A/N: I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed chapter one. I'm so, so sorry that this hasn't been updated for a while. I have had no internet connection since 13/08/11. This idea was prompted by messersmontana. I hope you all like it. And keep those prompts coming!

There's Nothing Fast About It

"Robert Anderson! You come here right this minute!" Emily shouted up the stairs. Her hand tightly gripped the wooden banister in anger, as her six year old son's head tentatively peaked around the corner of two adjoining walls at her. "Now!"

Robert swallowed his fear, and meekly walked down the blue carpeted stairs towards his mother, who was a very frightening woman when she was angry.

"Would you mind telling me why you decided it was okay to cut up your sister's dresses, Robert?"

He mumbled something, refusing to meet her glare.

"What?"

"You said we couldn't go to McDonalds," he repeated louder.

"So that means you can ruin Lily's clothes, does it?"

"No," he said moodily. "But, you don't understand, Mum. All my friends go and they all have the Happy Meal toys!"

She sighed as Matt walked through, their four year old girl seated on his hip, snivelling about the destroyed green dress in her hands. "Emily, there's only one way we're going to stop hearing about McDonalds."

"No, Matt. It is a mother's job to make her children their dinner," she replied exasperatedly. They'd had the argument before. No-one appeared to understand why she was so adamant that they shouldn't eat out.

"Yeah, in the 1800s. Come on, Emily, it's one night," Matt replied gently, placating her.

"Fine."

An hour later the family of four were seated on red and yellow leather stools. Robert and Lily were enthusiastically digging into their Happy Meal chicken nuggets whilst Matt popped chip and chip into his mouth, stopping only to dip them into his tomato ketchup. He paused to look up at Emily's glum face and took her hand.

"What's the matter?" he asked quietly.

She shook her head and refused to reply. So far she hadn't touched her French fries or her cheeseburger. Likewise, the portion of onion rings Matt had bought for them to share was only being eaten by him.

"Emily, please tell me what it is."

She sighed and replied in an almost whisper, "I am never going to be a proper 21st Century woman."

"Good."

"What?" Emily asked in confusion. She was sure she must have misheard him.

"I said good. I don't want you to be a 21st Century woman; I want you to be you."

His eyes were filled with only love as Emily leant across the table, kissed him quickly and whispered, "So why is it called fast food? There's nothing fast about it. You have to wait an age to get it because there are so many people."

Matt chuckled quietly and answered her with, "Just eat your burger."

Warily, Emily picked it up between her fingers and took a small bite. Reassured that it was safe to eat, she took another larger mouthful. After she'd finished off the burger she ate the leftover onion rings and then started on the French fries. She was almost unaware of exactly how much she'd eaten, until, finally, she ate the last of the French fries that Lily couldn't manage to finish.

Matt was looking at her with a mixture of shock and amazement on his face.

"Urgh, those onion rings are not agreeing with me," she groaned.

"I'm not so sure it was the onion rings and not the fact that you've just eaten enough to feed a small country," Matt muttered under his breath, restraining a laugh. Emily, however, heard him and lightly smacked his arm.

"Why did I do it?" She asked as they left and walked towards the silver Volvo that belonged to them. "Oh, I'm so full. I feel a little sick actually."

The car ride was not a pleasant experience for her. The vibrating chair very nearly set off her precarious stomach. When they rumbled to a stop outside their house, she bolted from the car, not bothering to shut the car door, and hurriedly unlocked the cherry-red front door that was so inconveniently in her way.

Matt found her in the bathroom. Just as he walked in she moved from kneeling on the fin front of the toilet to leaning against the side of the bath, her head resting on the rim. Looking down at her, he saw the slight sheen of sweat coating her forehead.

"Remind me never to eat fast food ever again."

A/N: I'd love to know what you thought of this chapter so please review!