Merida part 2

This morning, I woke up early, despite my late night.  Everyone was still asleep, but I couldn't lay around.  So I decided to go for a walk. 
Actually, I was sort of on a mission.  I know Merida would want to know Allie was safe, so I was going to rummage around and try to find her.  It was the least I could do for my poor friend. =[
I searched through all the drawers that Tangled Fan tended to shove doll stuff into, and finally, around eight, I found her.  I knew I'd better ask Tangled Fan about what we could do, so Allie didn't end up at Goodwill, so I just made sure she was safe and then headed back home, taking a quick pitstop to tell Merida via lip reading that I'd found Allie. 
"Will you adopt her?"  Merida mouthed. 
I shrugged.  "We'll see." 
"Please...even if it's Rose or Rayne or Lacey..just please keep track of her." 
"I will," I said, and she grinned thankfully. 

When I was nearing our shelving unit, I saw Flynn making his way to the floor. 
As soon as he saw me, he came running. 
What had happened?  Were the girls okay?  What about the others? 
I jogged towards him, my fear growing with each step.  As soon as I got within earshot of him, I stopped and called, "What's wrong?  Are the girls okay?" 
He didn't answer, he just sprinted the last two feet and then grabbed me into the world's tightest hug, lifting me off of the ground and burying his face in my shoulder. 
"Flynn, what's wrong?  You're scaring me," I said.  I could hear how my voice was high pitched, from fear. 
He drew in a deep breath, and I saw how pale his face was, as soon as he set me back down on my feet.  He put his hands on my shoulders and stared into my eyes. 
"Flynn, you're -"
"I woke up, and you weren't there, and you weren't on any of the shelves, and I-I just...panicked.  Especially with Tangled Fan's recent track record."  He said. 
I could tell he had been worked up, because his hands were clammy and his chest was still heaving with heavy breaths. 
"Sorry," I said.  I felt awful.  I should've told him, but he'd been asleep.  "Everyone was asleep, so I didn't wanna wake anyone up...but I wanted to go search for Allie.  I did find her, though." 
"I don't often get flat-out scared, but don't you ever do that," he said, giving my shoulders a tight-gripped shake.  He sounded choked up, and that only served to make me feel worse.  "I love you, baby...so, so much." 
My eyes filled with tears as he said all of that, but I didn't have time to answer, because he bent and grabbed me into a passionate kiss. 
When he finally came up for air, he pulled me close into a hug, and then his shoulders started to heave. 
"I thought for sure you were gone," he mumbled, and I finally realized how horrified he must've felt. 
I tried not to cry after I realized it, but a sharp sob ripped through me, and he held me tighter.  If at all possible. 
"I'm so sorry...I should've told you, but I didn't want to wake you...I'm sorry," I repeated, swallowing the lump in my throat. 
"It's ok...maybe I just overreacted, but oh, gosh, that's not a good feeling to get in the pit of your stomach." 
"I'm s-" I repeated, but he broke me off by pulling me into another kiss. 
"Don't," he whispered after he pulled away.  "I love you." 
The sarcastic side in me suddenly wanted to remind him that he'd already told me that about five seconds ago, but I knew it wasn't the time for that, so I just reached to put my hand on his cheek when I told him the same. 
He took the hand from his cheek and kissed it as well, staring into my eyes, even though he had released me from his arms.  I met his gaze and a tingle shot up my spine, right before I realized I wanted to be back in his arms.  Amazing how one event can make you appreciate and realize how much you need someone. 
"W-we should probably get back.  Were the girls up?"  I asked, tearing my eyes away from his affectionate stare.
He shook his head.  "Everyone was still asleep when I left, except for Rose, so I told her to keep an eye on the kids."
"Ahh," I said.  "I suppose we should head back."
Nodding, he sighed.  I could see the color starting to flow back into his face, and I realized how long it had taken him to calm down.  I wanted to hug him and be in his arms, but I didn't necessarily know how to ask and not seem weird.  So we just walked back to the chair side-by-side.  After a few strides, however, he pulled me close to his side, his arm around my shoulders.  I smiled up at him, to which he gave a pleased little grin, before I tucked my own arm around his waist. 
When we got up there, Rose promptly hauled me into a relieved hug, for which Flynn stepped away from me. 
"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, thank goodness!  I was so worried!  Flynn told me about what happened to Merida...I feel soo horrible...maybe we could try to get her out once in awhile just so she could visit us, but let her go back before Tangled Fan ever noticed?  But wow....thank goodness you're back!"  She exclaimed, finally letting go of me.  "Oh, and the girls are still asleep." 
"Okay.  Thank you," Flynn told her, and when she nodded with a relieved smile, he came over and pulled me close to him once more.  I can't say I minded, though. 

The girls got up shortly after.  Jase hurried over to Flynn and I and flung her arms out at him. 
Chuckling, he let go of me to scoop her up. 
"Good morning, short stuff," he grinned at her. 
"Don't you call me short!"  She pretended to be mad, but I saw the dimples appearing on her cheeks.   And then she turned to me.  "Momma, did you find Merida?" 
What?  How had she known?  "How did you - oh.  Right.  You probably overheard me talking to Daddy, right?" She nodded, and I continued.  "She, ah....well...you know how her legs gave her trouble?  Yes?  Okay, well, Tangled Fan ended up putting her back in her box and setting her up on our old bookshelf." 
She thought that over, and then she surprised me.  "I suppose that was the best thing to do.  I'll really miss her though, Momma...can we visit her sometime?" 
Not letting on to the fact that Merida couldn't hear us, I glanced up at Flynn and then said, "We'll have to see." 
"Okay."  She nodded, and then flung her arms around Flynn's neck, hugging him tight.  I smiled at that adorable scene, and then I went over to scoop Hallie up before she started crying. 
Alexis came over as well, and said she'd heard about Merida. 
"Why can't she stay like she always was?  Sitting down?"  She asked, and I could see her eyes were teary. 
Wow.  This was unexpected. 
I knelt beside her, Hallie in one arm, and pulled her into a hug with the other arm.  "A doll can't live her life sitting down, honey.  But what's done is done, and we can't change Tangled Fan's decisions, unfortunately.  Maybe we'll be able to visit her some, it just depends on some things." I offered. 
She nodded.  "I suppose so...and I suppose her legs were getting worse, so it might have been a good thing.  But why do I feel so bad about it?" 
"You're not the only one, sweetie.  It'll fade away eventually," I told her, hugging her tight. 

I had to go through the spiel of what happened and where she was to Lacey, Blondie, and Rayne all as they got up.  By the end of the day, I was emotionally drained.  Plus, the added worry of being sold on eBay lingered.  I didn't tell anyone else about Addison; I suppose I'll have to sometime.  But that sometime was not today - I didn't want everyone worrying. 
I hadn't been able to get ahold of Tangled Fan when she had blown in and out of the room today, so Allie's fate was still undecided, which did nothing for my already raw nerves.  Maybe tomorrow I'd be able to get her attention. 
And of course, tonight was the night that Hallie was going to be a finicky baby. 
I tromped back and forth  - as well as I could, anyway, with everyone else laying down asleep - and whistled quietly to her, rocking her back and forth and urging her to go to sleep. 
Flynn kept close behind me.  One time, I turned around and he wasn't paying attention, and I bumped into him.  He grabbed my arm to steady me.  Luckily, Hallie hadn't gotten the brunt of that. 
"Honey.  Go to bed," I told him, and he shrugged. 
"My earlier offer still stands.  I can take her, and you can go to bed," he countered. 
"I'll take care of her," I said, pressing my mouth up against my shoulder to suppress a yawn. 
I pushed past, and he resumed his puppy-dog-esque following. 

Finally, Hallie's little eyelids drifted shut, and she stayed asleep, so I laid her down, covering her up.  I stroked her arm a few times before I turned around to go to bed.  After she'd first gone to sleep in my arms, Flynn had gone to bed.  Finally.
It was chilly, so I got one of the hankerchiefs and started spreading it out for the both of us, after I made sure the two older girls were warm enough.
Flynn was still awake.
"She stay asleep?"  he whispered to my back, as I sat and reached to spread the hankerchief over his legs.   
"Yup," I whispered with a nod. 
He was silent for a few minutes, until I'd gotten the hankerchief just how I wanted it.  Before I could turn to lay down, he said, "Tell you a secret." 
Yeah, right.  I glanced over my shoulder at him, made sure he saw my eye-roll through the darkness, and said, "Yeah, sure." 
"Well, c'mere," he laughed through his nose at me, and I shook my head.  I tossed one corner of the hankerchief at him.  Wrong move.
His arm snaked out and he snagged the same wrist that had aided in the hankerchief-tossing, pulling me down onto my side and close to him. 
I gasped.  "Don't do that!"  I exclaimed quietly, my eyes wide with surprise. 
He chuckled and slung an arm around me, so I put an arm across his stomach and propped myself up with the other arm, so I could see his face. 
"Well?" I asked, trying to keep my sarcasm down. 
He gestured, and so I leaned closer, turning my ear towards his mouth.  He found my hand, and clasped it gently. 
"You're gorgeous, and I love you so much it hurts," he whispered in my ear before he kissed my cheek. 
"Oh, I think you're biased," I said, glad that it was getting dark enough he couldn't see my red face. 
"I might be, but from the bottom of my heart, it's true."  He winked, and I couldn't decide whether to be annoyed or like him just a little bit more. 
When he hugged me tight and didn't let go, I decided to choose that last option.
But then I turned onto my side.  He made a noise of disappointment and gave me a questioning look before he turned to face me. 
"What's up?" 
I shrugged, and he put a hand on my waist.  "So how mad were you, because I didn't tell you I was going to look for Allie?"  I asked, half-jokingly. 
"Mad isn't the word, more like heart-attack-scared," he said, giving a quiet chuckle.  "And don't you dare say you're sorry." 
I let the word die on my lips, which I'd started to say as he said that last part, and then I grinned.  "Whoops." 
He chuckled, and leaned in to bump his forehead up against mine, pulling me towards him as he did so.  I gave him a grin, told him goodnight, and then I went to sleep. 

