RP: Telling the Girls

[neve_stadheim]

Date: October 24th, 2011
Characters: Neve Stadheim, Shelby, Mackenzie & Bryn Stadheim (NPC), Jake Abernathy, Star Abernathy (NPC)
Location: Abernathy Home
Status: Private
Summary: Neve and Jake finally tell their girls.
Completion: Incomplete

Comments

[neve_stadheim]

Mack didn't say anything in reply to Star. Honestly she didn't know why she was yelling at the older girl when they were the only two people in the room who didn't seem 'okay' with this new information. Well, maybe they had Shelby as well, but her sister was way too calm about it all in her opinion

[neve_stadheim]

Neve knew they both had rocky roads ahead of them when it came to dealing with their respective children. In knowing that though, she also knew they would and could manage this. Her girls were upset, but she knew it wouldn't last, and a couple good conversations about all of this was likely to aid in the process of pushing forward.

"Bryn doesn't like onions, though I think we could order two pizzas." Shelby replied, glancing at her Mom briefly. "At home we usually end up ordering two anyway 'cause Mack and Bryn are picky." She added. "Anything but a romance right now." She answered, trying to do her best to avoid wrinkling her nose as she said it.

[jake_abernathy]

"At least two. There's enough of us to eat that much, at least," Jake said. "What do you suggest?" he asked Neve, not knowing her children's preferences as well as she did. He and Star were usually pretty easy going on their choices, mostly just agreeing to keep the fish off of it, though he didn't mind them on occasion.

"Mm, I have the new Pirates movie, you wanna see that? Or Monsters Inc or something, there's a bunch of choices," she said. Her grandma had bought the new Pirates movie but Star had taken it off to her room the other night, wanting something new and interesting to watch, evne if she had seen it with her grandparents before.

[neve_stadheim]

"So maybe two large pizzas, then?" Neve asked, considering Jake's question. "Mackenzie and Bryn don't like onions, and Shelby would prefer something without mushrooms and anchovies." She listed off, "The safest bet would be to order a pepperoni pizza for my picky eaters and then whatever Star would like on the other one." Neve felt more comfortable if Star was able to choose what one of the pizza's would be. She would hate for it to be all about what her girls wanted.

"Let's watch the new Pirates movie, Bryn was on a Monster Inc. kick for months last summer, so I haven't been able to watch it since." She said, laughing slightly. "Or we can watch whatever, I'm not really picky." Shelby really wasn't, so long as it wasn't a romance she'd be happy.

[jake_abernathy]

Jake nodded. "Sounds good to me," Jake said, pushing himself over to the phone and picking it up. The number was on the magnet on the refrigerator.

"Just sausage and onion or something," Star said with a shrug at her dad. "We'll be in my room, watching a movie. Yell when the pizza's here," she said, pushing out of the chair and nodding her head toward her room, looking at Shelby. The other two were welcome to come too. "Pirates is fine with me. I really like the new one," she said.

[neve_stadheim]

Neve got up and followed Jake while he ordered the pizza, glancing over her shoulder as Star and Shelby got up to leave the living room. "Shelby, would you mind taking Bryn with you?" It wasn't that she was trying to send her girls away, but so often Bryn didn't seem to feel like she could just invite herself along with the older girls like Mackenzie did.

"Sure." Shelby replied as she got up for the arm of the chair, picking up her little sister before following Star to her room. Mackenzie didn't bother to ask, she just followed behind the three other girls. "Yeah? I'm not sure if I saw the newest one." She answered Star, glancing at Mackenzie who shook her head no.

Once the girls were gone, Neve let out a heavy sigh. "Well, that went better than I expected." She commented quietly,

[jake_abernathy]

Star led everyone into her room, not minding that all the girls followed (though, a voice whispered in her head, would her dad prefer them to her eventually? Shelby was always so good, and Bryn so sweet, and Mack spirited...). She dug the DVD out from where she'd put it after watching it the other night and fidgeted with the portable DVD player that was hooked into her little TV--she didn't have a big player yet, but when it was hooked to the TV, it was the same thing as having one, so she didn't care

[neve_stadheim]

Shelby nodded, settling on the bed as Star fiddled with the DVD player, Bryn snuggled in next to her older sister, just glad to have been allowed to hang out with the older girls. While Mackenzie still in a very sullen state took up residences on the large floor pillow. "Fountain of Youth?" Bryn quirked an eyebrow and looked at Star, having no idea what the Fountain of Youth was.

