This is Prompt No. 66-Cherry
"Come inside, come inside!" Anna exclaimed, excitedly bustling everyone into her house. She was clinging to Mitchie, and Mitchie was clinging just as tightly to her.
Shane and Mitchell followed them into the house, grinning as they watched the two women interact once again. They talked excitedly, their hands flying around to show the extent of their emotions, and their cheeks were as red as cherries from their excitement. When Anna had settled everyone into the little parlor, she brought out her own little bundle for Mitchie and Shane to see.
"This is Michelle Anne Torres," Anna said proudly, hoisting the little one onto her hip. "She's soon to be a year old."
Mitchie gaped at the little girl, named after her, with a wondering look on her face. "Oh, Anna," she murmured. "She's gorgeous." She looked in Shane's direction and said, "You've already met my little girl."
Anna and Mitchell both nodded. "There's going to be a lot of Michelles in this family," Mitchell remarked with a large grin.
"And every one of them deserves it," Anna told him tartly. She smiled at Mitchie and said, "Any little girl named after our Mitchie is fortunate indeed."
"I wouldn't say that," Mitchie told her, not wanting her sister-in-law to go too far with her praise.
"I would," Anna told her honestly. "You risked your life for us several times. You deserve all the praise we give you."
Mitchie nodded, and then grinned widely at Shane. "It did have its perks," she said slowly, causing the other three adults to laugh.
Anna clapped her hands together in her excitement. "I can't believe you're going to live next to us in a little while!" she exclaimed. "Michelle and Shania are going to become best friends!"
Mitchell leaned over to Shane and muttered, "They're not going to have a choice in the matter." Shane snorted his agreement and nodded, trying valiantly not to laugh.
Anna and Mitchie both stuck their tongues out at Mitchell and Shane and the four burst out laughing once again. Mitchie knew that their giddiness was due to not having seen each other in over a year, and not due to the actual wittiness of the conversation. Still, the pleasant atmosphere was a nice diversion from the usual days Mitchie and Shane went through, so she flung herself into the conversation, which wasn't exactly difficult to do.
Too soon, though, Mitchie found herself covering up her life as a spy, skirting around certain questions that Anna and Mitchell asked her each time Shane gave her an almost imperceptible shake of his head. "I'm sorry," she said, after another question came her way that she skipped around. "I can't answer that."
Shane, sitting next to her, took her hand in his, offering unspoken support which Mitchie took gratefully. "There's much about our lives that you two can't know," he told Anna and Mitchell calmly. "Like I told you before when I visited a while ago, it's as much for your safety as it is for ours."
Anna ducked her head. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "After all you've done for us, we should be able to give you the courtesy of privacy when you ask for it."
Mitchell nodded. "No more deep questions," he promised. "If something bothers you, we'll move on. Fair?"
Mitchie' heart swelled once more with love for her brother as she nodded. She turned to Shane and asked, "When our jobs are completed, can we tell them what we've been doing?"
Shane nodded. "When everything is finished," he told her.
Mitchie nodded, understanding the silent warning that she wasn't allowed to tell them a moment earlier than that, no matter how much she wanted to. "I understand," she told her husband, letting him know that she understood the spoken, as well as the unspoken, parts of his answer.
Anna broke the slightly uncomfortable silence by asking, "More tea?"
Mitchie extended her cup with a smile. "Me please."
"Me too," Shane said when it was his turn. "Thank you."
All too soon, Shane regretfully stood and placed his teacup on the coffee table in front of him. "I'm sorry," he told Mitchie, "but we'd better get to heading back. We have a long trip ahead of us."
Mitchie nodded sadly, regretting having to leave these family members of hers that she had just found once again. Anna took her teacup, giving her a knowing look so that Mitchie understood that she wasn't the only one regretful of the short reunion, and pulled Mitchie into a tight hug. "Come back soon," she whispered in Mitchie's ear. "I've missed our talks."
Mitchie smiled. "Me too," she assured her sister-in-law. "Me too."
Mitchie hugged her brother fiercely, intent on not crying, and whispered, "I've missed you."
He hugged her back and nodded, keeping the tears at bay himself. "I've missed you too."
"I'll see you soon," Mitchie promised, backing away from the embrace.
"When?" Anna asked.
"Soon," Mitchie promised. "Soon" was a relative word that could mean any length of time. Mitchie wasn't sure just when she might get back to see them, so that was the easiest, and truest, promise she could make them.
Once the goodbyes were said, Mitchie, Shane, and Shania left the Torres household and passed by their own house on their way to a main street to find a buggy. "Who knows when we might see them again?" Mitchie asked rhetorically, not even realizing that she had spoken aloud.
"I hope it's soon," Shane said honestly. "They're nice people."
"They are," Mitchie agreed.
They walked in silence for a moment, and then they reached a main street. Shane hailed a buggy and Mitchie, cradling her daughter, stepped in. The ride to the theater was shorter than Mitchie had remembered, and she knew that it was the surprise factor that had dragged the minutes along. Shane thanked and paid the driver and then the family strode into the theater via the back way and slipped into the prop room and down the trap door.
Shania fell asleep on the long drive through the underground tunnels, and Mitchie leaned her head contentedly against Shane's shoulder. "Thank you for the day," she said sincerely. "It was the best birthday I've had in a long time."
Shane kissed her forehead in response. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," he told her honestly.
When they reached the end of the line, the Gray family found Caitlyn and Nate there to meet them. "It was amazing!" Mitchie gushed. "The house looks exactly like Jason's birdhouse and it's just gorgeous!"
Caitlyn managed a small smile. "I'm glad to hear that," she said softly, taking Shania from Mitchie's arms. When Mitchie looked confused, she said, "You and Shane'd better go to the conference room."
"Why?" Mitchie asked curiously.
"The general has an assignment for you," she told them, looking directly at Mitchie.
A/N: I hope this answered some of your questions about their retirement from the UUS! Hope you liked it, please review!!