So...we'll see what tomorrow brings. 

Merida

First off...I am SO sorry I haven't posted anything since the fifteenth!  It's been chaotic.  And here is why:
Thursday, we ended up being moved back to our old shelving unit. 
I loved our little shelf dearly, but now I'm with Rose, Rayne, Blondie, and Lacey.  Which, actually, is a really tight squeeze.  Especially for time to go to sleep.  So much for privacy.. =\ 
Thursday, around eight, I realized I hadn't seen Merida or even heard her at all, since we'd been moved earlier. 
So I went over to Flynn, who was sitting with Jase in his lap, chatting with her, and knelt beside them. 
"Hey, I'm gonna go look for Merida, okay?  I'll be back." 
"I'll-" I broke him off. 
"No, you stay with the kiddos.  I'll probably be back late, given the current time.  Night, Jase, sweetie," I added, giving her a hug. 
"I really don't like you going by yourself," he gave me a concerned look, which I brushed aside. 
"I'll be fine, hon.  Night," I told him, reaching to give him a quick hug as well. 
I told Lexi and Hallie good night as well, and then went on my way.

It took me forever to find her.  She wasn't on the empty shelf beside us,  and she wasn't anywhere to be found on the dresser - the AG dolls were back on the dresser. 
Finally, I found her on top of the old bookshelf. 
"Merida!"  I squealed, excited to finally have found my friend. 
But she never answered me.  When I reached to give her an excited hug, I was hit with plastic. 
Oh no. 
No, no no, that can't be right! 
"Merida?"  I asked, pounding on the plastic. 
She gave me a horrified, yet desperate and sad, gaze, shaking her head. 
"Why are you in there?!"  I asked. 
She shook her head, pointing to her ears, so I assumed she couldn't hear me. 
I tried ripping the box apart, but it wouldn't budge.  I fought and fought with it, with Merida trying as hard as she could from the inside, but we eventually gave up, defeated. 
I spoke slowly, so Merida could read my lips.  "What did Tangled Fan do with Allie?" 
That struck her right in the heart.  She struggled for composure as she shrugged, shaking her head. 
"Why did she do this?" 
Poined to her faulty legs, which had recently been giving her a lot more problems lately. 
I sobbed, promising her I would get her out of that box.  She simply shook her head and formed the word 'no' on her lips.   Finally, she added, "Go home." 
I sobbed, backing away.  I went too far, and tripped over the edge of the bookshelf, and fell.  Luckily, there were some boxes that I landed on, and I was able to scramble down to the floor before I meandered back home, worried for both my friend and Allie, as well as saddened.  My heart felt like it was tearing to shreds. 
This only got worse as, when I was starting back to the shelving unit, I heard muffled cries. 
Punzie.  She was only a shelf down from us, and I had to go right past her in order to get to our shelf. 
"What's wrong?"  I asked her, blinking in the light from the alarm clock. 
"Addison..she's gone.  Tangled Fan's selling her on eBay and she tossed her in a box." She whimpered. 
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry," I gasped, horrified once more. 
Why did Tangled Fan find it amusing to mess with our lives?!  Ruin them?  Ruin friendships? 
I suddenly felt a strong urge to be with my husband and girls.  I told her I was sorry once more, to which she nodded, biting her lip, and then I fled for my family. 
Everyone was asleep - no wonder, it was eleven, after all.   I made sure the girls were tucked in nice and warm, careful to not wake anyone, but then I went over to the other shelf, the empty one adjacent to ours, and sat up against the opposite side, because I didn't want to wake anyone up by crying. 

I sobbed, burying my face in my hands and curling into a ball.  Why?  Merida's legs HAD been gradually getting worse,  but why?!  And why was Addison being sold on eBay?  And how was I to tell Jase and Alexis? They had both been quite fond of Merida...how-
"Sweetheart?  What's wrong?"  I heard Flynn. 
Wait, hadn't he been asleep? 
I gasped, surprised at his sudden appearance, and looked up.  In a couple of strides, he was in front of me. 
"I-I didn't wake-" 
He held his hands out to me, and I took them, but made no move to stand. 
"No, you didn't...why're you over here, and why're you crying?  You look absolutely heartbroken..." he trailed off and sank to his knees, down to my level.  "Merida?"
I nodded, sobbing before I threw myself towards him, desperately needing to know he was there.  He sat, took me into his arms, and allowed me to cry into his shoulder.  Didn't ask any more questions, didn't say a word, just held me. 
Finally, I took a shuddery breath in and pulled my head up to look at him.  He brushed the hair from my face and let his hand linger on my cheek, until I finally spoke up. 
"She's...on the bookshelf.  In her box.  She can't hear me, but she read my lips and from what I could make out, Tangled Fan put her in there because of her legs.  She doesn't know what became of Allie.  And on my way back, I found Punzie, totally torn apart because Tangled Fan's selling Addison on eBay.  What's going to happen next?  Why did she do all this?  What if you get sold on eBay, or the girls, or..." 
He tightened his embrace, and sighed.  I could tell he was tired, and shocked, but he was still taking the time to talk this out with me.  "Oh, man...I can't believe that.  But don't worry too much about it, okay?  There's nothing you can do about it anyway.  But Tangled Fan told you that she'd never separate a couple, so she wouldn't sell us or the girls, I don't think."
"What if she sells us both as a pair, and the girls are left behind?"  I pointed out. 
"Well...like I said - don't worry, because you can't do anything about it."
"I have to try to get Merida out of there...we both tried for at least an hour, but the plastic wouldn't budge...Tangled Fan must have it taped shut pretty well...And-"
"You know she'll just put her back in the box.  I know you want to help her, but it's no use.  And maybe being in that box will help her with her legs.  You know yourself that she almost fell down Monday, because her legs gave out on her. I know it's really awful to say, but maybe it's for the best.  I don't want to think that and I know you don't, but maybe it is.  And please don't get mad at me for pointing that out," he added, quickly adding that last sentence. 
"I won't," I said. "You do have a point, I guess..but why does it have to be so hard?" 
"She's been around since you came here, and you two were really good friends," he said, pulling me a tad closer. 
I sniffled, nodding and rubbing at my nose.  Flynn pulled my chin up and tipped his head down, pulling me into a wonderful, gentle kiss.  But as soon as our lips met, I realized how late it must be, and pulled away. 
He gave me a questioning look, with his hand still on my chin, and I said, "You need to get to bed.  It's probably really late." 
"I'm staying up with you until you feel like going to bed, dear girl."  he told me.  "Quite frankly, I wouldn't be able to sleep if I wanted to.  I don't know about you, though." 
"Same..." I sighed, and he rubbed my back comfortingly. 
"It'll be okay, hon.  Don't worry." 
"How can I not, though?" 
"By not worrying.  Worrying will only make things worse."  he said, pulling me in to resume the kiss I'd broken off. 
I returned it, and then he tried to situate himself into a more comfortable spot, still holding onto me. 
Despite myself, I chuckled quietly.  "You know, I won't break down in tears or break into a zillion pieces if you let go of me long enough to situate yourself." 
"I know..." he said, finally leaning up against the side of the bookshelf beside me, unfurling his long legs, and pulling me back into his lap.  "But I just..I dunno." 
"Velcro Flynn?  Cause I'm feeling the same way.  I guess that these kinds of things let you re-evaluate how much you appreciate those in your life." 
"Yup," he said, and I leaned my head on his shoulder. 
"I'm sure gonna miss her, though. And what do I tell the kids?  Oh, Jase-" I pulled my head back up off of his shoulder as I thought about that. 
"We'll figure it out later."  he said, wrapping his arm around me even tighter. 
I sighed, emotionally drained, and plunked my head back onto his shoulder.  He put his other hand palm-up on my thigh and held it out, so I accepted it and held it tightly, allowing my  eyes to shut. 

