NINE.

Hey there people! I'm back! I won't write a humongous author's note today because I really don't feel like doing one. But I will respond to reviews!:)

Reviews:

clarkLover1: Thanks.:) I tried to make everything in that chapter cute because Marie was in there.:)
hey- wazup- stalker: Thanks a lot!:) And I will!:)
FROM CH. 7:

robstar591: Done done done done done.:) I'm SO sorry for not replying to review last chapter, but I had too much on my mind. I'm incredibly sorry again.:(

Disclaimer: I've already said it enough. I will NOT say it again. Don't rub the fact that I don't own it in my face.
*facepalm* I said it. -_-
That was smart of me.

READ ON!

Chapter 9

The next morning, I woke up to Marie Shaking me repeatedly. I groaned but nevertheless sat up and looked at the clock I had on my bedside table. It read 5:49 and I suppressed another groan. I looked to Marie, who was already dressed in some blue shorts and a yellow shirt.

"Come on mommy! Let's eat breakfast!" she squealed, running out the open door of my bedroom and most likely to the kitchen. I shook my head and chuckled under my breath. I put on some slippers and walked to the kitchen, where I found Marie sitting at the kitchen table, grinning. In front of her were two plates that had uncooked eggs, microwaved bacon, and toast.

I smiled at her and went over to her. I ruffled her hair and sat down next to her. "I made breakfast mommy!" she said excitedly. I smiled again and hugged her.

"Honey, thank you, but how about we make breakfast together? If you help me you get pancakes." I told her, knowing that she wouldn't be able to resist pancakes.

She looked hurt and said, "You don't like it?"

I immediately felt guilty. "No, no honey! It's not that. I love that you made breakfast." Her face lit up. "But you need to cook the eggs and bacon sweetie. That's all." I told her, smiling softly.

She looked confused and gestured to the food. "I didn't know how to cook the eggs, but I put the bacon in the micro mommy," she said, referring to the microwave.

"Honey, you need to cook the eggs and the bacon on the stove," I said, standing up. I got two pans and put some vegetable oil in one, leaving the other alone. I put both pans on the stove and lit the burners, adjusting the temperature. I knew Marie was somewhere near me, her eyes watching my every move.

I put a bit of salt in one of them and cracked open three eggs that Marie had left on the plates, putting them in. I took the bacon that Marie had microwaved and put it in the oil less pan and let it simmer while I mixed up the eggs. Once the eggs were done I put all my concentration on the bacon, which was almost done also.

Soon, the eggs and bacon were cooked and ready to be eaten. I looked up at the clock on the wall and saw that it was 6:27. I turned to the bacon and eggs and put them aside, taking out another pan. I set to work on making the pancakes.

Around half an hour later, the food was done and we began eating. Then I ordered Marie to her room to change into another shirt, since she had stained it with some orange juice she had been drinking. I myself went to take a quick shower and dressed in some black slacks and a light blue button up shirt. I put on some black flats and put my hair up in a bun, and I was ready to go. I walked to Marie's room and saw that she was coloring in one of her coloring books. She put the crayons down when she saw me and stood up.

"Ready to go, Marie?" I asked. She nodded and smiled happily. I nodded also, the infectious grin settling on my face, and I went to the front door. "Then let's go."

When we arrived at the daycare, Selena welcomed me in.

"Hey Kori and Marie," she said, smiling. I smiled back and watched as Marie ran to the toys.

"Hey Sel. I'll leave Marie to you now. Good luck." I smiled at her again, and she laughed, nodding.

"Thanks," she said, still laughing slightly. "And good luck to you too." I nodded and smiled once more.

"Thanks to you too." I signed some papers to confirm that I had dropped Marie off and hugged Selena. "I'll see you later Sel. Oh, and remember that Marie can only eat fruit and drink water. I don't think you guys want Marie hyper again." Selena giggled lightly and nodded.

"Ok Kori. Bye!" I waved at her and drove away to work. I saw that it was close to nine and sighed in relief. I wasn't going to be late. I parked my car and walked up to the sixteenth floor, all the while humming quietly to myself.

