With Rory's mom and sister out of the house, Maris was looking forward to a quiet night in. She'd left a few hours before to give the Berlantis a bit of alone time. After making sure things were alright and sorting the mail at her place, she'd gone to the store for a few things Rory was running low on and impulsively grabbed a bottle of fireball. It wasn't her favorite whisky, but something cinnamon flavored seemed fitting for the holidays. She sat carefully sat the bag holding the bottle, then the rest of her groceries on the table before shrugging off her jacket. She was wearing the same outfit she had around Rory's family that morning and let out a little sigh of relief as she finally stepped out of her boots for the first time that day. They were new and with it, slightly tight. "Rory?" she called, carrying them in one hand as she padded into the living room to search for her. "Want to watch a movie? I was thinking of ordering Chinese..."

Rory loved her family, truly, but when they were together for more than 24 hours, she always found it was a bit stressful, like she had to constantly be on alert for how they were doing, that they were taken care of, happy, whatever. She supposed that came with the territory of being the oldest, and also the kind of upbringing they'd had. There was a lot for the little trio of Berlanti women, picking up responsibilities while her mother worked at times three jobs. There was of course the other worry, that they would have certain hidden opinions of Rory's current state of relationship.

But it was clear how happy Rory was, and any criticisms they might have had, she figured, were stayed by now. Oh sure, they probably went off to their hotel and gossiped about her and Maris, but she hardly cared much about that. Margaret was a little more judgemental than their mother, but she was quieter, too. Add to that, Rory had offered the gift of a night off with her husband and she'd babysit. Well, she and Maris, naturally.

The little ones were usually a dream, which was more than Rory could say for most four and one year olds out there in the world. It helped that Four-year-old Emily pretty much idolized Rory, which was a perk of being the only aunt who spoiled the hell out of her. Thank to the sequel, Frozen was currently the obsession again, and so it played while Emily danced in the living room. Charlie had woken up a fussy mess from his nap, so by the time Rory heard Maris enter, she had him on her hip while she made a child-approved dinner.

"I'm in here," She called out, realizing with a little chuckle that she was pretty much the picture of a housewife right then. "Hey, did you forget we have visitors from a strange planet called childhood tonight?" She said with a smile, wincing as Charlie yanked at a fistful of her hair while he sucked on his pacifier.

While the image of Rory making dinner with a baby on her hip definitely struck Maris in a (slightly surprising) way, she didn't really have time to enjoy it, because her girlfriend's news was even more of a shock.

Maris didn't have much experience with children. Very few of her friends had kids and her family was small. Most of her relatives were older and she hadn't had any younger siblings or even cousins running around. She would have been nervous no matter what the circumstances, but when you combined the fact that this had been sprung on her (because she certainly didn't remember Rory mentioning watching the kids before) and that they were her sister's children... well, it was all a bit much.

Rory got the feeling Margaret wasn't very fond of her but she wasn't about to tell that to Rory.

Or let her girlfriend see her sweat.

"You didn't say anything." Her tone was fairly neutral. She wasn't upset. Besides, even if she was, there was hardly anything she could do about it now.

"Here, give him to me. You can't cook with a baby," she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, taking Charlie from Rory before she even had a chance to really think about it.

"Whoa," she said, eyes widening a bit as she looked down at him. "You're heavier than I thought you'd be."

As Maris did her best to shift them into a position that would be more comfortable for both of them, Charlie's eyes widened too. Her stomach clenched with pure fear that he'd start crying, but once he put his hand on her chest, he was fine.

Maris may not have had Rory's long hair, but her shirt was velvet and therefore soft, which was more than enough to keep him occupied.

"Hey, you be careful with that. It was expensive," she said, looking down at him with a (half) feigned scowl.

Maris had always talked to children, students and babies, like adults because one day, they would be.

She was especially bothered by parents who talked to babies in ridiculous voices using infantile words, then complained that they had poor vocabulary or barely talked a few years down the line.

Charlie seemed to appreciate being treated like a person and gave Maris what looked like a smile from behind his pacifier. "Uh huh, you've been warned," she said, carefully sitting in the nearest chair. "What are you making?"

"What do you-- of course I said something..." Rory's brow furrowed, racking her brain for a moment she could have sworn she had and then ... nothing. "Oh shhhhugar." She made a face, stopping herself just barely from giving Emily a choice word for her mother to come back to. "Sorry, I really thought I told you." She scowled at herself, annoyed that in all her planning, she'd maybe missed the most important thing.

The champion that she was, Maris took it in stride and Rory made the mental note to be sure to thank her for that later. Rory laughed as Maris took Charlie, with hands free she hurried over to the stove to make sure nothing was over-cooking. "Oh Charlie's a great helper, but thank you."

Though her attention really was (mostly) on the stove, her gaze lingered on Maris and how she talked to Charlie. God, she loved that. She was a sucker for most things Maris did, but she'd be lying if this didn't tick some new boxes.