Girl's weekend out

Hey everyone! 
So last night, Rose came up with the idea that, starting Saturday, we'd have a 'girl's weekend out'. 
"We'd explore all over the place, and watch movies or something, and ride Maximus, and maybe Merida could teach us how to shoot her bow, if she wants, and Rapunzel could show us the world of blogging...and we'll just get to know each other!  We'd be back Sunday night."  Rose explained. 
"All of us?  You, Rayne, me, Merida, Blondie, and Lacey?"  I asked, quirking my brow. 
"Yeah!  It'll be fun!" 
Merida glanced at me - she knew what I was thinking.  "What about the kiddos?"
"Well..Flynn could watch them," Blondie said.  "I think it's an awesome idea!" 
Flynn walked over.  "What are you girls scheming?  Or do I want to know?"  He joked, and I gave him a playful punch on the arm before I took him by the hand. 
"A girl's weekend out!"  Rose told him excitedly.  "Wait..you could watch the kids, couldn't you?" 
Flynn shrugged.  "How long is the weekend out?" 
"Tomorrow morning, bright and early, until Sunday night." 
I looked up at Flynn.  I wasn't sure I wanted to be away from my girls or my hubby for that long.  I mean, yeah, it's not that long, but still.  "I'll stay here and help with the kids - the rest of you can go!"  I offered. 
Please say yes, please say yes, please say-
"If I'm goin', yer goin', too."  Merida informed me. 
"I can watch the girls, that's no problem," Flynn said.  "They're not that bad - but I probably just jinxed myself, there." 
Everyone chuckled, and then I heaved a sigh.  "Maybe ALL of us could go.  Like literally all of us." 
"Then it wouldn't be a girl's weekend out."  Lacey pointed out. 
"It's not a problem for me to watch the girls.  It'll give me some good father/daughter time with Lexi and Jase."  My hubby said. 

I wasn't going to get out of this...was I. 
"Then it's all set!"  Rose clapped excitedly. "We'll get up at six tomorrow!" 
What was it with Rose and getting up at six?  She ALWAYS did...I don't know how the girl does it, but she does. 
Murmers of 'okay' scattered through our little group, and we parted ways to get ready for bed. 
After the girls were asleep, Flynn and I headed to bed. 

I didn't lay down, though.  I sat and pulled my knees to my chest, biting my lip.  I admit that I was really nervous about our weekend out thing.  What if something happened?  What if Flynn ended up with a migraine, didn't tell anyone, and it got really bad, and he had to keep the girls?  What if...what if...what if. 
"Hey...what's wrong?" Flynn had lain down and shut his eyes, but when he realized I wasn't beside him, he scooted over to me and sat up, putting an arm round my shoulders. 
"Just me being weird and paranoid," I shrugged, not wanting to admit my concerns. 
"Spit it out, dearest girl," he peered down at my face, a concerned look on his. 
"Just...I have my reservations about going with the girls.  I don't really want to stay away from you or the girls for that long.  And what if you end up with a bad migraine?  What if something happens to US?  I mean, seriously.  We're just twelve inch hunks of plastic.  Anything could happen.  And-"
He took my chin in his hand and pulled me into  a gentle kiss.  I put my arms around him and returned it.  When I pulled away, I leaned my head on his shoulder and stared up at him, not taking my arms from him.  He drew in a deep breath before pulling me onto his lap.  For once, I didn't grumble about it. 
"You can't worry about that.  And you can't just be a stick-in-the-mud.  So take risks, take chances...go have fun with life.  And don't worry about me, baby.  Worrying is silly.  If it makes you feel better, I'll be a nervous wreck, too." 
"Then I won't go!"  I exclaimed, pulling my head up from his shoulder and leaning back to look at him.  "If you're nervous, too, I just won't go!  Problem solved!" 
"By that, I meant that you're not weird or paranoid.  I didn't mean to give you an out," he said with a chuckle. 
I sighed and rolled my eyes.  "I suppose they won't let me stay back." 
"Probably not.  Merida's pretty convincing, and Rose is dead-set, to be frank."  Flynn told me.  I nodded, and he pulled me close again.  "It'll be fine.  Now, you need to go to sleep - early start for you, by the sounds of things.  I get to sleep in until the girls get up!" 
I shook my head, giggling to myself.  "You're mean." 
He chuckled and kissed my forehead.  "But it made you giggle, and that's what matters!" 
I gave him one last squeeze, and then laid down to go to sleep. 


Six A.M. came wayyyy too early.  When everyone else started moving around, I woke up as well. 
Flynn was still fast asleep, and I smiled at his peaceful face.  Wishing I could wait until him and the girls were up, so I could tell them bye, I sighed.  I carefully set the handkerchief over him and then crawled out from under the bench. 
"Oh, good!  You're up.  Here, help me carry this, and this, oh-and this, and these rubber bands.  Oh, and-" Rose promptly started handing things at me. 
"I can't carry anything else," I broke her off. 
"There isn't anything else.  I was going to ask if you were ready." 
"Oh, sorry!  Um...yeah, I'm ready," I cast a glance over my girls and then nodded. 
"They'll be fine - I'm sure Flynn will take excellent care of them."  Lacey said. 
"I know," I smiled, and then we left. 

First things first  - where were  we going to sleep?  Rose didn't want to go back to the dresser to sleep, so we had to scout out a safe location to sleep at. 
Merida led the way, and pretty soon, we'd found a pretty good spot to sleep at.  We left all the stuff there, and then we all turned to Rose. 
"What're we going to do first?" 
"Well...hmm.  We could watch movies?" 
"Let's save that for when we're tired," Merida suggested.  "Let's go see the 18 inchers." 
"18...inchers?"  Rose asked, quirking a brow.
"Yeah.  Dolls.  They're pretty cool!"  Merida explained, and I nodded in agreement. 

Merida, Rose, and I led the way, while Blondie, Rayne, and Lacey lagged behind.
We made quick work of climbing up the shelving unit, and then we went from shelf to shelf, talking with everyone. 
As always, Kailey was snooty towards us.
When I tried to include her in a conversation, she didn't even look at me. 
Finally, since Hailey was on the same shelf as Kailey, I walked over and whispered in her ear. 
"What's the deal with Kailey?" 
"Oh..." Hailey glanced towards her, and then whispered in my ear.  "She's shy because she's afraid you won't like her.  She's got hearing disabilities, so you have to speak up a bit around her, or let her read your lips.  And she doesn't like to talk because of it, too." 
I felt horrible.  Absolutely horrible.  "Oh my gosh...I-"
"It's fine.  Just keep that in mind," Hailey told me, and I nodded. 
"Thanks for...for informing me on that," I told her. 
I wanted to hug Kailey, or do something, but I knew it would only upset her, so I didn't. 
Pretty soon, we left that shelf, and moved onto the next, which was right beside the other one. 

We talked with them for a good long while, but finally, Rose got antsy and we left. 
Next, I suggested we ride Maximus, and then blog. 

We rode for quite a while, and Maximus was VERY well behaved. 
Rose fell in absolute, positive love with Max, and Lacey even showed some reserved affection towards him, which he was very pleased to recieve (:
Rayne, knowing of Max's shenanigans, was very concerned about riding him. 
"What if he bucks me off?  I do NOT want to get this dress-"
"He's fine.  I promise...if he would've been planning on acting up, he would have done so already."  I told her.
 "But I've never ridden before!"
"Everyone's gotta start somewhere.  But if you don't want to..." Merida trailed off. 
"Oh, fine..." she grumbled, accepting Merida's help up into the saddle. 
When she got off of him half an hour later, her eyes were shining. 
"I must admit that this is very fun!  Thanks, Maximus, for being a good boy!"  she leaned down to give him a hug around the neck before she reluctantly dismounted. 
Blondie went next, and then we headed off to blog. 

By the time  we were done with that, night was falling and Rose was dead-set on creating a blog with Lacey. 
Lacey had her reservations, as she usually did, but I'm pretty sure that Rose will figure out how to talk her into it one way or another ;)
We got back to our 'camping' spot, and we all brushed out our hair and went to bed.  (Well, except for Rayne and Merida - they're the lucky ones to not have tons of hair to brush  out!) 
I tossed and turned a LOT.  I wasn't used to the unfamiliar surroundings, and for the first time in over 2 months, my hubby wasn't right there beside me.  I wondered how he'd fared with the four girls.  He was probably having a blast with Jase, and Lexi was probably going along with whatever Jase told her to do...and hopefully, the babies were being good. 
Either that, or Flynn was a nervous wreck, Jase and Lexi were fighting over something, and the babies were screaming their heads off. 
I curled up in a ball on my side, sighed, and FINALLY went to sleep. 


The next morning, we got up at nine.  Thank goodness - Rose had been tuckered out enough not to get us all up at six AM!  I was groggy from my un-restful night, and it seemed like everyone else was pretty foggy as well.  Merida stood up too quickly, and stumbled into me.  Laughing, I grabbed her arm and held her upright. 
"I did NOT sleep well," she moaned, rubbing at her eyes. 
"Me neither." 
"I miss my baby girl, too," she added in a whisper. 
"I miss my kids AND Flynn," I agreed.  "But we'll see them tonight!" 
"I can't wait," she said, and then we were off. 

