The world had turned into a giant fizzy can of crazy.
Sitting across from Susanna Horne, aged 17, had nearly blindsided Audrey to the point of forgetting not only who she was but who her own daughter was as well. It didn't help that Susanna Horne, aged 17 months, had stayed slumped against Audrey throughout the stranger than strange visit, her chubby cheek pressed against her mother's side in a way that ensured maximum droolage.
"I sure was a cute baby, huh?" Quipped Teen!Susie after a too long stretch of awkward silence.
Her gray eyes- Magenta's eyes, thought Audrey- landed a glance onto the glowing red cherry of the newly lit cigarette hanging from her mother's mouth. Her nose turned up in disgust. "Eww, Lil' Mom! You smoked? That stuff is so bad for you!"
Audrey did a double take between the sleeping toddler and the girl across from her, number five thousand and seven hundred in the hour since Teen!Susie had first knocked on her door, and blew the smoke through flared nostrils.
"You *are* a cute baby," she muttered, her voice still trembling from the anxiety of disbelief. "I *do* smoke. I *know* it's bad for me. Why am I talking to you anyway? I'm obviously having a nervous breakdown."
Taking advantage of Audrey's dismay, Teen!Susie shot forward and plucked the coffin nail from the girl's lips, her own curling into a smug smile as she ashed it against the bottom of her shoe. "You're not having a nervous breakdown, Lil' Mom. I know it's weird but...yeah. I'm your daughter. I'm her," she motioned to the Tot!Susie with the browned end of the cigarette butt.
Once the filter was pocketed, hidden away until she could find a garbage can, Teen!Susie threw her hands into the air and wiggled her fingers, her dark brows wagging before she continued. "From the fuuuuutttuuurrrreeeeee...."
Absentmindedly, Audrey's hand flittered down to the pocket where the rest of her smokes rested, her fingers curling away just short of liberating them. Tot!Susie stirred at her side, drawing out a different horror from her mother's face, and opened one gray eye to survey her surroundings. She looked up to Audrey first and then over to her future self. Finding neither all that interesting, the child smooshed up closer to her smaller mother and went back to sleep.
"Oh man," chirped Teen!Susie, trying her damndest to make the interaction at least a tiny bit less awkward. "I wish I could sleep like that now. Gosh, between school and running around with Emarie, I think I get like..four hours?"
Why wasn't Magenta here for this? The giant blonde was fantastic at explaining away the weird. With a frown catching the corners of her mouth, Audrey rubbed at a patch of dry skin on her elbow..until Emarie's name reached her ears. Through the sudden wave of sadpants emotion, the little brunette's brows perked up and somehow she managed to speak without ruining that perfect frown.
"Emarie..as in Emarie Quinn? As in Cuyler's kid? She's here too?"
Teen!Susie nodded gingerly and crossed her index finger over its middle cohort. She held them up for her mother to see. "We're like this. She's my best friend IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!"
With the color draining from Audrey's face, all that it took was for the sharp beeping of Teen!Susie's electronic watch to wiggle free the odd 'hhhhnnnnneehhh?' that had been hanging around in her throat. Seemingly nonplussed but probably more uncomfortable than she would let on, Teen!Susie jumped up and towered over her mother and past self.
"I know it's hard to swallow right now, Lil' Mom, but I'm your daughter. I swear. If I don't get to see you again for fifteen years, I want you to know that I love you and Blonde Mom."
Teen!Susie leaned close to Audrey, who was still too shocked to actually move away, and placed a kiss against her cheek. She was careful not to touch Tot!Susie. Didn't want the world exploding or anything.
Then she was gone and Audrey could barely remember the door opening, only that the sound of it closing startled a jump from her. Glancing down to the sleeping toddler at her side, Audrey smiled a small smile and ran her hand through her daughter's mop of dark curls.
"I love you too, Snoozer."
Sitting across from Susanna Horne, aged 17, had nearly blindsided Audrey to the point of forgetting not only who she was but who her own daughter was as well. It didn't help that Susanna Horne, aged 17 months, had stayed slumped against Audrey throughout the stranger than strange visit, her chubby cheek pressed against her mother's side in a way that ensured maximum droolage.
"I sure was a cute baby, huh?" Quipped Teen!Susie after a too long stretch of awkward silence.
Her gray eyes- Magenta's eyes, thought Audrey- landed a glance onto the glowing red cherry of the newly lit cigarette hanging from her mother's mouth. Her nose turned up in disgust. "Eww, Lil' Mom! You smoked? That stuff is so bad for you!"
Audrey did a double take between the sleeping toddler and the girl across from her, number five thousand and seven hundred in the hour since Teen!Susie had first knocked on her door, and blew the smoke through flared nostrils.
"You *are* a cute baby," she muttered, her voice still trembling from the anxiety of disbelief. "I *do* smoke. I *know* it's bad for me. Why am I talking to you anyway? I'm obviously having a nervous breakdown."
Taking advantage of Audrey's dismay, Teen!Susie shot forward and plucked the coffin nail from the girl's lips, her own curling into a smug smile as she ashed it against the bottom of her shoe. "You're not having a nervous breakdown, Lil' Mom. I know it's weird but...yeah. I'm your daughter. I'm her," she motioned to the Tot!Susie with the browned end of the cigarette butt.
Once the filter was pocketed, hidden away until she could find a garbage can, Teen!Susie threw her hands into the air and wiggled her fingers, her dark brows wagging before she continued. "From the fuuuuutttuuurrrreeeeee...."
Absentmindedly, Audrey's hand flittered down to the pocket where the rest of her smokes rested, her fingers curling away just short of liberating them. Tot!Susie stirred at her side, drawing out a different horror from her mother's face, and opened one gray eye to survey her surroundings. She looked up to Audrey first and then over to her future self. Finding neither all that interesting, the child smooshed up closer to her smaller mother and went back to sleep.
"Oh man," chirped Teen!Susie, trying her damndest to make the interaction at least a tiny bit less awkward. "I wish I could sleep like that now. Gosh, between school and running around with Emarie, I think I get like..four hours?"
Why wasn't Magenta here for this? The giant blonde was fantastic at explaining away the weird. With a frown catching the corners of her mouth, Audrey rubbed at a patch of dry skin on her elbow..until Emarie's name reached her ears. Through the sudden wave of sadpants emotion, the little brunette's brows perked up and somehow she managed to speak without ruining that perfect frown.
"Emarie..as in Emarie Quinn? As in Cuyler's kid? She's here too?"
Teen!Susie nodded gingerly and crossed her index finger over its middle cohort. She held them up for her mother to see. "We're like this. She's my best friend IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!"
With the color draining from Audrey's face, all that it took was for the sharp beeping of Teen!Susie's electronic watch to wiggle free the odd 'hhhhnnnnneehhh?' that had been hanging around in her throat. Seemingly nonplussed but probably more uncomfortable than she would let on, Teen!Susie jumped up and towered over her mother and past self.
"I know it's hard to swallow right now, Lil' Mom, but I'm your daughter. I swear. If I don't get to see you again for fifteen years, I want you to know that I love you and Blonde Mom."
Teen!Susie leaned close to Audrey, who was still too shocked to actually move away, and placed a kiss against her cheek. She was careful not to touch Tot!Susie. Didn't want the world exploding or anything.
Then she was gone and Audrey could barely remember the door opening, only that the sound of it closing startled a jump from her. Glancing down to the sleeping toddler at her side, Audrey smiled a small smile and ran her hand through her daughter's mop of dark curls.
"I love you too, Snoozer."