I opened the door and sat down, noticing that Richard was already here. Once he looked up from his work, I smiled at him, and he smiled back

"Hello Kori," he said, still smiling. I cocked my head to the side in confusion, but didn't say anything. Instead, I smiled and nodded politely.

"Hello Richard. May I ask why you're happy today?" I asked. His smile was unwavering, and I wondered intensely what made him this happy.

"I was told some very good news this morning, that all," he said, smiling even wider, if possible.

I nodded, although the curiosity was gnawing at me, and spoke. "Ah, ok." I smiled, and gestured to his desk. "I see you're already working, so I won't disturb you." I took out my papers and began to work too. I saw him smile still and turn to his work.

WAYNWAYNWAYNWAYN

The whole morning had been relatively quiet. There was a comment or question every once in a while though.

Lunchtime came around, and I stood up. Richard did the same thing, and we walked out the door together, just like we had yesterday.

The ride down the elevator and to the parking lot was spent in comfortable silence, for which I was grateful because I just didn't have anything to say at the moment. As soon as we reached the parking lot, he turned to face me.

"Are you and the girls going to eat with us, or are you four going to eat alone?" He asked me. I thought for a bit, then raised a hand, signifying that I was going to take a bit of time to answer. I took out my phone and looked at the recent texts from Karen, before nodding.

"We'll eat alone." I said. He nodded.

"Well, I'll see you after lunch then." I nodded again, and we went to our cars. I got in mine and looked at my phone again.

From: Karen
Kori, we're going 2 go eat In-N-Out, kay? We'll see u there.

I sent a quick text to Karen back.

To: Karen
K, b there in a few min.

I began the drive to the burger restaurant, all the while listening to some music from the radio and humming along occasionally. Soon, I arrived and I got out. I ordered a number two and once I had my food I searched for Karen, Jenny, and Rachel. I found them sitting at a table close to the window. I sat down next to Jenny and in front of Karen, who was sitting next to Rachel. I smiled at all three of them.

"Hi," I said, smiling at them. They replied back and we began eating, with a comment now and then about the wedding. When we were done, we left and went to the park, since we had finished early.

"You know Kori, you're pretty nice," Rachel suddenly said, walking along side me. I looked at her, a little surprised, but then I smiled.

"Well thank you Rachel. I think you're incredibly nice." She nodded, taking the compliment.

"Thank you." We walked in comfortable silence for some minutes. I smiled when we walked past the playground, and Rachel noticed.

"You like kids Kori?" Rachel asked me quietly so neither Karen nor Jenny could hear her. Both were already ahead of us, but they could easily listen in. I looked to her and nodded, smiling softly.

I thought whether or not I should tell her about Marie. After thinking for some seconds, I decided to tell her. They would meet her at the wedding, anyways. This way, they wouldn't ask questions when I came with a little girl.

"Yeah, I do. I actually have a three year old daughter," I told her with a smile on my face. She looked a little surprised, and then nodded.

Her expression became curious. "What's her name?" she questioned. I smiled again.

"Marie." She nodded again. She stayed quiet for a few seconds, and then spoke again.

"Good name. Dick wants to name his daughter that," she told me. I nodded.

"Yes, Richard told me that when I told him what Marie's name was." She nodded again, and we walked in silence for a moment until I heard Jenny's voice.

"Who is this 'Marie'?" she asked, looking back at us. She and Karen stopped and waited for us to catch up, and she looked at both of us, waiting for an answer. Rachel sighed.

"You know Jen, it's not good to eavesdrop." Rachel told her, raising an eyebrow. Jenny laughed and shook her head.

"Oh, I know, but this time I couldn't resist. Come on, tell us," she said. Karen looked intrigued too, and I sighed and gave in.

"Marie is my daughter," I said. Karen and Jenny looked at me, surprised. Rachel and I looked at their bewildered expressions, amused, and we watched as their surprise wore off.

"Really Kori? You have a daughter?" Jenny asked me. I nodded. She took the information in and looked in thought. Karen smiled at me, and I smiled back.

"How old is she?" Jenny asked me again.

"She's three, and turning four this August," I replied. They stayed silent for a few moments, until Karen spoke up, looking at me.

"Can we meet her?" she asked. All three looked at me, waiting for my answer. I smiled at them and nodded.