First thing's first - we went to visit Punzie and her friend Addison. 
"Oh, Rapunzel!  How's Jase doing?" Punzie immediately asked me, a bright smile on her face. 
"Hi, Punzie!  Jase is doing great.  How are you?" 
"I've been good," she nodded.  "Who are your friends?  I recognize Merida, but.."
"Rose, Lacey, Rayne, and Blondie," I pointed each of them out.
'Nice to meet yous' murmered throughout our group, and then we  sat down for a good long chat.
It was probably around eleven before we finally got away.  Punzie was quite the talkative one! 
"Now...let the games begin.  Why don't we shoot?"  Merida asked. 
"Oh, great!"  Rose exclaimed. "I can't wait!" 

Merida, being the awesome archery teacher she is, demonstrated for everyone how to do it. 
Blondie sat out on this one, because of her arms, which lacked articulation....and, she added, she wanted to stay out of harm's way.  I can't say I blame her.  :P
Rose was surprisingly really good at shooting.  Lacey and Rayne...not so much.  And you all know me...I'm horrible. 
We got several good laughs over our combined lack of shooting capabilities...and we all marveled at Rose and Merida's obvious talent. 
"I didn't know you were a world-class archer, Rose!  I knew Merida was, but.." I joked. 
"Oh, well thank you, milady!"  Rose giggled, curtsying. 
I laughed, and Lacey slung an arm around her sister's shoulders.  "So, little sis...what'cha say?  Why don't you rub some of your awesome-ness onto me?" 
We all laughed harder, and I grinned, excited to see Lacey was starting to get along better with Rose.  Maybe this girls' weekend out had been just the thing for the two of them.  I really hoped so! 

After that, we showed Lacey and Rose around the room.  After we'd explored every nook and cranny, we sprawled out on the windowsill for awhile, enjoying the sunshine.  
"This view is amazing," Rose exclaimed, peering out the window. 
"Isn't it?  This is probably my favorite place to sit at," I said, and she grinned. 
"I can see why!" 
"The sun is hitting just perfectly on this window right now...it's nice and warm, but not so warm that it will make our  plastic all squishy."  Rayne said, closing her eyes and tipping her head up towards the sunlight. 
We all stuck around for awhile, and then in the afternoon, we got Tangled, Tangled Ever After, and Brave and watched it on Tangled Fan's laptop. 
Rose and Lacey had never seen Tangled; none of us had seen Tangled Ever After, and Brave was new to all of us. 
At the lantern scene in Tangled, I think just about all of us burst forth in song, except for Blondie and Merida xD  Lacey has a very clear and high singing voice, and her and Rose singing together?  They're beautiful!  Rayne's not too shabby either...and then there's me :P  And at the end, I think even Merida had to sniffle back a few tears.  Then came Tangled Ever After...we all laughed sooo hard!  It's only, like, six minutes long, but it's packed full of hilariousness!  :D  At the end, I couldn't help but have a little 'squee' moment, thinking back to my own marriage.  Which made me want to get back to the kiddos and Flynn even more so.. =]  And then we watched Brave. 
It had quite a few funny scenes, but it has a more dark theme than Tangled does.  Mor'du actually scared me the first time they showed him...I jumped all over and almost fell backwards.  And then everyone laughed at me :P  We were all getting pretty sniffly at the end, when Merida's trying to 'mend the bond torn by pride' with her mother...rather, Mum-Bear.  Merida's chin was wobbling, and Rose made me burst out laughing by whispering in my ear. 
"I'm not gonna cry.  I'm not gonna cry.  Are you gonna cry?  I'm not gonna cry."
When I laughed, everyone else turned to give me a 'what-on-earth?' expression. 
"Sorry...Rose started it," I giggled, and Rose gave me a playful shove. 

After the movies, it was growing dark, so we finally went back to our 'campsite' to gather our stuff, and we went back to the dresser. 
It was ten before we got back, and I was the very last one to fumble up onto the dresser in the dark. 
All was quiet, the kiddos were sleeping, and it seems to me that as soon  as everyone had crawled up onto the dresser, they'd promptly gone to bed.  I heard Merida, who was in line in front of me, flop down with a thud and a loud, tired yawn. 
I grinned to myself, but then I saw a silhouette staring at me, watching my every movement.  I gasped, putting a hand over my heart in immediate fear, but then as I peered through the darkness, I saw a certain grin on a certain somebody's face. 
I'd thought he had been asleep!  As soon as I realized it was my hubby, my heart fluttered and I hurried over towards him before launching myself into his waiting arms.  He chuckled to himself and lifted me off the ground, swung me in a quick circle, and then left my feet go back onto the floor.  I looked up at his face, a broad smile across my face as I was finally able to somewhat see one of the faces I'd missed so much this weekend...sappy, I know.  :D He gave me the same kind of smile, and I buried my face into his shoulder, tightening my arms around him; and then he nuzzled my hair for a  few seconds before he left go of me.  I reluctantly did the same, but then his hand slid down my arm to find my hand, and he grasped it tightly before leading me over to bed. 
I flopped down to face him, and he did the same, and I smiled. 
Brushing my hair from my face with a gentle hand before he set it on my waist, he whispered, "So, how was your weekend?" 
"Interesting.  Tiring"-I said as I stifled a yawn-"and funny.  We got archery lessons from Merida, rode, talked with the 18 inchers and Punzie...watched Tangled, Tangled Ever After, and Brave - you HAVE to watch Tangled Ever After with me.  It's so adorable and funny!  You should've heard Rayne, Rose, and Lacey sing during I See the Light.  Oh my goodness, their voices are gorgeous...and then there's me, warbling along and ruining everything, but singing it because I love it so much!  And we showed Lacey and Rose around the room.  Oh, and I introduced everyone to the Blogiverse." 
He chuckled.  "Well...I bet the archery lessons were really funny.  You'll have to tell me about them tomorrow!  It seems like you had a good time..I'm glad.  And I'd be pleased to watch it with you, anytime you want to, just let me know!  But wait.  You introduced ROSE to the Blogiverse?" 
"She says she's always wanted one," I said. 
"Those poor people if she begins a blog.  Her posts would be so long that the readers' eyes would fall out before they even got halfway through!" 
I stifled a giggle.  "Yeah...probably." 
He thought for a moment, and then spoke again.  "And what's this about you 'warbling along and ruining everything'?  Your voice is fine." 
"Oh, but you've never heard Rose sing.  She's positively stunning!  And her sister isn't bad, either.  They sound just as good as Mandy Moore!  I'm sorry you ended up with the single Rapunzel doll ever manufactured, who cannot sing her own songs to save her life...the girl who can't sing, yet likes to, to some extent." 
Pulling me close, he whispered in my ear, "But I wouldn't trade her for the world.  You're just fine.  In fact...I think you're perfect.  And  I love you...and I missed you this weekend!" 
I teared up at that.  Maybe it was because I was so tired, I was having a hard time keeping my eyes open.  Or maybe it was because I'm a complete and utter, sappy freak.  But regardless.  I buried my face into his chest and he held me until I got my teary eyes under control and then I pulled away from him.  He found my hand and held it loosely, and my heart squeezed. 
"I missed you, too.  Love you bunches," I gave him a smile and then quickly pulled my hand away to cover my mouth, yawning. 
He grinned, and then stroked my cheek with the back of his hand.  "Why don't we go for a walk tomorrow, and we can catch up then, okay?  Much as I'd like to stay up and talk, you're tired and you need to shut those gorgeous eyes of yours before too much longer." 
"Sounds like a great plan," I trailed off, and I heard him start to say something, but I was out before he was done. 

The Newcomers, Continued

It was a long night.  Alexis came in around two in the morning, saying she couldn't sleep. 
I knew she was  probably uncomfortable with Rose and Lacey now living here as well, so I offered for her to sleep with us. 
She gave me a sheepish smile before flopping right on top of me and burying her face in my shoulder. 
"You're nervous about Rose and Lacey, aren't you?"  I whispered. 
Flynn, who had been woken up as well, turned to hear her response. 
"Y-yeah...it's dumb, I know."  she mumbled.
I gave her a kiss in the hair, a cuddle, and told her it wasn't dumb.  I slowly rubbed my hand up and down her back, and turned to look at Flynn. He was still awake. 
"Go back to sleep," I told him.  "You'll get a migraine."
"Don't worry," he reached to give me a kiss on the forehead.
Then, Alexis mildly surprised me. 
When she stood, I sat up and asked her what the matter was. 
She shrugged. "Just uncomfortable..I'm gonna go on the other side." 
I watched her as she made her way over to Flynn's other side and curled up right beside him. 
That, dear readers, is excellent progress. 
Flynn turned to give me a surprised look, before he cautiously put an arm around her.  And then he pulled me close to his other side.  I reached an arm across him, and managed to put  it across both him and Alexis.  She gave a content sigh and then I was out. 

