Max repositioned the bags he was carrying with a rustle as they went from one hand to the other. With a stomp of his feet against the mat, he cleared the mud from his shoes before opening up the door and stepping inside. "I'm home!" he called from the door as he closed it behind him. "And I've brought a very good little girl some presents! Now where is my Juno?" His voice was filled with happiness as he stepped deeper into the small apartment, the bags swinging by his side. "Come out, come out wherever you are!"
As always when Max was the one calling for her, Juno appeared in a pitter-patter of feet, hair flying as she scurried out from behind the screen that separated her little space from the rest of the apartment to fling herself into her surrogate father's arms. "You were ages and ages and the theater lady said you'd only be minutes, and she left and she wasn't happy you weren't here, but I told her I was okay and I am, and you're back!"
"I am back!" He reiterated and dropped the bags to catch her up in a hug. Picking her up, he spun around once. "I'm sorry I was gone for ages and ages, but I saw the cutest ballet shoes for you. And I had to get the leotard and tights to go with it. And then the lady with hair ribbons had just the right color..." He laughed and kissed her cheek before pulling his head back and looking at her with a smile. "Give your best sweetheart some sugar."
Her nose wrinkled up at the thought of ballet shoes and leotards, but the expression melted away when Max offered her a smile. It earned him a loud smacker of a kiss on his cheek and the warm, trusting twist of her arms around his neck, fingers holding clumsily to his coat. "You been spending money again."
"Guilty as charged." He laughed and walked over to the couch. He sat with her in his arms and arranged them comfortably so she could stay in his lap. "I just can't help it. I've always wanted a daughter and by some miracle, here you are." He turned a serious look towards her and bopped her nose with the tip of his finger. "You are my daughter, now and always. God help the boys when you get to be a teenager."
The serious little girl leaned away as his finger bopped her, her nose scrunching up again in unspoken protest at the playful gesture. Her feet kicked comfortably next to his knee as her arms dropped from around his neck to let her snuggle in close to him. "Why does the theater lady have to stay with us?"
"The theater lady has a name," he chided her as he held her close. "Mataya stays with us because I love her, and she loves me. We're going to be married someday." He left out the "again? part. "Don't you like Mataya, Juno?"
One shoulder rose and fell as Juno hugged him tighter, not at all sure herself how she felt about the woman who lived with them but never seemed to have any time to spend with them. "She's got a pretty voice," she said finally, "and she laughs a lot. Why doesn't she stay here and not go out, like you?"
"She's a very busy lady. Running the theater is hard work." Especially with certain people screwing things up lately. "And she does a lot of charity stuff, too. I'm just her playboy actor boyfriend who is leeching off of her, if you read the tabloids." Max chuckled and leaned his cheek against the top of Juno's head. "She's a special lady, Juno. A very special lady."
"What's leeching?" Her head tilted back finally to look up at him with curious hazel eyes, offering him an interesting view, given that her hairslides today had owl faces on them. Three pairs of eyes looking at Max, and only one of them was real. "I don't know how to be with her. The gray lady says she's nice, but she doesn't talk to me."
Max decided to leave the question unanswered in favor of responding to the latter part. The three pairs of eyes, all big and unblinking, almost made him chuckle. "Just be yourself, Juno. It might take some time, but you'll get to know her better, eventually. Besides, if not for Mataya, you and I may never have met."
"But she's never here," Juno insisted. "She goes before I'm all up, and she comes back after you put me to bed, and she spends more time with the other children downstairs than she does with me." A small pout appeared on her lips, together with a frown. "Doesn't she like me?"
"Of course she does, sweetheart." He placed a kiss to her forehead and hugged her more snug to his chest. "I tell you what. We'll enroll you in some of the dance classes. That way you can spend more time with her. Would you like that?"
Snuggled close to Max's chest, Juno wondered briefly if he knew she could hear not only his heart beating, but the buzz of his thoughts as well. Or was it only something she could do' "Is that why you went and got girly things for me?"
"I bought girly things for you because I want to spoil you rotten." Max chuckled and responded truthfully. "And I think that you'll be a wonderful stage actress some day. You were awesome in Les Miz." He canted his head so he could look her in the eyes. "You did enjoy that, didn't you?"
"I got to wear a pretty dress," she reminded him in that oddly grown up manner that sometimes disconcerted anyone not familiar with her by now. "And I didn't have to do anything but stand there. But it was fun, and I got to see the gray lady, and sit in my safe place again."
Max's smile waned just a bit when she mentioned her safe place. "You're safe here, with me and 'Taya," he offered. "And anytime you want to see the gray lady, you just have to ask. I'll be happy to take you to her." And he was. He searched her eyes, wondering what was going on inside of that little head that seemed so grown up.
She gazed back at him, all kinds of trusting with the man she was beginning to accept as a father figure in her life after so long on her own. It was pure luck that had led her to the theater, she knew that, but luck had also brought fate with it, in her opinion. "Can I have a bird?" she asked suddenly.