"He hasn't had much to eat yet so don't worry he shouldn't be ready to spit up on the velvet ... Probably." Rory made a face before it broke into a grin, where she turned back to give the pot another stir.

"Ah, we are heading directly into the culinary masterpiece fit for children of all ages ... Mac and Cheese and chicken nuggets." Not exactly what she and Maris were used to, but at least she'd stocked up on ones that were more organic and actually had chicken in them. "Now the trick is going to be getting Emily to eat them without drowning them in ketchup." That, she made an actual face at. "I do have leftovers in the fridge we can heat up if that turns your stomach." She said as she leaned over and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

Maris was fine with mac and cheese, but the idea of ketchup coated chicken nuggets made her wrinkle her nose, too. She had a thing about ketchup and it had been the subject of her infamous rants on more than one occasion. She couldn't stand the strong vinegary smell or the way it sometimes came out a watery smell. She didn't understand why some people used it (or its mayonaisey cousin, ranch) on everything, usually in such large quantities that they drowned out the flavor of whatever it was supposed to be accompanying.

If Emily did go crazy with the ketchup, it was going to be a struggle for Maris, who promised herself she just wouldn't look in the little girl's direction while they were eating, just in case she got grossed out or even worse, snippy.

But it was impossible to be cranky for long when Rory kissed her cheek.

"It's fine. I guess this means I should hide the Fireball I just bought though."

"I like that candy," Emily announced as she came in the room. "Can I have some?"

Maris bit back a grin. "Sorry, I was um, saving them for Christmas! You know, as a surprise."

She'd have to grab a bag of the candies the next time she went out.

"Did I hear Frozen?" she asked.

Emily nodded.

"Whose your favorite?" Maris asked, praying to god it wasn't that annoying snowman.

"Elsa!"

"Oh, right answer," she said with a grin. "Anna's annoying isn't she? She just has weddings on the brain. Not good, Emily. It's not good."

Emily smiled. "You're funny. Are you married?"

Maris laughed, shaking her head as she looked at Rory. "No."

Rory likewise, rarely put ketchup on anything at all, and in fact more often liked to eat things that didn't require a whole side of condiments for dipping. She was hardly a snob (usually), but she did have standards. God, if that was the case, their kids really would be such snobs in fact, wouldn't they? Oh well, a good palate was nothing to be shy about.

About to respond, Rory just let whatever word she was about to say hang there when Emily came bounding in. She laughed a little, shaking her head as she turned off the stove. "Save it for later, yep." She agreed, grinning as she started to stir in the extra ingredients to the macaroni.

As much as Rory attempted to focus on the stirring - it didn't really matter, and especially not when her attention was rightly so on Maris. The way she held Charlie, and talked to Emily ... she felt her heart pound in her chest in a way that felt like it was expanding, almost too big for her ribs to contain. She never wanted kids with anyone else, which probably should have been telling of her relationships before, and after Maris. The one you belonged with was the one you could see every version of a future with.

Rory was laughing at Emily's questions, shaking her head as that topic of marriage came up. Kids were so inquisitive. "Auntie Rory is gonna get married." That felt like sudden ice in her veins, her eye widening as she looked over for the reaction that little bomb would cause. Her engagement still felt like something they didn't really talk about, but why would they? She and Maris both knew the score and it had all turned out the way it was supposed to in the end.

"Oh --"

As Rory went to correct her, Emily made a face, shaking her head like she suddenly remembered something. "No wait." Well this was going great. As Rory tried to change the subject, Emily forged ahead, her little mind spinning. "She was gonna but my mommy says not anymore. Cause the lady she was gonna marry is..." Her little brow furrowed, and Rory really had no way of knowing where this was going to go -- "Annoying." She concluded, the word not quite correct but enough to get her point across.

Rory couldn't help the guttural laugh that burst from her, that roller coaster of 'what is this kid gonna say?' concluding in an oddly hilarious ending. "Well, your mommy says a lot."

Rory may not have been engaged anymore, but Emily's announcement felt like a kick in the stomach. Maris suddenly held Charlie just a little bit tighter, letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding when the little girl corrected herself.

Maris was still shaken, too caught off guard to laugh the way Rory had because some days it was easy to forget that her girlfriend had ever been promised to someone else. With winter break and the holidays happening, Maris was happy. Content enough to think the world was and always had been theirs.

While she didn't laugh, her face didn't give anything away. She was always nothing if not self possessed. "We can't have that can we? Aunt Rory deserves someone fun."

She wasn't just trying to change the course of an uncomfortable conversation. She meant it, but... Emily and Rory had planted a seed of worry in her mind.

What was Rory's sister saying about her?

Did she think she was obnoxious? That they were moving too fast? Maris supposed she couldn't blame her on that account considering she had been talking about a different girlfriend only a few months earlier, Emily's little outburst was proof of that.

Maris wanted to make a good impression, even if it was technically a second one. She wanted them to know she was serious. The holidays seemed like a litmus test for what she wanted to come, but now she wasn't so sure. She couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit discouraged but she didn't have time to wallow when Charlie grabbed hold of her necklace and gave it a firm tug, nearly choking her in the process.

