For one brief but infuriating second when Scully first pulled a selection from the shelf turned it over in her hand, she had wondered if the lore was true - if this inanimate object truly was possessed, it it really was evil. In little over a month, she had come into contact with more new parents and children than she often did in a year back home. Reminders, all of them, that she had missed her own chance. Reminders of what she could never have, and of what she lost. Of Emily.
Still, it was a relief when she spotted the mother and daughter pair already seated, if only because it removed any suspicion that a book shelf was mocking her. (Honestly, what had she been thinking? Had she been thinking at all?)
"Here," she said, stepping forward and holding out the child's book. "I think this one was meant for you."
Madeline seemed to zero in on the brightest things on each page. A flower here, a colorful shirt there. Watching her was enough to make her not really notice much around here, so it came as a surprise when she noticed the woman offering a book to her.
"Oh, thank you," she said with a warm smile, taking the book. With how random the bookshelf seemed sometimes, she took what she could get. "Look at what the nice lady just gave you, Madeline."
Madeline grabbed at it with her tiny hands, likely more interested in it because it was something new and not what it was.
"She's much bigger than Josie," says Karen, watching Madeline quietly. Karen's feeling better; she's been feeling better for a little while, but she doesn't know how to tell Shadow and her brother about it. She sort of feels like she ought to miss Ainsley forever.
"I don't think Josie's ever going to be proper size."
Ellie had to smile at the comment. Madeline had recently gone through a spurt, it seemed - or more of one, anyway. She
"You'd be surprised at how fast your brother is going to grow," she said, looking up from the book to look at Karen. Madeline didn't seem to mind the interruption, as she was busy looking at the pictures in the book. "Would you like to sit with us? I was just reading Madeline some nursery rhymes."
"Maybe he won't grow because Ainsley's gone. Maybe you need a Mom for that." Karen thinks about that, twisting her fingers in her long blond curls. "And he hasn't got a Mom anymore."
Neither of them did anymore.
Karen wanders closer and plops herself down on the sofa. She doesn't say anything else. She just chews on one of her fingers and watches Ellie and Maddy.
The words hit Ellie harder than Karen could ever know, her stomach twisting a little. If she didn't have Madeline in her lap, she would have likely been unable to keep herself from hugging her.
"You know, when I was a little older than you, my Mom went away," she explained in a soft voice. After the necklace showing up last month, the pain of that was like a fresh wound all over again. "I was so sad for a long time. But then I realized that even with her gone, I had people that cared about me, and that's what really makes a person grow. That's why I ended up trying extra hard to be a good sister to my little brother. That's why your brother will be okay too, because he has you and Shadow and everyone else who loves him."
An unexpected pang of jealousy hit Nate as he watched Ellie and Madeline for a second. It wasn't like it was the first time he'd seen them hanging out either. Just being neighbors put them in each other's paths a lot. But for some reason it hit him just then.
And in the fine Archibald tradition of simultaneously ignoring one's problems and asking for trouble, he headed over to the couch with a mug of tea in his hand. "Hey you guys," he greeted with a friendly smile before perching on the armrest. "Starting with the classics, huh?"
"I thought I'd start with something easy and work our way up to equally colorful but more advanced picture books," she agreed, lifting her head to smile in Nate's direction. She'd just finished the last story and was about to show her the hand movements for 'Itsy Bitsy Spider'. "I don't know if she's so interested in the rhymes yet, though."
"More advanced picture books," Nate echoed with a smile. He couldn't help it. He didn't speak Parent and the idea was cute. "Can she be? I mean, she can't even talk yet. Do rhymes even mean anything?"
"It's the sounds that are important," she replied. It'd be a while yet before she understood anything, but that didn't mean she wasn't learning. "She's already picking up some of them It mostly all sounds like babble still, though."
She was 'talking' to herself now, in fact, as she slapped one hand against the book's surface with a delighted laugh.
It was fucking ridiculous how shit like this made Joe smile, but he couldn't help it, even as he lurked in the doorway of the rec room, watching the woman with her little girl. When there was a pause in reading, he headed in and cleared his throat, not wanting to startle her.