The next time I woke up, it was six in the morning; but Alexis was gone and Flynn was awake. 
"Morning, my dear girl."  he gave me a smile and then brushed the hair from my face. 
"Morning," I blinked groggily as I realized Alexis wasn't there.  "Where'd Lexi go?" 
"She went back to bed.  Something about me snoring..I dunno, though." 
"You probably were," I chuckled.
He grinned and pulled me close.  I gave him a peck on the cheek, and was just about to fall back asleep...
"Hey!  Oh, good, you're up!" 
Rose.
I gasped in alarm, yanking away from Flynn and whirling to look. 
She was dangling upside down, over the edge of the bench. 
"Oh..morning, Rose," I said, trying to keep the irritation out of my voice. 
"I'm so glad you're up, too.  I've been up for awhile, but it was lonely with nobody else to talk to.  Hey, do you wanna go for a walk?"  she gave me a bright smile.
Who can give bright smiles and be coherent at six in the morning? 
Apparently, Rose can. 
"Why don't we wait awhile?  Or you could go with Lacey.  I'm sure she'd-"
"Lacey doesn't DO walks.  She doesn't do talks, either.  She's not the greatest sister.  But you're up now..Your husband could come, too!"  She gave me a very hopeful expression, but her eyes held a hint of pleading as well. 
"I-I dunno..." I trailed off as her face fell. 
"It's okay.  Maybe I can get Lacey to go for a walk later," she said, starting to sit up. 
"Wait...well...let me talk it over with Flynn, first, okay?"  
"Okay!  Take all the time you need.  I need to brush my hair anyway."  She gave me a relieved smile and disappeared. 
I turned back to my hubby and faceplanted on his chest. 
"Do I really have to?"  I moaned quietly. 
"Be nice," he chuckled quietly, tipping my chin up so he could look at my face.  "Just think about how uneasy you were when you first came here.  At least we had each other.  Rose has her sister, but I don't think her sister's very fond of her other sister.  She's probably uneasy, she doesn't know who to talk to and who to avoid, if anyone, and she needs a friend.  Merida probably scares the tar out of her, and Blondie's...well..Blondie.  Rayne's just quiet and laid back, but she might seem unwelcoming.  To her, you're the only one who is willing to talk to her." 
Well..he did have a point.  When I had come, I'd been insecure, timid, and basically a nervous wreck.  Rose probably felt similar. 
"Okay...you've got a good, valid point, as usual...I'll be back in - well..whenever she decides to come back.." 
"Okay," he chuckled. "Have fun.  Love you!"
"Love you...I'll try not to faceplant in the middle of the floor," I giggled, only half-faking a yawn. 
I crawled out from under the bench, ran my hands through my hair a couple of times - which is really hard, with hair as long as you are tall! :D
Rose met up with me and I led the way to the floor. 
"This room  is HUGE!"  She squealed, looking around.  "Much bigger than that box we were in." 
"Yeah...that's for sure," I laughed.  "We have free range of it, as long as we don't go in the closet or out of the room.  Trust me, you don't wanna go in the closet, anyway.  It's packed full of junk." 
"Ahh," she giggled.  "So..what do you guys usually do?" 
"Well...Blondie and Rayne usually stick to the dresser, but Merida and the rest of us go for walks a lot.  The other day, Flynn and I took our girls down here for a day out...and we basically just explore, go for walks, or whatever." 
"I bet the girls enjoyed that!  Lacey will probably be up there with Blondie and Rayne..she's boring.  Actually, she's a bit mean.  She always has been...I think she flaunts her glittery dress and girly appearance, while I'm just...plain, you know?  No eyelashes, either.  And she doesn't like to be within earshot of me, ever.  The ride in that box was pretty..interesting.  At least Pascal will  - oh!  I forgot my little buddy!  He'll be so scared-"
"He'll be fine, I'm sure.  He can't get hurt, unless-" I almost said, 'unless he falls between the wall and the dresser or something'..but then I caught myself.  "He just can't get hurt." 
"Okay..." she said.  "Anyway...Pascal's my only real buddy.  Lacey tolerates me, but she-"
"Doesn't LIKE tolerating you."  I finished, taking a random guess. 
"Exactly!"  She exclaimed, and then she heaved a sigh.  "I suppose you hate me, too." 
Hate her? 
Well, no...I just wasn't used to being around such a talkative doll.  I thought JASE was talkative...
And she was actually sort of growing on me.
"Oh, no...you're fine.  You're pretty cool, in my opinion." 
"Really?"  She turned and grabbed my hands in excitement.  "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you so much!"  She gave me a quick, excited hug and then bounced up and down. 
I laughed at her enthusiasm, and she charged ahead of me.  "You're the first doll to ever say that!  Most everyone calls me wordy or annoying." 
"You just like to talk, is all," I said. 
"Exactly!  And will anyone here be hateful about me being...me?" 
I thought for a few minutes, considering her question. 
"Well...Rayne's pretty laid back, but she puts up with everyone.  She's almost like a mother figure.  Blondie's...she can be nice, but she can also be catty as well, if you get what I mean?  And Merida's really funny, and she'll talk plenty, but she can be quick to jump the gun and begin the name-calling competition.  She can also seem pretty cranky once in awhile; it's  just because her leg joints were made incorrectly, so they hurt her a lot.  And you know that you can talk with me.  Flynn puts up with a lot, too.  He has to put up with me, so..." I laughed.  "Oh, and I'm sure Jase would just LOVE it if she can have someone new to teach all her games to." 
She laughed.  "I'm sure you're not that bad.  And I'd love to learn all of Jase's games.  She's hilarious!" 
"She is...And I don't know...Flynn has to put up with a lot.  Just ask him," I giggled.  "He'll probably go into great detail." 
She laughed, and then she turned to walk backwards while talking. 
How can you do that?  If I'd do that, I'd trip or fall down...or both.
"Hey, could we trade dresses?  I mean, it'd just be for a little while, and if you don't want to, that's fine and I totally get it.  Do we have any other clothes around here?  I've been stuck in this dress for three years straight.  I'm soooo tired of it!" 
THREE YEARS?  I'd only had my dress for a handful of months, and I was tired of it! 
"Oh, um, sure...when we get back to the dresser, we can swap them." 
"Awesome!"  She clapped.  "You're really pretty, by the way."
Well, she's not random.  Not at all.  Jumping from everyone hating you to clothes to compliments is completely un-random.  :D
"Oh, I dunno...but thanks," I felt my face grow hot. 
"I bet I can ask your husband about that, and he'll go into great detail about how pretty you are," she joked, and I laughed.  "Why don't you...I dunno.  Why don't you two even go near each other?" 
"We just try not to gross out any newcomers," I laughed.  "Trust me."  
"Aw, don't worry about that.  I think it's really cute that you two are so in love.  All the other dolls I've known, that were at my old home, they were always holding hands or kissing, or talking, or something...not staying a whole dresser away from one another!" 
I chuckled.  "Okay, so we're not the only ones that act that way, then?" 
"Oh, for goodness' sake, don't be so self-concious!  Enjoy your hubby," she laughed. "Don't worry about what others think." 
I smiled and an idea suddenly popped into my head.  "Have you ever heard of blogging?" 
Her face lit up.  "Oh my gosh, I've always wanted to blog!  I figure it'd be a good way to get my thoughts out of my head without annoying those around me...but then I thought that I'd annoy my readers, if I'd get any.  Do you blog?!" 
"Yes...yes, I do," I said.  "If you like, I could show you the ropes, and if you decide to, you can start your own blog." 
"Ooh, I'd LOVE that!"  She bounced excitedly, and I laughed again. 

