This morning, around 8 or 9 or so, I was woken up by Rapunzel shaking my shoulder.
I leaned over to give her a kiss, but she quickly pulled away to ask if I heard something.
"Wh-" she put a finger on my lips, and I quieted down.
"I hear...a baby crying? No, two - why do they sound so familiar?" she asked, one brow quirked.
I listened. It sounded like Allie and Hallie. "Allie and Hallie familiar?" she added.
Her finger was still on my lips, so I kissed her fingertip so she'd get the hint, and nodded. She pulled her hand away from my face and stood. "I'm going to check stuff out. It sounds like they're up somewhere on this shelf."
I sat up and told her to be careful - I decided to stay on the shelf.
She nodded and went to braid her hair.
Before she left - Jase had decided to go with her, and Merida was up and prowling around already, too - she told me she was taking Jase.
I laid back down to go to sleep or something whilst she was away.
But after awhile, I heard Rapunzel's strained, angered voice, along with Merida, who sounded like she was going to jump whoever she was confronting. Sooo of course I decided I'd better go investigate.
I quickly scaled the shelving unit till I found my wife and Merida.
Merida was saying, with a level voice, I might add..."-You are a complete and utter jerk, you don't deserve these kids! Why did you even want them bad enough to LIE to Tangled Fan, if you just let them lay and cry?! I'll talk to Tangled Fan. I'll tell her you lied! You'll-"
"Everything okay?" I came over to my wife and took Hallie from her arms.
I gave Hallie a goofy grin, and she smiled up at me. My heart squeezed and I so wished she was still ours.
"Who are you? I haven't seen you around. You're really good with kids, aren't you?' Someone asked. I looked up from Hallie, and noticed a Barbie doll. She wore an over-the-top dress, had makeup all over her face, ice-cold blue eyes, and short-ish hair that looked kind of ratty.
I put an arm around Rapunzel, mentally being glad that I had married her and not a Barbie like her, and said, "I'm Flynn, and this is my gorgeous wife, Rapunzel - but you've met already, right?"
"Yeah...and that's too bad. I guess love IS blind." She said with a sigh. I just stared at Rapunzel. She caught me staring at her and gave me a quick, cute little smile before she turned towards the Barbie.
"We could...you know, babysit them whenever you have, like, a date?" she said.
"I leave them up here all the time - they're okay."
"But they'd be happier if they had-" Merida stopped when the Barbie held her hand up and told us to leave.
I quite reluctantly put Hallie down, took Allie from Merida, and then laid her down, too. Rapunzel left to grab Jase, and we left.
I wondered what had gotten Rapunzel and Merida so riled. I also wondered if she actually did anything with the babies or if she just left them lay around all the time. And I wondered what Rapunzel and Jase were talking quietly about - but I didn't press.
When we got back to our shelf, I took Jase from Rapunzel's arms.
"Why don't you try to talk to her, honey? She seems like she's hiding something that includes HB." My wife said to me quietly, with a creased brow.
I rubbed a thumb over her forehead to smooth her wrinkled brow and told her not to worry. "Why don't you go talk to Rayne and Blondie? I'm sure you and Merida are about ready to start a riot."
She rolled her eyes jokingly. "Thanks. I'll be back in awhile." She turned and left to gather the trio.
While they talked - once in awhile, I could hear loud, conspiratorial noises coming from the foursome - I talked with Jase.
"So, do you know HB?"
"Yeah, Daddy. You have to get Hallie and Allie away from her." She said, crawling into my lap when I sat down.
"Why?" I asked her.
"You know why, right?" She looked at me with wide, innocently concerned eyes.
"No I don't, honey, so why don't you let me know why?"
"I don't wanna talk about it."
"If you tell me, we'll be able to help Hallie and Allie out better." I said, hating to see her go so stone-faced so quickly. "And if not...maybe I'll have to tickle you!" I grabbed her up and started to tickle her.
She shrieked with laughter. "Okay, okay! She was just mean. She never did anything with me and yelled at me if I asked her to play with me or something. That's all. And she was never around, she was always going out with some Ken doll."
I nodded. "Well, thank you for telling me, sweetheart."
She looked me in the eye and took my face into her teensy hands. "You're welcome, Daddy!" she kissed me on the cheek and gave me a dimpled smile.
"So maybe, because you're such a cute little girl, I'll still have to tickle you." I said slyly, and she started giggling and pushing at my arms even before I tried to tickle her.
I chased her and played with her for the majority of the afternoon and evening, until she collapsed on my lap, instantly asleep. I put a hand on her small arm and I guess then I dozed off as well.
The next thing I knew, Jase was sleeping behind the alarm clock.
I stood and turned to see my wife was back home, sitting on the wicker chair. She was chewing her lip, forehead wrinkled, and she drummed her fingertips on her leg.
I walked behind the chair and dropped a kiss in her hair.
"What're you thinking about? I'm sure Tangled Fan will take care of getting the babies away from HB, so don't you worry about that."
She shook her head and smiled, but faltered when she said she wasn't worried about anything.
"Come on, I know that look." I grinned at her.
"It's...nothing...so don't worry about it," she said quietly.
"Then why are YOU worrying about it?"
She shrugged, and I took her by the hand, led her behind the lamp, and sat down.
I patted my lap, but she sat beside me instead.
"Tell me," I said, searching her eyes.
"I...It's just that...never mind. It doesn't matter, and it's dumb." She turned her face away from me.
I gently brought her chin back around. "No matter how dumb, I promise I won't laugh and will consider your concern in all seriousness."
She sighed. "Fine. I just - after seeing HB, I feel kind of ugly. I mean, I feel bad that you're stuck with me, and not someone prettier or someone who can actually change her appearance once in awhile! And I just...I dunno."
I stared at her, concerned, before I answered. I couldn't believe that my wife thought she was ugly and that I didn't like her because of it!
"Honey, don't you dare ever think you're not beautiful. You're gorgeous! And I'm not concerned with outward beauty, more like inward beauty. And HB...she wasn't even really that stunningly gorgeous! More like a catty mean girl to me. And besides-"
She grabbed my shirt collar and pulled me in to a passionate kiss before I could finish. I was kind of surprised, but I kissed her back. When she finally pulled away from me, she said, "Have I told you how much I love you lately? Good grief, most guys would probably be drooling over HB and having misgivings about being married to whoever they were married to! And all you did was stare at me..lovingly when you were up there! And even when she was flat-out flirting with you - or at least, trying to flirt with you!"
When you don't know what to say, joke. "I only have eyes for you, gorgeous." With a teasing smile.
She rolled her eyes and punched my arm. I said 'ow' and snagged the hand she'd punched me with.
"That did NOT hurt," she laughed at me quietly, trying to wrestle her hand from me. I grabbed her other hand in mine when she batted at my arm, and pulled them until she was close enough to kiss. She continued a half-hearted wrestle up in an attempt to pull her hands away. I let her pull her hands away when I pulled away from her, and she shoved my chest.
"One of these days...I'm gonna grab YOUR hands first!" she said in between giggles.
I shook my head and told her she was funny, before I teased her by giving her a wet kiss on her cheek.
I put my arm up and looked at her with eyebrows raised, inviting her to sit beside me. She accepted and cuddled up tightly against my side and laid her head on my chest. My heart swelled.
"I'm so glad you're back to yourself." She whispered.
"I'm glad YOU'RE back to yourself, too," I said, pulling her just a bit closer.
Eventually, we went to sleep.
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