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 Posted: Mon May 26, 2014 8:10 pm
Kyndall had to keep reminding herself that changes were inevitable. One baby had left home and was completing her first semester of college in a matter of weeks. How had things come to this? It wasn't that she thought her daughter would always stay with her because that was not the way of the world and she wanted Harmony to have every chance to stretch her wings and pursue her dreams but...God, it was hard. No one ever told her how hard that separation would be. This was her baby and her only companion for a very long time.
Her other baby, the one she was holding, was about to turn a year old. when had that happened? Hadn't she just been born yesterday? Though she knew there had been a life before Sarah she couldn't remember it as vividly without the little girl into it. The day to day just sort of faded away into this new normal of watching a whole new set of firsts: firsts she knew her husband dearly loved because he'd missed them with his own son. She made sure to capture each moment, record each word. There were albums dedicated to each part of their family, together and apart.
She tapped on Nathan's door lightly, trying to wake him gently. Every day she wanted to tell him she knew his secret, to tell him she supported him and understood his struggles. Every day she hoped this was the day he'd finally come to accept her as someone who loved him. She wanted him to know he was not alone and it was not just his father that shared his burden. She did, too. Instead she never said a word and simply hoped quietly.
"Nathan, your sister's going to be here soon. We're heading to the park for the party in an hour."
That was the plan, anyway, and she head the front door open. She went down in time to see Harmony letting herself in.
"There's my little sister!" They two girls made hands for eachother at the same time. "You're so big! How'd you get to be so big and pretty?" She cooed to the baby while her mom kissed her cheek. Then she noticed the rain outside. So much for the plan for the park.
"I guess we're having the party inside. Darling?" She called up into the upstairs part of the house to her husband. "Did the weather report always call for rain today?"
It probably had and she just stubbornly hoped she could will it away before the date.
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Posted: Mon May 26, 2014 8:43 pm
A thick grumble was all the response Kyndall could hope to get from whatever lay beyond the closed door. Nathan was not exactly a creature who thrived in the morning, and was not keen on dragging himself out of bed for something as silly as a birthday for a kid too young to remember it in three days.
But whatever. He was beyond putting up the kind of fights he used to, though he did not notice that he was changing in that way. Growing up. He was an adult, looking for his own place, looking for a way to support himself, who was living at home and, for the first time, not making life as miserable as he possibly could for everyone around him.
That did not mean he was the perfect son, or a shining example of what a child could be, but at least he was not the complete opposite of that any more.
Elsewhere, Tony was just finishing getting himself ready for the day, pulling his coat over his shoulders, when he heard movement downstairs. Harmony was here. Kyndall's voice reached him, though, and he looked perplexed. Rain? No, he had no heard anything about...
Oh. Glancing out the window, Tony noted that it was not a particularly good day for a trip to the park. Not for a one year old, at the very least.
"Well, it said there was a chance of rain," he said, as he came down the stairs, doing up his tie as he went. It was not a particularly fancy occasion, but his wardrobe tended to always feature ties, and this was no exception. The idea of sun and being out on the grass had not really sunk in to his brain, anyway. "I suppose the weather beat the odds. Ah, Harmony, you look well. How is school? Life? Do you miss us yet?" He grinned as he moved to give her a hug.
Somewhere upstairs, life was heard in the form of a heavy thunk, and three small thumps.
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Posted: Mon May 26, 2014 9:14 pm
Harmony smiled at him when he came downstairs thinking he looked completely stuffy for a family trip to the park. Accepting her stepfather meant accepting that, occasionally, he made silly decisions and didn't really know what being casual was sometimes. She chuckled and hugged him, careful not to squish the birthday girl that made hands for her father as soon as he came into view. She was heart and soul daddy's little girl.
"I'm fine, Dad." she responded. They'd had that talk, her acceptance, and she was trying to stick to it. "I do miss you guys but I'm doing well at school. I'm so glad I have the summer off! My boss wants me back full time for the time being but at least I might get days off occasionally."
Kyndall gave a dubious look to the floor above them with the thunking. Her stepson was not a graceful morning person. At least some things would always be predictable. She kissed her husband and smiled, reaching up to take off his tie. That she tucked in his shirt pocket. She wasn't dressed up for the occasion, preferring comfort over glamor.