"Hey, hey hey, watch the hands," she croaked, taking it away from him.

"He likes shiny things," Emily explained. "Hey do you wanna watch Frozen with me?"

It was a sweet invitation, not to mention a tempting one, if only for a cheap distraction, but the movie wasn't Maris' favorite, which is why she made up an excuse to stay where she was. "I'm going to help Aunt Rory in here, but soon. We all will. We'll eat in front of the tv, okay?"

If Rory were ever asked how long it had been since she'd seen Jess, much less thought about the woman, she probably would have drawn a complete blank. It wasn't that she completely dashed the time they'd spent together to the dirt, no, she had learned a lot about herself in that time, but she just had no need to ever think about her. Her life was different now, so entirely better like she had seen sunlight for the first time in years. So while Emily's topic was not altogether welcome and had been surprising, she didn't think much more about it. At least not straight away, anyhow.

The life she was building with Maris was everything she'd ever wanted, but sometime during their 'dark years' had convinced herself she'd never have. It was probably a shitty conclusion to make, but Rory knew that Jess, or anyone else at all would have been settling for less-than. When your heart and soul already belonged to somebody, you didn't ever get it back fully, did you?

Rory eyed Maris as she continued to talk to Emily, feeling a little sinking in her stomach. Maybe they hadn't talked through things enough? It was hard to find time to, when every moment with her felt so much better than even just the last.

"Oh Maris is really pulling out the big fun. We'll be in in a minute." Emily seemed satisfied enough and bounded off into the TV room, no doubt to sing along with whatever song played. While the chicken still had a couple minutes left, Rory crossed the kitchen and sat next to Maris, reaching over to squeeze her knee.

"That sucked, I'm sorry." She said softly, not wanting to just brush past the topic of it. She'd laughed, mostly an instinctive reaction to the tension of it. Rory squeezed her knee again and leaned over to kiss her cheek softly. Kids had such a lack of filter, which was usually kind of part of their charm. Less so when they threw something that stung a bit at you.

"Well, she was pretty annoying."

But Maris' joke fell a bit flat, her smile not quite meeting her eyes. She sighed, running her hand that wasn't holding onto Charlie through her hair. "It's just..."

She adjusted him a bit, realizing this was probably a strange conversation to have with a baby between them, but if not now, when? She had a feeling she would just skip talking about it all together if they let time pass and she was trying to get better about closing herself off when things bothered her because that was where things had gone wrong before. If she'd been better at talking before, Rory might not have ended up with a fiance in the first place.

"I'm not..." Mad? Upset? She was, a little. Not at Emily, it was hardly her fault. She was a kid, probably excited about a wedding that...oh god, was she supposed to be the flower girl?

"It's just... sometimes I forget that it wasn't that long ago that things were... different. It feels like we just picked up where we left off. For me, anyway. Then when I remember it's just weird. And sometimes I forget that other people remember... before too. It's just...strange. Like a bubble burst, I don't know. I know it has more to do with us than anyone else, but I guess I just want other people, your family, mostly, to get used to the idea. Of you and me. And maybe I've forgotten that they might need a little time."

"Yeah." She agreed quietly, the somber feeling of a discussion they hadn't touched in a while really setting in.

Rory never once felt guilty for how happy she was with Maris. She never felt like she had made a mistake, nor did she feel like she owed anyone anything. Maybe it was one of the more selfish decisions of her life, but the only people she actually cared about being happy were herself and Maris. Jess wouldn't have wanted her anyway, because her heart was irrevocably belonging to someone else. Rory would have been miserable, and it was so clear to her now that that would have been the case even had Maris not moved here.

It was just messy, but it was a mess she had been more than willing to go through for the end result. She, too, had sort of forgotten that other people weren't privy to how good it felt to be in this relationship. All of those outsiders who might look at things differently. She liked to think it didn't matter, but maybe family did. Her little tribe were handling things well, but from the mouth of babes...

"I do too." She agreed, smiling softly as Charlie seemed to sense the mood and quietly watched the two of them behind his little pacifier. "Don't let it burst our bubble." She said softer than before, bowing her head to kiss her shoulder. "I forget that not everybody is on the same timeline we are. And for the record, it's exactly that way for me, too. Picking up where we left off, I mean. But better. Way better." She reached out to touch Maris, her hand on her arm because she just needed the contact while they were talking about things that could be fairly painful. "It's just easy to forget that not everybody knows what our day to day is. Which, is probably a good thing cause I don't want my mom and sister privy to the amount of blush-inducing things we do." It was a lame attempt at a joke, but an attempt nonetheless. "Mom loves you. And Meg can be a real brat, but she wouldn't have agreed to letting us watch her kids if she didn't like you, either." She felt burgeoning on big speech territory, but it occurred to her as she spoke, there was a lot she hadn't gotten out not for any other reason but for wanting to save their moments for the good, and not drudge up what it took to get there.

