I wiped the sweat off my forehead and walked in my house.
"Look who's here!" Chris chanted and Clarissa ran towards me and hugged my leg.
"Oh, mom is sweaty" I bent down and gave her a hug, probably leaving my sweat's odor on her.
Clarissa looked at me curiously, touched my forehead with her index finger and looked at the wet residue on it. She looked at it and then surprisingly put her finger in her mouth, tasting my sweat.
"Clarissa! No!" I tried not to laugh, and I cleaned her hand. "That's yucky, don't do that." I told her.
She opened her eyes widely, "Salty!" She shrieked and ran around the living room. "Eeeewwwww!"
Chris and I looked at each other and we couldn't help but chuckle. I grabbed a cup filled with water, "Claire." I held the cup up in the air so she could see. She ran in my direction, took a sip of water, gave me back the cup and ran around, playing again.
I walked towards Chris, who was doing something on the counter. I wondered how so many couples just lost the love after the honeymoon phase, and Chris and I were soon going to complete our third year married, and I was still so in love with him. I hugged him from behind, resting my head on his back.
He mimicked Clarissa's expression, "Sweaty mommy!" He joked, as I left a sweat stain on the back of his shirt.
I playfully stuck my tongue out at him, and then he trapped me in between him and the counter, and placed a quick kiss on my lips. "Hmm… How was it?"
"I'm still pretty good, I cans still whoop your bottom." I told him trying to watch my language next to our children and, referring to getting back to training. I finally had gone back to practicing with my siblings, not everyday and not for so many hours as before I had babies, but I was back and it felt damn good.
"I know you can." He laughed and I rested my hands over his shoulders.
"You like it rough don't you?" I asked him, grinning. Chris arms hugged my back and he pulled me closer. I then, remembered our daughters were there, and I was dripping in sweat, and I wriggled myself out of the hot hug, leaving Chris with a disappointed face. "What you got there?" I asked him, sitting on the counter.
"Just cooking." He told me, chopping a banana. "I got chicken and potatoes in the oven, and I'm preparing fruit salad." Chris came up to me and whispered in my ear, "And a dick that's at your service…"
"Psst…stop…" I grinned.
I jumped off the counter, "Well, I'm going to shower."
I had to scrub a lot to get the blood and dirt off of my fingernails.
I walked back into the living room and picked up Sophie from her cradle. "Hello baby, how are you feeling?" Sophie took several deep, desperate breath, and I noticed I was putting pressure on her lungs, I pushed myself off of her. "Sorry, Soph. I didn't mean to." I held her vertically, this time gentler. "
Clarissa sat beside me on the couch, she looked at Sophie, and Sophie looked back at her.
"Sophie!" She pointed towards her sister.
"That's right, Clarissa." I smiled at her. Sophie wriggled on my lap.
Clarissa snuggled close to me, and I put my free arm around her. "My two girls."
Sophie frowned, I pulled her away from Clarissa, I knew she was going to strike.
"Hmmm…" Clarissa pointed towards Sophie's eye, "W…red?"
"Blue." I smiled at her attempt on naming the color. I kissed the top of her head, and not surprisingly, Sophie opened her big mouth and started screaming and soon the tears were falling down her cheeks, damn that girl could scream, she took a grip on Clarissa's hair, and pulled it, with a mightier force than most babies have. With that, Clarissa also started crying. I quickly started untangling Sophie's small fingers from Clarissa's curls, she had a strong grasp, believe me, and Clarissa continued screaming in pain. By that time Chris was already there, he picked Clarissa up.
"Shh…" He held her against his chest, while I calmed down my panicking baby.
I pointed towards our room, and Chris agreed with a nod. I rushed away with Sophie, and closed the door behind us.
"Calm down, Sophie…" I rocked her gently, "You can't be so jealous of mommy, Clarissa is my baby too, just like you." And then I felt stupid for trying to talk this way to a baby. But it was true, I knew why Sophie had tried to attack Clarissa. She wanted me to no one but herself, she was very possessive, and unfortunately and involuntarily, I was feeding that trait by giving her the amount of attention we do. But I don't blame myself, she's fragile, and despite her rebellious attitude and very strong personality, she was still physically gentle and not as powerful as she thought.
