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.