"The weirdness will go away. And I don't mind it as much as I should, probably, because it's all worth it. Everything is worth having you."

Maris smiled softly. She felt the same way. There was no denying that Rory had a tougher go of it to this point. She'd given up more, after all. If anything Maris had only gained. Sharing Rory, however briefly had hurt. And being on the recieving end of Jess' anger had been mortifying (though admittedly earned) but they were worth it considering what they had now.

Maris just wanted them to start their life or at least the next step of it as quickly as possible.

But not before she was sure everything else had fallen into place.

Certain steps couldn't be rushed, but when you were sure about something, it was hard to reign yourself in. And Maris really had been better about not holding things back (or in) since they'd reunited.

Especially things she wanted.

"It's just..." She squeezed Rory's hand. "If I'm going to be with you and around these people for a long time I just want everything to go right. That's all."

The holidays already were an intense time of year, carrying with them the feelings and memories from every one that came before. Add to that, she and Maris had avoided anything that may have burst their happy bubble for a while. Damn if Emily hadn't been her only niece, she definitely would be demoted to least favorite at present.

But the hellfire she and Maris had been through over the course of the year had been worth it. Actually, Rory would have gladly gone through twice as much to be with her. Maris was hers, and she belonged to and with her. Even if her family had caused a big stink (thankfully they were shy of that), it wouldn't be a deterrent.

"First of all, take that if out of your vocabulary, cause you're not getting rid of me." She said with a small smile, squeezing her hand back and letting her fingers lace through Maris'. "Secondly, you're my family, end of story. Everything is going to be good." She ducked her head a little so she could better catch Maris' gaze. "You're a goddamn champ for how you're handling the whole brood, as if I couldn't love you more than I do." Rory leaned over and pressed a kiss to her lips, softly but lingering a little longer than she would have with a quick peck. "Okay?"

Maris let out a soft snort of laughter. "I know, just...I hope everyone gets used the idea soon because I have. You're not the only one with plans, you know." She headbutted, then rested their foreheads together playfully, then smiled when she finally turned her attention back to Charlie.

"They're not so bad." She grinned at the baby in her arms. "Especially you! You were so well behaved through all of that, weren't you?"

Charlie wiggled a bit, looking thrilled to be aknowledged. He was so excited, in fact, that he spit out his pacifier. Luckily (or maybe unluckily, it was a bit slobbery) Maris caught it on reflex. "You don't need this, right?" She waited a beat, eyes narrowed in observation then sat it down on the table once he didn't fuss. "Yeah, he's fine," she announced.

Fine enough to grab her necklace again.

"Okay," she croaked as she slowly loosened the chain from his hands. "Is getting handsy with me a family trait or..."

She smiled at Rory, then down at Charlie again realizing a need to paw at her wasn't the only thing the two had in common.

"He looks like you," she said, her features softening. "Not completely but..."

"Oh really?" Rory smirked, a brow arched at the idea that Maris had some plans for them. "You know I love a plan." She murmured against her ear, kissing her cheek noisily after.

"Charlie's the best of us. Cause he can't say more than a few words yet." She laughed, the weight of things she didn't even realize they had spent so much time not saying to one another lifting. Even with the harder things to say, to get through, Rory had to take a moment to marvel that she never felt any sense of dread. She didn't worry that Maris would get fed up and go, or that something would tear them apart. They really were stronger now.

For a moment, Rory just gazed at the way Maris related to Charlie, the smile ever on her face as her arm slid around her back, her fingertips absentmindedly stroking at the back of her neck. "I think probably so. We Berlantis are a particular sort." She grinned, offering her free hand for Charlie to grab at.

"You think so?" She wrinkled her nose at Charlie, making a face that earned a big four-toothed grin from him. "We all have the same nose. I think it's the strongest look. We're just lucky we didn't all get giant Italian noses though."

"So all I'm hearing between your Italian nose and the Jewish nose that lurks in my family is that we're gonna need a plastic surgery fund on top of a college fund for Keats," she teased.

But she didn't look up from Charlie's face. He really did look like Rory, so much so that she let herself, for a moment, at least, think he was theirs. Despite her joking, she didn't care what their baby would look like. So long as it looked a tiny bit like them. And hey, maybe she didn't have as much of an ego as she thought because she mostly wanted a child that looked like Rory. Even though they would probably get away with even more than her lover did.

She was quiet for a moment. She was used to Charlie now. Now that a bit of the fear that he'd start screaming at any moment had subsided, she realized that he seemed to like her and that Rory was right and she was well, sort of okay at this. It gave her hope for the future she hadn't necessarily had before.

"I think we'd be alright at this, you know," she whispered. Maris nodded toward Charlie, but deep down she knew Rory had caught on to what she meant.

"We had better, or else he becomes the new Adam Brody-Driver and you know that would be the worst possible outcome for our babe Keats." God, what if their kid wanted to be an actor? Rory figured that if and when they had kids, she would be the kind of mom to support and encourage the things that set their soul on fire, but ... please not that.

