Sunday - 18th May

Jon folded the newspaper with a sigh, set it aside, and took a sip of his coffee, obviously annoyed about something, though it was hard to say what that something was unless you were his pretty wife, who he swore could practically read his mind sometimes. It was a quiet morning for a change at Maple Grove, but he knew the quiet was only temporary. As soon as one or the other of their children awoke, all hell would break loose. As for himself, he'd already been up for an hour. Cosmo had already been walked and fed, and Jon was working on breakfast, which consisted of a bagel slathered in cream cheese and his first cup of coffee.

One thing he didn't know, however, was that Vicki had gone out of her way to make sure they got at least this morning to themselves. Miranda's hint-dropping of the past year had finally been rewarded and, while Jon was eating his breakfast, Vicki was packing up their children to spend the morning with their over-excited aunt and her slightly less excitable uncle. Emily was half-asleep as she wrapped her little arms around Vicki's neck, the redhead bending to pick up both bag and baby carrier complete with five-week-old Ben. Satisfactorily laden down with children and accessories, she navigated the door with a grin for her husband as he imbibed his first caffeine fix of the day. "Don't we look like a little ray of sunshine this morning."

Clad in a t-shirt and sweatpants, over which was draped a navy blue bathrobe hanging open at the front, curls mussed from bed and drooping onto his forehead, Jon glanced over the rim of his coffee mug to find his wife looking bright and perky and weighed down with two children and all the paraphernalia that went along with them. He looked less than perky himself, but at least he was awake. It was a start. "Didn't sleep well. Emily had a nightmare, and I sat up with her half the night. Where are you headed" Got a date?" He took another sip of his java, hoping the caffeine would wake him up sometime soon. They had a busy day ahead.

"No, but these two have," she grinned over at him, swaying where she stood to keep Emily from waking up properly and getting grabby. "Miranda and Rufus are taking them for the morning, so we can have a little time for just us." That busy day had just gotten a little less busy, thankfully.

"They are?" Jon asked, brightening and obviously surprised by this development. It wasn't that he didn't love his children - in fact, he adored them - but even the most loving, devoted parents needed and deserved a break now and then. "Are they coming by or are you dropping them off?"

"They're coming by," Vicki chuckled, relieved to see that Jon wasn't put out by this minor bit of household organization she'd managed to arrange without his knowledge. "I would have asked them to take the kids for a full day, but I'm not quite ready for that yet, and I don't think you are, either."

He wasn't put out at all. That meant he might actually get a nap in so that he managed to look somewhat presentable for the premiere party later that afternoon. "Does that mean we can crawl back into bed for a while?" he asked hopefully.

"Definitely," his wife nodded, a certain amount of vehemence in her tone as she agreed with him. "Back into bed for a couple of hours, having a shower without an audience. Little luxuries like that." She flashed him a grin, glancing toward the door as Cosmo barked, apparently greeting someone who hadn't arrived yet.

"Oh! A shower together would be even better," Jon grinned back at his wife, though he wasn't sure if she'd been given the green light by the doctor, and he didn't want to make another baby just yet. He glanced toward the door expecting the unsinkable Miranda to come bursting through any moment now, but nothing happened. "I should probably get dressed," he mused quietly, though he remained where he was. "Cosmo! You'll wake the whole house," Jon called to the dog, who didn't seem bothered in the least by his master's admonishment.

"Oh, I have it on good authority that she's been to see both Fifty Shades... films, so you don't have anything she hasn't seen before," Vicki teased him fondly, brushing a soft kiss against Emily's curls as the little girl stirred. "It's okay, little madam. Auntie Miranda will be here any minute now."

Jon rolled his eyes, scowling at the mention of the films he had unashamedly agreed to do solely for the money and which he considered to be soft porn. "I should have insisted on a body double. I'm never going to hear the end of it!" He set his coffee cup on the table and moved to his feet, if only to bid his children farewell before Miranda swept in to take them off their hands for the day. He leaned close to touch his wrist to Emily's forehead. "Does she feel warm to you? She was up half the night."