She yelled again, and her big eyes reddened as the tears fell like a waterfall. "Sophie, please. I'm here now, mommy's here, with you." I kept repeating that, until the words became a soft humming melody, and apparently relaxed Sophie, as her crying decreased.
"There" I wiped the tears off her cheeks, and she made a funny face at me. She had chubby cheeks and I could not get over how cute she was.
After about half and hour of Sophie's crying and our daughters' first fight, I lied in bed with her, I put her on my stomach, and took a moment to relax. I tried to picture Chris and I relaxing in Hawaii, just us.
"Finally, huh, Sophie?" I whispered, trying hard not to fall asleep.
Apparently I didn't try hard enough, because I woke up in desperation, hoping I hadn't crushed my daughter while asleep.
"Maamaaa…" She stuck out her tongue, while trying to speak.
"Oh, Soph" I smiled, "That's right, you said it right, mommy." I hugged her.
Then, I noticed something interesting. I smiled at Sophie, and she smiled back at me. I raised an eyebrow, and Sophie attempted to raise an eyebrow, but ended up raising both, I puckered up my lips, Sophie tried to do the same, I frowned, Sophie frowned too. I giggled and remembered the book Bella had given me in the beginning of my motherhood. It had said that my baby would try to imitate my expressions and words, but as that didn't happen too much with Clarissa, I ignored it. It was interesting.
I looked at a picture on my night stand. It was Chris and I, I was half way through my first pregnancy. I was standing in the arena, wearing my gear, although I hadn't touched a single opponent that day, and Chris was hugging my belly from behind, we were both smiling. I missed being pregnant. I sat Sophie on her crib, and reached under my bed for a photo album I had never stopped to look at. Chris had given it to me, when I was pregnant with Clarissa.
I sat beside Sophie's crib, and to my surprise she was chewing on one of her toys, and not crying so I would pick her up. I lied in bed, and analyzed the album.
The first picture in it, I was fifteen or sixteen. The first thing I realized, was that my hair was uneven, I remember how I got that "haircut." I was with an awkward expression on my face, sort of a grin and a frown at the same time, Chris and I had started dating and I was so shy around him. The pictures were in chronological order. The ones that called my attention, were the ones in where I was pregnant, opposed to what i thought, I thought I'd pay more attention to the fighting pictures. But then, I realized. I missed being pregnant. The sensation of a human being growing inside you, that comfort. Oh, how I loved it. I looked back at my first pregnancy. I had been such a drama queen about it. I couldn't help but laugh. It was just two years and a couple months ago, but I was such a child! I had been a virgin not long before I had Clarissa, i remember the day. It was on my eighteenth birthday, and it was also the first time Chris had told me he loved me, it felt so good. I wasn't prepared to be a mother, when I found out I was pregnant. And all of my threatens to Drew, now, would become gratitude, she changed my life. She added the most precious things in the world into my life. But, I was scared, I didn't want Clarissa, it hurt, all the nights awake, everyone judging me. I also worried about Chris, but i couldn't ask for anything better. Chris was an angel in my life, he was always by my side, always supported me, always was positive. He couldve just turned his back on me and told me he wasn't going to assume the child. But, he wanted her, when I didn't want her, he did. He handled my physical and verbal abuse, my worries, when I was freaking out because of my mother's death, my crap in general. Wow. Sometimes I just stop and think, I'm glad that man is my husband. But, when I saw her, when I saw that pretty face, those sweet eyes, chubby cheeks, plump lip, I knew i never wanted to let go of her, I knew she'd be my treasure for life, and I knew that…that everything would be just fine.
"Maama…" Sophie yelped in her crib.
"Ooops, almost forgot about you." i picked her up, "Ready to go back? Yes, I think you're ready. Behave Sophie, there's mommy for everyone."
A/N: Reviewwww please! thanks for all the reviews last chap! KEEP THEM COMING! I LOVE YOUR REVIEWS GUYS! REVIEW PWEASE! SORT OF A BORING CHAP, BUT SHOWS CLARISSE'S THOUGHTS, WHAT SHE HAS IN MIND.