Peace and Prayer
A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews, on this story and all the other stories on my page. I really apreciate it.
"What are you doing down here?" Dominic asked, screwing his eyes up a little as he entered the brightly lit kitchen through the night.
"Just couldn't sleep." Thea shook her head, stirring a spoon around her tea.
"Something on your mind?" He asked her.
"No, it's ok. You go back to bed. You've got work in the morning." She nodded.
"My sleep isn't as important as you and your thoughts." He reminded her.
"Me and my thoughts." Thea nodded to herself, "I'm just wondering what James is thinking. What's going through his mind." She admitted.
"You said things went well with your mom and dad. Said they had a good chat with him and he was… he was fine." Dominic said, taking a seat across from her in their kitchen.
"Well, he was. He is. My dad said they talked for hours. And he did look a lot brighter when I picked him up." Thea nodded, "It's just a lot to take in. I'm just worried about him." She said.
"Being parents' is a worrying job." Dominic nodded, "It's not like he has anything to worry about. All that stuff is in the past. It's just stories now."
"It's my stories, though." Thea said, "I remember when I found out my dad wasn't who I thought he was. I was so confused and lost. Didn't know who I was. I don't want him to feel like."
"You were a lot closer to all that stuff that happened. You lived it all. James has a safe life with us. There are no skeletons in our closets. He's just a normal kid." Dominic nodded.
"Define normal." Thea smiled a little as Dominic chuckled, "I know he's safe and there's nothing to worry about, not anymore, but sitting down and telling him, it just made me realise all the shit we went through. All the shit my parents' went through." She shook her head, "It almost doesn't feel believable."
"Would you want to have been born into any other family?" Dominic asked her as she looked up at him.
"Never in a million years." She whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek.
"Mommy!" Leela called, running into her mother's arms.
"Oh, hi baby." Jude chuckled, hugging her youngest daughter back.
She'd come to pick them up from Sean's after they had stayed with him at the weekend, so excited and overjoyed to see their gorgeous little faces.
"Mom, come see what we made." Mirren smiled excitedly, taking her mother's hand, pulling her away from Leela and marching her through to the kitchen where Sean was.
"Wow, what's this?" Jude smiled.
"Paper machete." Mirren said happily, "We did Mister and Misses Potato Head." She showed her mother as Jude chuckled.
"God, I used to love doing this when I was a kid." Jude said, "You know, papa used to help me with my art projects for school. A lot of them would be paper machete. It was always so much fun." She smiled to herself, remembering all the times her father had stayed up late, way past midnight, helping her with her art projects when she was at high school.
"Dad told us it was your favourite thing to do so we made them for you." Mirren said as Jude smiled, looking over at Sean, smiling to him as he smiled back pleasantly.
"You can put them at the front door. In the apartment. So everyone sees them when they come in." Leela added as Jude smiled.
"Yeah, I think they'd look good there." Jude smiled, looking on at the wonky, makeshift potato's, quite impressed by how much they did look like the Toy Story characters.
"Daddy helped us, too." Leela added.
"I didn't know dad knew how to do this." Jude said, amused.
"He doesn't." Sean assured her, "But… I've watched you over the years, I picked up some tricks of the trade I suppose."
"Well, I think they're amazing girls." Jude smiled. She always beamed whenever her daughters would purposely show her some sort of art related creation they'd made, because they knew how happy it made her. It warmed her heart.
"Why don't you go get your bags from upstairs?" Sean said.
"We'll each carry our potato to the car." Leela made clear, "So no one touch them." She nodded.
"Ok, baby." Sean nodded with a smile, "Go. Go get your bags." He told them as they rushed away upstairs to collect their things.
"Were they ok?" Jude asked Sean.
"You don't have to ask that whenever you come to get them." Sean said, "They're always ok." He nodded.
"Yeah, I know. Just… feels like the right thing to ask." Jude said, "Maybe I should start asking you how much trouble they caused you?" She smiled.
"Oh, well… how much time do you have?" Sean scoffed as Jude chuckled.
They had definitely been operating on a more civil manner with each other, getting used to co-parenting and all the hardships that came with that. It was still incredibly difficult for both of them, so different and at times, unbelievable, but they were doing their best to put the girls first.
"I uh… I wanted to ask you something." She said, "And I don't want us to get into a fight about it."
"Ok." Sean said suspiciously, "Go on."
"I was… I was thinking I might introduce the girls to Miles." Jude said, watching him as his face slowly dropped. She could see the hurt slowly take over him, changing his facial expression into something she could only describe as devastation.
"If you think it's too soon…" Jude nodded, "If you want me to wait. I will." She said.
"What are you going to tell them? The girls?" Sean asked curiously.
"That he's my friend." Jude shrugged as Sean nodded to himself.
"It's your decision, Jude." Sean nodded to her.
"It concerns the girls. That's why I'm asking." She said.
"If he's good to you, I trust he'll be good to the girls." Sean said as Jude smiled.
"Thank you." She nodded sincerely.
"You are happy? Aren't you?" He asked as Jude nodded.
