Here's chapter 5 I hope you enjoy it, I would love to hear what you thought of it. I'll update as soon as I can.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
"Good morning." Jane smiled, I looked over and he was sitting by the window with a cup of tea watching Liam crawl around on a blanket with some of his toys. I moved in the bed and noticed the girls were gone to. "Bathroom." Jane answered taking a sip of tea.
"Both of them?" I questioned.
"They wanted to get ready on their own." He smiled, " I made sure they brushed their teeth but they want to do their own hair."
"I see, and is Cass still asleep?" I wondered looking to the crib, "What time is it?"
"Nine." He answered.
"Why didn't you wake me, when the kids got up?" I needed to know.
"You looked so peaceful." He shrugged, letting William climb into his lap.
"What time is our flight home?" I yawned getting out of bed only to notice my reflection in the mirror, oh God my hair was a mess where's my brush, Jane didn't need to see me like this. He's probably seen me look worse, what was I so concerned about.
"You look lovely." He smirked.
"Damn it Jane do you always have to do that?" I snapped, but immediately regretted it when I saw Liam crawling around on his lap. "You didn't answer my question."
"Noon," He smiled, "On Thursday."
"Jane that's four days away." I shouted, "What on earth are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking that we should go get breakfast once you're dressed." He shrugged, "and as for the plane tickets, I've never been to Chicago before I planned on you and the kids showing me around."
"What do you have planned?" I worried.
"Oh a couple things." He chuckled, "Girls are you almost done in there?"
"Yep, what do you think?" Alyssa came bouncing out, with her hair back in a very messy ponytail, with her sister quietly behind her with a similar ponytail.
"Well you look gorgeous." Jane nodded.
"I agree." I smiled, "How about you give me a minute and then we go downstairs for breakfast." I repeated Jane's words to the girls.
"And then the museum?" Alyssa asked.
"Museum?" I repeated.
"Patrick said he was taking us to the museum of science and industry." Emily explained.
"He did, did he?" I looked at Jane who just shrugged, "You know what that sounds like a great idea." I agreed, I guess I should have realized earlier that he was going to turn this into a vacation for himself, but at least he picked someplace educational for the kids.
"Come on girls, show me how you can tie your shoes." Jane encouraged resituating William on his lap.
"But I want to wear my flip flops." Alyssa pouted, as I grabbed my clothes for the day and hurried into the bathroom.
"There's going to be a lot of walking." Jane warned, "I don't want to hear you whining about your feet hurting later."
"I promise I won't whine." Alyssa insisted, I heard rummaging she must be digging in her suitcase for flip-flops.
"You promise, because if you start whining you have to wear your tennis shoes the rest of the week." Jane threatened.
"I promise." Alyssa whined.
"She's going to whine anyway." Emily warned, I wish I were out there to see what was going on for myself, I rushed myself through getting ready.
"Am not." Alyssa shouted.
"Girls." Jane warned, and the fighting stopped how did he do that was it something that could be learned. When I came out Jane had moved from his chair to the floor so he could sit across from Emily while she showed him how to tie her shoes.
"Is everybody ready for breakfast?" I wondered, after all shoes had been tied or slid on.
"I'd say so," Jane nodded, "I got Cassandra if you can grab the diaper bag."
"Thank you Jane." I smiled, grabbing the diaper bag, eventually I would gain the confidence to hold Cassandra I told myself.
"Teresa why do you call Patrick that?" Alyssa frowned as the six of us headed for the elevator.
"Call Patrick what?" I wondered, not thinking I had called him anything unusual.
"Jane, why do you call Patrick that?" Alyssa added.
"It's my last name." Jane smiled, "Just like Harris is your last name."
"But Jane is a girls name." Alyssa giggled.
"That's fair, but guess what Harris is a boys name." Jane teased.
"But people don't call me Harris, why does she call you Jane?" Alyssa questioned.
"Because we use last names at work he calls me by my last name a lot of the time to." I offered.
"Okay I guess, but it's funny cause you call him a girls name." Alyssa giggled.
"I never looked at it that way." I admitted all these years I had just called him that I never worried that it bothered him and he never said anything against it. Then again twice he has told me to call him Patrick, once he was drugged, and then the second time was last night.
"You think to much Teresa." He chuckled, lifting William into his free arm for a better look at the cereal selection. "What cereal are we having today? They have fruit loops, lucky charms, cheerios, rice krispies, or frosted flakes." Jane listed off the options.
"Fruit loops!" William cheered, and with Jane's hands full I got Williams bowl, and set it on an empty table.
"Cheerios." Emily shrugged, and I made her bowl and set it on the table next to Williams.
"It really doesn't bother you that you get called a girls name?" Alyssa wondered, after Jane set William down at the table.
"Not any more." Jane answered, "When I was your age it did, but now I'm okay with it. So which cereal do you want?"
"Can I call you Jane?" She giggled.
"Do you want to?" He smiled, and she smiled to.
"It's no fun when you don't mind." She sighed.
"I agree," He laughed, "Now how about some lucky charms?"
"How do you know that's what I want?" Alyssa pouted, and I started to pour the bowl.
"You get used to it." I sighed, leading the girl to the table with her sister and brother. I grabbed myself some toast and Jane made a second glass of tea for himself and a coffee for me.
"You're not eating?" I worried, watching Jane bounce Cass on his lap.
"I'll grab a muffin or something when we leave." He assured, wiping dripping milk off of Williams face.
"You promise to eat something." I made sure.
"Yes dear." He smiled, and I realized how that sounded and then I blushed and his smile grew.
The museum was a great idea, however it made me realize I was actually in the custody of five children only one of them was a much better actor most of the time, he however was also the one that would probably get in the most trouble. The girls loved walking through the fairy castle, and all three loved looking at the baby chicks in the hatchery, and Jane paid for each of the kids to make a top in the toy exhibit.
By the time we got back to the hotel it was late and all of the kids had fallen asleep in the car. With Jane's help I put them into their pajamas and tucked them into bed. We hadn't been in bed for more than a couple minutes when it dawned on me.
"You are an evil genius." I rolled over to face him.
"Genius I'll accept evil must be in the eyes of the beholder." He smirked, "but please explain."
"You wore them out on purpose." I whispered, "To get them to sleep through the night."
"Not for my sake I promise, you and those kids need a distraction and a good nights sleep." He answered, "I didn't want them to sit on a plane for four hours with nothing but sad thoughts. I know what happens when you dwell on tragedy."
"Jane you can give them all the distractions in the world, but that's not going to stop them from thinking about their parents." I frowned.
"I don't want them to stop thinking about their parents, I just don't want them to dwell on their deaths." He sighed and I kept frowning, "Don't look at me like that."
"Jane their not you, their young and resilient give them time to grieve." I answered it was my turn to wrap my arms around him.
"Are you calling me old?" He questioned, I didn't have to look at his face to know he was smiling.
"So what if I am?" I laughed, into his t-shirt.
"I just might load those kids up on candy and then catch an earlier flight by myself." He threatened.
"You wouldn't." I pulled away just far enough to look at his face.
"You doubt me?" He smirked.
"Not for a second." I grinned.
"You should." He smiled down at me, "because I don't think I could ever just leave you again," He suddenly got very serious, but then added, "not even if you called me old."
"I know." I whispered into his shirt not even sure if he heard me. That was so like him a rollercoaster of emotions in one conversation and he just laid their running his fingers through my hair. And that's exactly how I fell asleep, I vaguely remember Jane telling me to go back to sleep around one thirty when Cassandra started crying and that was it.