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Post by Natasha Ainsworth on Oct 30, 2008 20:23:54 GMT -4
"Heh, I never said that, did I? All I asked was what it would be, ma'am," Sera replied coyly, smirking up at the older woman. "And what you've described sounds lovely, most lovely. Leigh pretty much starved me all day, other than this mocha and a croissant, so I could use a good meal in my stomach," she added, glancing toward her girlfriend offering her a smug little teasing grin. She had been about to offer to help as well, but when Leigh mentioned having to tell her mother something, the brunette almost felt her cheeks begin to burn with color.
Even if she knew Bella would be cool with the situation, it was a bit embarrassing. Just a little. "Then I'll watch the kids, you guys get on that dinner."
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Post by Leigh O'Conner on Oct 30, 2008 20:30:42 GMT -4
"You're an angel," Bella said, and headed into the kitchen, although on the way she turned towards her daughter. "Stop starving that poor girl, you, she's too skinny as it is, young lady."
Leigh carted Bethany over and offered her to Sera. "Here you go, angel," she said sweetly, making a face at the brunette.
"Be nice to her! I saw that," Bella called from the kitchen, even though she was head and shoulders in a cupboard.
"Behold the power of mom-vision," Leigh noted to Sera.
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Post by Natasha Ainsworth on Oct 30, 2008 20:40:35 GMT -4
Seraphim gave the other girl another smug smile at her mother's scolding, as she reached out and took Bethany from the blonde, settling the little girl gently into her lap. "Thanks, young lady," she replied, her own tone equally as sweet, as she made a face in return. "Also, mom-vision just kicked your a-- ... butt."
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Post by Leigh O'Conner on Oct 30, 2008 20:53:38 GMT -4
"Language, dear," Bella called in the same tone.
"Mom hearing just kicked yours," Leigh responded teasingly, and headed towards the kitchen to assist her mother.
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Post by Natasha Ainsworth on Oct 30, 2008 21:14:07 GMT -4
"If your mom wasn't, like.. super-mom, I might be offended," Sera called after her, watching as the blonde disappeared into the kitchen. Once she was alone, she glanced down at Bethany, smiling a little. She wasn't quite as good with kids as Leigh, being the baby of her own family, but she wasn't terrible with Stevie and Beth. It was something she had grown used to, the same as Leigh. "Hey kiddo. Hope you don't have to be changed or something, cause I'm going to have to call your sister, if that's the case," she murmured, before glancing over toward Stevie and his toys.
"Unless your brother wants to. How does that sound, Stevie? Wanna change Bethany?"
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Post by Leigh O'Conner on Oct 30, 2008 21:32:37 GMT -4
"No!" Stevie shot back. "That's gross! Wanna play I. G. JOE?!" He asked, holding up one of the toys by a leg. "Gonna have a war," he noted excited. "With the Powa Rangers!"
"What's going on, Leigh Jacklyn?" Bella asked in a quiet no-nonsense voice. "You're as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room fulla rockin' chairs," she noted, handing Leigh a container of Rosemary, some thyme leaves, and a small clove of garlic wordlessly.
Leigh obediently moved to the cutting board and started work. Just across the small island, Bella was skinning the flounder with practiced ease. "Hey, I resemble that remark," she noted back wryly as she neatly minced the garlic and slid it to its own corner.
"Well, Mom, it's like this. You know how you keep raggin' on me. And raggin' on me. And when you're finished doing that you nag me for a little while?"
Bella merely seemed amused. "About what, specifically dear. Between the four of you, I do so much nagging I can barely keep up, you know."
"Well," Leigh responded softly. "I kind of kidnapped Sera in the middle of the school day, so if you get a phone call, please don't be too angry or surprised."
Bella, eyes wide, gently placed the flounder down, walked silently to the sink and washed her hands. She dried her hands on the towel hanging on the wall for that purpose, rehung the towel and faced her daughter. "You're telling me, young lady," she said sternly, voice raising slightly. "You left school in the middle of the day, convinced a straight-A student who never missed a day of school in her life barring the signs of the apocalypse to do the same?"