"Ever been to the Children's Office?" he asked, hands in his pockets. "Not that it's any of my business, but we've got a pretty fu- a big collection of books and toys and stuff for kids in there."
Ellie had flipped the page and was about to read another when she realized someone had come over.
"Yes, actually," she said in response. She had gone up to see it a few times, if only because she wanted to check on how it was for when Madeline was a little older. It was important for her to be around kids her own age. "Are you one of the workers there?"
"Yeah. Well, I started it with Eostre back when we were both on the Council." Back when she'd still been there with him, back when he'd been the asshole who held her hair back as she barfed in a garbage can.
"Joe Dick," he said by way of introduction, coming closer and offering his hand. "She's cute."
"Ellie Woodcomb," she said, shaking his hand. Looking down at her daughter, who was currently gripping at one of the pages, she smiled. "And this is Madeline. I'm sure you'll be seeing her a lot if that's the case. You really put together a nice place, from what I've seen."
"Hey, you two," Sarah said, smiling as she waved to the pair of them, walking around to stand near them. She reached out to Maddie without much thinking about it, gently touching her shoulder. "Sounds like a good story you have going here."
"I think we might have to go see the sheep after I'm done," Ellie commented, grinning a little when Madeline practically brightened up upon seeing the familiar face, clapping her little hands together. "She seems to really like the pictures of them in the book."
"Well, they're very cute," Sarah said. "Enjoying the story, Maddie?" It didn't matter that she knew the girl was still too young to understand or really respond; from all she'd heard, just talking like she could was important. And that didn't keep her from automatically slipping into that tone of voice reserved for small children and animals. "Mind if I join in?"
"You like the rhymes, don't you?" she asked, laughing a little when she started babbling and touching the book again. It was probably a good thing she entertained herself easily. "I don't think either of us would mind. Think you can handle some of the hand gestures of 'The Itsy Bitsy Spider'? That's the next story."
Comments 32
Still, it was a relief when she spotted the mother and daughter pair already seated, if only because it removed any suspicion that a book shelf was mocking her. (Honestly, what had she been thinking? Had she been thinking at all?)
"Here," she said, stepping forward and holding out the child's book. "I think this one was meant for you."
Reply
"Oh, thank you," she said with a warm smile, taking the book. With how random the bookshelf seemed sometimes, she took what she could get. "Look at what the nice lady just gave you, Madeline."
Madeline grabbed at it with her tiny hands, likely more interested in it because it was something new and not what it was.
Reply
"I don't think Josie's ever going to be proper size."
Reply
"You'd be surprised at how fast your brother is going to grow," she said, looking up from the book to look at Karen. Madeline didn't seem to mind the interruption, as she was busy looking at the pictures in the book. "Would you like to sit with us? I was just reading Madeline some nursery rhymes."
Reply
Neither of them did anymore.
Karen wanders closer and plops herself down on the sofa. She doesn't say anything else. She just chews on one of her fingers and watches Ellie and Maddy.
Reply
"You know, when I was a little older than you, my Mom went away," she explained in a soft voice. After the necklace showing up last month, the pain of that was like a fresh wound all over again. "I was so sad for a long time. But then I realized that even with her gone, I had people that cared about me, and that's what really makes a person grow. That's why I ended up trying extra hard to be a good sister to my little brother. That's why your brother will be okay too, because he has you and Shadow and everyone else who loves him."
Reply
And in the fine Archibald tradition of simultaneously ignoring one's problems and asking for trouble, he headed over to the couch with a mug of tea in his hand. "Hey you guys," he greeted with a friendly smile before perching on the armrest. "Starting with the classics, huh?"
Reply
Reply
Reply
She was 'talking' to herself now, in fact, as she slapped one hand against the book's surface with a delighted laugh.
Reply
"Ever been to the Children's Office?" he asked, hands in his pockets. "Not that it's any of my business, but we've got a pretty fu- a big collection of books and toys and stuff for kids in there."
Reply
"Yes, actually," she said in response. She had gone up to see it a few times, if only because she wanted to check on how it was for when Madeline was a little older. It was important for her to be around kids her own age. "Are you one of the workers there?"
Reply
"Joe Dick," he said by way of introduction, coming closer and offering his hand. "She's cute."
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment