Playing with fire (Amelia Shepherd) ABANDONED

fifty four

"Why does your sister think we're her babysitters whenever she wants to jet off to another state?" Mallie groaned as she faceplanted the couch.

Amelia laughed as she looked up from the book she was reading, patting her lap. Mallie shuffled over to rest her head on Amelia's lap.

"Did you get the kids down?" Amelia asked.

"All five of 'em," Mallie groaned.

Meredith had taken Zola to Boston to check out some schools, so Mallie and Amelia had Bailey and Ellis over. Bailey had been on a sugar high and snuck all of the other kids candy when Mallie went to get pyjamas for them all, and it had taken her another two hours to get them all down.

Amelia had just got home when Mallie was carrying Pru and Ellis up to bed, one under each arm as they snored loudly, so Mallie told her she'd handle it and Amelia could relax.

"My sister thinks we're her babysitters because, if they do move away, she won't have a babysitter nearby anymore," Amelia said, running her fingers through Mallie's hair.

"Can you imagine just up and moving your entire life?" Mallie mumbled.

"We've both done that multiple times, baby," Amelia said.

"I know. I mean now," Mallie said. "Like, tomorrow, we just decide to up and go."

"Not really. Can you imagine it?" Amelia asked.

"Sometimes I think it'd be fun to get away, but then I'd miss the chaos of Seattle and wanna come back," Mallie said.

"Come back? Not come home?" Amelia asked.

"You're my home," Mallie mumbled, turning her head to blink up at Amelia.

Amelia laughed, cheeks flushing pink as she brushed over Mallie's cheeks.

"You're my home, too," Amelia mumbled, leaning down to kiss Mallie.

"You gonna be okay if Mer moves away?" Mallie asked.

"I have you. Of course I'll be okay. Will you be okay? You've known her longer than I have," Amelia said.

"I'll be okay," Mallie said. "Besides, we can go and visit like we do with Addison and Charlotte," Mallie said. "Mentioning Addison, is she staying here while she's in Seattle?"

"She's in a hotel. She didn't want protestors following her back here and getting our address. The kids, y'know," Amelia mumbled.

"That's bullshit," Mallie sighed. "Absolute bullshit. I mean, so what if someone wants to get an abortion? Why do you care? Make your own goddamn baby if you give that much of a shit. Or, even better, do something about the millions of kids already alive in foster care or refugee camps or on the streets."

"It's insane," Amelia agreed. "First they hate black people, now they hate women. You're really not winning."

Mallie laughed and nodded.

"Tell me about it. I'm fucked."

"I mean, not literally you're not. I can change that," Amelia said, smirking at Mallie.

"Not with five kids in the house, mi vida," Mallie laughed. "Thank your sister for that."

"She owes me," Amelia frowned.

"Yeah," Mallie said. "So, I've been thinking."

"Okay," Amelia said slowly. "Am I going to like this thinking?"

"I was looking at our finances," Mallie said.

"Okay," Amelia said.

"The kids all have college funds, and there's inheritance funds from Dean for Pru and for the twins from my dad. Saffie had money in a trust from my dad that the twins got, too. And I have my inheritance. So, we're pretty much settled for the rest of our lives. The Crisis One costs nothing when we look at the money coming from the Cruz estate now it's a hotel, so, we're actually earning way more than we spend. Amelia, we're, like, millionaires," Mallie said.