Leigh merely nodded meekly.
"Well, then," Bella replied. "You told her that you're madly in love with her, then?" She watched her daughter, face down, nodding again. "Well," she repeated. "You know what this means?"
The same nod.
"That's right," Bella said pointedly and then yelled at the living room. "YOU GET IN HERE RIGHT NOW, SERAPHIM MADELINE DONNELLY-ROUSSEAU!"
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Post by Natasha Ainsworth on Oct 30, 2008 21:48:22 GMT -4
"It is gross," Seraphim agreed, glancing down at the girl in her lap again, and silently praying that she really didn't need a diaper change. "And I would, kid, but I can't actively involve myself with a war, willingly. I'm a bit of a pacifist, y'see, and I don't believe in war-mongering. In fact, if this was the sixties, I'd probably be one of the those college hippies who hosted all of those protests outside of their schools. And your sister would be one of the flower children, and we'd never let the man get--"
She hadn't realized she'd been rambling, probably confusing Stevie with her wordy explanation, until Bella called out to her. It made her jump, tightening her grip slightly on Bethany, as she felt some of the color draining from her face. That shouting, did not sound like the sound of a woman who was exactly ecstatic about a situation.
Swallowing hard, the brunette stood from the couch, and placed Bethany comfortably onto her hip as Leigh had done a few moments ago, before slowly heading toward the kitchen. She sheepishly stepped in, peering over at Leigh, and then looking over toward her mother, nearer to the sink. "Y-Yes?"
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Post by Leigh O'Conner on Oct 30, 2008 21:54:21 GMT -4
"Young lady," Bella said, pointing at Sera. "You're meaning to tell me that you're dating Leigh, are you?"
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Post by Natasha Ainsworth on Oct 30, 2008 21:58:17 GMT -4
It was a struggle not to look to Leigh for a cue on what to say, but Seraphim simply nodded slowly instead, figuring that was a sufficient answer. "Uhm, yeah. I am, if she.. w-well, no, yeah. I definitely am. We are, she and I. We're a couple. Legitimate couple," she managed, going int rambling mode again. What else was there to say?
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Post by Leigh O'Conner on Oct 30, 2008 22:11:37 GMT -4
Leigh, meanwhile, was biting her lip, not out of nervousness, really, but out of an attempt not to laugh. She stepped forward and took Bethany from Sera. There could be no shield against her mother, and she knew it.
Bella gave Leigh a brief, amused glance, disguised by the fact that Leigh's body was temporarily in the way. "And you didn't even think to tell me first thing? Or give me hugs? You just hide in the living room while Leigh tells me?" She demanded, swooping in on Sera and swinging her bodily in a circle and smacked a kiss on her cheek. "You are in so much trouble, young lady. When did this start? You really said yes?" Bella didn't stop to wait for an answer -- it was easy to see where Leigh occasionally picked it up from. "Good! She's been moaning over you for ages!"
"Moom!" Leigh moaned, blushing painfully. "Stoppit!"
"Nonsense," Bella said shortly, and finally released Sera from her hug. "You're such a good influence on Leigh," she noted. "And I couldn't be happier. You couldn't have thought I'd be upset?" She asked the girl, with almost a touch of whine to her tone. "I love you, you know that. I've loved you since you first came over to my house, dragging poor Leigh in all muddy and bruised, and you as pristine as an angel." She dropped another affectionate kiss onto Sera's forehead. "Oh, and Andrew will be as pleased as punch. You're his favorite, you know," she winked. "We need cake," she said decisively. "Celebrations demand cake. I think I still have some homemade ice cream from yesterday if Leigh hasn't eaten it all."
Leigh's face was buried in her hand. "No, mom," she droned out. "I didn't eat it, you embarrassing woman who haunts my nightmares."