We chatted for awhile, about anything from the girls to her dress to her old home to our current location.  Yipes.  Finally, around eight, she decided she'd better go back and see what Lacey was up to, if she was up yet. 
When we got back to the dresser, everyone was up. 
Rose immediately raced over to her chameleon -Pascal?  - and took him into her hands, cuddling him against her cheek.  And then she turned around. 
Lacey was right behind her, and she looked steamed. 
"You didn't tell me you were going off running around, Rose!"  she said this in such a low, hateful tone that chills prickled my arms. 
"You're not my mother, Lacey.  I'm fine, see?"
"But you left me alone with all these...all these..." she trailed off and whispered in her ear. 
"Well, you can think that all you want.  They're all nice to me!"  With a curt nod, she walked away from her sister. 
Lacey glanced around, realized that EVERYONE was watching her, and her lips twitched before she went and lowered herself into the wicker chair to sulk. 
Rose walked over to me the same time as Flynn, and she rolled her eyes towards her sister.  "See what I mean?!  Anyway...you wanna trade dresses?" 
"O-okay," I said, glancing towards Flynn, who had slowed his steps. 
She dragged me over to a spot where we could change without being seen, and then we traded dresses.  She had my dress on and fastened within seconds; but I had sleeves and a longer skirt to contend with.  And Velcro. 
I had the dress on.  The dress was nice and comfortable, and it was really pretty.  But I couldn't reach the Velcro. 
How had Rose done it with mine?  My elbow joints wouldn't bend around far enough to pull the edges together and fasten them. 
I grumbled and fiddled around for awhile with it, behind Merida's cape, which we'd set up to have a bit of privacy. 
"Everything okay, honey?" 
Flynn.
He pushed aside the cape, and I gasped.  The dress STILL wasn't shut in the back, so it showed my back clear down to my painted underwear.  And it was loose. 
"It's not...I'm not....it's-" I stumbled around for how to explain that he needed to avert his eyes so I could finish fighting with it.  All while I was still turning circles, frantically trying to find the edges and Velcro them together. 
He laughed.  "Need help?"
"No, I can get it - no, don't, Flynn - it's not shut in the back-"
"So I see," he told me, striding over and Velcro-ing it for me. 
He turned me around and held me at arm's length. 
"Thanks,"  I laughed. 
"I would ask you to twirl, but last time you twirled, you ended up falling and taking me with you."  he gave me a  wink.  "But wow, you look gorgeous." 
"Oh, no I don't," I laughed. 
He bent to give me a sweet kiss, and then whispered in my ear, "Oh, but you do." 
I gave him a grin and then I pulled away from his arms to take down the cape. 
He followed me like a dog as I made my way over to Hallie to pick her up. 
"Ooh, Rapunzel!  You're beautiful in that dress!" Rose exclaimed, clapping her hands. 
"I dunno..but you look really great!" 
"Thanks so much!  It feels sooo good to get out of that dress!"  she grinned. 
"Wait...Ye two switched dresses?"  Merida asked, looking up from Allie.  "Ahh, yeah..ye both look nice!" 
Rose beamed.
Flynn put an arm around my waist and hugged me from behind.  I gave him a small smile, but I couldn't help but notice Lacey's quiet stare. 
I pulled away from him, and Rose noticed Lacey's stare. 
"Lacey.  Stop it."  Rose grumbled, and she - Lacey - rolled her eyes, blowing her sister off.

That evening, Alexis took it onto herself to talk to Lacey. 
I saw her creeping over to Lacey, who was sitting off by herself.  I started to jump up and run over to her, but then I decided I'd best wait. 
But I did eavesdrop. 
"L-Lacey?  Are you shy?"  Alexis asked her. 
She stared silently at my little girl, and then shrugged.  "Are you?" 
"Yeah.  It's no fun.  Do you miss your old home?" 
"You won't understand - you're too young."
Little did Lacey know...
"I've been tossed around to different families all my life, I think I might be able to relate a little bit."
Lacey looked right at her, and shook her head.  "I can't believe that...you seem pretty nice." 
"Thank you...but you didn't answer my question.  I'm old enough to understand." 
"I just miss my old friends.  My sister's nice enough, but she talks sooo much...sometimes it's really irritating.  We used to be so close, but we grew apart after a fight.  Don't you ever fight with your sister - remember that.  But anyway.  That's all."
Alexis nodded.  "Well..if you need to talk, I'm here.  I understand if you're really shy - I am too.  And everyone here is really, really nice.  And you should try to be nicer to your sister." 
I couldn't help but grin at her honesty and her offer.  She didn't know that Lacey more than likely would decline her offer, simply because she was so young, but she had made that offer anyway.
"Okay.  Thanks for the chat."  Lacey told her, patting her shoulder.  Alexis gave her a grin, and left. 

I hurried over to Flynn, and plopped down to whisper in his ear. 
"Well, hello, sweetie.  What's up?"  he smiled.  I knew he wanted to put an arm around me or pull me into his lap or something, but he didn't because of Lacey and Rose. 
"You'll never guess.  Alexis talked to Lacey.  She.  Talked.  To.  Lacey.  She offered a listening ear for whenever she wanted - because I guess she must feel a connection because they're both shy.  I dunno.  But she talked to her...!"  I whispered. 
He gave me a wide-eyed, eyebrows-raised stare.  "Wow," he whispered, finally.

That night, it took a little bit to get the babies to sleep.  I was soooo tired...Rose stayed up with me, Merida, and Flynn, trying to get the two babies to go to sleep. 
I bounced Hallie and rocked her in my arms, finally sitting down with a yawn.  Oh my gosh...I just wanted to go to sleep...!  Merida finally got Allie to go to sleep, and offered to help with Hallie, but I told her to get some rest.  I tried to get Rose to go to sleep, and Flynn as well, but neither would. 
Finally, I don't know about Hallie, but I drifted off to sleep...until I felt Hallie being lifted up from my arms.
I startled, and looked up to see Rose was gone, and Flynn was carrying Hallie over to her bed. 
When he turned back to me, he was surprised to see my eyes were open.  He jumped a little, and chuckled to himself. 
"You scared me." 
I laughed quietly, and went to stand.  He stared at me for a moment, but then he strode over and scooped me up. 
"Put me down, Flynn.  I can walk the five steps over to bed!"  I grumbled as he walked.  "Put me-" 
He pulled me into a tender kiss before he ducked and put me down on my back under the bench.
"Well..thanks, I guess."  I said, and he gave me that grin of his while he gazed lovingly down at me. I squirmed awkwardly.
"Now..get to sleep." 
"Same goes to you," I shot back, and he chuckled quietly before he flopped down on his side. 
I reached over and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, and then went to sleep. 

Flynn here...Enter Lacey and Rose

Hey everyone..so wow, it's been almost 2 weeks since I posted anything on here.  Twelve days, to be exact.  Safe to say, things are going better than the LAST time I posted...  Hallie's back to her sweet little self, and all of our raw nerves are restored.  For now.  :D 
Anyway...So Friday, we took the girl's for a day out...I'll include some pics from it, since Rapunzel forgot to in her post about it. 

 

 

 

So yeah..it was really fun, but we were all exhausted when we got back home! 

The next morning, I slept in until around 9:50AM  or so.  Rapunzel was still asleep, and from what I could hear, (or, rather, from what I COULDN'T hear), everyone else was still asleep as well. 

I watched Rapunzel sleep, and I was just thinking about how sweet she looked...when she woke up.  She peeked up over her elbow to look at me, and I saw a string of drool on her chin.  Legit, true story, I kid you not. 

Trying to keep from laughing - which was very hard - I told her good morning and asked if she slept hard, hinting at her to wipe her chin. 
"Uh...yeah?  Why, did you?"  She asked me, quirking a brow and giving me a confused look. 
"I slept well, thank you.  But I think you slept really, REALLY well," I said. 
She gave me a 'what on earth are you talking about?' look, and I chuckled. 
"Your chin.  Wipe it, please." 
She reached to do so, and her expression went from confused to horrified when she looked at her hand. 
"Oh my gosh!  Was I seriously drooling?  Oh, gosh...I - ew.  Wow, um..sorry!" she glanced around before she frantically yanked the hem of her skirt up and wiped her other hand on it.  I tried not to burst out laughing at her flustered-ness, and her lack of knowledge of just how much skirt she'd pulled up.
FINALLY, I laughed.  "No harm done to me." 
"Yeah, well, that's really attractive."  She grumbled, and I'm sure she didn't mean for me to hear her talking about herself in that manner. 

Her face went red, and she began to sit up.  I snagged her arm, pulling her towards me. 

"Oh, c'mon.  Everyone drools once in awhile."  I added that she had looked cute regardless, and she gave me her classic eye-roll. 

"You're just disgusting."  she sat up, and I grinned to myself at her adorably flustered expression. 
I gave her a wink and then couldn't hold it back anymore, so I sat up and put my hands on her shoulders, grabbing her and pulling her towards me for a kiss. 
She was stiff as a board at first, but she finally relaxed into it.  When I pulled away, she stared at me, her eyes huge with surprise. 
"After seeing someone drooling, I don't think my first reaction would be to kiss them, but that's just me." 
I chuckled and reached to give her a quick hug. 
And then Hallie started to cry. 
I let go of her, and she said, "Uh oh...duty calls!"  With a grin, she crawled out from under the bench, and I followed her. 

 

Everyone else was quiet, until Tangled Fan burst through the door, tossed a box onto her bed, and slammed the door shut on her way out. 

Merida fairly yowled as she jumped up and looked around. 
Blondie jumped up quickly, and I glanced over to see she was tangled up in her hair.  She didn't notice, and tried to take a step.  She stumbled towards the edge of the dresser, and so I took a big step over and grabbed her arm, quickly working to unravel the hair from around her. 
"Thanks," she said, red-faced. 
I nodded, and then I glanced back over to my wife. 
She was right behind Merida, and Merida was peering over the edge of the dresser to see the box. 
Rapunzel grabbed her arm and then the box jostled, a few muffled thumps coming from it. 
"What IS that?!"  My wife gasped, backpedaling and dragging Merida backwards with her.  Alexis and Jase made themselves scarce. 
Merida yanked her arm away from Rapunzel's death-grip, and she tripped over her own hair, falling into my chest. 
I grunted, but I still kept my eyes locked on the box.   
She said something, but I didn't hear her, and I only glanced down at her for a second. 

