Page 6 of Static

"I have plates," I told Gwen as I went over to the couch with the kids. I didn't even realize when she came in that there'd been a plastic bag hanging off her arm. It had plates, cups, and silverware. My plates were paper, but they would work. Mostly. I didn't like the idea of her having to take these home and wash them. But the only sink I had in my room was in the bathroom.

"That's okay," Gwen said, handing me a plate with a large slice of lasagna and a salad on it. "This will be easier to eat off."

"Despite what you've been told, I am house broken."

She gave me a sly smile that said she doubted it.

"Ugh, salad?" Sean scoffed.

I agreed with him, though silently. Eating lasagna was one of those times you shouldn't have to eat vegetables. But since it wasn't my dinner, I kept my mouth shut.

"It's good for you," Gwen said, ruffling his hair.

He made a face and shoved her hand away. But he took the plate and settled down at the end of the couch, leaving enough room for the rest of us.

I leaned in and gave him a conspiratorial smile and whispered "Always eat the green stuff, it'll make you fart." He smiled at that and took a big mouthful of the salad.

Gwen started gathering up a few things. "Okay, well, I'll get out of your hair-"

"Why don't you stay?"

Deep blue eyes blinked up at me in surprise. "Oh."

"Unless you'd rather have the night off and spend it alone," I added. Moving a few inches closer, I invaded her space. I mostly just wanted to watch her get nervous. She licked her lips, forcing me to bite back a groan of appreciation. I don't think either of us could deny the attraction we had for one another. It was there. I just couldn't act on it. There was too much at stake if things didn't work out.

"Stay, Mom," Sean said from his spot on the couch. It was a bit muffled because he was shoveling food in his mouth at an impressive rate.

"Yeah," I added, tone low. Her eyes latched onto mine. "Stay." Her breathing changed and as I watched her pupils dilate. Fuck what I wouldn't give for five minutes alone with her. I wanted to kiss her until she forgot her own damn name.

The sound of shattering porcelain broke the spell, making her jump. She lifted her hand to her chest and gasped in shock. Turning my head, I saw that Grace had dropped her plate off the coffee table.

"I'm sorry," the little girl whispered, tears forming in her eyes.

I walked over and once again squatted down, gathering up shards of the broken plate. "Hey, hey, it's fine. No harm done." I didn't like the worry I saw on her face. It was understandable, knowing what her worthless father had been like, but I didn't want her to be upset. "I'll get this," I told Gwen when she went to try to help clean up.

"It's okay, Baby," Gwen added, going over and gathering Grace into her arms. They rocked together while I cleaned up the shards. Pulling the garbage can over, I scooped up lasagna with my bare hands and looked up when Grace giggled. She was only five years old and there were times I saw far too much awareness on such a young face. I often caught the same look on Caitlyn's face. Both Grace and Priest's adoptive daughter had been in situations that other kids never even dreamed about.

After washing my hands, I came back out and saw that Grace and Gwen were sharing off a plate. I sat down next to them, and asked, "Ready for the movie?"

"Yeah!" Sean crowed, eyes zeroing in on the TV.

Smiling, I turned on the streaming service and hit play. I'd seen Rocky countless times, but this time I couldn't focus. Not with Gwen sitting next to me. Every move, every laugh, every breath had me focusing on her. I wanted to pull her onto my lap and enjoy the movie with her where she belonged. But what I wanted didn't matter. Even if this fight with Fremont wasn't looming, I needed to give her space. And sitting here, torturing myself by inviting her to stay and watch movies with us wasn't helping. I forced myself to watch the movie and nothing else. It wasn't until halfway through the second movie that I noticed she and Grace were sleeping.

"Sean," I whispered, not wanting to disturb her. He turned and looked, his face going soft when he saw his mother. He nodded and gathered up the dirty plates and silverware, putting them inside the bag Gwen brought over. He slipped out the door and headed back to his apartment.

Carefully, so as not to wake Gwen, I picked Grace up and carried her back to their apartment. She weighed next to nothing in my arms and when she sighed softly in her sleep my heart lurched in my chest. These kids were amazing. They were kind, sweet, and hilarious most of the time. The fact that Trent gave this up the first time around was enough to tell me he was a fucking idiot. What he did after that only proved that he deserved the dirt nap he got.

"We'll finish the next movie soon," I told Sean when I poked my head into his room to check on him.

He walked over and bumped his knuckles against mine. "Okay! I like Rocky. He's a badass."

Chuckling, I asked, "More of a badass than Chuck Norris?"

Horror flooded his face as he thought about that. It cleared as he made his decision. "Naw. No one beats Chuck Norris."

I laughed and tousled his hair. "Goodnight, Sean."

"Night, Static."

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