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Post by Natasha Ainsworth on Oct 30, 2008 22:23:30 GMT -4
Seraphim was almost positive that she had been expecting the exact opposite of what she received, and she exhaled heavily once she realized that she wasn't in trouble, or going to be kicked out of the house. She felt a little stupid, for thinking that in the first place, but it was a special situation, and she had been a bit unsure what one was supposed to prepare for. Knowing Leigh's mother, she really should have been prepared for what came.
She almost let out a little squeak as she was practically lifted off of her feet, spun quickly in a circle, and promptly kissed on the cheek. She felt herself flushing a little, giving a shaky laugh. "I wasn't hiding! I didn't know I was supposed to help, someone had to watch the kids, didn't they?" she reasoned quickly, reaching up to rub at her cheek some as she spoke. "And it's just started today, honest. We haven't been keeping it from you for more than a few hours.. and you were out, although I guess we could have phoned your cell. But then you might have picked up strangers and spun them around instead," she added, with a smirk. "And of course I said 'yes'. Have you looked at your daughter lately? Who would say 'no'?"
The brunette laughed once more at the look on Leigh's face, and the whining that issued from her, amusing the smaller girl greatly. "Oh, so I've heard. About the moaning, I mean. She thought I was going to just stop being her friend, hate her forever, she cried and everything. But I set her right, don't worry about it, really, being my good influence self," she continued, nodding. "And I must say, the yelling? It worried me a little. But I should have known you were good with the whole situation. You just like to give me heart attacks, and make me think that my second-mom is going to cut my head off, and serve it with the potatoes and green beans."
Squinting dramatically at the kiss to her forehead, she pouted her lower lip just a bit. "Course I'm his favorite, I'm the only one of our friends who can make Leigh do her homework, aren't I? And plus, cake! That'll make him happy, it's making me happy, I love cake. And this is most certainly a celebration, which I think needs some of that cake," Sera explained, as she finally pulled herself away from Bella, and moved over to where Leigh was standing with Bethany, leaning in and placing a light kiss onto the other girl's lips. "Glad you didn't eat it all, we'd have to send you out to get more."
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Post by Leigh O'Conner on Oct 30, 2008 22:35:26 GMT -4
Bella laughed delightedly at Sera's response. "One never knows," she responded. "And I would never serve your head with potatoes and green beans, darling. I would definitely pull out the asparagus for that."
Leigh cocked an eyebrow at Sera. "You'd send me out...for homemade ice cream?"
She turned and gave her daughter a look. "You need to be nicer to your girlfriend," she said pointedly, and then, holding out her arms, added dramatically, "Aww, you cried? Do you want cuddles?"
Leigh pouted. "I should have realized that this would have led you two ganging up on me. So mean."
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Post by Natasha Ainsworth on Oct 30, 2008 22:39:40 GMT -4
"Homemade, to me, only implies that someone else made it. And there is that place in the mall, that sells the supposed homemade gelato? We could have that, very Italian and classy," Seraphim replied matter-of-factly, with a grin. "And your mom is right, you're so awful to me, Leigh."
Pausing, she added a quick; "Well you crying isn't exactly normal. We need to take advantage."
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Post by Leigh O'Conner on Oct 30, 2008 22:47:41 GMT -4
"Yeah, yeah," Leigh said, a touch grumpily, and kissed Bethany's forehead. "You still love me, don't you Bethie?"
Bethany's head was resting quietly on her shoulder, warm and safe and perfectly content to be held by Leigh, and she merely whispered a soft "dahdah," at her. Everyone, at Bethany's age, was "dahdah".
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Post by Natasha Ainsworth on Oct 30, 2008 22:57:49 GMT -4
"We never said we didn't love you," Seraphim replied quickly, looking quite abashed by the mere suggestion. "We're just poking a bit of fun, perhaps at your expense. We still adore you. But if you'd rather go mope with the kids, I'll finish helping your mom with dinner, because I am just about starved."
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