"Of course. She loves meeting new people." I smiled at all of them as they returned it.

"That's even better. Now I have a flower girl," Jenny said, smiling. I giggled and nodded.

"Yes you do. And Marie loves being the center of attention, no matter how long the moment is, so it's perfect." Jenny laughed too.

"As long as I'm the center of attention after her, I'm fine." She replied, smiling widely. I returned the smile and my phone began vibrating again, so I took it out. My alarm to go back to work had gone off.

I put it back in my pocket and said, "Time to go to work." They all nodded and we walked back to the parking lot.

"When can we meet Marie?" Rachel asked. I thought about it for a bit. What would be a good time? Before work? Maybe, but I'm not so sure about it. During work? No, not at that time. After work? No, I'd be too tired, and Marie would be too.

Then it hit me. This weekend. It would be perfect. I would take her to the park, tell Rachel, Jenny, and Karen to meet us there, and done. I smiled to myself and turned to them.

"This Saturday. Can you guys be here in the morning, around nine? Marie and I will be here kind of early, since she's an early bird." I chuckled as I remembered all the mornings I'd get waken up by Marie shaking me.

Rachel nodded. "Yes, I'll be here at that time. I rise early too."

Jenny nodded too. "I'm not an early riser, but I'll set my alarm." She smiled at me, and I smiled back.

"I'll be here. I wake up early too," Karen said. I nodded to all of them.

"Then it's settled. We meet here early on Saturday." They nodded too, and we said our goodbyes and drove back to work.

After parking my car, I began to walk towards the lobby. I heard my name being called behind me, and I turned around to see Richard catching up to me. I smiled at him when I saw him and he smiled back

"Hello Richard. How was your lunch?" I asked.

He shrugged. "It was good, although I didn't even get to eat my lunch." He held up a Burger King bag as proof. "How about your lunch?" he asked me.

"It went good, the girls are wonderful." I smiled. "Rachel and I are getting along great, which is good, considering what Karen and Jen told me. Karen, Jen, and I are already talking about the wedding."

He looked miles away for a few seconds, and I let him get lost in thought. He then looked at me and responded.

"Ah, the wedding. Who's going to be the lucky maid of honor?" He asked.

I shrugged and said, "Jen hasn't decided yet. She said she'll tell us as soon as she chooses." He nodded and started thinking again.

I smiled softly, knowing he wouldn't see me. This was one of the things I had loved about him when we were young. I loved how lost he could get in his own thoughts, and when he did, he never noticed anything around him. Of course, this was a bad thing most of the time, but when we weren't in danger or under attack, it was amusing and entertaining. Apparently, he still did it, and I just found it adorable about him.

By then, we had already arrived. Richard closed the door after we had gone in and we got to work immediately.

The day passed by smoothly, with a few meetings, papers, and phone calls in between. By the time 5:00 came I was more than ready to go home.

I put my things away and sat comfortably in my chair. I waited for Richard to finish putting his things away, and then he looked up. He saw that I was ready to go, and smiled. He gestured towards the door.

"Shall we go home?" he asked. I smiled faintly and nodded. After saying goodbye at the parking lot, we left for home.

WAYNWAYNWAYNWAYN

After picking up Marie from Jessica's and thanking her profusely, I drove home with a tired daughter. I gave her some cereal, made her brush her teeth and take a bath, and she was asleep as soon as her little head hit the pillow. I smiled fondly at her once she was tucked in bed and kissed her cheek. I turned on her nightlight in her room and closed the door softly on my way out.

After my own dinner, bath, and personal hygiene, I slipped into my bed and closed my eyes, smiling. Today was a good day, and I really hope that Saturday turns out well.

I know, I know, no big cliffie.(That you know of…):P

~*[[[Ok, if anyone's confused on how the days have gone by for this story, the 1st- 5th chapters are Monday(that's a lot…). Chapters 6 and 8 are Tuesday, and chapters 7 and this one *points up* are Wednesday. If anyone's confused, just leave it in a review, and I'll answer it in the A/N.]]]*~

Sooo yeah. PLEASE review this chapter and PLEASE go check out my Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius fanfic. It would help a LOT if I got some reviews for it.:)

GOODBYE!(for now)