Vanilla, chocolate and strawberry: A Clear Question
Title: A Clear Question
Main Story: In the Heart
Flavors and Toppings: Vanilla 25 (changing seasons), chocolate 30 (joy), strawberry 20 (leaves), whipped cream (Ivy is usually an adult).
Word Count: 1691
Rating: PG, for minor cursing.
Summary: Ivy wants a daddy. Full of fluff.
Notes: Concrit's fine if you want to give it. If not, I'll still be glad. Also, hi, I'm new, first story, hope you enjoy it!
"There's one!" Ivy shouted, pointing up. She jumped a little on the spot, kicking up a swirl of dry leaves, then scowled. "I can't reach it. Nate! I can't reach it!"
Nathan Kendall exchanged a glance with Gail, and said, "I don't think I can reach it either, sweetheart."
Ivy pouted. "But I want it! Mama!"
"Better go try," Gail advised, grinning in what was, in Nathan's opinion, a rather heartless way. "She'll pout all day if you don't."
Ivy was four and a half. Nathan somehow doubted that she could keep an idea in her head that long. Still... "All right, all right. Which one again?"
A walk in Central Park had been Gail's idea. Nathan wasn't overly fond of nature in general, but he had to admit it was a good one. For starters, Gail was smiling, and he firmly believed that Gail should always be smiling. Besides, it really was beautiful out here. The changing leaves swarmed down in a colorful shower whenever the wind blew, and Ivy ran through it, grabbing at her favorite leaves and staying convienently far away from where he walked, hand-in-hand with Gail.
Nathan adored Ivy, he really did. But occasionally he wanted to spend time alone with Gail, and an inquisitive four-year-old didn't really help with that particular goal.
That was what you got when you dated a single mother, though. That, and trying to reach the perfect bright-red leaf that hung just out of reach.
Hmm. Maybe if he stood on that bench...
Ivy, with the innate timing natural to four-year-olds, waited until he was most precariously balanced before piping up with, "Are you gonna marry Mama?"
Nathan fell off the bench and hit the ground ass-first. Hard.
Gail clapped a hand over her mouth and ran forward. "Oh my God, are you all right?" She knelt beside him.
"I'm fine," he got out, and sat up. He wasn't--his ass hurt--but it was only bruised and he would be fine as soon as he got over the heart attack Ivy'd just managed to give him. "What the he-heck did you just say?"
Ivy blinked up at him. She looked so damn innocent with those big blue eyes and red pigtails that he could hardly believe she'd really come out with that. "Are you gonna marry Mama?" she repeated, confirming it.
Gail clapped a hand over her mouth again. This time, though, she was laughing. Cow. Nathan didn't think he'd ever loved her more.
"I hadn't... really thought about it," he told Ivy, which was a lie. More correctly he hadn't figured out how to bring it up with Gail. "Why? Do you want me to?"
"Uh-huh." Ivy nodded solemnly. "So does Mama. Right, Mama?"
Gail stopped laughing. "Ivy Sophia!"
"Not so funny when you're on the receiving end, is it?" Nathan asked, grinning a little himself.
"You told Aunty Sessy!" Ivy accused. "You did! You said!" She balled up her fists and propped them on her hips in a gesture so like Gail that Nathan had to swallow a laugh.
"What I tell Aunt Cecily is not for telling other people," Gail said, rather tartly.
Ivy thought that one over for a minute, and apparently decided her only hope was to change the subject. "But I don't have a daddy," she said. "And I want a daddy. And Nate is a good daddy, Aaron says so."
Nathan had been fairly sure of his parenting skills, but his son had never told him in so many words. It was nice to hear even if it was secondhand.
"Aaron said he'd share," Ivy added. "If you and Nate get married."
Gail looked as if she wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. "Honey..."
"Oh, look!" Ivy chirped, and ran off after yet another leaf.
Nathan stared after her for a moment, and then asked, "How is it that she already knows when to gracefully exit a conversation? Aaron still hasn't figured it out and he's nine."
"Girls mature faster than boys," Gail said. "This is my considered opinion as a teacher, with no gender bias whatsoever."
He let this obvious silliness pass by. "Maybe he just doesn't care. Kendalls tend to be bullheaded."
"Obviously," Gail muttered, then sighed. "I'm sorry about what she said. Don't worry about it." She got up, yelled, "Not so far, Ivy!" then offered him a hand up.