The little girl smacked her lips, falling back into her doze as Jon touched her. Vicki smiled, understanding her husband's tendency toward worrying too much. That was why she'd asked Miranda to take the children this morning - a little scatterbrained the woman might be, but there was no one in the family more responsible when it came to little ones. "No, love, she doesn't," she told her husband gently. "I think she's been playing you again. You really have to learn to go in, settle her, and leave, or she's going to sap every single night of sleep out of you."

"But I don't like to hear her cry," Jon admitted with a frown, stroking his little girl's cheek with a gentle finger. While he loved both his children, it was no secret that she was the apple of his eye, a true daddy's girl, in danger of becoming horribly spoiled if it wasn't nipped in the bud.

"You just have to learn to ignore it for a few minutes," Vicki said gently, wondering how it was that she had ended up the expert when it was Jon who had read every parenting book under the sun and a few more besides. "She's trying it on, sweetheart, and if you keep giving in, we're going to end up with spoilt little brat who hates her mother."

He had been in danger of spoiling Cosmo, and now he was in danger of spoiling his daughter, all because he loved them so much. Jon frowned, knowing Vicki was right, but it was easier said than done. "But what if something really is wrong?" he pointed out, uncertainly.

Vicki rolled her eyes as she shut the door behind them, leaning back against it with a weary sigh. "Right," she said, meeting Jon's gaze with a smirk. "Back to bed."

Jon chuckled to himself. "Did she just call him a doofus?" he asked, finding that ridiculously amusing, for some reason. Here was this big bad slayer trainer or whatever the hell he was, and his wife had just called him a doofus. Cosmo barked once as if to either say goodbye to their guests or to herd his master back to bed. "Yes, dear," Jon replied. "No argument there."

"I'll bet she's the only one who can get away with it," Vicki chuckled, bending to gently scratch Cosmo's ears as she moved to help him herd Jon back to bed. They were both still on the verge of exhausted, but at least now Ben was sleeping eight hours at a time.

Why did it seem that as soon as Ben started sleeping a full eight hours, Emily had decided to get fussy' It seemed that no matter what he did, Jon couldn't manage to get a full night's sleep, but maybe Vicki was right. Maybe he just needed to not spoil them. "I'm not taking that bet!" Jon replied with a chuckle as he headed for the bedroom, not wasting a moment. Thankfully, he hadn't had too much coffee yet, but even if he had, he didn't think it would keep him awake very long.

"Oh, are you learning wisdom in your old age, love?" his wife teased him, unable to resist goosing her tired husband as she closed the bedroom door to, just wide enough for Cosmo to get a paw in if he chose to check on them while they were sleeping.

"Old age! I'm not even thirty yet!" He said, yelping as he got goosed, and turned to grab hold of his wife's hand and tug her into the bedroom behind him. "Just for that, you are getting a spanking, Christian Grey style."

She laughed, not even pretending to resist as he pulled her into the room behind him, looping her arms around his neck to kiss him tenderly. "After a nap, you can do what you like to me, hubby-dubby-doo-dah," she promised him. "But right now, if you turn me over your knee, I'll be asleep before you get the first spank onto my arse."

"That wouldn't be any fun, would it?" he asked with a pout as his arms went around her waist to lead her backwards toward the bed, hoping he didn't trip over anything in the process. He had a feeling he was going to be out like a light as soon as his head hit the pillow.

"Not particularly, no," she chuckled, moving awkwardly with him as he drew her toward the bed. Like him, she knew she was going to pass out the moment she settled down, which was why she'd refused to stay in her pajamas when she'd got up this morning. At least if she was dressed, her body would wake her up before she slept for too long.

He had only gotten half dressed, the bathrobe still hanging loosely from his shoulders, but that wouldn't stop him from falling asleep, not after spending half the night up with Emily. He dropped back onto the bed, pulling her down with him, not even bothering to take the robe off before his eyes drifted closed. "Wake me in a few hours," he told her, hoping she would.