 Merida came over to her, and started talking, but I didn't pay attention. 
Next thing I knew, Merida was dragging Rapunzel towards the edge of the dresser, and since Rapunzel was clutching desperately at my hand, I was being dragged behind her as well. 
Finally, after I had pushed past Rapunzel and jumped down, tumbling through the pillows, I looked up to see my wife's pale, terrified face. 
I can't say I was feeling very brave, either. 

 But I held my hands out to her.  "Jump - I'll catch you.  Then you won't have to crawl through the pillows." 
"N-n-n-no, that's fine."  She stuttered, her eyes flicking between me and the box. 
"Come on...jump!  I'm nervous, too, if that helps any." 
Nervous?  Hah.  More like terrified. But I gave her what I hoped was a convincing grin.  
Rapunzel grumbled something inaudible before she finally jumped. 

When we FINALLY got the box open, we found two more Rapunzel dolls. 
One was named Rose, and another was named Lacey.
Lacey was quiet and shy, and even slightly snooty. 
Rose was outgoing, talkative, and friendly.  Oh, and talkative.  And did I mention she likes to talk?  A LOT?! 

 

Rose clung to my wife's side all day long, talking about this and that and-ooh this is neat and who are they and what are those and what's it like being married and...okay, you get the message. Right?

I was hardly able to go anywhere near my wife to even get a word in edgewise. 

Finally, as I was walking past one time, I overheard Rose talking to Rapunzel. 
"Aw...cool!  He's lucky to have you.  You're so sweet, and pretty!" 
"Oh...I dunno..." my wife said, and I noticed her ears going red. 
I strode back over and wrapped my arms around her from behind.  "I know!"  I said. 
She laughed, pulling away from me and shooting me a slightly apologetic glance. 

I left to go pick Jase up as I'd intended originally, and Rose resumed her gleeful chattering. 
"She talks a lot."  Jase told me as soon as  I'd picked her up.
I chuckled at her bluntness.  "Yes, hon...she does."
"Why?" 
Why did she?  I had no clue.  "I dunno...you'd have to ask her that." 
"Okay," she nodded.  "I wonder if she'll quiet down enough to go to sleep tonight?" 
I tried to conceal a laugh as I took in her apparent concern.  "I suppose she will.  I sure hope so, anyway!" 

We talked for a few minutes, and then she left to go play with Alexis. 

Throughout the day, I held Hallie, talked with Jase, played with her and Alexis, and tried to block out Rose's incessant chatter.  I didn't know how my wife could handle it!  She's definitely more patient than I am...! 

Finally, that evening, Rapunzel got away from Rose and leaned over the wicker chair, which I was sitting in. 
"Hey...you wanna go for a little walk?"  She asked, whispering in my ear. 

Oh, dear goodness.  Please.  PLEASE, let's go before she starts talking again!  I know, it was mean to think that, but that's what I thought.  "Sure, baby," I said, giving her a relieved smile.

Rapunzel left to ask Merida to watch the girls, and then she came back over for me.  We hurried off of the dresser, and onto the floor. 

Thank goodness we'd gotten away from Rose before she'd started up again! 

"I thought you would never ask..."  I told her, taking her hands into mine. 
She laughed, and then I put my hands on her cheeks and pulled her to me, kissing her fervently as I let go of all I'd held in alllllll day long. 
When I pulled away, she took in a deep breath, as if to say something, but nothing came out. 
"I've been holding that in all day," I half-joked, giving her a wink.  She rolled her eyes, but she slung her arms around my neck.  I pulled her close, and asked how she was holding up. 

"Yeah, she's very, ah...talkative."  she muttered, her face pressed up against my shoulder. 
"That she is....that she is.  And Lacey's so shy." 
"Yeah...Alexis is really shy about it, too.  We'll have to make sure to give her plenty of one on one time, so she doesn't feel left out or anything.  We've come so far already, we can't let her go now." 
I kissed her hair and then cupped her face in my hands.  "Yup.  We'll make sure to," I said with a grin.  "I love you." 
"Love you, too."  she said.  Funny how that could make my stomach feel funny.  I pulled her close, and we just stayed there. 
And enjoyed the quiet. 
Ahh...quiet.  I like quiet. 

But eventually, Rapunzel sighed.  "I suppose we need to head back up..."
"Yeah, I suppose so," I said.  I started to let go of her, but she gave me one last squeeze, so I returned it before taking her hand and leading her back up to the dresser. 

When we got up there, Rose promptly hurried over to Rapunzel.  I left go of her hand, and she shot me an 'oh, not again' glance before turning towards Rose.
"Where'd you guys go?" 
"Um...just for an...outing...we do that a lot," I heard her say. 

"Oh, cool!"  Rose exclaimed.  "Hey, so-"
"We probably should all get to bed, Rose.  You've got to be tired, and I know I am!" 
"Well, yeah...I am tired.  Where do I sleep?" 
I didn't stick around to eavesdrop..Instead, I scooped up Jase in one arm and Alexis in the other. 
"You girls are looking pretty tired, there," I chuckled at their sleepy expressions.  "Good night, sleep tight, love you both bunches!" 
They repeated that, and then I gave them each a hug before tucking them into bed.  Rapunzel got Hallie in bed, and told the girls good night. 

 

By then, everyone was in their chosen sleeping spots.  Rapunzel and I crawled under the bench, and she sighed. 

"Oh my goodness...peace and quiet!"  She stretched, yawning, and I chuckled to myself.
"Quiet sounds pretty good, doesn't it?"  I asked quietly. 
"Yes...DEFINITELY!"  My wife moaned, and I grinned. 
"C'mere, and enjoy the quiet while you can," I joked, and she curled up beside me, allowing me to wrap my arm around her. 
"Night," she said. 
"Night, dear girl.  Love you,"  I told her, but by the time I had gotten to 'you', she was snoring. 
I kid you not. 
:P  So here's to hoping Rose is less talkative tomorrow!

 

 

 

The Newcomers

We all slept in a little longer than normal...I know we probably did because of our exhausting, yet fun day yesterday, but I don't know what Merida, Rayne, and Blondie's excuses were :P  I woke up around ten, my face smooshed into the top of the dresser.  My arms were crossed above my head, and so I peered up over my elbow to see Flynn.  He was already up and watching me with a loving gaze.  He was on his back, and as soon as he saw my head come up, that loving gaze turned impish almost immediately. 
"Morning, honey...sleep hard?" 
"Uh...yeah?"  I said, quirking a brow.  "Why?  Did you?" 
"I slept well, thank you..but I think you slept really, really well."  He chuckled when I still didn't get  it.  "Your chin.  Wipe it, please." 
Wipe my...chin?  Why did I -
I wiped cautiously at my chin, and my hand came back wet. 
"Oh my gosh!"  I gasped.  "Was I seriously drooling?  Oh gosh...I..ew.  Wow..um..." I glanced around, horrified, before I wiped my hand on the hem of my skirt.  "Sorry!" 
"No harm done to me," he laughed. 
"Yeah...well, that's really attractive..." I grumbled to myself, embarrassed.  How could I get so embarrassed about drool?  Apparently, I could.  I started to sit, but he caught my arm and pulled me close. 
"Oh, c'mon.  Everyone drools once in awhile.  Besides, you looked cute as all getout, sleeping so hard, drool or no drool." 
"You're just disgusting," I grumbled, rolling my eyes and sitting up, trying to decide if I should be disgusted or laugh. 
He gave me a wink before he sat and grabbed me into a kiss.  It surprised me, and when he pulled away, I gave him a wide-eyed stare for a few moments before saying, "After seeing someone drooling, I don't think my first reaction would be to kiss them..but that's just me." 
Laughing, he gave me a quick hug before I heard Hallie start to cry. 
"Uh-oh...duty calls!"  I grinned and crawled out from under the bench. 
I scooped her up, and surveyed the quietness surrounding us like a thick blanket. 
Everyone was still asleep.  Merida's curls were strewn all across her face, and Blondie was wrapped up in her hair.  Rayne was curled up on her side.  Jase and Alexis were sleeping hard, and Allie was even still asleep. 
"Wow," I whispered, and Flynn nodded.  I bounced Hallie in my arms until she quieted, and then we just sat quietly. 
Until Tangled Fan came bursting through the door and woke EVERYONE up by haphazardly tossing an oblong box onto her bed and then rushing back out, shutting the door relatively hard. 

"What in the-" Merida growled, jumping up. 
Blondie got up, too, but she was still wrapped up in her hair, so when she took a step, she stumbled towards the edge of the dresser.  Flynn ran over and grabbed her, unwrapping the hair from around her so she wouldn't fall.  And then there was Rayne.  Rayne slowly unfurled her legs, then peeled one eye open; then the next, then she yawned and sat up, almost as if she were a robot or something.  The girls came racing over to me, and Allie started crying. 