Rory looked at Maris and how she regarded Charlie, and just how fascinated Charlie was with her -- enamored, really. It made her smile, like yeah buddy, I get it. He really was a good baby, which was nice considering Emily had kept her parents up for what felt like three years from how much Rory heard about it. Rory felt like no matter what her and Maris' kids might actually be like, they'd be perfect to her, because they'd be theirs. She probably should have anticipated just how much babysitting her niece and nephew would make her feel overwhelmed by how much she wanted a family with Maris some day. Everything that came next for them, whatever that was going to be just felt exciting.

Rory smiled and bumped her shoulder gently into Maris', as she wiggled her finger that Charlie had a grasp on, playing some soft version of tug of war with her her own hand.

What Maris said had occurred to Rory before if she'd really let herself think about it, but actually hearing Maris say it hit her differently. She inhaled sharply, her throat feeling a little tight as she smiled, nodding before she said anything. "I think we would." She leaned over and stole a real kiss this time, softly. "You're a natural."

No sooner had she said it, than the beeper on the oven went off, interrupting the moment. She sighed dramatically and kissed her once more. "You ready for child friendly food and Frozen?"

Maris smiled softly at the notion she was a natural. It was one she'd probably have trouble believing a few years before. She hadn't always been fond of children, choosing to teach high schoolers because she didn't think she'd have the patience for the younger set, but she believed Rory. Her girlfriend knew better than to just humor her and had never steered her wrong before.

"I'm never ready for Frozen, but let's do this before Emily wrecks your living room unattended."

Chicken nuggets weren't her favorite, so Maris skipped them entirely, happy enough with a big bowl of mac and cheese.

She sighed happily as she reached the sofa, smiling at Charlie. "I guess I can put you down on the couch now, huh?" He really was heavier than he looked. Maris' arms were getting a little tired, but the moment she sat him down against a carefully positioned pillow he began to wail and Maris' eyes widened. The second she scooped him back up again, he stopped crying.

"Well, okay! No sitting on the couch for you," she said, adjusting him in her arms so she could get a better hold on him. She wasn't that upset she wasn't getting a break. If the slight smile on her face was any indication, Maris liked Charlie's attention almost as much as he did hers.

Whenever they talked about the kids they would have, their little intellectuals with a penchant for reading and proper fashion they'd put them in, Rory got this swell of excitement in the pit of her stomach. Of course, their kids would be whoever they wanted to be, but Rory always felt that she and Maris would have similar styles in the way they'd rear their kids. Rory knew they were a way off from legitimately discussing that sort of thing in real-time, but she loved to think about it. Their partnership taking on new roles.

"I really hope she didn't find some rogue markers somewhere." She said with a face, but really ... oh god when they had kids, everything was going to be a mess for a few years, wasn't it? Small price to pay.

Rory gathered bowls and plates and brought them into the living room, spreading out dishtowels on the floor which Emily happily plopped down on. She had given her just a little bit of ketchup -- and refused to go all in to drown them.

"Uh oh, I think you've got a little barnacle." She laughed, sitting down with her own bowl and a few chicken nuggets of her own. She plucked one of them from her bowl and pulled off a kid-sized chunk before handing it to Charlie, who took it greedily and began to gnaw at it. As an after-thought, she grabbed an extra dishtowel and put it over his lap, covering Maris in the process.

The amount of times she and Maris had dinner in one of their living rooms, similarly curled up on the couch felt naturally entirely different now. It felt like everything they did now just had a depth to what it could be later. Nights like this, she could get used to. "I've got to teach Emily the Disney classics. Even if a lot of them are kinda problematic. Hercules though, that one she's got to love."

In theory, watching Charlie gum and slobber all over a chicken nugget was even grosser than the sea of ketchup they'd been worried about on his sister's end, but Maris was surprisingly calm about the whole ordeal.

Although the fact that she had a film to distract her definitely helped.

"Oooh, yes. We should do Hercules later. I haven't seen it in years."

Emily didn't seem to realize she should probably ration her ketchup to have enough for each nugget. She only had about half a puddle left after having only two, but she was mainly focused on what was happening on screen.

"Are you as old as aunt Rory?" she asked, not looking away from the screen but clearly addressing Maris.

She let out a little snort. "Pretty much, yeah."

"Is she your best friend?"

"Well, I like to think so," she said with a smirk in Rory's direction.

"Since you were little?"

"Well, no but we knew each other before you were born, so it's been a long time."

"Wow," Emily said, shoveling some mac and cheese in her mouth in a tone that implied she thought they were pretty old.

"Me neither, but it was always my favorite. That Meg." She mimicked a chef's kiss and smiled before taking a bite of her own mac and cheese. "Better songs, too." That, she said a little quieter as though Emily would throw a fit if she knew she was throwing shade at the ice queen on screen.

Rory pursed her lips together in an attempt to not burst into laughter at the adorable exchange between Emily and Maris, and not for the first time thinking how much she loved how Maris related to these kids. It felt important, for whatever reason, that she spoke to the kids like they were important enough to be understood and understand like the little human she was. It felt unique, and yet entirely belonging to her girlfriend.