Nathan took it, for Gail's sake, but he was a Navy man and Navy men did not need to haul on other people to get to their feet. He kept hold of Gail's hand though, and they wandered on for a bit longer in silence, watching Ivy dance through the leaves a few hundred feet on.
About five minutes later, Nathan asked, maybe a little abruptly, "So, what if I did want to get married? Hypothetically."
Gail stopped and turned to look at him, one eyebrow arched, and her expression otherwise unreadable. "Hypothetically?"
"Yeah," he said, starting to get a bit uncomfortable. "I know I don't have the best track record with marriage, but I love you, and we've been together for two years..."
"...two and a half years..." Gail corrected, sounding fascinated.
"Right, two and a half years, and generally the next step is marriage." He really wasn't sure where to go from there. "Um. There's the kids, obviously, but Aaron loves you, and I like to think Ivy likes me..."
Gail grinned, and started walking again. They were still holding hands, so perforce, he went with her. "Are you kidding? She likes you better than her grandfather."
Nathan raised his eyebrows. "Really? I don't even give her candy."
"That's what she says." Gail looked out after her daughter, who had become inexplicably fascinated by a tree stump. "She doesn't lie about stuff like that."
"She's a good kid."
She hummed agreement, then squeezed his hand. "What the hell. It's not like I have a great record with these things either."
"Hey, now," Nathan said mildly. "Everybody has one really bad relationship screwup in their past. Yours was just..." He searched for a word.
"A little more spectacular than most?" she asked, wryly, then grinned again. "It's okay. I got Ivy out of it, and I wouldn't trade her for the world. That was a yes, by the way."
Nathan blinked. "It sounded more like a 'sure, why not' to me."
"Pictured it going a little more Romeo and Juliet?" she asked, radiating innocence.
He leaned over and kissed her forehead. At least, that’s where he meant to kiss her; they were still walking and he actually got the corner of her eyebrow. "Too much death. I was thinking Much Ado About Nothing, myself. "
Gail smiled again, big and bright and happy. "That's good. I like that. I think I'll keep you."
"Good," Nathan said, and realized he was grinning just as big and bright and happy as she was, only probably with an edge of stupid that Gail was far too beautiful to ever have to fear. "I'm happy to be kept."
Main Story: In the Heart
Flavors and Toppings: Vanilla 25 (changing seasons), chocolate 30 (joy), strawberry 20 (leaves), whipped cream (Ivy is usually an adult).
Word Count: 1691
Rating: PG, for minor cursing.
Summary: Ivy wants a daddy. Full of fluff.
Notes: Concrit's fine if you want to give it. If not, I'll still be glad. Also, hi, I'm new, first story, hope you enjoy it!
"There's one!" Ivy shouted, pointing up. She jumped a little on the spot, kicking up a swirl of dry leaves, then scowled. "I can't reach it. Nate! I can't reach it!"
Nathan Kendall exchanged a glance with Gail, and said, "I don't think I can reach it either, sweetheart."
Ivy pouted. "But I want it! Mama!"
"Better go try," Gail advised, grinning in what was, in Nathan's opinion, a rather heartless way. "She'll pout all day if you don't."
Ivy was four and a half. Nathan somehow doubted that she could keep an idea in her head that long. Still... "All right, all right. Which one again?"
A walk in Central Park had been Gail's idea. Nathan wasn't overly fond of nature in general, but he had to admit it was a good one. For starters, Gail was smiling, and he firmly believed that Gail should always be smiling. Besides, it really was beautiful out here. The changing leaves swarmed down in a colorful shower whenever the wind blew, and Ivy ran through it, grabbing at her favorite leaves and staying convienently far away from where he walked, hand-in-hand with Gail.
Nathan adored Ivy, he really did. But occasionally he wanted to spend time alone with Gail, and an inquisitive four-year-old didn't really help with that particular goal.
That was what you got when you dated a single mother, though. That, and trying to reach the perfect bright-red leaf that hung just out of reach.
Hmm. Maybe if he stood on that bench...
Ivy, with the innate timing natural to four-year-olds, waited until he was most precariously balanced before piping up with, "Are you gonna marry Mama?"
Nathan fell off the bench and hit the ground ass-first. Hard.
Gail clapped a hand over her mouth and ran forward. "Oh my God, are you all right?" She knelt beside him.
