(Untitled)

[goingtodorking]

The little girl is absolutely covered in glitter. For a moment, Karen just stares, horrified. This wasn't supposed to happen. They were sitting making Christmas cards and Karen promised Lily that she'd take good care of Emmy. She'd made sure she didn't cut herself with scissors. She'd carefully drawn a Christmas tree for Emmy to colour in.

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[whoneedsadream]

Anatoly paused for a moment, taking in the unexpected sight of two little girls, covered in glitter. He gave them both a friendly smile and ignoring the slight pang in his heart, knelt beside them. "That's an awful lot of glitter. What are you two making?"

[emilyiris]

"Cards!" says Emmy, holding out both hands to proudly display glittery palms. "For Mum and Dad and..." She looks at Karen a little doubtfully. "Them."

[whoneedsadream]

Anatoly dutifully admired the very sparkly hands. "Oh, I see now. For Christmas? That's very thoughtful of you both. I'm sure they'll love it."

[goingtodorking]

"She wasn't supposed to get that glittery," says Karen, leaning one chin into her hand and looking very long suffering indeed. It seems to have escaped her notice that she's incredibly glittery too. She rubs her nose. "I was supposed to be looking after her for her Mum."

[whoneedsadream]

"Surely a little glitter couldn't hurt," Anatoly said, with all the assurance of someone who didn't have to clean it off afterward. So there might be more glitter than some might find desirable. They were having fun, or had been having fun, and that was the important thing, wasn't it?

[emilyiris]

Emmy looks at Anatoly and Karen and then she lifts both of her glitter caked hands and she blows it over both of them, covering them both in a new layer of glitter.

And then she laughs like it's the funniest thing that she's ever seen.

[whoneedsadream]

Covered in glitter, Anatoly could only laugh along with Emmy. He hadn't quite bargained for this, but then again, he supposed he had asked for it.

"Thank you," he tried to say solemnly as he ineffectually tried to brush some of the flakes from his hair. "I'm not sure I would fit on a card, though. I'm a little too big."

[goingtodorking]

For a moment, Karen looks truly, completely distraught.

"Now you're glittery, too!" she wails. "Oh, my God, it's completely a disaster!"

[whoneedsadream]

"Oh, it's not so bad at all," Anatoly hastened to reassure Karen once he realized how distressed she was. "It can be cleaned up easily, can't it? It's not a disaster at all."

Optimism had to count for something, right?

[emilyiris]

Emmy picks up on Karen being upset and Anatoly trying to calm her down. She leans across and pats Karen's leg fondly.

"Awh, Karen," she says, in a tone that she's almost certainly picked up from one parent or another.

[whoneedsadream]

Emmy's voice is such a perfect imitation of a motherly tone that Anatoly nearly burst into laughter. As it was, he barely kept the amusement out of his voice when he spoke. "I promise, everything will be fine."

[goingtodorking]

"How?" demands Karen, still looking miserable. "We're all glittery and we're going to have to have lunch soon, and then Emmy's Mum's going to want her back and..."

She throws up her hands in despair.

"It's awful."

[whoneedsadream]

"Well," Anatoly said reassuringly. "I have an idea. Why don't we get the glitter off as best we can? You and Emmy could help each other and then after we're all clean, we can work on the floor. And when Emmy's Mum comes, I will be happy to explain things to her."