"What IS that box?"  Merida asked, boldly stepping to the edge of the dresser to peer down at it. She bobbled terribly as she leaned towards the edge, and I snagged her elbow to keep her from falling. 

The box gave a few muffled thumps, and jostled slightly.
What in the WORLD?! 
"What IS that?"  I gasped, shocked.  I backpedaled, dragging Merida backwards with me and hoping I didn't bowl any of the girls over. 
Merida pulled away from me.  I stumbled over my own hair, and rammed into Flynn by accident. 
"Oof!  Sorry, hon!"  I exclaimed, looking up at him.  His eyes were about as wide as mine probably were, and he only looked at me for a moment before he resumed staring at the box. 
"Rapunzel, I bet'cha I know why Tangled Fan's been on eBay so much!  C'mon, everyone." 
"Why?"  I pressed up against Flynn.  I admit, I was terrified of whatever had made that box move and make noise.  I didn't even want to know. 
"Quit bein' so lily-livered an' help me out!"  Merida told me, gesturing towards the bed. 
I clutched at Flynn's hand.  "M-maybe I should stay here and watch the..the girls?" 
"Naw.  Blondie!"  Merida called to Blondie, and she looked up at her.  "Watch the kiddos while we do this?"
"Sure, my arms are useless anyhow, cause they won't bend."  Blondie said. 
"Thanks.  Rayne, c'mon!"  Merida called. 
I tried to back up another step, my heart thundering, but I couldn't, and Flynn wouldn't budge.  Finally, Merida, giving a grumble under her breath, grabbed my arm and hauled us BOTH over to the edge. 
Flynn finally came to his senses by the time he and everyone else had descended the dresser.  He held his hands out to me.  "Jump, I'll catch you.  Then you won't have to crawl through the pillows." 
"N-n-no, t-that's fine," I stuttered out, and he nodded silently towards the boxes. 
"Come on...jump!"  he gave me that grin.  "I'm nervous too, if that helps any." 
"No, actually..it doesn't," I grumbled, but I did jump. 
He caught me, and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before setting me down.  Then he took me by the hand and half dragged me over to the box, where everyone else was gathered. 

The box was extremely well-taped, so we all grabbed a corner ot the tape and started ripping at it until we got it off enough that we could pull the flaps open. 
I squeezed my eyes shut when I helped yank the flaps up, and I must admit that I was terrified. 
I opened them again to see everyone ducking to see what was in the box. 

Merida reached in, and I saw a hand come out.  Rayne grabbed the other hand and they started pulling with all their might; so Flynn gestured towards the other side of the box, and I hurried over to help him.  I clasped a cold, plastic hand about the same size as mine, and with a grunt, I started pulling as hard as I could.  Praying I didn't yank the hand right out of the wrist joint, that is!
They were dolls, apparently.  And they were very well crammed into the box, surrounded by packing material. 
With one last yank, Merida and Rayne managed to pull the one doll out, and once she was out, the other one - the one we were pulling on - came out so quickly that we all almost fell down. 
Flynn let go of her hand and backpedaled a few steps, managing to catch himself, but I fell flat on my back.  The doll slid to a stop right on my lap. 
I sat up and pulled my legs out from under her. 
Another - no, TWO more Rapunzel dolls. 
"Whew.  Thank you sooooo much!"  the doll laying beside me exclaimed.  "Thank you to both of you!" 
I stood, holding a hand out to her.  She gladly accepted it, and I pulled her up onto her feet. 

The other one was already standing, and she immediately ran to the other one and gave her an excited hug.  The other one stayed stiff as a board. 
"Sis!  I'm sooo glad we're outta there!"  She exclaimed.

I walked over to Flynn, and he put an arm around me.
We watched as the  other girl gasped, pulled away from her sister, and dove back into the box. 
When she came back out, she held two brushes, a paintbrush, and...was that a chameleon?...in her hands. 
She handed the chameleon to her sister, and her sister lovingly allowed it to climb up onto her shoulder. 
She smiled, and then she opened her mouth.  And never shut it.
"I'm Rose, and my sister is Lacey.  Oh, and this is my chameleon, Pascal!  Who are all of you?  I'm sooo thankful to be out of that box! It was hard to breathe in there.  Oh, Lacey tends to be really quiet, so don't mind her."  Rose chattered. 
We all murmered our names and welcomes, and Rose gave us all a broad smile. 
Lacey hung back close to her sister, peering awkwardly at us. 
"So...where do we live at?  Like..you know...where we're displayed at?"  Rose asked. 
"Right over here."  Rayne said with a warm smile, leading the way. 
I hung back with Flynn, but Lacey hung back behind us. 
Flynn helped me up, and then I held a hand out to Lacey. 
She gave me a small smile, but wouldn't meet my eyes.  She accepted my help, and climbed up onto the dresser. 
"Wow, this is a great place!  Look at this, Lacey!" 

I turned to look at Rose, and saw she was on TOP of the bench. 
How had she gotten up there?  I stared at her, wide-eyed. 
Lacey shook her head, and Rose rolled her eyes. 
The girls were up by now, and so I walked over to pick Hallie up. 
Alexis saw Rose and Lacey and immediately clung to my skirt. 
I knelt beside her and pulled her up into my lap.  "It's alright, sweetheart.  They're nice."  I kissed her hair and she cuddled up against me, burying her face into me.  I sat there, Hallie in one arm and Alexis in the other, until Alexis felt confident enough to move. 
Jase was already playing with Blondie. 
Rose walked over to me, and Alexis hurried off to find Jase. 
"Oh, these three are yours?" 

I smiled and stood. "Yup...the redhead is Alexis, the brunette is Jase, and this little one is Hallie." 
"May I hold her?"  Rose asked, holding her hands out and giving me a smile. 
"Sure," I handed Hallie to her and she gave her a huge grin.

"They're all so adorable!"  She exclaimed.  She gave her a cuddle before handing her back to me. 
"So...this is where ALL of you stay?" 
"Yeah...it gets interesting once in awhile, but it's nice."  I explained. 
"Where can we sleep at?  I don't want to invade everyone else's sleep spots." 
I explained where we all slept at, and she nodded, looking around. 
"Well, I suppose I'll sleep on top of that bench there...it's pretty cool.  Lacey can find somewhere to sleep...she'll probably never climb up on top of it." 
"Ahh," I nodded. 
"How long have you been married to your husband - what's his name again?" 
"Flynn," I smiled.  "We've been for two months - we got married on July 4th." 
"Aw...cool!"  She grinned.  "He's lucky to have you.  You're so sweet - and pretty!" 
"Oh...I dunno."  I felt my face heat up. 
"I know," Flynn strode over and gave me a hug from behind. 

I laughed and pulled away from him, self-concious.  Rose grinned at our antics, and Lacey watched from a safe distance. 
That's basically how the day went. 
Rose stuck to my side, chattering nearly incessantly.  Lacey kept at a safe distance, and so did Alexis.  The rest of us just went about our normal routine - or about as normal as we could. 

By evening, I thought my ears were going to fall off, from hearing and replying to Rose's chatter. 
And I knew it was bugging Flynn that he couldn't be around me as much as he was used to...because we didn't really feel comfortable around the two new girls. 
Finally, when Rose had taken a quick breather from chatting, I hurried over to Flynn, who was sitting on the wicker chair. 
I leaned over the back and whispered.  "Hey...you wanna go for a little walk?" 
He gave me a relieved smile.  "Sure, baby." 
I concealed a smile and then I walked over to Merida.  "Mind if you watch the girls for us for a bit?" 
"I can't blame ye.  Sure, I can watch 'em."  She whispered the first part. 
"Thanks so much," I grinned and turned back to Flynn. 
We hurried off of the dresser, and as soon as we hit the floor, Flynn took me by the hands.  "I thought you would never ask." 
I laughed, but then he grabbed me into a passionate kiss. 
When he pulled away, I took a deep breath and willed my heart to stop thundering. 
"I've been holding that in all day."  He gave me a wink, and I rolled my eyes.
I put my arms around him, and he pulled me close in return.  "How're you holding up?  Rose really took a shine to you." 
"Yeah...she's very, ah...talkative."  I mumbled, pressing my face against his shoulder. 
He chuckled.  "That she is...that she is.  And Lacey's so shy." 
"Yeah.  Alexis is really shy about it, too...we'll have to make sure to give her plenty of one-on-one time, so she doesn't feel left out or anything. We've come so far already; we can't let her go now." 
He kissed my hair and then pulled away to cup my face in his hands. 
"Yup...we'll make sure to."  he gave me that grin and I gave him a smile in return.  "I love you." 
"Love you too," I told him, and he pulled me close once more. 
We stayed that way, in complete and utter, beautiful silence, until we finally decided to go back to the dresser, put the kids to bed, and go to bed ourselves. 

Well, it's going to be interesting to see how tomorrow goes!  Rose is surely the talkative one....and Lacey's a polar opposite!  Hopefully, Alexis will start feeling more comfortable..I hate seeing her so uncomfortable in her own home!