justprompts - costume
There’s a nine-month-old standing unsteadily on the kitchen counter while her mother stands before her, arms outstretched in case the wobbling turns into a fall. She maintains her unsteady standing position for almost a full minute, until the back door opens, startling her.
Martha catches her before she actually falls, and glares at Jonathan and Clark as if they’ve just committed a heinous crime. “She was standing all by herself.”
Neither Jonathan nor Clark moves out of the doorway, both staring at Grace with their mouths half-open. Martha raises an eyebrow. “What?”
“Uh…Mom.” Clark purses his lips to keep from laughing. “You know you’ve got her wearing a bee costume, right?”
“It’s cute!” Martha protests, lifting Grace off the counter and holding her at the hip. “Isn’t it, Gracie?”
The baby frowns, wrinkling her nose, as the little foam antennas weigh her head down just a little. Laughing, Jonathan snatches her out of Martha’s arms and pulls off the antennas. “You don’t want to be a bee, do you?”
Still frowning, Gracie attempts the word. “Baa.”
“Close enough,” Clark replies, tapping her nose before turning back to his mother. “Mom, you can’t put her in a bee costume. Just because she’s nine months old doesn’t mean she can’t get embarrassed.”
“Oh, please.” She takes the antennas from Jonathan and tosses them onto the counter. “What else am I supposed to dress her up as?”
Clark shrugs. “I don’t know, dress her up as a pumpkin or something.”
“That’s original,” Martha quips, squinting her eyes at Gracie, thinking up new ideas.
“And a bee is original?”
Gracie flexes her fingers at Martha, a habit she’s picked up recently. If it has any meaning, her family has yet to figure out what it is. “Baa.”
“Listen to that,” Jonathan says, bouncing her a little. “You should dress her up as a sheep.”
“Ohhhh!” Martha lets out a squeal, taking Gracie from him. “A little lamb!”
“Dad.” Clark groans, sitting down on one of the stools. “See what you did?”
“It’s her first Halloween,” Martha points out. “I just want to dress her up before she’s old enough to fight me on it.”
“Well, if you get to choose her costume for her, then I think Dad and I should get to choose yours,” Clark suggests, bargaining on behalf of his sister.
“Good idea,” Jonathan agrees. “I vote french maid.”
Martha rolls her eyes. Clark grimaces, shaking his head. “That’s strike two, Dad.”
“Worth a shot, I thought.”
“You two don’t get a vote,” Martha decides, standing Gracie on the counter again, holding her arms out just in case. “Bee it is.”
“Baaa,” Gracie murmurs again, pouting.
“She’s getting close,” Clark observes. “What if her first word is ‘bee’? We totally can’t have that, Mom.”
Gracie leans forward towards her mother’s arms until Martha lifts her off the counter again. “All right, fine,” Martha concedes with a sigh. “A lamb it is.”
Martha Kent
Smallville
489
Martha catches her before she actually falls, and glares at Jonathan and Clark as if they’ve just committed a heinous crime. “She was standing all by herself.”
Neither Jonathan nor Clark moves out of the doorway, both staring at Grace with their mouths half-open. Martha raises an eyebrow. “What?”
“Uh…Mom.” Clark purses his lips to keep from laughing. “You know you’ve got her wearing a bee costume, right?”
“It’s cute!” Martha protests, lifting Grace off the counter and holding her at the hip. “Isn’t it, Gracie?”
The baby frowns, wrinkling her nose, as the little foam antennas weigh her head down just a little. Laughing, Jonathan snatches her out of Martha’s arms and pulls off the antennas. “You don’t want to be a bee, do you?”
Still frowning, Gracie attempts the word. “Baa.”
“Close enough,” Clark replies, tapping her nose before turning back to his mother. “Mom, you can’t put her in a bee costume. Just because she’s nine months old doesn’t mean she can’t get embarrassed.”
“Oh, please.” She takes the antennas from Jonathan and tosses them onto the counter. “What else am I supposed to dress her up as?”
Clark shrugs. “I don’t know, dress her up as a pumpkin or something.”
“That’s original,” Martha quips, squinting her eyes at Gracie, thinking up new ideas.
“And a bee is original?”
Gracie flexes her fingers at Martha, a habit she’s picked up recently. If it has any meaning, her family has yet to figure out what it is. “Baa.”
“Listen to that,” Jonathan says, bouncing her a little. “You should dress her up as a sheep.”
“Ohhhh!” Martha lets out a squeal, taking Gracie from him. “A little lamb!”
“Dad.” Clark groans, sitting down on one of the stools. “See what you did?”
“It’s her first Halloween,” Martha points out. “I just want to dress her up before she’s old enough to fight me on it.”
“Well, if you get to choose her costume for her, then I think Dad and I should get to choose yours,” Clark suggests, bargaining on behalf of his sister.
“Good idea,” Jonathan agrees. “I vote french maid.”
Martha rolls her eyes. Clark grimaces, shaking his head. “That’s strike two, Dad.”
“Worth a shot, I thought.”
“You two don’t get a vote,” Martha decides, standing Gracie on the counter again, holding her arms out just in case. “Bee it is.”
“Baaa,” Gracie murmurs again, pouting.
“She’s getting close,” Clark observes. “What if her first word is ‘bee’? We totally can’t have that, Mom.”
Gracie leans forward towards her mother’s arms until Martha lifts her off the counter again. “All right, fine,” Martha concedes with a sigh. “A lamb it is.”
Martha Kent
Smallville
489