#bergen_county

"I bet the Chief might like that.. as long as she approves the pacing and so on. You know, sometime, maybe we can do somethinmg like that with the horses"

"Yeah?"

"Why not? Even without their fae sides showing they're good looking horses" She sighs 'Alas, Raindrop, being pure Chimera, is out of luck"

"Raindrop's just for us."

"Well, mostly you."

"Well, is it bad I kind of like that she seems to like me best?" She whistles, and the little winged horse flies to her fingers

"No. I have Odin, and Dad has TwoBit..."

"You sure Odin doesn't have you?" A wink

"Welll..."

"Cats" She says

"Cats." She agrees.

She puts in the new lightbulb (Fortunately much lower) and smiles "There we go. And yes. Your dad loves Twobit. Who somehow often ends up at the top part of the bed. Somehow"

"Ohhh.. gotta suck to share."

"Lately I'm taking up more of the bed and she's shooting me dirty looks"

Snerk.

"I know right? Little mopheaded bed moocher"

"Good thing she's cute."

"CJ better be cute."

"Of course he'll be cute" She says protectively "You're cute. Why wouldn't your brother be cute?"

Snort.

"Look, CJ might be a little funny looking for the first week... but after that the color will settle in and so on"

"I am not 'cute'. Like... yeah."

"Well, actually, I think you're adorable, but you are turning into a lovely young woman. "

"Gah!"

"Is there, like, a mom book?"

"Yes, the words are inscribed on our hearts" SO cheesy

A groan.

"One day you're going to have a child, and you're going to love him or her soo much... and you're going to say things that that child won't believe but you'll know it's truer than true. You mark me"

"I'm not gonna have kids. I'm gonna get fosters."

"Maybe adopt them, if they want it. Like - you know that horse ranch I told you about? Take on a whole bunch, but, like, not like a group home..." Disdain for THAT idea.

"Same thing..." She says gently "Adopt or the boring standard way, you will have a child, and love him or her and say things that you know to be true and they're going to think you're bonkers ville"

"Tove, will you do the oath? I.. I mean, you said so before..."

Her eyes light up "Yes. I would love that"

She chews on a nail, and nods. "Not sure when you'd wanna."

"And Dad would probably want to.. know, maybe?"

"I think, and tell me if you agree, your dad would like to witness it. " She says "Do you want any other witnesses" Tove says gently

And puts her hand on her daugher's hand

"Um.."

"No. I think I'd like it to just be us? Just family? Is that okay?"

"That's wonderful. As for when I'd want to? I'd like it soon. Very soon if that's good for you?"

"Soon, yeah.. I..."

"My Sain day is coming up..."

"The anniversery of your saining is when you want to do it? I think that's rather poetic"

Blush-shrug.

"I would be honored to take the oath of adoption with you that day." She says seriously "That is not an exaggeration".

"I can wait, though - if you wanted to wait until after the baby."

"Much as I will love CJ, this is your moment, no, make that your moment AND mine"

She smiles around her thumb, even if she IS chewing on the nail.

Tove moves to the kitchen calender, the REAL calender, not that one on the computer, and marks a HEART on that upcoming date.

BLUSH.