Aliya was able to go home as soon as the sun came up on that Saturday morning and she had spent that entire day in her bedroom resting, still feeling sick from the day before. She felt bad about biting the kid at the party and hoped there wouldn't be serious repercussions. Trevor had been trying to message her and she just told him that she hadn't been feeling well and called Leon to come and pick her up. She kept her answers short, not particularly in the mood to talk.
Aliya woke up on Sunday morning hearing furniture being moved around downstairs and groaned as she got up.
"What the hell are they doing down there?" She asks herself, rubbing the sleep from her burgundy eyes as she began her descent downstairs. Aliya's eyes widened as she came into the kitchen and saw that Leon had already made the blanket fort.
"What are you doing?"
"Well, you said that you wanted to make a blanket fort and watch Disney movies all day so let's get started," he says, moving the blanket out of the way for her and Helena to enter.
Aliya entered after Helena and looked around in awe to see that he had put several blankets and pillows around the inside to make sure they were comfortable. Certain parts of the blanket were being kept up by chairs acting as support beams. Aliya took her spot next to Helena and Leon entered with his laptop and took his spot between both.
"Alright, which movie do you want to watch first?" He asks, logging into his computer and pulling up some files he had downloaded.
"Can we watch Pocahontas?"
"You got it, kiddo," he says, selecting the movie and sitting back as it played.
The three spent most of the day watching Disney movies, Aliya all but forgetting the events that happened the other evening. Aliya and Helena eventually fell asleep when they were halfway through Mulan, both curled up on either side of him. Leon just smiled, giving them both a kiss on the forehead and getting out of the fort to make dinner for all of them.
Leon decided to make a simple pasta dish, knowing that he couldn't fuck that up. Leon didn't hear the front door open until he saw Sherry in his peripheral vision, trying not to be loud in case anyone had been sleeping.
"Hey, what brings you here?"
"Just came to see how everyone was doing. How are you and Helena doing?"
"Things are going great. Helena is slowly getting back to her normal self. I mean as normal as she can get."
Sherry nodded," that is good. And Aliya?"
"Also doing good. A lot better than yesterday that is for sure. We are going to the zoo tomorrow."
Sherry smiled, "that's awesome, and are you trying to cook?"
"Uh trying to, yeah."
Sherry laughed, "good luck. Where are Helena and Aliya anyway?"
Leon just gestured to the blanket fort in the family room, then another gesture of his finger over his lips as if to tell her that she needed to be quiet.
"Are they sleeping?"
"Yes, and I would like to keep it that way. Helena has not been sleeping well and Aliya has had a long couple of days."
"I am glad everything is okay. Have fun tomorrow and I will see you around."
Leon nodded and walked her out the front door and wished her well, watching her get into her car and drive off before he shut the door and returned to cooking. He didn't notice that Helena had woken up and was making her way out of the fort.
"Oh no, do I need to have a pizza on standby?"
"Ha-ha very funny," he says with an eyeroll.
Helena chuckled, "well your cooking turned out so well last time."
"I'm making pasta. I cannot fuck that up."
"You'd be surprised," she says, going to the cabinet and grabbing the plates, moving to set the table as best she could with only one functional arm, not noticing Leon come up behind her and wrap his arms around her waist, kissing her on the neck.
"You know, since we're supposed to be married, I never got to carry you over the threshold."
"I'm sure you'll be able to do that one day," she says, "now watch the food."
Leon kissed her on the cheek and went back to cooking, eventually finishing as Aliya pulled herself out of the fort and yawning.
"Did Leon cook dinner without burning it for once?"
"That's what I said."
Leon rolled his eyes, "you two are mean."
Helena rolled her eyes as they went to sit down at the table. The two noticed that Aliya wasn't being as talkative as she normally was and it worried them, but they also figured it was because she had a very trying week. The three ate in silence until they got up to clean and do dishes and Aliya returned to her bedroom to finish her homework.
"Well, I'm glad she seems to be doing okay now."
"Yeah, let's just hope that she doesn't have another episode for a while."
Helena nodded, deep in thought.
"Leon, you said she bit that boy?"
Leon sighed, "yeah I told Hunnigan about it and she's going to send some people to get a jump on things and hope we don't have an outbreak."
Helena nodded as she tried to wash the pot that had the pasta in it until Leon took it from her and started cleaning it himself.
"Hey go rest. I got it from here."
Helena thought about arguing but knew that she wouldn't win the fight and decided against it and went upstairs to check on Aliya, who was in her room working on an assignment for art class. Helena smiled at how focused Aliya was on her assignment, her brow creased in concentration.
"Can I come in?" She asks, knocking on the side of the door and startling Aliya.
"Sure," she says, sitting up and moving over for Helena to sit.
"How are you feeling?"
Aliya shrugged, "still a little sick but I'll be okay."
Helena nodded and looked over Aliya's shoulder at her art pad to see what she had been drawing and was surprised at how good of an artist that she was. Aliya was working on a self portrait and Helena was astonished at the attention to detail she had. Aliya had gotten every detail about herself right, except for her eyes that she had to draw as green to pretend that she was normal.
"Aliya, did you do this?"
"Uh huh, self portraits are due on Tuesday. I just need to finish the color and then it's done."
"Do you like art?'
"Yeah, I love it. It's a great escape from reality."
Helena smiled as she put the drawing back down on the bed and got up, wishing the girl goodnight, and closing the bedroom door softly behind her as Leon came up the stairs.
"Is she in bed?"
Helena shook her head, "no she's just working on an art project, and you know, she's quite the artist."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah," Helena says as she went down the hall to their room and struggling to undress, getting her shirt stuck over her head.
"Need some help?"
Helena sighed, turning to face him blindly, "please."
"Please what?"
Helena sighed, "will you please help me get dressed?"
Leon smirked, "I thought you'd never ask."
Leon went over and pulled her shirt over her head and tossing it into the wicker laundry basket and grabbed one of her t-shirts from the dresser and helped her put it on. He could see that Helena hated asking for help with such simple tasks, but he didn't mind being asked for any help. It made him feel useful if she asked him.
"Okay, there."
"Thanks," she muttered, going to lay on her side of their bed.
"I know you hate feeling dependent on me but trust me, I really don't mind."
"I know. I'm just used to having to do things myself."
That was the end of that conversation as Helena rolled over onto her good side and allowed herself to drift off to sleep.