"A bird?" His brows shot up and he blinked rapidly. "Uh, sure." Now this was curious. Max wasn't accustomed to the sudden twists and turns of a child's conversation. "What brought that on?"
As always when Max was the one calling for her, Juno appeared in a pitter-patter of feet, hair flying as she scurried out from behind the screen that separated her little space from the rest of the apartment to fling herself into her surrogate father's arms. "You were ages and ages and the theater lady said you'd only be minutes, and she left and she wasn't happy you weren't here, but I told her I was okay and I am, and you're back!"
"I am back!" He reiterated and dropped the bags to catch her up in a hug. Picking her up, he spun around once. "I'm sorry I was gone for ages and ages, but I saw the cutest ballet shoes for you. And I had to get the leotard and tights to go with it. And then the lady with hair ribbons had just the right color..." He laughed and kissed her cheek before pulling his head back and looking at her with a smile. "Give your best sweetheart some sugar."
Her nose wrinkled up at the thought of ballet shoes and leotards, but the expression melted away when Max offered her a smile. It earned him a loud smacker of a kiss on his cheek and the warm, trusting twist of her arms around his neck, fingers holding clumsily to his coat. "You been spending money again."
"Guilty as charged." He laughed and walked over to the couch. He sat with her in his arms and arranged them comfortably so she could stay in his lap. "I just can't help it. I've always wanted a daughter and by some miracle, here you are." He turned a serious look towards her and bopped her nose with the tip of his finger. "You are my daughter, now and always. God help the boys when you get to be a teenager."
The serious little girl leaned away as his finger bopped her, her nose scrunching up again in unspoken protest at the playful gesture. Her feet kicked comfortably next to his knee as her arms dropped from around his neck to let her snuggle in close to him. "Why does the theater lady have to stay with us?"
"The theater lady has a name," he chided her as he held her close. "Mataya stays with us because I love her, and she loves me. We're going to be married someday." He left out the "again? part. "Don't you like Mataya, Juno?"
One shoulder rose and fell as Juno hugged him tighter, not at all sure herself how she felt about the woman who lived with them but never seemed to have any time to spend with them. "She's got a pretty voice," she said finally, "and she laughs a lot. Why doesn't she stay here and not go out, like you?"
"She's a very busy lady. Running the theater is hard work." Especially with certain people screwing things up lately. "And she does a lot of charity stuff, too. I'm just her playboy actor boyfriend who is leeching off of her, if you read the tabloids." Max chuckled and leaned his cheek against the top of Juno's head. "She's a special lady, Juno. A very special lady."
"What's leeching?" Her head tilted back finally to look up at him with curious hazel eyes, offering him an interesting view, given that her hairslides today had owl faces on them. Three pairs of eyes looking at Max, and only one of them was real. "I don't know how to be with her. The gray lady says she's nice, but she doesn't talk to me."
Max decided to leave the question unanswered in favor of responding to the latter part. The three pairs of eyes, all big and unblinking, almost made him chuckle. "Just be yourself, Juno. It might take some time, but you'll get to know her better, eventually. Besides, if not for Mataya, you and I may never have met."
"But she's never here," Juno insisted. "She goes before I'm all up, and she comes back after you put me to bed, and she spends more time with the other children downstairs than she does with me." A small pout appeared on her lips, together with a frown. "Doesn't she like me?"
"Of course she does, sweetheart." He placed a kiss to her forehead and hugged her more snug to his chest. "I tell you what. We'll enroll you in some of the dance classes. That way you can spend more time with her. Would you like that?"
Snuggled close to Max's chest, Juno wondered briefly if he knew she could hear not only his heart beating, but the buzz of his thoughts as well. Or was it only something she could do' "Is that why you went and got girly things for me?"
"I bought girly things for you because I want to spoil you rotten." Max chuckled and responded truthfully. "And I think that you'll be a wonderful stage actress some day. You were awesome in Les Miz." He canted his head so he could look her in the eyes. "You did enjoy that, didn't you?"
"I got to wear a pretty dress," she reminded him in that oddly grown up manner that sometimes disconcerted anyone not familiar with her by now. "And I didn't have to do anything but stand there. But it was fun, and I got to see the gray lady, and sit in my safe place again."
Max's smile waned just a bit when she mentioned her safe place. "You're safe here, with me and 'Taya," he offered. "And anytime you want to see the gray lady, you just have to ask. I'll be happy to take you to her." And he was. He searched her eyes, wondering what was going on inside of that little head that seemed so grown up.
She gazed back at him, all kinds of trusting with the man she was beginning to accept as a father figure in her life after so long on her own. It was pure luck that had led her to the theater, she knew that, but luck had also brought fate with it, in her opinion. "Can I have a bird?" she asked suddenly.
"A bird?" His brows shot up and he blinked rapidly. "Uh, sure." Now this was curious. Max wasn't accustomed to the sudden twists and turns of a child's conversation. "What brought that on?"