"I can't believe we're almost done here already," Mike says, leaning down to press kisses to the soles of Sara Louisa's feet as AJ helps her sit up, cooing down at her and clapping her chubby hands together. "Feels like we just got here."
"I know," AJ muses. "I wish we could've seen more, done more, but maybe next time. When this little one is older, and can remember it too."
"I can't believe she's sitting up on her own," Mike sighs. "It's all going by so fast." He hesitates, thinking about the days he spends on the road, the hours he's spent here filming. "I'm missing so much..."
AJ cups his face and leans in, kissing him softly. "She knows you love her, Mike. And you'll be here when she really needs you, that's the important thing."
He looks down at the baby girl, smiling a little when she reaches out for him, her small fingers slapping against his forearms as he lifts her up and cradles her close. "I love you more than anything, Sara," he breathes into her dark hair. "Please never doubt that, no matter where I might be."
AJ smiles as he cuddles their daughter close, standing up and dusting her hands off on her shorts. "So I was thinking about having a kind of picnic in the park."
"Oh, it's been a really long time since we've done something like that," Mike says, his eyes brightening at the thought of it. "You and me, and the park, yeah, I-"
"Uh, sorry to burst your bubble, husband, but I was thinking a picnic for the group. The Social Outcasts, Naomi, ... even Maryse," she offers, somewhat halfheartedly. "Since our suite has a kitchen that's gone woefully unused the last few weeks except for Sara's bottles, I figured I could try to make pizzas and sandwiches and stuff. How's that sound?"
Mike stands up and lightly rocks Sara against his shoulder as he walks over to AJ, lazily kissing her shoulder. "I think you had me at 'pizza', sweetheart," he whispers softly, scraping his teeth against her skin in a way that makes her shiver.
She laughingly swats at him before turning around to take the baby from him and show her all of the ingredients for pizza toppings AJ had bought ahead of time. "Some day soon, you'll be eating grown up food too, and I bet pizza will be one of your very favorite foods," she says softly, kissing the top of Sara's head.
Mike watches them for a few more minutes, a fond smile on his face, before he has to leave for the day's filming. Kissing first AJ, then Sara, he leaves his girls to play with the onions and the green peppers, Sara happily squishing pepperoni slices between her fingers as AJ chuckles.
It's weird to think he's going to be gone, back on the road with WWE in a few short days, but for now, he decides to take it all in, not miss a minute. He's watching a scene that Naomi and Maryse are in with some extras when Heath plops down in the normal sized directors chair next to him, the two of them watching on in silence. After Cut! is yelled, Heath leans in. "Hey, man, how old's lil' Sara Louisa by now anyhow?"
Mike blinks. "A little over four months, why?"
Heath's grin is quick and soft. "Nah, no reason, just curious, man. Gonna miss seein' her, I guess, y'know. She's cute."
AJ had mentioned that Heath was adorable with Sara, even calling him Uncle Heath a bit. The thought seems weird to Mike but, the more he looks at Heath, the more he believes it. "Well, any time you're around California, we'll set something up. You can come see her. I mean, hell." He hesitates, looking around. "You're kind of part of the group now, aren't you?" The fringe of the group, gotten along better with than Summer or Daniel, but still there.
"I guess I am," Heath agrees, looking cheerful at the thought, and Mike remembers Heath's lost a lot over the years too- most of his Nexus mates, all of the Corre members, 3MB, Adam Rose... At least when John had left WWE, he still lived close enough that they could see each a lot.
"I guess you are." Mike chuckles a little and scratches at his nose, thinking about a group with Heath Slater in it. Parties will definitely be interesting now, I guess. Until the facts of our careers cause me to push him away, like I did Zack. Mike sighs and rests his face in his hands, the time away from all of that making him feel more guilty. Zack had insulted him on twitter, of course he did, Mike deserves it, and Mike had mentioned not buying his shirt because of it, but he goes ahead and does so anyway while waiting for his first scene of the day to come up.
