The Apology
Two perfect, tiny fists waved in the air as big eyes the exact same shade of blue as his father's opened sleepily to focus on her, then stare at her curiously with a face that was so much like her husband's, one fist going to his mouth.
She smiled at the action, gently slipping the mitten off the little hand so he could suck on his thumb for the moment.
Twenty-three-year-old Samantha Fenton then sighed, violet eyes still gazing down at her son as she sat on the bed. It'd been two months since she and Danny had had him now - and true, the work was tiring - but of course, entirely worth it.
She'd hardly put on much excess weight during the pregnancy, which had been her first, and hence her usual slender form had soon returned - though that had never been one of her worries and was certainly the least of it now - if it could even be counted as one for Sam.
"You know..." she began quietly, musing to the baby as she held him. "It's not like we don't already have enough money... and it's certainly not like your father doesn't already have that particular job of his - even though he still sometimes needs me to go save his butt." She smirked fleetingly at that, before her face fell again. "And this whole NASA thing is what he's been dreaming of since he was a kid... Your Dad's wanted to be an astronaut for as long as I can remember."
Here she paused, letting out another sigh.
"Still... if he gets the place..." Sam bit her lip. A job such as the one Danny was considering would require alot of time away from home - months even, especially now that expeditions were getting more frequent - and she knew it... as did he.
But it was what he really wanted...
"I'm not trying to be unsupportive here - I'm... glad he's gotten the opportunity. It's just..." She found him gazing up at her with an almost skeptical expression, as if he understood what she was really feeling.
She fingered his nose gently, slight morose pricking her. "Don't look at me like that."
The baby cooed, lifting a now drool-coated fist out from his mouth so he could wave it about with the other. Sam smiled, shaking her head and drying it off with his bib, slowly and tenderly prying open and rubbing in between the fingers, before sliding his mitten back on.
"What do you think, then?" She asked the child. "Should I let Danny do what he wants?"
He stared up at her again.
"...Or am I right in holding it against him somehow?" Murmuring softly, she stroked his dark hair, identical to the deep ebony-raven locks of both his parents.
The answer she got to her question was a tiny cry, almost as if in protest of it.
She laughed shortly. "Disagreeing now, are we?"
All he did was cry again, louder this time.
Sam sighed, recognizing what it intoned, and unbuttoned her lilac blouse, slipping him slowly under it so he could feed.
"Oh, why am I even asking you? It's my problem, not yours... you shouldn't even have to fret overthese kind of things anyway." She caught herself a little too late at the last statement and let out a light chuckle. "Did you hear that? Samantha Manson Fenton just admitted she's fretting - and what's more, over such a silly thing."
There was no answer this time, save for a tiny, almost muted sigh of content as he latched on and began to suckle, eyes now closed.
She let him nurse, silently adjusting the blue swaddling cloth around him as she did so, gently tucking and pulling the soft flannel material into place before lovingly stroking his tiny head of soft black hair again.
Oh... to be young and worry-free again...
She guessed she'd never experienced as much warmth and comfort as he was having when she was his age, though it didn't really bother her. She and Danny loved him to bits... and she'd knowingly and willingly die for him if she had to. She'd never felt so much for someone besides her husband himself before.
And it was that emotion - that instinct, she supposed, which was making her so torn between objecting against and letting Danny go ahead with what he'd been hoping so hard for; with joining the NASA... though she knew in her heart that the former was what she'd probably have to do if she wanted their family to stay together like it was, selfish as it would sound.
Still, she hadn't said anything, though she'd been rather stiff with him of late and she had a feeling he knew why... But Danny hadn't said anything in defense of himself either, which was why she'd started to sense that maybe the whole issue was bothering him as well.
In any case, this was the day they'd know if he'd been accepted - and try as she might Sam still hadn't been able to speak her mind to him; to tell him that she thought he was making the wrong decision, the knowledge of how much he desired the job keeping her from doing so.
But whatever the outcome... they'd figure something out. Or at least, that was what she hoped.
The infant stopped nursing and settled against her, his head resting snugly on his mother's bosom as he let out a contented gurgle. Clear blue eyes half-opened with a satisfied look as he hiccupped, before closing them again.
Sam couldn't help but smile once more despite herself, leaning down and gently kissing his forehead while he fell into comfortable slumber.
"Boo," a soft whisper against her ear, almost causing her to jump out of her skin had it not been for the now sleeping child in her arms and the split-second realization that it was her own husband.
Danny Fenton materialized beside her, changing from ghost mode back to human as he did so.
"Hey," He said softly, giving her a tired smile. He did look worn, Sam noted, his tousled jet black hair even messier than usual, and the white long-sleeved shirt he'd worn for the meeting crumpled slightly, with half of it untucked. "Just fell asleep, did he?"
Sam nodded shortly, subconsciously buttoning up her blouse with one hand before raising her violet eyes to meet his blue ones. He had to know by now...
They stared at each other for awhile before Danny finally lowered his gaze, looking away as he said quietly, "They... gave me the position."
She'd expected it. A wan smile crossed Sam's face. "Congratulations." She managed, though her voice was weak.
"I turned them down."
Violet eyes widened in surprise, shock and disbelief. "What? ...Why?"
Danny bit his lip. "I know you were mad at me for that... and I was torn too, really, I just... I don't know, I think I'd hoped for it too long to give up on it just yet... But when they confirmed the requirements for me I..." He paused, gazing lovingly at his son, then at his partner and best friend since preschool.
"My heart decided otherwise." He ended softly, his hand sliding to her chin, blue eyes filled with both sorrow and guilt, pleading for forgiveness.
A hushed whisper.
"I'm sorry."
He leaned in to kiss her, and, smiling genuinely this time, she let him do so - because for Sam... those two words had been enough.
-FIN-
I did this for the heck of it... and because of MacBeth. That's explained on my lj, where you'll get the play version to this as well as the ORIGINAL play version - here meaning done in general, with no mention of any DP characters.
See it at kp-krazy. livejournal. com/ 23554. html (take out the spaces)
Okay, 'nuff said... now review! Random as it is, it's actually my favorite of the whole lot here so far, up till "Angel" and even the next little oneshot I have coming soon - and hence reviews for this little chappy would make me all the more happier... Is my English right over there? Hm, okay nevermind. xP Review please!