"I'm fine," he got out, and sat up. He wasn't--his ass hurt--but it was only bruised and he would be fine as soon as he got over the heart attack Ivy'd just managed to give him. "What the he-heck did you just say?"
Ivy blinked up at him. She looked so damn innocent with those big blue eyes and red pigtails that he could hardly believe she'd really come out with that. "Are you gonna marry Mama?" she repeated, confirming it.
Gail clapped a hand over her mouth again. This time, though, she was laughing. Cow. Nathan didn't think he'd ever loved her more.
"I hadn't... really thought about it," he told Ivy, which was a lie. More correctly he hadn't figured out how to bring it up with Gail. "Why? Do you want me to?"
"Uh-huh." Ivy nodded solemnly. "So does Mama. Right, Mama?"
Gail stopped laughing. "Ivy Sophia!"
"Not so funny when you're on the receiving end, is it?" Nathan asked, grinning a little himself.
"You told Aunty Sessy!" Ivy accused. "You did! You said!" She balled up her fists and propped them on her hips in a gesture so like Gail that Nathan had to swallow a laugh.
"What I tell Aunt Cecily is not for telling other people," Gail said, rather tartly.
Ivy thought that one over for a minute, and apparently decided her only hope was to change the subject. "But I don't have a daddy," she said. "And I want a daddy. And Nate is a good daddy, Aaron says so."
Nathan had been fairly sure of his parenting skills, but his son had never told him in so many words. It was nice to hear even if it was secondhand.
"Aaron said he'd share," Ivy added. "If you and Nate get married."
Gail looked as if she wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. "Honey..."
"Oh, look!" Ivy chirped, and ran off after yet another leaf.
Nathan stared after her for a moment, and then asked, "How is it that she already knows when to gracefully exit a conversation? Aaron still hasn't figured it out and he's nine."
"Girls mature faster than boys," Gail said. "This is my considered opinion as a teacher, with no gender bias whatsoever."
He let this obvious silliness pass by. "Maybe he just doesn't care. Kendalls tend to be bullheaded."
"Obviously," Gail muttered, then sighed. "I'm sorry about what she said. Don't worry about it." She got up, yelled, "Not so far, Ivy!" then offered him a hand up.
Nathan took it, for Gail's sake, but he was a Navy man and Navy men did not need to haul on other people to get to their feet. He kept hold of Gail's hand though, and they wandered on for a bit longer in silence, watching Ivy dance through the leaves a few hundred feet on.
About five minutes later, Nathan asked, maybe a little abruptly, "So, what if I did want to get married? Hypothetically."
Gail stopped and turned to look at him, one eyebrow arched, and her expression otherwise unreadable. "Hypothetically?"
"Yeah," he said, starting to get a bit uncomfortable. "I know I don't have the best track record with marriage, but I love you, and we've been together for two years..."
"...two and a half years..." Gail corrected, sounding fascinated.
"Right, two and a half years, and generally the next step is marriage." He really wasn't sure where to go from there. "Um. There's the kids, obviously, but Aaron loves you, and I like to think Ivy likes me..."
Gail grinned, and started walking again. They were still holding hands, so perforce, he went with her. "Are you kidding? She likes you better than her grandfather."
Nathan raised his eyebrows. "Really? I don't even give her candy."
"That's what she says." Gail looked out after her daughter, who had become inexplicably fascinated by a tree stump. "She doesn't lie about stuff like that."
"She's a good kid."
She hummed agreement, then squeezed his hand. "What the hell. It's not like I have a great record with these things either."
"Hey, now," Nathan said mildly. "Everybody has one really bad relationship screwup in their past. Yours was just..." He searched for a word.
"A little more spectacular than most?" she asked, wryly, then grinned again. "It's okay. I got Ivy out of it, and I wouldn't trade her for the world. That was a yes, by the way."
Nathan blinked. "It sounded more like a 'sure, why not' to me."
"Pictured it going a little more Romeo and Juliet?" she asked, radiating innocence.
He leaned over and kissed her forehead. At least, that’s where he meant to kiss her; they were still walking and he actually got the corner of her eyebrow. "Too much death. I was thinking Much Ado About Nothing, myself. "
Gail smiled again, big and bright and happy. "That's good. I like that. I think I'll keep you."
"Good," Nathan said, and realized he was grinning just as big and bright and happy as she was, only probably with an edge of stupid that Gail was far too beautiful to ever have to fear. "I'm happy to be kept."