"It's a myth." Mackenzie pointed out in reply to her little sister, though that explanation was no better.

Bryn screwed up her face, "Myth?" Maybe being with the older girls wasn't as great as she thought, since they were talking about things she didn't understand.

Sighing softly, Neve took Jake's hand before slipping onto Jake's lap. "With our girls, yeah it could have gone so much worse." She agreed, resting her head against Jake's shoulder momentarily. "Sadly, I think this is just the tip of the ice burg."

[jake_abernathy]

"It's like a fairy tale," Star found herself telling Bryn as she navigated the options. "It's about a magic fountain or pool that makes anyone who drinks it young forever, or at least a little while, depending on who is telling the story," she explained. She clicked play and climbed up on the bed with them, grabbing a pillow and scrunching it under her chin.

Jake snugged her closer to him, glad to have her in the circle of his arms. "Oh, I'm sure. Star doesn't give in easily," he said quietly. "Is there anything I can do to help with Mackenzie and Shelby?" he asked.

[neve_stadheim]

Bryn listened to Star as she explained, shifting on the bed a bit as Star climbed up with them. "I like fairy tales." She explained, smiling brightly and making a note that she would have to tell Abby about this. "Younger forever?" Bryn screwed up her face as she asked the question, thinking that wouldn't actually be fun at all.

Neve was still surprised at just how much it calmed her to just be held by Jake. "Neither do my girls." She said, her tone soft. "Honestly, give them time and just understand it's not personal. They really do like you." Neve knew her girls would work through this. "And you know if there's anything I can do to help with Star I will."

[jake_abernathy]

"I like them too. Dad has some cool fairy tales." SHe didn't know if he'd made them up or what, but she also remembered her mom telling her stories when she was little, though maybe they weren't the same ones. She didn't know. "Yeah, like live forever or something. Dunno."

He took a lot of comfort from her closeness, the way she leaned into him. It had been a long, long time since anyone had really relied on him for anything like comfort. "I know it's not. And it's not really with Star either. Just hard for her too." His poor girl, going through a lot lately. But he didn't know how to help, and he didn't want to put this on hold or lose a very good thing in his life. "Just be patient with her is all I can think of right now."

[neve_stadheim]

"He does?" Bryn asked curiously, intrigued by the idea of Jake telling stories. Her Mom always created stories for her for bedtime, and even Uncle Ezra would do it from time to time. Wrinkling her nose, the little girl eyed Star. "Who would want to live forever?"

She had always been a touch oriented person, almost finding more comfort in a simple hug than she ever could in words. It was easy to find comfort in the feel of Jake's arms around her, the closeness was nice and a good reminder that she wasn't in this alone. "This just isn't going to be easy." She murmured, though they knew that going into this. Her girls were upset, but they would get over it in time. "That I can do." Neve said, smiling faintly. She could be patient with Star, just as she hoped Jake would be patient with her girls.

[jake_abernathy]

"Yeah, he's always told good ones," Star said, perhaps a little more subdued than normal, since she was upset with her dad right now, but it was the truth and she'd been taught to be honest. Star shrugged. "Dunno. Crazy people, maybe."

Jake brushed his fingers along her cheek, cupping it and turning his head to kiss her lightly. "It's not, but it's nothing we can't handle." They could take this, so long as they were patient and worked at it. They were both hard workers, they could do it. He knew how to be patient especially with kids.

[neve_stadheim]

"Our Uncle Ezra tells the greatest stories, he even does different voices for different characters." Bryn explained in a happy tone. Her Uncle Ezra was great with stories, and he had a lot of them; or a lot in her mind anyway. "Mmkay, I don't think I want to join the crazy people."

Neve closed her eyes momentarily as he cupped her cheek and kissed her. These little moments, things like this; they just reminded her why she was even willing to go through her girls being upset. She couldn't imagine not giving whatever this was between her and Jake a chance, and she just hoped her girls would come around to the idea. "No, it's definitely not something we can't handle." They were both too stubborn and hard headed to give up, and both could be patient when the situation called for it.