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______&&A Child In The Snow

Rome wasn't happy.

It was cold. It was snowy. It was even more cold.

"Stupid cat," she muttered to herself, tromping through the knee-high snow. "Stupid, stupid, stupid cat. This is the last time I take that little creep with me to visit Holly." She tripped over a snow-obscured stump, grit her teeth and started to bellow.

"BUGS?! BUGS!!" A hefty sigh broke past her lips and she continued to mutter to herself, searching for the black little butterball of a cat.

She hated going to visit her sister Holly. The drive was horrible; twisting roads coated with slick ice and snow. Bugs, her cat, had escaped from the car when she slipped out to both stretch her legs and check on her snow chains. Despite the fact that the cat was mean as hell, Rome loved the little creep and couldn't simply leave him behind.

So there she was, dressed in her skin-tight jeans and big poofy jacket and pants, looking for Bugs the cat. Miserable. Cold. Freezing. Wet.

Out of the corner of her eye she caught a slip of movement. Spinning on a dime, Rome eyed the area, searching for Bugs. She caught a glimpse of him in hunter-mode, creeping through the snow with murderous intent. His flabby gut made a canyon through the snow as he crept closer and closer to a small brown bird.

Rome herself slipped between massive trees, hot on the trail of her sinister cat. Intent only on him, she moved closer and closer before making a sudden nose-dive into the snow, arms outstretched in hopes of capturing the bothersome cat. She was half-expecting to capture the cat, half-expecting to break a few bones in the process.

Instead she came face-to-face with inquisitive cotton-candy eyes.

Shuffling back in the snow, using her feet to propel her, Rome grasped at her chest. "Am I hallucinating?" She reached forward with a wary hand and tugged on the brown hair that covered the babe's calves. "What in the hell.. a baby?" The youngling merely watched Rome sagely, curiously.

It was then that Rome noticed the small bird perched atop the child's head. Things got weirder from there: the baby had some odd antlers shooting skyward from her skull, and there seemed to be leafbuds sprouting from the antlers. Stranger than that, the kidlet had cloven, gold hooves. And despite the fact that it was the middle of winter and snow coated the landscape, the baby seemed to be comfortably splayed in a bed of lush moss, leaves and soft green ferns.

Bugs, by this time, had grown bored with the situation and had moved back to the car that sat only a few hundred feet away. Rome, the ever-conscious woman she was, sat still in the snow. She continued to stare at the baby who in turn merely stared back intently, remaining silent. Mumbling softly to herself, Rome rose to her feet and reached out for the child. As if the baby had known her forever, the pink-eyed babe reached her chubby arms out to the little redhead trustfully.

Almost without thinking of what she was doing, Rome carried the baby back to the car. Making a makeshift bed out of the blankets and pillows that she'd carted with her, Rome secured the baby in the backseat. Remarkably, the little bird stayed with the child the entire time, merely chirping softly as if to comfort itself and the babe.

Seating herself in the drivers seat, Rome buckled up and shook her head in disbelief. What in the hell was a baby doing out in the middle of nowhere?

"Well, kid, I guess we're stuck with each other. And I guess I have to figure out a name for you, too, huh?" She put the car in gear and continued on the way to her sister's house. "Holly is just gonna love this."

The baby merely burbled and was soon fast asleep, snoring gently. Bugs, ever watchful of the baby bird that remained nestled in the crook of the baby's neck, chirped a warning to the hulk of a cat before burrowing down in the babe's hair.

______&&Home Is Where The Heart Is

Holly was one of those people with immeasurable amounts of energy. Rome could only take so much of Holly, so with a farce of a smile and a swift goodbye, Rome was back on the road headed home a mere two hours later.

Driving home, Rome kept a close eye on Gabrielle. Secured in a newly-purchased carseat, Gabrielle was content to merely watch the scenery pass by through the car window. The hatchling was clasped securely in her small hands; it awed Rome how tenderly the babe treated the little bird. Truthfully, Rome was nearly constantly awed by how gentle and peaceful the chubby little baby was.

Rome pulled into her driveway a mere three hours later, sighing softly as she put the car into park and unbuckled her seatbelt. She peered back at the brown-haired baby who was waiting patiently for Rome to remove her from the cozy carseat.

Bundling the baby and the bird up securely in her arms, and with Bugs weaving in and out between her legs, Rome made her way to the front door of her small and cozy cottage.

She had a lot to accomplish. After all, it wasn't every day that you went out on a drive to visit family only to come home with a little baby and an extra critter. There was much to be done. Rome wanted to get the baby settled into the smaller second bedroom that was just off her own quarters.

"Little sweetheart, we're going to have fun getting to know each other." She peered at the semi-snoozing child as she moved into her bedroom. Placing Gabrielle on her bed, she bracketed the baby and her petpet with large decorative pillows before moving into the next room. Bugs lazily followed after her, having lost interest in Gabrielle and the bird.

"So bare," she murmured to herself, eyeing the sparsely decorated room. "We've got our work cut out for us, Bugs." She moved towards the temperature gauge and fiddled with it to assure herself that it actually functioned. When the baseboard started clacking Rome grunted in approval while tapping her index finger on her chin.