"I don't think you'll need that for a one year old's birthday party. Once the cake comes out you're probably going to get very messy."
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Posted: Mon May 26, 2014 10:03 pm
"Well, I'm glad to hear you're working so hard. I'm still very proud of you, for all your effort. Ah. I'm being mushy. Anyway, Nathan should be down soon, so he can go sit in a corner and not talk to anyone, like a proper family gathering."
Tony smiled and moved to kiss Kyndall on the cheek, then looked down at Sarah. He was caught off guard when Kyndall took his tie, looking mortified and very put out once it vanished into his pocket. He frowned at her seriously.
"Was that the wrong color, or are you just not a fan of the professional, put together look?"
He was not really angry, though, and he would life without his tie, even if he felt like his outfit was incomplete now. Maybe he had been dressing for the library too much. It was either clothes like this, his pajamas, or solid armor. He had very little fashion sense.
Still.
Dogby and Gizmo were running around between everyone's feet. They were playing chase with each other while also trying to say hello to Harmony and just get attention. The younger Corgi had learned well from her older sister. Tony chuckled and bent down to pet them, which was a mistake because he was soon overwhelmed by tiny dogs.
Nathan stomped downstairs slowly, looking at the gathering.
"What, is the party in the entryway now?" He grunted.
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Posted: Mon May 26, 2014 11:05 pm
"Tony, this is your daughter's birthday, not a day at work. Something casual isn't uncalled for, is it?"
Kyndall was still trying to teach him that sometimes it was ok to let his hair down, so to speak. She boosted her daughter up higher on her hip, beaming pride. This was her own dear family...or most of them. When Nate would make his appearance was anyone's guess but Tony was right - he was certain not to say much. He rarely did.
Sarah loved Dogby and Gizmo. She laughed and clapped at the duo overwhelmed her father. Harmony stooped to take some of the pressure off of Tony. She didn't think the pups would care who was petting them so long as someone was. The baby squirmed in Kyndall's arms making hands for her father again.
"Dada!" She demanded, whining. This was her day and she felt she ought to get her own way during it.
Harm straightened when she heard Nathan coming downstairs and grinned.
"Hey Nate. Late night last night?"
She had no idea how true or untrue that statement might be. She was largely clueless about her families secret lives and that she was pretty much the only normal one among them. Kyndall frowned at him and decided today wasn't the day, probably.
"We aren't going to the park because of the rain. We'll just have to celebrate here."
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Posted: Mon May 26, 2014 11:35 pm
"Well," Tony said, getting up with some difficulty, "I just thought we would want to look nice to... to celebrate... well. I suppose you're right. She is one... and we were going to the park..." he sighed, looking down at himself, then tugged his coat off. It was a bit more casual, anyway, and he smiled sheepishly at his wife, his eyes glimmering hopefully for a compliment on the effort.
He was working too much, both at the library and as a knight. His perception of the world was skewed.
His expression brightened and he took his daughter from his wife, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Happy Birthday, darling. My little angel, you're getting so big!"
Nathan watched them and sighed. He had been out patrolling, as per usual, but he did not like talking about it. He knew that his dad was Camelot, but they hadn't talked about it since that whole mess happened. He was not aware of Kyndall being a knight as well.
"Well, I doubt she'll know the difference."
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Posted: Tue May 27, 2014 12:16 am
Kyndall watched him as he took off his coat finding it marginally better than his get up before. She chuckled and shook her head affectionately. He had been working too much and between the library, being a Templar, and their home life she hadn't seen much of him. She desperately missed her husband and falling into bed unconscious every night did not equal quality time. She missed dating him and being able to spend time together care free and in love. Something needed to give, and soon.
"Better," she approved, "but remind me to talk to you later once we're alone."
Harmony looked up at her stepbrother and offered him a hug.
"Way to kill the mood, bro."
His helpful advice had the uncanny ability to sound like sarcasm most of the time. Kyn went to the kitchen and decided to set the things out for the party while her daughter smiled and charmed her father. The eldest Darrow would forever be sentenced to fall victim to the violet eyes of the Rosen clan.
Sarah's cake was lovingly made and decorated with pink roses. It was set out on the dining room table with the things she'd made for lunch. She'd mostly just wanted their daughter to be able to run around and play with her family and, if Kyndall were honest, she missed her family being all together. This day wasn't just about Sarah, it was for her mother, too. It wasn't often they gathered together for any occasion so the fact that they were all there now touched her.
