An Awfully Big Adventure Chapter 2
Apr. 9th, 2005 09:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
axesladeBri approved, so...
Chapter 2
It was Thursday the day after her ‘dream’, so if it really was real, she had three days to decide. She brooded over this as she fed Seth, waiting for the girls to wake up. She could write it off as she just be horribly sleep deprived. But if this was so, why had Seth seemed so peaceful this morning? In fact, he hadn’t cried a bit. He’d just made a content little noise when Mandy picked him up and put him to her breast. And normally the girls would have been up by now, being as it was well past seven. If it had just been a dream, then her children must have been replaced by something during the night, and some part of her must have been as well, since she also felt strangely calm.
Okay, so if it was real, what was she going to do? Quit her so called job at the bar to take her children away to Neverland? Yeah, that would go over great.
What was she saying? This was a chance to be with him! She needed to take this risk, she knew she did. God, even if it had been just a dream and Sunday came around with nothing, then she’d be able to truly let him go. And if it wasn’t…oh Lord if it wasn’t…
She went through the rest of the week in a state of apprehensive bliss. The kids still seemed different, as if they knew something was going to happen but didn’t quite know what. Jamie occasionally mumbled in the mornings, in broken toddler speech, about dreams of seeing Daddy again. Christina, who had earlier been upset about not spending summer with her real Dad because of James’ death, seemed brighter as well. She said nothing about dreams, but she was being nicer to Jamie. Even if it was just her imagination, Mandy was thankful for whatever had happened for making the children act a little better.
Sunday night. After putting the girls to bed and putting Seth in his crib, Mandy sat on the edge of the bed in her nightgown and robe, watching the balcony apprehensively. Her mind kept screaming that this was ridiculous, that she was a grown woman and should know better. But something inside her gut kept telling her to wait. Just a few more minutes. Just a half hour more. An hour, please just wait another hour.
Just as she was giving up hope and lying down, a warm breeze blew through the bedroom. She looked up, sliding out from under the covers. James was standing there, dead leaves around his feet and twigs in his hair, smiling.
“Sorry I’m late. Time sort of slips away when-“
“You don’t have to explain, James” she stood up, taking his hands, feeling a strangely comforting chill course through her.
“I’m coming with you. For however long we have, even if it’s just a few hours, I want to be with you again.”
His face softened and he pressed his hand against her cheek, leaning his forehead against hers.
“Oh Mandy, I promise it will be much longer than a few hours…” he kissed her softly, staring into her eyes.
“The kids?”
“Of course. Jamie misses her Daddy.”
He broke into a wild, childlike grin, kissing her again.
“I’ll go get them.”
“James…no, you don’t-“
“Aha, don’t question the ways of the dead, Mand. I know what I’m doing,” and then he slipped out of the room. As he did, Mandy noticed that Seth was wide awake in his crib, and that he seemed to be smiling. Allowing herself a grin, she picked him up, cuddling him close. A few minutes later, James came bounding back with the girls in tow, the three of them shining with excitement. Mandy finally laughed, slipping her hand into James’.
“So, how do we do this, exactly?”
“Well, it’s easier for the girls, of course” he playfully ruffled Jamie’s hair, eyes lighting up as she giggled and snuggled close to him.
“But I think it’ll work for you too. Think the happiest thought you can think of. I’ll do the rest. Just close your eyes and focus on that thought.”
Mandy closed her eyes, reaching back in her mind. Happy thoughts, happy thoughts…
It hit her then, with a hard yet comfortingly warm force.
She opened her eyes, wondering what the hell had woken her up. She felt something warm resting on her stomach and looked down, seeing James’ hand on the curved swell and realizing his head was resting on her chest. She smiled sleepily, brushing her fingers through his hair.
“You should be sleeping, doctor’s orders.”
“Those orders don’t take into account the fact you’re pregnant and that I very well may not have had the chance to do this” he murmured. She smiled.
“So…what’re you hoping for, boy or girl?”
“It doesn’t matter…but a girl,” he laughed.
“Why?”
“Can you really see me doing all those athletic, macho things fathers are expected to do with their sons?”
“You know I wouldn’t expect you to be like that.”
“Yes, but he might” he smiled.
“Besides, I have a girl’s name picked out already.”
“Have you now?”
“Mmm hmm” he kissed her cheek.
“Jamie. It means I love.”
Mandy felt a tear trailing down her cheek and she laughed shakily.
“Darned hormones.”
James smiled, kissing her cheek and then trailing his mouth down, resting his temple gently against Mandy’s stomach, murmuring softly.
“Little Jamie…Daddy loves you so much…I love, I love…”
“Geez Mand, what were you thinking about?” James laughed, though he knew very well what memory she had chosen. He smiled as she opened her eyes, cuddling Jamie’s sleeping form close to his heart.
Mandy blinked sleepily.
“About…the morning you picked out Jamie’s name…why? How-“ she looked down and squeaked, awkwardly moving closer to James. He laughed.
“Now don’t start freaking out or you’ll fall like a stone.”
“Geez, thanks.”
“Welcome” he kissed her neck softly.
“Don’t worry, with a thought like that you’ll coast for ages. I think the girls would have too if they weren’t so tired.”
Mandy realized then that Seth was in her arms and hugged him tight to her, holding onto that memory just as close.
“How long ‘till we get there?”
“Not much longer, I don’t think. Now, just sit back and enjoy the ride.”
