May 24th 2023

Chapter 144
We Collect On Our Own

If any of his daughters were to be asked, they would claim that the only reason any of them came and crawled up into the big bed with him over the nights where Maya was out of town was because they wanted to make sure that he wouldn't be lonely. They all missed her, so he'd be missing her, too, and she was his little spoon, they all knew that, so there they were to fill in for the job. Was he at all fooled? No, of course not. He could believe their story, because coming from them it would only be true, but at the same time he knew that there would be a just as likely scenario. They missed their mother, and knowing that she wasn't in the house, they felt compelled to hang on to their father. It really all worked out for the best for everyone.

She'd been gone for two nights now. One more, and she would be back with them. They all knew that, and they were all so very excited, but at the same time... The last few days had been fun, too, fun in a sort of 'we know it's temporary, but it's special, so we love it' way. It was him and all of them for the most part, with Finneas, and with Wyatt, Nellie, and Gracie when they weren't at school, or work, or anywhere else... As much as he would always feel the gap in his heart when Maya was away for any reason, as he knew he would over these days, he had set his mind to making this 'Daddy and Daughters' time be something that his girls would enjoy and remember well.

So far, he would say, he had achieved his goal. The roughest part had naturally been the one after Maya had gone on her way to the airport, and he'd been very glad right then that he had his brother and sisters in law along for the ride, and Finneas, too.

He'd been the unexpected star of that morning when he'd just gone and pulled himself on to his feet and taken his first - wobbly and assisted - steps, to the great amazement and cheer of his family looking on. His Friar cousins had cheered him on, startling him into tipping back on to his butt, while his aunts had gasped, scrambling to take out their phones in unison, and his father... Oh, Wyatt had been beside himself, watching his baby boy get on his feet pulling on the edge of the couch to approach him, seeing his smiling determination as he'd gone...

They had spent the rest of their time before the kids had to go to school playing with Finn. Marianne would hold him by the hands and try to help him stand while Wyatt sat on his knees, not too far away, so he might give it another go. It was still a work in progress, but whenever he'd fall back down, he'd just take his practiced crawl and speed to his father, who would 'pounce' on him and make him laugh, and then they would start again.

Maya had been happy to hear that they had gotten past the departure blues when she'd called to let them know that they had landed and reached the hotel, though she was understandably disappointed to hear that she had missed Finneas and his big moment. She didn't want the videos, wanted to wait, and see them after her return, so that was how it would be.

For his part, Lucas had taken the mood they had been left with and run with it. They were all going to have as much fun as they could while it was just them without the big missing piece that was Maya. That started with his accompanying whoever was making the rounds for school pickups in the afternoon, and drop-offs in the morning, as the days would carry on. The girls had no way of knowing that he would be there that first time, which had been all the more reason to record their reactions, adding it to the videos to be shared when Maya returned. He hadn't been part of the school routine since before the incident, and he knew that they had missed him being there. Their squeals and cheers had confirmed it just as well.

Evenings had their structure and that was needed, but there was always room for a bit of deviation, and Lucas used every inch of that on these ones while Maya was away. There was only so much he could do, but in this case, there was just so much at stake, so he would give his all. Night one, returning from the surprise pickup, they had gone to dinner at Ma Maggie's before heading home. There, the girls had been surprised again by the appearance of a solid looking fort, made of pillows, and blankets, and any other things they might have needed to have a magical sort of evening together. He'd worked on it all afternoon, and it had been such a success that they all made sure to ask him if it would still be there the next night, too. Lucas promised them that it would be, here using the very useful tactic of setting their expectations. The fort would remain for the time that Mommy was away only. The chances of this being accepted when the time would come for it to be pulled down were possibly on their side, but there would always be room for a tantrum, wouldn't there? They'd have to wait and see.

Lucas had figured there would be a lot of desire for the girls to remain in their fort for the night, and he was more than happy to indulge them, so the sleeping bags and other nighttime necessities had already been hidden away in the living room. That didn't stop them from waking up at one time or another in the night and climbing up, one at a time, two at a time, to the first floor and into their parents' room, into the vastness of space where their tiny selves could crawl in and become an assortment of littler spoons by his side. The next day had been a lot like this as well, not because he had nothing else to give but because that was what his girls wanted, and so that was what they got. On the second night, guessing they would end up in the same situation, they had gone right ahead and settled into the big bed, where they were told their bedtime story by both their father and their pumpkin sister.

