The world looked good today. The sun was shining, the shadows were easier to ignore, the nightmares had stayed away. And more importantly, Taylor loved her. Kaylee was smiling when she woke up, and that smile had stayed in place all the way here, to Maple Grove. It felt odd to be back on the Grove, where she'd grown up, where most of her family still lived. Odder still was the fact that she had no intention of going to the big house, not today. Taylor's words the day before had stayed with her. We need you to find the house. She couldn't do that, not yet. But there was something she could do.
It couldn't have been more obvious that Taylor desperately wanted to meet Bethany and her husband, to get to know the only other blood relative he had outside of Rufus. So Kaylee had psyched herself up to visit Miranda and find out what, if anything, Bethany knew about her. Forewarned would definitely be forearmed in this case. So there she was, on the front doorstep of Rose Cottage. She hadn't called ahead, hadn't even told Taylor she was going to visit there. She'd just grabbed the bull by the horns. One hand rose and pushed the bell. What was the worst that could happen"
Calling Kaylee was at the top of Miranda's to-do list, and though Rufus had asked her to wait a day or two, once she had it in her head to do something, it was hard for her to wait. She had at least waited until after Rufus had left for work - or whatever it was he called it when he went off to work with Lei or meet with the Council - and until Gabi had dropped off the twins before searching for Kaylee's number in her cell phone, hoping to God it hadn't changed. It was about eleven in the morning, not too early, not too late. The twins were diapered and fed and busy watching Cookie Monster on the TV, which gave Miranda a few minutes to herself to a much-needed phone call. She had just dialed the number when the doorbell rang, and Miranda grumbled to herself.
"You two stay put! I'll be right back!" she told the twins, who were far too interested in Cookie Monster to pay any attention to the woman with the cell phone attached to her ear.
She made her way to the door, not bothering to take a peek through the window to see who it was before opening it, hoping it wasn't yet another door-to-door salesman trying to sell her some life insurance. How they managed to get through Humphrey's security, she'd never know, but she was planning on giving them a piece of her mind this time. The phone rang twice before she got to the door, and Miranda realized that she was hearing a strange echo, as if the phone was ringing right outside her door.
Unaware of what was going on the other side of the door, Kaylee jumped when she heard her phone ringing, digging around in her pocket to fish it out. Assuming it was Taylor checking up on her, she didn't even glance at the number, raising the phone to her ear. "Hey, gorgeous, what?s kicking?"
Miranda pulled open the door just at that moment, hearing that echo again, as Kaylee replied via the phone, as well as right in front of her. "Well, thank you, Kay, but maybe I should be asking you that," she said into the phone, though Kaylee was standing right in front of her.
The confusion on her young cousin's face was priceless to behold, even more so when Kaylee took the phone from her ear to actually look at the number there. "Miranda!" she protested, hanging up and putting the device back in her pocket. "You have all the patience of a rabbit on Viagra, you know that?"
"Rabbits don't need Viagra, dear," Miranda pointed out with an amused smirk on her face, eyes bright and lively, as she reached to wrap her younger cousin up in a motherly hug. "How are you, sweetheart' I've been thinking about you."
"Kinda the point I was making." Forestalled from saying anything else by a hug she hadn't been expecting, Kaylee tensed for a second before she relaxed, hugging Miranda in return with a deep breath in and out. "I'm ....better," she answered the query as honestly as she could. "And trying to be brave here, so the less people see me on the Grove, the better for now."
"Point taken," Miranda replied, shooing her into the house and closing the door behind her. One of the twins whined for a moment, before turning back to the TV. It was Andy, Miranda's cat, who came over to say hello first and inspect the newcomer, meowing and brushing his tail against Kaylee's legs. "Sorry, Kay," Miranda apologized, tucking a strand of hair behind an ear. "If I'd known you were coming, I'd have told Gabi today wasn't a good day."
"What?" Kaylee looked up from where she had crouched to say hello to Andy, turning her head to peer through the door to where two small boys were transfixed by Count von Count. "Oh my gods, is that the boys?" she asked, shocked. "They're so big!" She shook her head at the thought of Miranda cancelling babysitting duties just for her, offering a faint smile. "No, it's cool, don't worry. They didn't know me before, so they're not expecting anything. I can handle kids."
Miranda frowned a little at the way Kaylee had put that. Before. She only knew what Rufus had told her. He hadn't gone into great detail, but from what little he had said, she knew Kaylee had been through an ordeal that would have broken most people. "You've been away a long time, Kaylee," Miranda told her, with that motherly tone in her voice that she usually saved for Bethany. "A lot has changed," she said. But then, most of those changes had been good ones. "Come in and make yourself comfortable. Would you like a cup of tea" Coffee" Anything?" she asked, reaching for Kaylee's coat.
"I'll have what you're having," was the answer, as Kaylee shrugged out of her coat and rolled the sleeves of her top up to her elbows. There was no sign of the cuts and scrapes that had marred her arms a couple of months ago now, nothing to say that there was anything wrong with her at all. Except in her eyes, and the slightly more delicate look to her body. "Just not too sweet' I'm kinda delicate with strong flavors still." She figured Miranda had been told a fair amount, her eyes straying back to the boys. "Want me in there, or in the kitchen with you? Those two look like trouble with a capital T."
"They're captivated with the Count right now. It should give us about an hour of peace before all hell breaks loose," Miranda replied, as she hung Kaylee's jacket on a hung and then turned to take her arm and lead her toward the kitchen, from where they'd have a clear view of the terrible twosome. "Still like iced tea" I brewed some fresh this morning."
