Mike is all over the place this week. Or at least it feels like it. Dancing With the Stars, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, some kid's show on Nickelodeon. To AJ's relief, it's all stuff the kids can watch so she settles in with some popcorn and lets the kids play at her feet. George only looks up now and again when he hears Mike's voice, but Sara seems glued to the TV all of Wheel of Fortune. Eventually, during a commercial, she crawls up onto the couch and nuzzles in. "Mama?"
AJ blinks, suddenly realizing she's there, and wraps an arm around her, kissing her forehead. "Yeah, baby girl?"
"What is this?" she wonders, blinking once more at the TV.
"Oh," AJ laughs. "It's a game show where you guess letters and try to figure out what the words are, it could be a phrase or a person, a thing. Your daddy's playing it right now to collect money for sick kids. Remember we told you a little bit about Connor?"
Sara's little, but she's smart, and she nods solemnly, blinking at the TV. "My daddy's the best," she says,
AJ smiles a little, hoping with sudden ferocity that Sara never stops feeling like that. "He really is," she sighs, hugging Sara closer. "And he loves you and your brother very much."
Sara doesn't respond much to that, but the show had just come back on and her focus has returned to her father, trying to figure out the words on the screen before him. He does alright, all in all, through the hour- Jason Alexander sweeps it to an incredible degree, but Mike does very well, and collects a decent amount of money for Connor's Cure, and AJ is overwhelmed with how much pride and love she feels for him.
The next night, AJ is back in front of the TV, but this time a little later. The kids are sleepy, will be in bed as soon as Mike's dance is done, and AJ's relieved when he's about the fourth dancer to grace their screens. She thinks he does well, maybe even a little more polished than the week prior, the tango rushing by partially thanks to the hair metal song choice to go with it. She laughs a little at the home videos of Mike a child, examining her children and seeing some similarities between them and the little boy on the screen she's paused to get a better look at before DWTS moves on.
As soon as it's done, she hoists George up, she takes Sara's hand and she gently leads them through the house, settling Sara in her bed first with promises to return and read to her once she finishes with George. He fusses a little, not wanting to leave her arms, but as soon as he's sprawled out, he's out like a light and AJ smiles adoringly down at him. "My sweet little man," she murmurs, leaning in to kiss him carefully before retreating to go to Sara's room.
"Mama?" Sara asks, picking absently at her comforter.
"Yeah, sweetie? What is it?" AJ asks, settling in on her bed, book forgotten as she looks at her daughter's face. She can't read the expression on the little girl's face, not used to seeing it there. "Is something wrong?"
"Daddy's going to come home soon, right?" she asks, her lip starting to tremble. "I know he's real busy, but I... I miss 'im."
"Oh, honey," AJ says, her heart shattering a little as she scoops the little girl up and squeezes her tight. "Yes. He'll be home as soon as Dancing with the Stars finishes. I promise you. He loves us all, even though he's really busy. You know that, right? Always and forever." He says as much whenever he has to go, and AJ hopes that it'd have stuck, but it has been awhile since they've been able to sit and talk with him long term, he's so busy with lessons from Witney and just everything else he always has going on. Even video calls have been short and a little frantic as he runs from this place to that.
"Yeah," Sara mumbles. "It's just been awhile."
"I know. I know." AJ holds her, and rocks her, and hums a little under her breath. She's not sure how much time has passed before she realizes Sara is dead weight in her arms, and AJ blinks, gently easing her into bed, tucking her in nice and warm and secure. "I love you, Sara. We all do. I swear to you, that will never change."
AJ is back before the TV with plenty of time to spare to watch the first eliminations at the end of the night. The first ten are declared, and it's not Mike. She holds her breath, waiting and watching as couple after couple are spared from this fate, Mike and Witney remaining on the stage, the tension ratcheting as name after name is called. There are three left, and Tyra Banks declares, "The next safe dance partners are... Mike and Witney!"
AJ blinks. She's not really surprised, no. Watches blankly as Mike and Witney move off of the stage, relieved, and exhales shakily. For a minute, for a wild, hopeful moment, she had thought maybe... just maybe, the crowd disagreed with the judges. Maybe the votes just weren't there, and Mike would be coming home.
She wonders how mad Mike would be if he knew, for a split second, AJ had hoped that he'd lose in the first week just so their children could have their father back. So she could have her husband back.
Scoffing, she turns the TV off, and stares at the blank screen for a minute before slowly getting to her feet and trudging off to bed herself. Tomorrow will hopefully be better, she tells herself as she changes into the tank top and shorts she likes to sleep in and sinks into the soft sheets that still smell a little like Mike, hugging his pillow tight to her.