"I'll need a shopping list."

After scrounging around in her cluttered desk for nearly five minutes, Rome returned to the bed with a triumphant expression. "A-ha!" She peered at Gabrielle, who in turn had been watching the previous events with a bewildered expression. Rome merely chuckled and tapped the baby's pert nose before settling down. With a thoughtful tap of the pen on her chin, she started to scribble.

"Well, pretty baby, I suppose we'll need a crib. Along with a crib comes sheets and blankets. Thank heavens you're a girl, we'll do pink." Gabrielle bounced her arms in excitement, gurgling enthusiastically at Rome. In her excitement she jarred the little bird, who in turn chirped in annoyance until Gabrielle settled. Rome snorted at the little dirt-brown critter and rolled her eyes. At her feet Bugs meowed plaintively, obviously sharing Rome's sentiments on the creepy little bird.

"So pink.. pastel pink, though, not neon pink. And yellows.. purples. Pretty baby colors. Whatcha think 'bout that, Gabbygirl? And we'll need some toys.. a girl can never have too many toys, don'tcha think?" Rome chuckled, her attention once more turning towards the little baby. Gabrielle yawned before rubbing at her eyes. Glancing at the clock, Rome blinked, "Eight already?! Cripes." She set the notebook and pen aside, reaching for Gabrielle. "Lets get you settled, my sweetpeach, and in bed. I'll finish figuring out the shopping list when you're sleepin'."

Rome shuffled about a bit and eyed the bed. It was plenty big, a queen-size, but Rome was a bit on the paranoid side, "Well.. looks like I get the couch tonight, princess. I don't want to squash you while you're sleeping." She rearranged the pillows, settling Gabrielle in her free arm. Satisfied that the pillows would prevent Gabrielle from rolling about too much, she settled the babe in the makeshift crib and pulled the blankets up about the sleepy girl. The bird settled on the pillow near the baby, nestling deep into Gabrielle's messy halo of curls. Leaning forth, Rome pressed a kiss against Gabrielle's forehead before straightening up and moving to the door, pausing to turn the heat up before she left. "See you tomorrow, princess, cry if you need me." Shooing Bugs out the door, Rome left the door open just a crack and with notebook in hand, moved towards the living room to complete her shopping list.

______&&This Is What I Do Best

A few days later Rome bustled into the local baby store clutching Gabrielle in one arm and her massive purse in the other. The bird perched precariously on one of Gabrielle's slender antlers, obviously disgruntled.

"Ohhh, I'm so excited," Rome babbled, her voice causing Gabrielle to thrash about in shared enthusiasm. Freak (Rome's nickname for the bird) griped a warning at the wiggly baby. Gabrielle merely ignored the bird and continued thrashing. "I just adore shopping, Gabs. Just simply love it to death."

Since the night that Rome woke to the horrible bird screeching, she'd deemed the annoying creature "Freak" and called him that constantly. Gabrielle had earned her own nicknames: Gabs, Gabbygirl, Elle, Bri, and numerous other pet names.

Rome plopped Gabrielle in a shopping cart and zipped about the store. A mere hour later she was finished, with the ardent promise from the manager of the store that the crib would be delivered to Rome's cottage promptly.

______&&It's A Little Bit Funny

Night had fallen many hours ago, and most sensible people were asleep. Rome snored away in her bed, the sounds alternating with the grunting sounds that came from Bugs and the peep-snoots that Freak was making.

Gabrielle was wide awake. As each day passed she progressed in every way, though she often couldn't be troubled with speaking more than necessary. She loved walking, though she did it with some apprehension (it took her a bit to get used to walking on her hoofies). She was speaking more and more, her favorite word being, "Mine," much to Rome's dismay. The babe usually seemed to be in a world all her own, though there were a few activities that she cherished. Fingerpainting was fun. But MUD was the funnest. Mud and dirt.

"'Mine?" She nudged the sleeping bird with her cheek. He fluffed his feathers and cracked open an eye.

Gabrielle giggled. "Sill-lee birrrrd," she whispered, a chubby hand moving to stroke his feathered head. "Silly 'Mine." The bird chirr'd at her, settling back down to sleep.

Gabs jostled about a bit, settling back down to a comfortable position.

______&&I've Got Sunshine

It was a beautiful day outside; slightly chilly but actually warm. Rome was sunbathing on the back deck of the cottage, one eye cracked to keep an eye on Gabrielle. Bugs was sprawled on the planks next to Rome, his tail lazily swishing about.

Gabrielle and Freak were sitting in the grass, oblivious to everything around them. Gabs was tucked into a warm, thick set of winter clothes, though she furiously declined a jacket, hat and mittens when Rome attempted to dress the wobbly-legged kidlet into them. "We loves the cold, mommy," Gabrielle had murmured matter-of-factly, "We feels it, not hide."

Pink-cheeked, Gabrielle sat busily fussing with the dormant, brownish grass. Freak watched from on-high, perched imperiously on his traditional antler.

(TBC)