Tittle: The Joys of Motherhood - Claire's Magic Soup
Author: storm_8
Fandom: Women's Murder Club
Pairings: Lindsay/Cindy
Raiting: PG
Spoilers: None for the show.
Disclaimers: Ha! Obviously I don't own any of these characters except the original one's. I also don't own the song "Stop and Stare" by OneRepublic, I just like it a lot.
A/N: Unbeated, so all mistakes are mine.
So, here's another installment in the "Joys of Motherhood" universe, which I have recently realized is enormous. So I decided to post it here first as I want to post the stories in order over at AO3. But feel free to head over there and read them again and we can reminisce over the good ol' days. :D
This time around, Lily is sick and Ashley brings home aunt Claire's miracle brew! :)
Enjoy! And remember comments are love!! And bribery for the muse...
“Stop and stare, I think I'm moving but I go nowhere...”
Lindsay looked up from the newspaper she had been reading at the rather out of pitch singing she could hear coming from the driveway. She then looked over to the opposite end of the couch where a rather disheveled head poked out from under the thick blanket.
Lily had a disgruntled expression on her face (at least that was what the inspector thought it was - bedridden with a nasty bout of flu, the girl had been carrying slight variations of the same nauseated, grumpy and congested face in the last few days - so she wasn't really sure).
“Stop and stare, you start to wonder why you're here not there...”
The singing grew louder as the front door opened, followed by some grumbling, something hitting the floor and some more grumbling about stuck keys.
Lily rolled her eyes and regretted the action immediately, her forehead protesting and her eyes watering. She moaned pitifully and hid under the blanket again. Lindsay gave her a gentle pat on the leg and craned her head, trying to peer into the hallway.
Ashley stumbled in mere seconds later, trying not to upturn the paper bag she was holding while wrestling with her skateboard and her backpack that was threatening to fall off her shoulder.
The inspector shook her head amusedly but made no move to get up whatsoever. She heard a quiet giggle, Lily peeking from around the blanket again.
The older girl frowned for good measure and then dumped her skateboard and backpack on the floor and spit out the keys that had been dangling from her mouth.
Martha, the ever attentive dog, got up from her spot in front of the couch and snatched the keys off the floor to deposit them in their respective bowl, where all other keys went.
Ashley chuckled and used her newly freed hand to scratch her behind the ears. “Thanks Martha, you're the best!” The dog barked happily and sniffed the bag in the girl’s hands. “Ah, ah… This is not for you.” She put the bag on the coffee table and ushered the Border Collie away; Lindsay could smell Claire’s heavenly chicken soup and garlic bread.
Martha huffed; she was not pleased.
The brunette teen just grinned and picked up her discarded backpack, pulling out another smaller paper bag. She waved it in front of the miffed dog. “This is for you Martha. Because you’re the best and you have been taking care of…” She looked to the couch where her sister had curled further into her blankets and gestured vaguely. “Well, taking care of that sick little blob.”
Lily only managed to moan very pitifully.
Ashley chuckled and turned to walk to the kitchen to deposit Martha’s treats in her bowl. The dog quickly trotted after her, barking in delight.
Lindsay watched them go and once she was sure she would not be seen, she shuffled closer to the coffee table and peered into the paper bag. There was one big can of steaming chicken soup and two warm baguettes cut in slices and generously coated in garlic butter and herbs. She reached in to get some of that divine bread, when a plastic pellet struck her in the arm. She jerked back as if burned.
“Mom! Stay away from that bag!” Ashley demanded, pointing a bright orange plastic pistol at her mother.
The inspector scowled, rubbing the spot on her arm where the small plastic ball had hit her. “I can’t believe you just shot me.”
“And I can’t believe you were about to pilfer Lily’s food! Aunt Claire made that soup specifically for her, ‘cause she’s sick.” The brunette waved the gun around to get her point across.
At the mention of aunt Claire’s soup, Lily poked her head from under her mountain of blankets to look blearily around. Her eyes lit up when she spotted the bag and glanced hopefully to her sister. “Fo’ me?” She croaked out.
Ashley huffed and stalked to the couch, where she promptly yanked her mother to her feet and pushed her far away from the soup. “You, go away. You’re not touching that bag. And I don’t think there will be any garlic bread left for you. Stealing the sick person’s soup… What is wrong with you?!”
Lindsay tried not to laugh as she was shoved into the kitchen, her daughter glaring at her for her morally reprehensible actions.
******
“So, she’s not better?” Cindy asked concernedly over the phone.
“Well, she’s still as congested and she says she hurts all over, but on the plus side her fever’s gone down. So she’s slightly better.” Lindsay offered in a gentle tone. “I talked to Claire again and she says to just give her plenty of fluids and try to get her to eat something if she can stomach it. And since the fever’s gone down, she says that’s a good sign, so…”
The reporter let out a long, tired sigh. “I think I’ll stay home tomorrow. Do my work from there.”
“I’m sure Lily would be happy about that.” The inspector said with a small chuckle. “She is miserable and she keeps playing it up to the max. When she turns those watery eyes on me, coupled with the most miserable pout she can manage, she could ask me for a fully paid trip around the world and I’d give it to her.”
Cindy laughed. “Aww poor you!”
“Ooh and now she’s got an entire pot of Claire’s magic cure-all chicken soup and garlic bread!” The brunette whined good-naturedly into the receiver. “And I was just banned from the living room by a rather irate, over-protective older sister!”
The redhead woman laughed even harder, attracting the attention of the few remaining crime desk reporters. Some looked at her with harsh glares, which went completely ignored, because they were frantically trying to finish their stories before incurring the wrath of their fowl-mooded editor.
“Did you try to steal some of the bread again, Lindsay?” Cindy asked in a knowing tone. “You know Ashley won’t condone such appalling behaviour!”
“But it smells so good!” The taller woman whined again, peeking out the kitchen into the living room where Ashley was gently coaxing a bright eyed Lily into eating some of the magic soup. “And the girl is eating it too!” Lindsay huffed and puffed, earning herself a rather unamused glare from her eldest daughter.
“Hell no, mom! You stay right there! You’re not coming anywhere this soup!” The girl said in a tone that promised swift revenge if her mother decided to ignore her.
Cindy could do nothing but keep on laughing, listening to her daughter threaten the inspector with all kinds of unsavoury things if she came anywhere near Lily’s precious nourishment. Lindsay just grumbled amusedly and retreated back into the kitchen, entreating her lover to come home immediately because she was feeling unloved by her eldest child and she wanted some comforting.