"Excuse me, are you saying I'm old?" Rory feigned deep offense, clutching her chest over her heart. Emily's little dimpled impish grin was telling enough, so Rory put down her food and slunk down to the floor, putting her hands on either side of the floor next to where Emily sat.

"I'm not old, little missy." She growled in a little monster-type voice, before she grabbed the little girl and pulled her into her lap, earning a squeal of delight. She tickled her sides but was careful not to squeeze her. She hugged her arms around her and kissed her cheek, ruffling her hair.

"Can I tell you a secret?" She said when the little girl caught her breath and snuggled back into her a little more. She dropped her voice but glanced over at Maris. "Someday I'm gonna marry my best friend. What do you think of that?" She didn't even mean it to take back from the more awkward moment from before, but rather something so entirely true in her heart.

Emily's eyes widened a little bit as she raised her fingers to Rory's lips, exaggerating in her childish way as she lowered her voice to a whisper, that really wasn't one at all. "Maybe then you can have sleepovers all the time!" Rory laughed, unable to keep the deep laugh from bursting through. "Maybe so! Wouldn't that be cool?"

Watching Rory interact with Emily hit Maris square in the chest. They were adorable together and it was easy to believe that a little girl that looked (faintly) like Rory was theirs, that this could be some faint glimpse of not too distant future, the way they'd spend their nights when they finally got everything she was beginning to desperately want. But it was nothing compared to the pang in her chest when Rory actually acknowledged her and that what she wanted most of all was going to happen.

They were going to get married.

And though she was hardly the sort of person concerned with anyone's approval (especially a four year old's), Maris couldn't help but feel even more touched by the fact that Emily seemed thrilled with the idea.

"Not just sleepovers. You'd get to be by your best friend all the time, you wouldn't have to call them to come over or wait for them to get there. All your stuff would be in the same place so you wouldn't have to bring it with you..."

Emily grinned. "That would be good. I hate having to bring my Barbies to my friend Kaylee's house." She brightened, hopping out of Rory's arms to race across the room to grab the backpack she'd brought keep her occupied.

"Do you wanna play Barbies?" she asked, shoving her backpack, which held a few and various outfits at Maris. "Charlie fell asleep."

She laughed, looking down at the baby in her arms. "Well..." she said, stalling for time.

Maris had never been into Barbies as a kid. She got bored once she changed their outfit a few times and while she had an alright imagination, they were really the sort of activity that was more fun with a playmate.

"Let me see," she said finally peering into the bag to try and choose which Barbie she wanted once she carefully laid Charlie down on the couch.

Since all Emily's dolls were all long haired blondes that looked nothing like her, Maris was less than thrilled with her options but she smiled when she spotted a few coloring books and crayons at the bottom of the bag.

"Can we color? I'll show you a trick."

Emily seemed delighted and Maris smiled, flipping through the pages of the little girls Disney coloring book until she found a picture she liked.

She passed it to Emily so she could do the same then nodded toward Rory. "Are you gonna color too?" she asked cheekily.

"You have to!" Emily said, grabbing Rory's arm to hold her in place. "She's showing us a trick!"

Living on separate coasts often made Rory feel like she was a bit far removed from the day to day of her family, even though she texted her mom and sister much of the time. They facetimed enough that at least Emily knew her well and they didn't have that awkward 'I swear I'm not a stranger' kind of reaction from her. But more than that, Rory forgot how fun it was to just play with the kids. It made her so excited for whatever was to come for her and Maris, and for the life they were building together.

"That's right," She affirmed with a wide grin, her eyes meeting Maris' over top of Emily's head. Things were so beautifully simple for kids Emily's age, particularly as they were too young to really know certain prejudices. It helped that her family had always been accepting and supportive of Rory's sexuality, but they never made it a thing. Kids were smart, and it was so simple for them to accept the world the way it was. For Emily, she was just excited that her favorite (nevermind only) aunt was able to love and be with her best friend. Well, Rory thought with a smile, she'd have another aunt.

Ah, barbies. Rory had that phase when she was young, and other dolls, naturally, but then she grew out of them fairly quickly, preferring different make believe games outside or other outlets. And books. Always books. She'd make voices and play along with Emily if that's what she wanted, but bless her brilliant girlfriend. She smirked at her and scooted back against the couch, an instinct that even as Charlie slept soundly, she wanted to be a little barrier in case he rolled over.

"I'll color. I love Maris' tricks." She pursed her lips together to hide the smile that so easily edged onto her lips as Emily scooted into her lap with her coloring book. "Want to pick one for me?" Emily was delighted at the task, giving Rory a moment to reach over and squeeze Maris' hand. There was clearly no limit to how much she desperately loved this woman.

Emily chose a Lilo & Stitch page for her, and a Beauty and the Beast one for herself. "What's the trick??" She asked excitedly, practically bouncing up and down in her lap.

Maris laughed. "Wait a minute, we actually have to color a little bit first. And wow, I might actually need my glasses."