Now here they were, on their last full day without Mommy, and Lucas had been sure that this would be all that the girls had on their mind, but instead what they wanted to know was what they would do for their last night with the fort. They were all looking to him for an answer, and he had no words for how happy they made him with their question.

"It depends. What do you all want to do?" he asked them, and he smiled, seeing the way they all looked to one another, finding the choice turned toward them all of a sudden. They could pick something now and… oh… it had to be good.

"Pizza!" Remy called out first, and this was well received among her sisters, who echoed the word over to their father.

"Pizza, sure, that sounds good, what else?" Lucas nodded at them. Oh, they could have more? The conference resumed, the sisters piling in together to whisper. He was sure he heard someone mention Ella's name, which was enough of a given that she was already meant to come, along with Taylor and Tori, without their knowing it yet.

The final list of 'demands,' along with the pizza and their big sister and her family, would also include ice cream (of course) and candy (naturally), and some special treats for the dogs, and lastly… fancy dress, or at least their selection of a special dress from their closets, complete with accessories. Lucas was foreseeing the very likely scenario of pizza or ice cream on those dresses but, if that happened, he would gladly see to the cleaning up. If that was what his girls wanted, then that was what they would get.

"Hey, Dad," Ella smiled from the front passenger seat, the window rolled down, when she and Taylor came to pick him up. Lucas took a moment to greet her with a kiss on the cheek before climbing into the back. They had also done drop-offs that morning, so the minivan had been left to them, the better to circle back at the end for their big evening plans. Taylor had the afternoon free, so he'd gone and picked up his wife from class, and now here they were.

Aubrey was collected from her Pappy Tom's, and then it was off to get Mackenzie from preschool, and Marianne, Tori, Kacey, Remy, and Lucy from the elementary school, so they could carry right on to the pet store for the selection of the dog treats. The Friar pups had no idea how much thought their young friends put into selection, but Maya definitely would, with another video for the post return roster.

The treats were hidden away upon arrival. The first order of business was to get everyone changed, the Munroe-Friars among them. It was one easy way to get everyone happy and bouncy, without a doubt. All the girls soon had their chosen dresses on, and the order of the day was easily 'springtime sway,' as they came out in bright colors, with flowing skirts that would swish this way and the other at every movement. There was also a return of the fairy wings at their backs, which thankfully continued to fit them all thanks to their adjustability.

"I let Tori pick out my clothes," Taylor informed his father-in-law when he emerged, also changed. "I definitely look like a guy that hangs out with a pack of small fairies, yeah?"

"You look like you stepped out of a Hobbit village," Lucas offered, which made Taylor grin.

"Close enough then."

Lucas didn't look so far off from that assessment himself, once he'd gotten changed, and then it was time to get on to the next step, which was ordering the pizza, two of them by the end of it, as they were also joined by Wyatt and Finneas, and by Nellie and Gracie and their boyfriends, who all got one look at everyone else and made quick work of changing their looks to fit in, the guys having to dip into whatever was available to them in both Lucas and Wyatt's clothes. This turned out to be the height of hilarity, at least to the Friar girls, to see Bobby and Ethan in their father and uncle's clothing.

"Pizza's here!" Kacey hollered, planted at the window, causing a wild migration of fairies toward the door, all of them waiting for the signal that they could open, which they got, and Lucas smirked, seeing the baffled look on the delivery guy's face. The boxes were surrendered into Marianne's hands, and the fairies ran off to the kitchen.

Soon, they were all spread out in the living room, most of them on the ground, inside the fort, save for Lucas, Ella, Taylor, Bobby, and Nellie on the couch. The pizza was absolutely the right call for the evening, as was their chosen movie. They would come away from the whole thing with not nearly as many stains as had been anticipated, and full cooperation when it came time to dismantle the fort. Maya would be home the next day, and the littler spoons convened for one last night with big spoon Dad, all of them dreaming of the moment when they could hold her in their arms once again.

TO BE CONTINUED


See you tomorrow! - mooners