It's really the least he can do, after everything he and Maryse did to the man, after all.
-x
The next day, the group of them are given a couple of hours away from filming to go to the park. AJ meets them with large plates stacked high with sandwiches and pizzas, her eyes gleaming as they help her set them all out on the tables scattered around. "Cheese only, supreme with mushrooms and olives, supreme without, pepperoni only, sausage only," she explains, taping little signs by each pizza so no one gets them confused and grabs the wrong slices. Condiments are scattered around too, with a decent variety of drinks, and everyone oohs and ahhs over the preparation AJ must've put into all of this, especially while taking care of Sara.
After everyone is served and settled at tables, eating and laughing, talking amongst themselves, Heath drops down next to AJ with a couple slices of pizza and a sandwich, large glass of iced tea rounding out his meal. They eat in comfortable silence for a minute before he looks up and over at her, eyes wide and dark as he waits for her to stop chewing. She frowns and swallows, wiping at her lips self-consciously, before facing him. "What's up, Heath?"
"I, well, I was just thinkin'," he says, glancing down at where Sara is playing with her toes in her carrier. "Mike mentioned Sara was over four months, and... well, I spotted this in the store the other day, and it said it was for kids four to eight months, so. I just. Guess I kinda bought it." He lightly rests a box of baby cereal on the table in front of AJ, looking anxious. AJ blinks and looks over at the baby, brows drawn together thoughtfully, Heath immediately starting to talk again. "Sorry if I overstepped, I just thought, maybe she'd like it, 'n'... but you prolly already have some for her, and... never mind, it's silly, I'll try to return it-"
AJ rests her hand on top of Heath's before he could pull the box back, smiling. "No, no, I'm just thinking. We haven't actually tried solid foods of any sort with her yet, I was considering waiting until we got her settled back at home because if it didn't react well with her, then she'd be in a calm environment, but I've been watching her. She can hold her head up now, and she's been playing with my food more, so... maybe it is time."
Heath watches as AJ digs around, finding a pack of baby spoons that she'd just bought recently, pulling out a bottle of milk from the diaper bag. She starts to mix the two things together in a small bowl until the consistency seems something she's comfortable with. Sara fusses as Mike lifts her up and places her in AJ's arms but settles at the first sight of the bright blue spoon heading towards her. AJ coos at her and talks softly until she opens her mouth, taking the spoonful of cereal in. Everyone in sight holds their breath, almost expecting to get a face full of cereal before long, but no, Sara swallows it down and waves her little fists, staring up at AJ as she takes in the taste of cereal for the first time.
"Well, wouldcha look at that," Heath says softly. "I think she likes it."
AJ grins as Sara takes a second spoonful eagerly, nodding. "I think she does, yep." AJ offers her a couple of more spoonfuls before Sara starts to whine and twist away from the spoon, a surefire way to show she's full, so AJ puts a lid on the bowl, noting to clean it out and toss it when they get back to the hotel. "Thank you, Heath. I can now say my little girl's eating solids." She grins at him before handing the baby back to Mike so she can wipe little bits of the cereal off of Sara's lips and chin, murmuring softly to her. Once Sara's settled back in her carrier, Mike stroking her tummy when she starts to fuss again, AJ returns to her meal, relieved when the baby settles and even falls asleep, lulled by the oatmeal.
"I'm gonna miss this," Bo Dallas says after a moment. "To think, Heath said we'd be movie stars, and he was right. It's just even more proof that things work out if you just Bo-Lieve!" There are stars shining in his eyes and AJ bites back her laughter at Heath and Axel's fond aggravation towards the man's ever chipper attitude.
"I'm gonna miss it too," she sighs, leaning against Mike's arm and staring around at the group of them. It had been fun. Even knowing Maryse was on the peripheral of it all, aware that soon they would be back to acting like husband and wife on WWE TV. Vancouver had been just what AJ had needed to re-affirm her relationship with Mike, reminding her how good it is when nothing's in the way. How good it'll always be, no matter what.
She smiles.