. The Vauses made their way down the rough trail and found the Vietnam Women's Memorial. Three women where perched on a pile of sandbags, one of whom was caring for a fallen soldier, another was on her knees apparently in prayer, while the third seemed to desperately look to the sky for a helicopter or intervention from God. Alex wasn't sure the history of this statue but pointed to each woman, naming them Charity, Faith and Hope.
Few people were around on the walk back to the Lincoln Memorial where their car awaited. Piper allowed Hailey to run ahead and play in the grass as she skipped around. "Pretty deep, huh?" Alex nodded in agreement. "And here we were thinking we chose the lesser of the two grim war reminders." Piper slipped her hand into Alex's as they strolled along the tree covered path.
Early in the evening, the physical toll was beginning to show on all three of the Vauses. Yes their rooms were luxurious, to say the least, but nothing beats sleeping at home. The added emotional drag on Alex and Piper from the war memorial added to the exhaustion.
"What do you guys want for dinner?" Piper had opened an internet browser and was searching through restaurants.
"I want a peanut butter and jelly sandwich Mom." Hailey immediately piped up. "And milk. Chocolate ice cream for dessert." Turning to Alex, she asked, 'And Mom, can we stay in tonight? I want to watch a movie!"
Sweeter words were never spoken as relief poured over Piper and Alex. They welcomed a night off from the vacation hustle and bustle to order room service. Alex took over calling in their order. Alex painstakingly described exactly how the youngest Vause's sandwich should be made and how the crusts should be carefully trimmed off. She also ordered movie snacks such as salty, buttered popcorn and soft drinks for after dinner. Piper connected their computer to the TV and she browsed through NetFlix with Hailey until they came up with a few movie choices.
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, ice cream, snacks, and a movie and a half later, Hailey was sound asleep curled up in the chaise lounge chair. Alex gently lifted her and carried her to her own room, tucking the bed covers snuggly around her. When she was sure Hailey had settled back down and was asleep, Alex quietly exited, pulling the door closed behind her.
Upon her return to the living room, Piper had covered herself with a blanket pulled way up to her chin, eyes drooping. Alex wondered if she was going to have to carry her wife to bed, too. She squatted next to Piper, brushing a long strand of hair behind her ear. "Hey babe, monkey is down for the count." Alex went to tenderly shake Piper awake when the blanket slipped off of Piper's bare shoulder. She watched Piper's grin build as Alex ran her hand along Piper's shoulder, realizing that Piper had shed her clothes and wore nothing but her panties under the blanket.
Piper reached over, pulling Alex down to join their mouths. After so many years together, Piper was always amazed at the spark she felt with Alex's touch. The kiss was soft at first, tongues exploring timidly then as the passion grew, so did the neediness of the kiss – almost forceful if it were not so tender. Alex tossed aside the blanket, pausing a moment to revel in the beauty that was Piper Vause. She then gathered her naked wife in her arms and took her wife to bed.
Soon the ten day trip was drawing to a close. All three of the girls were drained from the constant sight-seeing. They had certainly packed a great deal during their stay in the nation's capital. Piper felt the trip was sufficiently educational and entertaining as well. They had taken trips to Mount Vernon, Arlington, the National Cathedral, and even to the National Zoo. Granted parts of the trip were a little more emotional than expected, she was sure it was all appropriate for a feisty eight-year-old girl.
The bellman loaded their suitcases into the town car, and each Vause climbed in, with Hailey securing the prime window spot. Alex had the driver take the "scenic route" to the airport so Hailey could see the sites one more time. She pointed out each of the now familiar buildings as they passed them on their way out of the city. By the time they reached the airport, she was asleep, curled up beneath Alex's arm.
"Do you ever think she's going to recover?" Piper pecked Alex on the cheek as they both tried to juggle luggage and a sleepy eight-year-old sleepy child. Alex handed off Hailey to Piper, motioning that she'd take the luggage.
Alex looked over at her two blonde haired, blue eyed girls. The pounding feeling in her chest always grew just a little more each time she saw the mirror images together. "Do you think we will recover?"
Once on the plane, Piper settled Hailey into the window seat. Hailey immediately curled up with her head on her mama's lap. Brushing her daughter's hair with her hand, Piper whispered. "We are headed home now baby. Did you have a good time?"
Hailey opened her bright blue eyes, yawned and answered, "Yeah Mom. Best. Trip. Ever."
A/N: I'm not quite sure what prompted me to make this initial vacation choice that I did other than I couldn't think of a more educational and fun place to take a child. Thanks for reading.