"Cool." Even if Miranda hadn't been steering, Kaylee wouldn't have resisted being ushered into the kitchen, easing herself down into a chair at the table with a last glance at the toddlers. "Congratulations, on your marriage," she said softly. "I'm sorry I missed it." Her eyes found a picture of two happy couples on their wedding day - Des and Piper, and two she didn't recognize, but could make a guess at. "I missed a lot."
It couldn't have been more obvious that Taylor desperately wanted to meet Bethany and her husband, to get to know the only other blood relative he had outside of Rufus. So Kaylee had psyched herself up to visit Miranda and find out what, if anything, Bethany knew about her. Forewarned would definitely be forearmed in this case. So there she was, on the front doorstep of Rose Cottage. She hadn't called ahead, hadn't even told Taylor she was going to visit there. She'd just grabbed the bull by the horns. One hand rose and pushed the bell. What was the worst that could happen"
Calling Kaylee was at the top of Miranda's to-do list, and though Rufus had asked her to wait a day or two, once she had it in her head to do something, it was hard for her to wait. She had at least waited until after Rufus had left for work - or whatever it was he called it when he went off to work with Lei or meet with the Council - and until Gabi had dropped off the twins before searching for Kaylee's number in her cell phone, hoping to God it hadn't changed. It was about eleven in the morning, not too early, not too late. The twins were diapered and fed and busy watching Cookie Monster on the TV, which gave Miranda a few minutes to herself to a much-needed phone call. She had just dialed the number when the doorbell rang, and Miranda grumbled to herself.
"You two stay put! I'll be right back!" she told the twins, who were far too interested in Cookie Monster to pay any attention to the woman with the cell phone attached to her ear.
She made her way to the door, not bothering to take a peek through the window to see who it was before opening it, hoping it wasn't yet another door-to-door salesman trying to sell her some life insurance. How they managed to get through Humphrey's security, she'd never know, but she was planning on giving them a piece of her mind this time. The phone rang twice before she got to the door, and Miranda realized that she was hearing a strange echo, as if the phone was ringing right outside her door.
Unaware of what was going on the other side of the door, Kaylee jumped when she heard her phone ringing, digging around in her pocket to fish it out. Assuming it was Taylor checking up on her, she didn't even glance at the number, raising the phone to her ear. "Hey, gorgeous, what?s kicking?"
Miranda pulled open the door just at that moment, hearing that echo again, as Kaylee replied via the phone, as well as right in front of her. "Well, thank you, Kay, but maybe I should be asking you that," she said into the phone, though Kaylee was standing right in front of her.
The confusion on her young cousin's face was priceless to behold, even more so when Kaylee took the phone from her ear to actually look at the number there. "Miranda!" she protested, hanging up and putting the device back in her pocket. "You have all the patience of a rabbit on Viagra, you know that?"
"Rabbits don't need Viagra, dear," Miranda pointed out with an amused smirk on her face, eyes bright and lively, as she reached to wrap her younger cousin up in a motherly hug. "How are you, sweetheart' I've been thinking about you."
"Kinda the point I was making." Forestalled from saying anything else by a hug she hadn't been expecting, Kaylee tensed for a second before she relaxed, hugging Miranda in return with a deep breath in and out. "I'm ....better," she answered the query as honestly as she could. "And trying to be brave here, so the less people see me on the Grove, the better for now."
"Point taken," Miranda replied, shooing her into the house and closing the door behind her. One of the twins whined for a moment, before turning back to the TV. It was Andy, Miranda's cat, who came over to say hello first and inspect the newcomer, meowing and brushing his tail against Kaylee's legs. "Sorry, Kay," Miranda apologized, tucking a strand of hair behind an ear. "If I'd known you were coming, I'd have told Gabi today wasn't a good day."
"What?" Kaylee looked up from where she had crouched to say hello to Andy, turning her head to peer through the door to where two small boys were transfixed by Count von Count. "Oh my gods, is that the boys?" she asked, shocked. "They're so big!" She shook her head at the thought of Miranda cancelling babysitting duties just for her, offering a faint smile. "No, it's cool, don't worry. They didn't know me before, so they're not expecting anything. I can handle kids."
Miranda frowned a little at the way Kaylee had put that. Before. She only knew what Rufus had told her. He hadn't gone into great detail, but from what little he had said, she knew Kaylee had been through an ordeal that would have broken most people. "You've been away a long time, Kaylee," Miranda told her, with that motherly tone in her voice that she usually saved for Bethany. "A lot has changed," she said. But then, most of those changes had been good ones. "Come in and make yourself comfortable. Would you like a cup of tea" Coffee" Anything?" she asked, reaching for Kaylee's coat.
"I'll have what you're having," was the answer, as Kaylee shrugged out of her coat and rolled the sleeves of her top up to her elbows. There was no sign of the cuts and scrapes that had marred her arms a couple of months ago now, nothing to say that there was anything wrong with her at all. Except in her eyes, and the slightly more delicate look to her body. "Just not too sweet' I'm kinda delicate with strong flavors still." She figured Miranda had been told a fair amount, her eyes straying back to the boys. "Want me in there, or in the kitchen with you? Those two look like trouble with a capital T."
"They're captivated with the Count right now. It should give us about an hour of peace before all hell breaks loose," Miranda replied, as she hung Kaylee's jacket on a hung and then turned to take her arm and lead her toward the kitchen, from where they'd have a clear view of the terrible twosome. "Still like iced tea" I brewed some fresh this morning."
"Cool." Even if Miranda hadn't been steering, Kaylee wouldn't have resisted being ushered into the kitchen, easing herself down into a chair at the table with a last glance at the toddlers. "Congratulations, on your marriage," she said softly. "I'm sorry I missed it." Her eyes found a picture of two happy couples on their wedding day - Des and Piper, and two she didn't recognize, but could make a guess at. "I missed a lot."