Emily giggled once Maris fetched and put them on. "They're really big."

Maris smiled. "They're very big because I'm very blind. Okay!"

She took her time selecting a crayon to color Jasmine's outfit on her page. Emily's box of crayons had way more than the coveted 64 pack she'd grown up with, but Maris couldn't help but wrinkle her nose at the fact that even it didn't have the perfect shade of blue green as she colored it.

"Just color in a whole section. Like Belle's dress and then..."

Maris grabbed a pencil from the cup on Rory's desk, then proceeded to purposefully bend the eraser into an almost shovel like shape by wedging it against the table. She carefully squeezed it to make it slightly less pointy with her thumb and forefinger.

"Now, don't you do this part," she warned Emily. "You just keep using this one or ask your mom or dad to do it for you." She laughed, wincing at Rory. "Oh god, they're gonna hate me for showing you this. My dad hated this too and not just because of the wrecked pencil thing." She smiled at Emily, then tapped her picture. "You know how when you color it never goes on smooth with crayons? No matter how hard you color you get that weird texture and little white marks in between? Well, I was always meticulous so..."

Emily cut in. "What's metrickulous?"

Maris bit back a smile. She'd taught high schoolers too proud to ask what words meant. She was charmed that Emily was curious (and wise) enough to ask about something she didn't understand.

"Meticulous," she corrected gently. "Particular. When you want things to be perfect."

"Ohh." Emily nodded that she understood and for Maris to continue.

"Well, I wanted a nice smooth picture with everything filled in so..."

She flipped the pencil over and used the slightly raised metal edge of the eraser to scrape off the excess wax on Jasmine's outfit. It was a messy affair that left little flakes of crayon everywhere (which was mainly why Maris' dad hated her "technique") but it left a completely smooth, thick layer of color with no pesky gaps or white spots in between.

"See? All smooth." she said, holding up her picture for Emily's inspection.

Every minute seemed to just serve to make Rory more and more enamored with Maris -- which honestly at this point, who thought was even possible? As Rory's gaze periodically turned back to the task at hand, she colored around Emily, sort of saying screw it to making it look entirely nice, but who was really going to judge her? Well, the four year old, probably.

"Oh your mom's gonna love this." Rory said with a little snort of a laugh, winking at Maris when she caught her eye. Rory watched Maris show Emily the trick, an adoring smile on her features as she considered how gently she was teaching the little girl. Rory had always loved watching Maris teach, and her lectures had been particularly exciting to Rory. This struck her deeply and differently, while still being one of the most attractive things Maris had ever done.

"Oooh that's really cool, huh?" She smiled, running her finger over the picture that Maris held up for Emily, who did the same thing right after her. Emily gleefully laughed and started coloring furiously, clamoring out of Rory's lap so she could have a better space to do so. "I wanna try it!" She exclaimed, as Rory laughed and used the freedom she was granted to scoot over enough to lean in and press a quick kiss to Maris' lips. "You're really amazing with them." She said as a matter of fact, not that it was any kind of surprise. Something in the back of her mind always figured Maris would nail it with kids.

Once Emily had colored most of her page, she grabbed her book and thrust it back at them. "Can you help me?" She asked Maris, who was after all, the expert.

Maris nearly blushed at Rory's praise, not to mention the fact that she'd been bold enough to kiss her in front of Emily. While she was sure it was obvious they were into each other and didn't really make an effort to appear platonic, showing affection was a rare thing in front of their families.

But she didn't have time to get too caught up in it. She nodded at Emily, gesturing for the little girl to come closer. "Of course. C'mere," she said, grabbing and tickling Emily the same way Rory had earlier.

Emily seemed delighted, but quickly focused on the task at hand, watching Maris' technique carefully to commit it to memory.

"See? Just go slow so you don't rip the paper. And it actually kind of works better if you put a lot of crayon on to begin with." Maris grabbed the yellow crayon and thickened (not to mention subtly neatened) some of Emily's handiwork on Belle's dress. "Here, why don't you finish the whole picture then scrape it all off once you're done. I kind of think it's more fun that way. Like one big lottery scratch off."

Emily nodded and got to work while Maris gathered up their plates and gestured for Rory to follow her into the kitchen. She wanted to straighten up the room and move things out of the way so they could color more easily, but she would have been lying if she said her main goal wasn't to get Rory alone to kiss her without prying eyes.

But once they'd both sat down their dishes, Maris' kiss was tender in a way she rarely allowed herself to be. Sure, she could be soft and even vulnerable with Rory on occasion, but passion was almost always at the forefront of everything between them. There was an underlying sweetness to this particular moment because the ones that preceded it had been. Maris didn't just want Rory anymore.

She wanted children.

She wanted Rory to be their mother.

Their kisses almost always lead to more, but there was really no expectation for anything else, not just because they couldn't afford to get carried away with kids in the other room but because there didn't need to be. It wasn't an I want you even though Maris always did as far as Rory was concerned.

It was an I love you conveyed without a single word.