"That's the plan." But Vicki was already a little bit slurred from weariness as she, too, dropped down onto the bed, crawling over to her own pillow, one arm draped over Jon's waist. Seconds later, she was fast asleep, desperately in need of that little bit of extra rest Miranda had given them.

Sleep came like a drug, both of them falling into a deep sleep almost as soon as their heads had hit the pillows. Hours passed, and no sound or movement came from the bedroom. Cosmo had moped for a little while, a little bit lost without his puppies to care for before he'd joined Old Man Granger downstairs, both of them in need of a little companionship. It was well past noon when Jon finally stirred, groggy and hungry, but feeling a little more rested than he had earlier.

Despite her best intentions, Vicki had passed out with him, falling deeply asleep and only stirring when he did, far later than she had been expecting to wake. She blinked her eyes open, groaning as she stretched, and abruptly sat upright, looking around wildly for Ben's bassinet before remembering that he was with family elsewhere."Oh, good grief," she muttered, rubbing her eyes. "So much for making the most of the morning."

"What time is it?" Jon asked groggily beside his sleepy wife as he pried his eyes open and yawned. He hoped they hadn't slept the whole day away. No one had yet come to wake them, so he assumed the kids were still with Miranda and Rufus.

Scratching her hand through her hair, Vicki let her eyes turn, blinking, toward the clock, relieved to find out that it wasn't yet three. "About half past twelve," she told her groggy husband. "I suppose we needed the sleep more than anything."

"Doesn't seem like we slept that long," Jon remarked, stifling another yawn as he rolled toward his wife and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Still tired?" he asked, wondering if she wanted to catch a few more z's or take advantage of this rare time alone.

She lay back, a warm smile on her face in spite of the sleepy eyes that turned to him. "I could be persuaded to wake up," she mused teasingly. "With the right incentive, of course."

"And what incentive might that be? A bit of sausage for breakfast?" he asked, a mischievous smile on his face, as he ducked his head to slide his lips against her throat.

The last time they had been in this position, after Emily's birth, it had taken weeks of careful preparation and equally careful encouragement to get Vicki anywhere near ready to be touched. This time, however, she remembered how wonderful Jon had been about the whole thing. And it helped that she'd lost most of the baby weight already, thanks to running around after Emily as well as looking after Ben. She laughed her familiar husky laugh as Jon's lips found her throat, that weak spot he enjoyed exploiting so much, and turned just a little toward him, trailing her fingertips up along his arm. "Mmm, sausage sounds good," she murmured impishly against his ear, ignoring the little voice in her head that was screaming in terror at the thought of him touching her wobbly belly.

But Jon had never complained about Vicki's body, post-pregnancy or otherwise. He loved her just the way she was and found her just as desirable carrying a little post-baby weight as he did before she'd been pregnant. Desire had never been a problem for either of them. It was more a question of finding the time and energy now that they were juggling two small children under the age of three. "If you want me to stop, you better tell me now," he murmured as his lips continued their tender exploration of her neck, while his hands were starting to wander.

She answered his attentions in kind, knowing as well as he did where to touch and kiss, following his lead in a brazen attempt to make him scream for once. No matter who won that contest, it was a safe bet that they both got a lot more out of it than hoarse vocal chords.

They could have spent the entire day in bed and had many times in the past, if it wasn't for the fact that Miranda and Rufus were due back with the children in a few hours. They made the most out of the short time they had alone together, sharing kisses and caresses, taking each other past the pinnacle not once but twice; laughing with each other and rekindling the fire between them that never quite burned out, even if it had been neglected for a while.

By the time three o'clock rolled around, they were sated, showered, dressed, and curled up together on the couch, swapping the fillings in their sandwiches until they both had what they actually wanted to eat for lunch. Rufus was the one who reached their door first, with Emily perched on his shoulders, small hands gripping his hair as she giggled. "Daddy, Mummy, 'ookit!"

