Rockabye •Descendants

rockabye •thirty-three

...

That day, breakfast went better than Ben could have hoped for. Since then, their time together was spent well. Athena was warming up to Ben each passing day. Ben was a bit sad that she wasn't calling or acknowledging him as her dad, but he was alright that she was calling him Uncle Ben. Not exactly what he hoped for, but it was better than nothing and that's alright.

Ben's relationship with Serena was starting to get better as well. It was as if they never stopped being friends. Serena was still as bright and soothing as he remembers. She even allowed him to see photos of the last three years, Athena as she was growing up. She even allowed him to keep a second copy of an old photo of Athena on her first birthday.

A week had passed by and both Serena and Ben had seen how less problematic it had been, without outside interference. The parents and child have created a good relationship.

So when Athena asked to go on a picnic by a lake near by, no one had any objections. Ben helped Serena make lunch and pack it as in a basket. Athena ran into the kitchen with a blanket in her arms. The blanket was engulfing her arms but she still held onto it for dear life.

"Can you fold this for me please, Uncle Ben?" Athena asks already pushing the blanket into Ben's arms. Ben only smiled and took it happily.

"Let's switch jobs then. How about you finish helping your mom and I'll get the rest of our things, alright?" Ben asks. Athena nods rapidly and goes up to her stool to climb and help. Ben walks out, leaving mother and daughter alone.

"Can I have a cookie, please please please?" Athena begs, eyeing the freshly made cookies on the table. It as just in arms reach and she could easily take one, but that would be rude.

"You can have some later, after you've finished your lunch. That includes the veggies."

Athena huffed and stared at the cookies, thinking. All she had to do was eat her vegetables, then all the cookies will be hers. She smiles at her mama and nods rapidly.

"I promise!" Serena smiles back and leans over to plant a kiss on Athena's forehead before handing the little princess a small container.

"Put this inside the basket for me, please." Athena nods and takes the container. Serena finishes slicing up the rest of her strawberries for a fruit salad when she felt a tug at her shirt. Athena was now standing beside her, looking up.

"Mama, when can we go home?" Athena asks. Serena smiles down at her.

"Do you not like it here anymore? I thought you liked running around and going down to the river." Serena asks, continuing to finish packing.

"I do, but I miss grandma and grandpa and Aunties Melody and Louise. I also miss Uncle Chad and Aunt Ginny." Athena tells her mother.

"Are you getting bored of me already?" Serena teases with a fake frown. Athena shakes her head and hugs her.

"No, mama. I like being with you and I like this home, but also like our other home with grandpa and grandma. I miss them." Athena confesses. Serena picked her up and hugged her tight.

"I'm sure they miss you too. We'll be here just a few more days, my starfish, then we'll go home."

"What about Uncle Ben? Will he stay here when we leave?"

"No. He'll go home too." Athena stayed silent, think about one important question that plagued for young mind.

"Mama?"

"Yes?"

"Do I have to call him dad?" Athena asks quietly, though Serena heard it clearly. She kneeled down and smiled at Athena.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. If you just want to continue calling him Uncle Ben you can. If you want to call him dad, you can. When you're ready, starfish."

"What if I'm never ready?" Athena looks away from Serena's gaze. Before Serena could answer her, heavy footsteps were coming their way. Ben returns with a successfully folded blanket and a grin on his face.

"Are we ready to go?" Ben asks happily. Serena smiles at him and picks Athena up, the little princess giggled.

"We are more than ready."

"Ready!" Athena shouts waving her hand in the air and pointed out the door. "Let's rock and roll!"

"Who taught you to say that?" Ben asks, taking the picnic basket from the table.

"Auntie Ginny."

Hours later after lunch, Serena and Ben watched Athena chase Arlo around in the distance. The sound of giggles and happy barking bouncing up to the sky.

"This is nice." Ben comments as he's about to take a bite out of a cookie.

"You think is it great, you should see the cloud gazing we do. Never a dull moment when see the clouds arranged as crabs was butterfly wings. Or Arlo barking at the fish in the stream."

"That sounds great! We should do that soon."

"Yeah... Ben, I got tell you something."

"What's up?" Ben asks, smiling at Serena.

"Athena wants to go home. She misses being at the castle." Serena says.

"O-oh..." She could tell Ben was trying not to lose the happy look in his eyes.

"Yeah. She's missing my parents. I told her we'd go home in a few days."

"Right... It's not a problem. We weren't going to stay here forever. I mean- eventually we have to go back to our regular lives." Ben signs and gives a sad smile. He looks at Athena who was sit on the grass with Arlo by her side. He heard her giggle as Arlo slobbered her face. Serena hesitated but put her hand on Ben's, giving it a squeeze.

"I'm telling you this because I want you to come back with us. Then we can go have a talk with our parents sort out the tension." Serena informed. Ben looked at her in surprise at her decision. "This isn't about them, Ben. This isn't even about you and me. We all need to get along for Athena's sake. She has the right to know all her family—" Serena was pulled into a hug. Ben squeezed her tightly before letting go.

"Thanks for let me be part of her life. And yours."

"We were once best friends. Things can't go back to the way they were before but we can start fresh." Serena says. The two went on to watch their daughter play until nightfall.

Completely unaware of the one watching them from afar...