"I am." She nodded, "You might not believe me but… there's times I still miss us. Our life together. It's not easy swapping the kids between us. It's like reminders of the life we used to have for a few minutes, when the four of us are together." She nodded.
"But you're happy?" He asked again.
"I'm happy." Jude nodded as he smiled.
"That's all that matters to me." He assured her as she nodded, feeling a sense of relief and calm that they'd finally reached this point of peace. It was still incredibly difficult, but each time they saw each other, it felt just that little bit less difficult.
"What story do you want tonight, buddy?" Theo asked, unbuttoning the top button on his shirt, sitting down on the edge of Chase's bed where the six-year-old was settling down for the night. He'd just gotten home from work, but his first priority was making sure he spent some time with his son, even if it was just for a short time before he fell asleep.
"Peter Rabbit." Chase said.
"Peter Rabbit it is." Theo nodded, making his way over to the bookshelf in the corner of the room, crouching down and looking through the books.
"No… the Hungry Caterpillar." Chase changed his mind, "Caterpillars turn into butterflies." He nodded.
"Do they?" Theo asked.
"Yeah. My teacher said so. At school." Chase nodded.
"That's kinda cool, isn't it?" Theo nodded, looking for the book.
"Daddy, what animal would you turn into? If you could turn into an animal?" Chase asked curiously.
"Oh, I don't know." Theo said, spotting the book he was looking for and taking it from the shelf, making his way back to the bed and sitting down, "What would you turn into?" He asked.
"I'd turn into a cheetah. Cause they're fast." Chase nodded, having thought very hard about this.
"They are. Then you could play super speed soccer." He smiled as Chase chuckled, "I think I'd turn into a mouse." He nodded.
"A mouse?" Chase laughed, "A cat would eat you."
"No, I'd be a smart mouse." Theo nodded, "What would mommy turn into?" He asked his son curiously.
"I told mommy she would turn into a monkey. Because monkeys can carry lots of things at once. With their hands and feet and tails. And she's always carrying lots of things. And she's cheeky." Chase nodded as Theo chuckled.
"You've really thought about this, huh?" Theo smiled.
"Me and mommy were talking about it at dinner. We said you'd turn into an Owl. Because you're always awake at night." Chase nodded as Theo smiled, "And we said Aunt Thea would be a hyena. And Aunt Jude, a rabbit." He nodded as Theo chuckled, "And papa would be a panther. And… And Nana A would be a Hawk, cause she's always watching." Chase nodded.
"This was a very serious discussion." Theo realised, very amused, "And what about Lena?" He asked curiously.
"Umm…" Chase thought hard, "She'd be a baby elephant. Because she breaks things." Chase decided as Theo chuckled.
"A baby elephant." Theo nodded with a smile, "You know what? I think if we were all to turn into animals, we'd turn into exactly what you said." He said. The innocence and wildness of his son's imagination was what made coming home from a hard shift at work instantly better.
Meanwhile Cassie was next door, putting Lena down in her crib.
"Momma loves you, sweet girl." Cassie smiled, putting Lena down into her crib, watching as the one-year-old slept peacefully with her hands above her head, "You are so so loved." She whispered, stroking Lena's soft cheek.
"I could watch you for hours." Cassie said to herself, watching Lena closely, looking at her little chest rising and falling peacefully.
She kept having to remind herself she was going to have another little person to take care of soon. It was so surreal at times to think there was a baby in her tummy, something she'd so desperately wanted for the last few years. Something she had finally been at peace with not having. Lena had completed her. Made her whole. Changed her world for the better and filled her heart with so much love. This baby inside her was a gift. Just like Chase, and just like Lena.
"Hey." Theo said quietly, walking into the room as Cassie turned around, "Chase is down."
"So is this one." Cassie smiled, looking back down at Lena.
"I'm an owl, huh?" He said as Cassie turned back to him.
"We had a very interesting dinner." Cassie nodded.
"Sounds it." Theo chuckled, "To be a kid again." He smiled to himself.
"I know, right?" Cassie nodded, "I still feel like that little girl who wanted to be Pocahontas, honestly." She admitted.
"Is that the one where the girl falls in love with the coloniser?" Theo asked as she turned to him.
"Don't. Don't ruin Disney for me." Cassie warned him, "And anyway, I didn't care about the guy. It was her animal friends, grandmother willow…" She smiled to herself, "I wanted to be her so bad."
"You're better." Theo nodded as she smiled, turning to him as they leaned over Lena's crib, "Pocahontas can suck it." He said as Cassie chuckled to herself, "And her coloniser husband."
"You're ridiculous." Cassie smiled to herself.
"You love me." Theo shrugged.
"I do." She nodded, turning to face him as he looked into her eyes, "Can I ask you to do something?" She asked.
"Anything." He nodded.
"I'm not religious. Don't imagine I ever will be." She said, "But I know you are, to some extent." She nodded, "Will you pray that I don't lose this baby?" She asked as Theo looked at her sadly, "I know… I know doc said everything is looking fine, and I don't know what a prayer is going to do exactly, probably nothing but…"
"I will." Theo nodded to her, "Already am." He admitted as she smiled, cupping his cheek and leaning in to kiss him softly.