Annd the mother just handed me a tape she recorded at work which she says is almost all music, annd she says the first half is almost all Blondie! Squeeness!
It was Thursday the day after her ‘dream’, so if it really was real, she had three days to decide. She brooded over this as she fed Seth, waiting for the girls to wake up. She could write it off as she just be horribly sleep deprived. But if this was so, why had Seth seemed so peaceful this morning? In fact, he hadn’t cried a bit. He’d just made a content little noise when Mandy picked him up and put him to her breast. And normally the girls would have been up by now, being as it was well past seven. If it had just been a dream, then her children must have been replaced by something during the night, and some part of her must have been as well, since she also felt strangely calm.
Okay, so if it was real, what was she going to do? Quit her so called job at the bar to take her children away to Neverland? Yeah, that would go over great.
What was she saying? This was a chance to be with him! She needed to take this risk, she knew she did. God, even if it had been just a dream and Sunday came around with nothing, then she’d be able to truly let him go. And if it wasn’t…oh Lord if it wasn’t…
She went through the rest of the week in a state of apprehensive bliss. The kids still seemed different, as if they knew something was going to happen but didn’t quite know what. Jamie occasionally mumbled in the mornings, in broken toddler speech, about dreams of seeing Daddy again. Christina, who had earlier been upset about not spending summer with her real Dad because of James’ death, seemed brighter as well. She said nothing about dreams, but she was being nicer to Jamie. Even if it was just her imagination, Mandy was thankful for whatever had happened for making the children act a little better.
Sunday night. After putting the girls to bed and putting Seth in his crib, Mandy sat on the edge of the bed in her nightgown and robe, watching the balcony apprehensively. Her mind kept screaming that this was ridiculous, that she was a grown woman and should know better. But something inside her gut kept telling her to wait. Just a few more minutes. Just a half hour more. An hour, please just wait another hour.
Just as she was giving up hope and lying down, a warm breeze blew through the bedroom. She looked up, sliding out from under the covers. James was standing there, dead leaves around his feet and twigs in his hair, smiling.
“Sorry I’m late. Time sort of slips away when-“
“You don’t have to explain, James” she stood up, taking his hands, feeling a strangely comforting chill course through her.
“I’m coming with you. For however long we have, even if it’s just a few hours, I want to be with you again.”
His face softened and he pressed his hand against her cheek, leaning his forehead against hers.
“Oh Mandy, I promise it will be much longer than a few hours…” he kissed her softly, staring into her eyes.
“The kids?”
“Of course. Jamie misses her Daddy.”
He broke into a wild, childlike grin, kissing her again.
“I’ll go get them.”
“James…no, you don’t-“
“Aha, don’t question the ways of the dead, Mand. I know what I’m doing,” and then he slipped out of the room. As he did, Mandy noticed that Seth was wide awake in his crib, and that he seemed to be smiling. Allowing herself a grin, she picked him up, cuddling him close. A few minutes later, James came bounding back with the girls in tow, the three of them shining with excitement. Mandy finally laughed, slipping her hand into James’.
“So, how do we do this, exactly?”
“Well, it’s easier for the girls, of course” he playfully ruffled Jamie’s hair, eyes lighting up as she giggled and snuggled close to him.
“But I think it’ll work for you too. Think the happiest thought you can think of. I’ll do the rest. Just close your eyes and focus on that thought.”
Mandy closed her eyes, reaching back in her mind. Happy thoughts, happy thoughts…
It hit her then, with a hard yet comfortingly warm force.
She opened her eyes, wondering what the hell had woken her up. She felt something warm resting on her stomach and looked down, seeing James’ hand on the curved swell and realizing his head was resting on her chest. She smiled sleepily, brushing her fingers through his hair.
“You should be sleeping, doctor’s orders.”
“Those orders don’t take into account the fact you’re pregnant and that I very well may not have had the chance to do this” he murmured. She smiled.
“So…what’re you hoping for, boy or girl?”
“It doesn’t matter…but a girl,” he laughed.
“Why?”
“Can you really see me doing all those athletic, macho things fathers are expected to do with their sons?”
“You know I wouldn’t expect you to be like that.”
“Yes, but he might” he smiled.
“Besides, I have a girl’s name picked out already.”
“Have you now?”
“Mmm hmm” he kissed her cheek.
“Jamie. It means I love.”
Mandy felt a tear trailing down her cheek and she laughed shakily.
“Darned hormones.”
James smiled, kissing her cheek and then trailing his mouth down, resting his temple gently against Mandy’s stomach, murmuring softly.
“Little Jamie…Daddy loves you so much…I love, I love…”
“Geez Mand, what were you thinking about?” James laughed, though he knew very well what memory she had chosen. He smiled as she opened her eyes, cuddling Jamie’s sleeping form close to his heart.
Mandy blinked sleepily.
“About…the morning you picked out Jamie’s name…why? How-“ she looked down and squeaked, awkwardly moving closer to James. He laughed.
“Now don’t start freaking out or you’ll fall like a stone.”
“Geez, thanks.”
“Welcome” he kissed her neck softly.
“Don’t worry, with a thought like that you’ll coast for ages. I think the girls would have too if they weren’t so tired.”
Mandy realized then that Seth was in her arms and hugged him tight to her, holding onto that memory just as close.
“How long ‘till we get there?”
“Not much longer, I don’t think. Now, just sit back and enjoy the ride.”
Annd the mother just handed me a tape she recorded at work which she says is almost all music, annd she says the first half is almost all Blondie! Squeeness!
