Parenthood'z Nightmare

Chapter XIV - Playtime

Alice sat in Sunny Care's window, waiting for Sephiroth. All the other children had gone home and left her with the cleaning crew. She saw someone hurry up the steps but was unable to see who it was.

"I'm so sorry it's so late!" She heard a familiar voice in the hallway. "Sephiroth couldn't get away, he sent me instead."

"We need some reassurance of that." Kate insisted.

"He gave me a note to give you; you can call him if you need to."

Alice got out of the wheelchair and wandered to the hallway. "Are you sure he won't mind if I call?"

"He gives his permission."

"Then I'll be right back."

Alice's eyes lit up. "Aunty 'nei nei'!"

Cissnei turned her head. "Alice! Look how big you've gotten!"

Alice blushed and was scooped into a hug. "Did you miss me?"

She nodded.

"I missed you too." She said as Kate wandered to her office. "What did you do today?"

"Nap."

"You had a nap?"

"It's fine," Kate returned, "you can take her. But we really can't stay open this late again."

Cissnei nodded. "I know, I'm sorry."

Alice looked shocked. "'ou were bad?" (You were bad?)

Cissnei shook her head. "I was late." She explained.

"Oh dear..."

"Oh dear." Cissnei repeated as they left. "I brought your stroller with me." She bent to put Alice in the seat.

"No!" Alice clutched Cissnei tighter.

"You have to sit in it or we can't go home!" She wrestled Alice into the seat, buckled her in and steered her home. "What else did you do today? Pancake's waiting for you."

"Wan' tell Pancake 'bou s'ide." (I want to tell Pancake about the slide.) She yawned.

"Really? What are you going to tell him about it? ...Alice?" She peered over the handles. Alice was asleep, but it was past nine, she was bound to be tired. "I AM good!" She praised herself. "Who says kids don't sleep?"

Cissnei took Alice home, got her ready for bed and marvelled at the giant box of plastic oven pieces, planning to put it together before Sephiroth got home.

...That didn't happen.

"Cissnei?" Sephiroth opened the front door. It was ten-past midnight; earlier than he thought he'd be home. He decided he definitely owed Cissnei a favour in the future... until he saw her sat on the floor, watching Titanic; the coffee table had been pushed aside to make room for plastic pieces of oven and heaps of cardboard cast aside.

Cissnei's eyes were red with exhaustion and rage. "WHY are the instructions in SPANISH?"

"Ask Zack." He frowned at the mess. "Why are you doing this now?"

"Oh, I'm not doing this now. I was doing this THREE HOURS AGO!" She would have yelled had Alice not been sleeping in the next room. "The box said this was easy and fun to put together!"

He smirked. "Let me take a look at it."

"You?"

"Men are better at reading instructions." He smugly stated. Cissnei raised her brows. "It's a scientific fact."