SERIES:  Drabbles For Emily - Primary

PART: 1 of 1

RATING:  PG (Just some kissing)

PAIRING(s): L/L

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CATEGORY: Romance

FEEDBACK: PLEASE?!

SETTING IN TIMELINE:   Post-show AU

SPOILLER/SUMMARY: “Finger-paint is a weapon" (Lenny and Laverne with kid)

NOTES:  For Emily, as per her request.

***

He’s found that two-year-olds are quite fond of putting finger-paint everywhere but where it belongs.  Sunday mornings tended to involve long hours of rinsing socks and splotched tee-shirts while her mom feeds her Cheerios downstairs.

The time alone disconcerts him, but his wife wants the extra time with the girl.  They live in the same house and share the same lives, but she’d been forced to work longer hours since Chuck quit the company.  Plus, Laverne’s a little jealous of the banter they share – the secret language they’ve developed.  “Ot-da!” means ‘pick me up’, and “Bah Bah” is the yellow lamb Shirley sewed for her; Lenny thinks Laverne’s happy that the girl’s starting to speak in English.  At two and a half, she’s mastered “no more” and “yes please” and “Elvis Pressley”.

The weekdays are spent at parks, playing on the jungle gyms with other children.  Her best friend is a freckled girl with this Great Dane who enjoys licking Lenny’s mayonnaise-coated fingers after he gives baby sandwiches.

Everyone they meet compliments him on being such a wonderful single father – the Old Lenny would have taken advantage of that one, but he points to his band with glee.  You don’t ask a girl to marry you three times and when you finally get a yes then take your vows lightly.

And, he decided, it wasn’t too bad being a stay-at-home dad.  He took to all of the responsibility parts okay – it wasn’t harder than trying to take care of Squiggy for ten years – so as long as he wasn’t forced to bake or wear heels he was satisfied.

His wife kisses the back of his neck.  “Guess who’s down for her nap?”

“Aww, we were gonna watch Rocky and Bullwinkle together!”

“Len,” Laverne scolds, turning him toward her.  “Remember when we used to do stuff that didn’t include Ronald McDonald?”

“Yeah, but that was never any fun.”

“Len…” she takes a meaningful step toward him, wrapping her arms around his middle.  “I wanna do something private…” she kicked the door closed.  “Real private.”

He pulled her down onto the quilt, making her giggle with the brush of his hand.  He looked into her eyes and saw the things he loved in her, the things she’d handed down to their daughter and the things had had bound them together in love as long as they had flesh on their bones and beating hearts.