Settling Down

Chapter Four: Mother Bear

Little fingers quickly grasped a small chunk of apple from the large bowl as I prepared a small salad for dinner tonight. Mary giggled as she looked up at me, popping the fruit into her mouth.

"What movie were you thinking about tonight, my love?" I ask, moving briskly through the kitchen.

Mary shrugged and once again turned to her Snow White coloring book. "I don't know. Maybe you can choose this time?" She asked which made me smile.

"Sure sweet pea." I nod, tossing the salad I was currently working on. "Let's think. How about Finding Nemo? We haven't seen that one in a long time." I suggest.

It was harder to watch movies that Robin would be interested in when Mary was around. Not much was appropriate for her that wasn't Disney related. I felt bad putting him through it all but Robin insisted, making me even happier.

"No mommy. We watched that last night." Mary states matter-of-factly. I laugh at her bluntness and smile.

"Alright. What about... The wizard of Oz? That one is always nice, hmm?"

Without missing a beat, Mary nodded enthusiastically. "Yes please!" She squealed, bouncing in her seat.

I open my mouth to ask a favor of my daughter but am cut off by my phone ringing. Robin. A huge smile forms on my lips as I go to set the bowl down on the table before answering.

"Hello?" Mary coos, holding the phone to her ear. My eyes widen as I turn around. "Yeah she's making dinner. We're watching the Wizard of Oz!" Mary nods and holds the phone out to me. "Your turn!" She giggles. I gratefully take the phone and sigh, sitting on the barstool by Mary.

"Hello, milady." Robin's low, accented voice makes its way gracefully to my ear. His nickname for me speeds my heart up just a bit. "How's everything going?"

"Good. I'm starting on dinner. When do you think you'll be home?" My eyes flick to the clock in anticipation, wanting him to be here now.

"In an hour maybe. We're packing up right now." There was silence before he spoke again. "I hear we're watching the Wizard of Oz?" I giggle and nod.

"Yeah. Do you mind?" I ask, reaching over and grabbing the marinade for the chicken I had soaked.

"Not at all. It'll be fun." Robin assures me. "I love every minute." My heart flutters as I open the fridge.

"So do I." My voice was barely audible. "Alright. I'll let you go alright? Be safe on the way home." I instruct. Robin chuckles. "Oh and Robin? Hurry home. I miss you."

"I miss you too." He chuckles. Mary sits up and waves her hand.

"I miss you too!" She squeals, making Robin laugh over the phone.

I hung up and turned to Mary. "Want to help me out?" I ask, handing her three forks and some napkins. Mary nodded happily and slid down from her chair. "Okay. Can you set the table please?"

The little girl skimpered into the dining room and quickly set everything out. "What now?!" She calls, skipping happily. "Can I go to the loft? It's almost sunset time right?"

I turn my head and smile. Robin had a little loft he used for storage as well as his music room. When I took Mary over to the house, she liked to sit up at the top and watch the sun set over our little town.Robin was great about it and made her a little corner in the loft full of blankets and pillows.

"No baby. After dinner we can go up and watch. Why don't you go play right now okay? Thank you so much for your help."

Mary nodded and instantly skipped off. I finished preparing dinner before walking into the spare room of Robin's apartment. I had left some things at the house last time I was over and was hoping there would be something a bit more comfortable than a tight purple dress and heels.

And thankfully, to my surprise, there was a gray and black tshirt with black skinny jeans. But something stopped me from changing.

A strange noise at the front of the apartment caught my attention. Footsteps stopped in front of the main door and the front door knob jiggled. My heart sped up as I looked around at the desk in the corner.

The only thing there to help me was a letter opener. Sure, it wouldn't do much damage but if need be, it'd do something.

The click of a lock snapped me from my thoughts as I crept towards the sound. Robin still had about thirty minutes until his expected arrival and usually didn't take this long coming in.

I held the knife to my chest as footsteps echoed in the dining room. My heart sped up as I pressed my back against the wall.

Crazy thoughts turned completely psychotic as I thought about all the possibilities of who it could be. Maybe it was just a burglar. Or it could be Leo. He could have found our address and broken out of jail and-

Mary.

No matter what the danger, I didn't know where Mary was. And I surely couldnt just stand here like an idiot and wait for harm to come to either me or my daughter. I had to take action.

A/N: hey guys! So what do you think is going to happen? Who is this strange visitor who breaks in to Robin's apartment? Tell me who you think it is! I hope you liked this chapter. Please leave a comment below on what you thought, I love reading them and replying to them!