It might have only been a short respite from parenthood, a few hours alone, but those few hours alone together were just what the doctor ordered to rejuvenate and refresh the weary parents. As much as the two of them loved their children and loved being parents, they had been a couple first and it was their love and devotion and closeness that kept them together and helped them overcome every problem that came their way. Yet, as soon as they heard Emily's voice and saw her smiling face, they realized how much they had missed her, if only for a little while. "Emmykins!" Jon exclaimed. "Did you have fun with Uncle Rufus and Auntie Miranda?"

"Lookit, I touch!" Okay, so maybe Rufus wasn't quite that tall, but Emily was absolutely positive that she was touching the ceiling, terrifyingly confident in the grip he had on her legs as her little arms flailed in the air.

Vicki laughed, leaving it to Jon to rescue Rufus from having his back broken by a downwards dive from their daughter. Instead, she peered around them to seek out Miranda with a grin. "I see you survived, too."

Jon hopped off the couch to rescue Rufus from Emily, rather than the other way around, sweeping her off her uncle's shoulders and into her father's arms like an airplane in flight, complete with the zooming sound.

"Of course, we did!" Miranda exclaimed as she followed her husband into the suite, Benjamin sound asleep in the baby carrier. "Did you have any doubts?"

Ducking the now zooming Emily, Vicki caught the door before it hit Cosmo in the nose. The collie had heard his puppies' return and was back to make the most of it. "They're my children, I know how difficult they can be," she told Miranda cheerfully, taking the carrier from her. Ben didn't even stir as he was set down by the couch, not even when Cosmo put his cold nose right in the baby boy's face. "So what did you do to them' I mean, with them?"

"Oh, not much. We took a walk in the park and stopped at the playground for a little while, then we went out for lunch. I don't know what you're doing with them, but they were absolute angels!" Miranda beamed. Was it any wonder Rufus looked exhausted after chasing after a toddler at the playground"

"Oh, sounds like you had fun! Did you have fun, EmilyWemily?" Jon asked the little girl as he balanced her against his hip.

The little girl nodded, clinging onto her father with a wide grin. "Manda ketchit," she informed him with a certain amount of smug pride, which made Rufus burst out laughing as he deposited the diaper bag down beside the changing station.

Vicki's gaze homed in on Miranda with curious amusement. "What was she doing with ketchit, and how much will it cost to replace whatever she decorated with it?" she asked with a grin.

"Oh, don't worry about it. It was out of season and style anyway," Miranda replied with a smile as she told the little white lie. She had plenty of clothes and wouldn't miss one silly sweater. Besides, she'd found a mage who knew spells capable of removing the most stubborn of stains. "Besides it was Rufus' fault for letting her squeeze her own ketchup, wasn't it, dear?" she said with a pointed look at Rufus and a strong emphasis on the dear.

"Yes, darling, of course," Rufus offered with a long-suffering sigh. He waited until Miranda was looking the other way, and added under his breath to Jon, "She squeezed, I aimed. That sweater is revolting."

Jon chuckled, but before he could reply, Miranda chimed in. "I heard that," Miranda said in a singsongy voice, but thankfully she was still smiling. "Anyway, they were both angels. Did you two have a nice morning?" she asked, arching her perfectly-plucked brows and glancing between them, hoping they had made the most of the few hours they'd had alone.

Laughing at the banter between the older couple Vicki crouched down to release Ben from his carrier, lifting him up to rest against her shoulder as he fussed and settled once again. She met Jon's eyes with a wicked little quirk to her smile as she answered Miranda's query. "Oh, I wouldn't say nice is entirely appropriate as a description."

"Good!" Miranda said with a smile as she moved over to her husband and slid her arm into his. "You'll be much better parents if you make time for each other, too." How she knew this was anyone's guess, since she had raised Bethany on her own. "We'd be more than happy to take them for a few hours again sometime. We need all the practice we can get!"

Rufus eyed his wife with wry amusement. "I think that's code for Miranda wanting to sit back and watch while a small girl runs me halfway to the moon and back," he commented, but he was smiling too. For all that he didn't seem the sort to appeal to children, Rufus was one of those men who tended to get on with anyone and everyone, regardless of mitigating factors.