Had Emily actually spotted Rory kiss Maris, she probably could have expected a childish 'ewwwww!' to ring out, but that would have likely been her reaction to anyone kissing - she'd heard her do it to her parents on more than one occasion. Still, Rory wasn't put off by having children in the room, because her affection for Maris was evident even without their lips finding each other on occasion.

"I hope you become a big lottery scratch ticket player, Em. You'll be a natural." She chuckled, leaning her hands on her knees before she got up to follow Maris. They might come back to find crayon all over her coffee table but ... well, worth it. Rory grabbed a sippy cup and headed for the kitchen, an easy smile on her lips the entire time.

Coming into Maris's arms felt like gravity, her whole body leaning into the embrace as her lips parted in a deep kiss with the woman. She felt that difference too. Their heat was always, always palpable, but there was a tenderness, a depth to the way that they kissed now that felt wholly different. It made Rory think that they were definitely thinking the same thing. That they'd build a family together.

Rory had never been entirely sold on this desperate need to have kids, though she did want them in a sort of far-off, "if it happens" way. It was with Maris that she felt the need so strong, the inevitability of their life taking this particular path. She punctuated their long kiss with a quicker one, her hands squeezing her sides as she bowed her head gently against hers.

"I really didn't think a night of babysitting would feel like ... this." She said softly with a little chuckle, kissing the bridge of her nose before leaning back to look into Maris' eyes. "Maybe we should just steal these two, huh? Change the locks, pretend we're gone."

"Oooh tempting, but..." She gave Rory another quick kiss. "We don't have nearly enough chicken nuggets to keep Emily happy during the lock down. We might have a mutiny on our hands and nobody wants that."

Her lips twitched as she tucked a strand of hair behind Rory's ear. "Besides, not sure I can handle more than two and since I'm kind of curious to see what you look like with a bump..."

She trailed off with a grin, knowing she didn't need to elaborate.

"Mm, you make a good point. And I don't think that particular brand even delivers." Rory made a face as all the logistics of that particular joke set in as no, definitely would be more trouble than it was worth.

But she wasn't prepared for what Maris said next. In all honesty, she should have been. She should have been because she had the same thought about Maris. She had the same thought about herself, and maybe similar nights to this one even before they had kids. Something about the imagery of sitting together as they always did, but Maris' hand on her growing belly to feel a kick, or her lips against Maris' one to tell their little one a story. She could see it so clearly, and that pang of longing only grew fiercer.

"Yeah," She said almost wistfully, kind of breathless from how much that thought bowled her over. "Me too. Plus I don't think Charlie would do well with a rename to Keats." She wrinkled her nose, sliding her arms tighter around Maris and stealing another kiss. "And I refuse to give up our dream names."

Another kiss, and then Emily was bounding into the kitchen to show them her work on her page. "I did like you said! I did a little rip but that's okay." It didn't seem to phase the little girl in the slightest that she'd caught them in an embrace -- rather, she was annoyed they weren't immediately at the ready with their full attention. "Show Maris, I think she's the expert here." She said to Emily, while parting just enough to give Maris space, but keeping an arm around her waist all the same.

"Are you sure? People rename dogs all the time. They learn eventually," she joked.

Maris was so focused on Rory that Emily startled her, but she recovered quickly, smiling as she took the picture from her hands. "It looks good! Come on, we'll do some more while we finish Frozen."

"It's over," Emily announced.

"Then I think we need to watch Hercules," she said with a grin, leading all three of them back into the living room.

Charlie was still out like a light and after about ten minutes of Hercules, Emily was too.

"Rude," Maris said, looking down at the little girl fondly. "She's going to miss me singing Meg's big musical number."

She covered up Emily with a blanket near the couch, then scooted further down it so she and Rory could have their own space.

Once she got settled in, she reached for Rory, lacing their fingers together before kissing the back of her hand.

"Not so bad for a first attempt, huh?"

"Oh you're right. He'll just have a little twitch whenever he hears the name Charlie." Rory giggled, before her attention was fully (or mostly) captured by the young girl who pulled them into the other room.

Ah Hercules, the superior of childhood Disney entertainment. Not to be one of those people, but Rory felt like they just didn't make kids movies like they used to - starting with the bug-eyed animation that had become popular. Not that Frozen II wasn't a total gem -- but still. Nothing beat the old animation in her opinion.

"I hope I still get that in private concert, or else I will be extremely upset." Rory grinned as she leaned into Maris, finding her comfortable usual-spot attached to her side. Looking over at Charlie sleeping soundly and then Emily doing the same, a crayon still clutched in her little hand, that overly warm, glowy kind of feeling flooded through her.

"Amazing first attempt, actually." She grinned, turning her head so she could press a kiss to the side of Maris' neck, and then her cheek. "You're incredible with them." She smiled, though there really had never been any doubt in her mind. Maris would be a phenomenal mother to their children, should they be lucky enough to have them. Rory really did see it, so clearly. "And this is totally how easy bedtime is always gonna be, too."