Before she realized it she had tears running down her cheeks.
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Posted: Tue May 27, 2014 1:33 am
"I'll do my best to remember, my love," he said with a smile. He cuddled his daughter and bounced her a bit, wrapped up in his birthday girl and surprised by how big she was getting. She was such a lovely little girl, minus the usual baby struggles. He was already so proud of her, and loved every day that he could see her grow.
She was one of his treasures, with the rest of his family. He was happy at home, but he had so much to carry with him each time he powered out and went out to fight. He did worry about not coming home to them, especially after all his close calls, but he also knew that they were his strength. If anything brought him home each night, it was them.
Nathan, in his own little world, shrugged as he was called out by Harmony. He let her hug him, patting her awkwardly on the shoulder before he extricated himself.
Nate moved to the kitchen to eat, but not help so much, while Tony carried Sarah in to see Kyndall. He was confused to find her crying, looking at his daughter for an explanation, but the little girl was happy and oblivious. At least she got that from her dad. The oblivious part, anyway.
"Honey, what's the matter?"
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Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2014 11:51 am
Kyn blushed, embarrassed to have been caught. She quickly brushed away her tears with one hand and focused on scooping the salad she'd made into a serving bowl from the container it was packed in to go to the park.
"It's nothing," she promised lightly. She was only half telling the truth, though. It was hard for her to accept that things had to change. "I'm being silly."
Change had always come hard for Kyn and often it marked a downturn in her life. She loved Harmony and missed her terribly. She missed her husband, too, who was usually too busy wrapped up with both of his jobs to be able to afford her much attention. She missed her baby. The little girl starting to talk and walk was getting much too big too fast and she felt like she just wanted to stop time right then and there.
That only caused her to start crying all over again.
"I miss our family, Tony! I miss my baby and our baby is growing up too fast and I miss you and..."
It was hard to miss Nate who made it a point not to be much of a part of the family. She knew she was being weepy and emotional and probably just over reacting because of some silly hormonal thing but she couldn't help it.
She turned around to look at their beautiful little girl and pushed down her tears. This was not the day for them.
"I need you home more, is all. I'm lonely, I think."
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Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2015 6:11 pm
Tony smiled gently and moved to Kyndall, bringing the baby with him as he did so. He offered her to her mother, the baby reaching out for Kyndall as soon as she was close. Tony was always second choice, when mommy was around. He had accepted that, and took no offense to it. He was sure he'd make the same choice, too.
"I'm sorry I'm away so much. I love you, and I don't mean to let you feel lonely. I want to be here, for things like this, and everything else."
He sighed. It was hard to balance work at the library and his life as a knight. He thought he had it figured out, but now he saw that he was spending too much time, all told, away from his home and his family. If she was feeling lonely, he was sure his kids were noticing the time without him. He did not want to miss every important moment of Sarah's life, and did want to see her growing up and experiencing new things.
He wanted to do that with Kyn at his side.
"I love you. You're not silly if you're feeling lonely. I'll try to do better, to spend more time with you and Sarah, and the dogs. I think they're whining at me more to tell me the same thing. Maybe I'll arrange to take a vacation from the library some time, too."
There was no vacationing from his other duties, but at the very least he could escape from the day to day demands of his job.
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Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2015 9:02 pm
"It's not your fault, Tony. You have things to do and I'm trying to be supportive of that but sometimes I do miss you."
Having a small child did not allow them many chances to go on dates anymore. His jobs usually kept him out too late to do anything but come home, eat, and sleep. She had expected the need to adapt when they got married but it was stretching thin. They just needed to do better was all. They both needed to tuck in and make time to spend more time together as a family.
"You are the head of this family. I love you. I can't help but want you here with me."
She kissed his cheek and Sarah's in turn. The little girl had no idea what was happening but smiled brightly at her parent's affection. Kyn tried pushing her worries from her mind to not ruin the day they already had planned. She'd been looking forward to this for weeks. Everyone she loved was under one roof, her own dear family.
"We'll both do better. Maybe we can plan a real vacation, all of us, and leave this crazy city behind for a little while."
She picked up the salad bowl and gave him a reassuring smile. He always knew just how to make her feel better.
"Come on. Let's celebrate this little girl while we still can."
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