A better day

[new_ophelia]

February has to be one of the worst months of the year. It's just going to have to be. Kate can't quite comprehend the idea that every month could be this hard, so February is designated the worst month. It's the first full month without Jack, it's Jack's birthday, their anniversary, and Valentine's Day. That's ridiculous. There's a lull coming up

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[1000_cranes]

A proud Auntie amid a flood of proud Uncles, Charlie just watches them for a moment, arms folded across her chest. She's fresh from a run, sweaty and glowing and she just leans her chin into her hand. She brushes her fringe back from her eyes.

"You two havin' a good time?"

[new_ophelia]

"He totally said 'mama'," she shoots back, giving Sam a watery smile. "He just looked at me and said it."

Sam scoots as far to the edge of the trampoline as Kate will allow and waves his arm around at Charlie.

[1000_cranes]

"Did you?" says Charlie, face splitting into a grin as she leans down to frame both sides of Sam's little face and dropping a kiss onto the top of his head.

"Way to go, little man."

[new_ophelia]

"Hi," Sam answers, pushing up to grab at her shoulders.

"Look at him, he knows exactly what he's doing," Kate laughs, rolling to her belly. "Little show off."

[1000_cranes]

"He's flirting is what he's doing," says Charlie, wrapping her arms around Sam and bouncing him a little on the trampoline.

"You're gonna have to take it up with Ianto, Sam."

[new_ophelia]

"Just like his dad," she murmurs, smoothing his wild hair down. "Thought we'd get out of the house for a while today. I forget, you know, how much Jack played with him."

[1000_cranes]

"Playing with him often is a burden I'm willing to take on, Katie," says Charlie, her face utterly solemn as she looks down into Sam's face.

"Anything for you and your Momma, little man."

[new_ophelia]

Sam opens his mouth a few times and finally forces out something like, "Ja."

When Kate doesn't immediately praise him he flings his arm out at Charlie and says in an insistent tone, "Ja."

"Is that Charlie?" she wonders outloud, hoping the mama thing wasn't a freak accident.

[1000_cranes]

Charlie looks down at him, both eyebrows raised and a smile hovering just around her mouth. She's got this fluttering in her chest beccause it sure sounds like he's trying to say her name.

"That me, sugar?" she asks him, bouncing him again gently. "Auntie Charlie?"

[new_ophelia]

"Ja," he answers, patting her neck. "Hi. Ja."

Kate raises an eyebrow at that, wondering who this talkative baby is. "God, it's like someone flipped a switch," she says with just a hint of a sigh. It's still a little sad, as happy as the moment should be.

[1000_cranes]

She laughs and bends to pick him up, hoisting him and sitting him on her hip, planting a kiss right on his forehead.

"Who's a clever boy? You are, little man! You're so clever."

[new_ophelia]

"He thinks so," she scoffs, watching Sam beam under Charlie's praise.

"He's this little boy, all of a sudden. Kind of miss him being a baby. That's probably normal, right?"

[1000_cranes]

She smoothes her hand over his head and looks at his Momma, head tilted slightly on one side.

"He's never gonna grow up slow enough for you, sugar"

[new_ophelia]

"No shit," she mutters, reaching out to fiddle with Sam's shirt. "Freaks me out. He's just going to get more and more independent. Go places on his own. What the hell am I going to do with all that time, huh?"