In the house of Love
~II~
by Latoya
I would like to thank Elaine for the nice beta job and everyone who sent their support. I promise to have more of the prequel out within this week
~~~~~
"Won't eat it, won't eat it, won't eat it", Sonia whined as she stared at her plate full of soggy green spinach.
"Your're not leaving that table young lady until you eat the rest of your food", Blair said as he finished his own helping of spinach.
"Don't wanna, don't wanna, don't wanna." Sonia tried again.
"Not going to work young lady, you're not getting up from this table until you finish your spinach and that's final", Blair said, being just as stubborn as Sonia. "Now eat."
"No!"
"Fine!"
~HOUR AND TWENTY MINUTES LATER~
"Ahhhhh, come on sweety don't you want to be as strong as Popeye?"
"No."
"Don't you want to be as strong as daddy?"
"No. Don't wanna eat it."
"We can sit here for as long as it takes Sonia", Blair said.
"Fine." Sonia folded her arms across her chest, sat back in her chair and frowned.
Blair chuckled at that pose, it was the exact pose Jim used when he didn't want to do something, they were so much alike.
"Hey what are you two doing?" Jim said as he came into the kitchen carrying Alec.
"Waiting for Sonia to finish her dinner", Blair said.
"Well I hope she finishes it soon, it's almost time for bed."
"Well she would be done if she just would eat her spinach."
At that word Sonia scrunched up her face and stuck her tongue out.
"Look, daddy is eating it", Jim said as he picked up her fork and ate a forkful of spinach. He handed the fork back to her as he swallowed the mushy greens.
Sonia looked at the fork , than back to her plate as she hesitantly brought a forkful to her mouth and begin to eat. The spinach disappeared somewhat rapidly in between words of, 'This is yucky and don't wanna eat it.'
"Okay sweetie time for bed, give daddy a goodnight kiss." Jim said as he handed Alec to Blair and helped her out of her chair.
Weary of the baby in Blair's lap, Sonia climbed up and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Goodnight daddy", she whispered, trying not to wake the sleeping baby.
"Goodnight sweetie", he whispered back and kissed her forehead.
"Come on now, time for bed, I don't want you biting me when I wake you up for school in the morning."
"I don't bite daddy."
"No you growl and snap at me like Blair does, okay in the bed you go."
"Do I have school tomorrow?"
"Yes you have school tomorrow and no fighting with Michelle you got me?"
"But she stole my toy."
"I don't care you tell a teacher, no fighting you hear?"
"Yes."
"Good, I love you sweetie, night."
Yawn, "Night."
Jim shut off the lights on his way out of the small room, knowing that his daughter was already well on her way to dream land. He watched as Blair made his way past him and laid the sleeping baby in his crib.
"How did you do that?" Blair asked once they were safely out of the room.
"Do what?"
"Make Sonia eat her spinach. I was sitting there for hours trying to get her to eat it and you come along and she's munching on it like she's enjoying it."
"That's because she wants to be just like daddy Chief, I know a way to make her always eat her veggies."
"And how's that."
"It's so simple Darwin, just make the ones she likes, like corn, peas, broccoli."
"But you got to eat your spinach once in a while."
"She'll come around and maybe even like it someday. Come on lets go to bed."
"Race you upstairs."
"Do you think that you would win?"
Jim gave Blair a head start and the night was completed in a fit full of laughter.
~THE NEXT EVENING~
"Mr. Ellison could you come here for a moment?"
"Stay here Sonia", Jim said as he took Sonia off her school bus.
Sonia sat on the curb playing with her ball, when it hit a wall and rolled into the street. She looked both ways, then scurried after her ball.
Jim's train of thought was interrupted by a vision of a black panther, nuzzling the neck of a dead gray kitten. It's cry of pain echoing through out the world. "SONIA!" He ran as fast as he could back to her.
Sonia looked up as she heard her dad call her name, but the only thing that she could see were the bright lights of the oncoming truck, she froze.
'Please, please, please, please let me be there on time.' His mind screamed as he ran as fast as he could.
Sonia felt two strong arms lift her and pull her back onto the sidewalk and into her father's arms. "Daddy?"
"Oh God, please, please don't ever do that again." He said as he walked into the apartment building and up to the loft.
"What happened Jim, you're shaking like a leaf."
"Sonia, Sonia, truck, truck." Was all that Jim could say as he put her down and let Blair pull him into an embrace.
"Shhhhh, come sit down, it'll be all right, Sonia's right here." Blair guided Jim over to sit on the couch.
After a shaky explanation Jim explained to Blair what had happened and Blair picked up Sonia and hugged her tight. "Is daddy mad at me?", she asked in a sad, low voice.
"No honey, why don't you go over there and see him."
"Okay." She scampered over to Jim and climbed up on his lap. "Are you mad at me daddy?"
"No, I'm not mad at all, it wasn't your fault. You just have to do me a favor, never ever go into the street again, never again okay?" He finished hoarsely.
"Okay."
He hugged his daughter tight, thanking the stars above for all of his gifts.
~LATER THAT NIGHT~
Blair held Jim's shaking body against his. "I can't stand to lose any of you Blair. I couldn't go on if I did." Jim's hands slid frantically over Blair's skin memorizing every part of him, trying to block out the painful picture of the dead kitten.
"Shhh, love we're all right here and we're not going to leave you anytime soon." Blair tucked Jim's head beneath his chin and let him cry, emptying his heart of his sorrow.
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