Ever After

Chapter 10 - Perfect

Chapter 10 - Perfect

All the rooms were dark and when Star crawled into bed. After a long trip it took no time at all for her to fall asleep next to her husband, they were soon dreaming.

"Marco Marco Marco! I'm home! I have missed you so much!" The late 30-something-ish Star still had the energy of her 15 year old self when she was excited. The woman appeared in a modestly furnished bedroom deep inside her family's old castle. The room was dimly lit with dark forms moving across the walls. On the large bed next to Star was her husband, face down asleep.

"Marco...are you asleep?" She said while gently poking him with her finger.

A slight groan came from his body. "Yes"

"Are you dreaming of sleeping? "

"No...sleeping"

She leaned over and hugged the lump. "Mr. Diaz, you are not going to ruin my good mood! I have not seen you in almost a month other than video calls. You've told me over and over again that everything is fine. Then I come in from the airport and find you not just asleep but dream-sleeping? You wake up, this is NOT what I expected."

He yawned. "Sorry. Tired."

"FINE! Just give me the rundown of everything you didn't tell me and maybe I'll leave you alone." Star returned to poking him.

Marco took a deep breath but remained firmly planted in the bed. "Thing 1 hates me. Had to cut off her internet because she wasn't doing her homework and I was repeatedly told to fuck off. That was great. Even better, she needs the internet to do their homework. Sooooo much fun to manage."

Star's eyes grew large, she held a hand over her mouth not wanting to interrupt him yet.

"Thing 2 hates you. They read some books about us destroying magic and being in 5th grade they know more than we do. To them it was not the right decision, you are a 'bitch', and you should dedicate your every waking moment to teaching them magic." Marco made a sleepy attempt at air quotes when saying the 'b' word.

Star was turning red now, both hands over her mouth.

"Thing 3 has been up every other hour for two weeks now. Nurse said he is just teething but I think he has made driving me crazy a life goal. Complete sleep deprived crazy."

Star was upset but took several deep breaths. Slowly she regained her composure. "Marco, why didn't you tell me there were issues. I could have come home early."

"No you couldn't. We both know that trip was way too important." Macro finally started turning over. "I had my mom helping. Your dad even took Thing 1 & 2 camping for a few nights. You left me a freezer full of breast milk. I was as prepared as I could be, they just got to me. But hey, I am really REALLY glad you are back."

Marco hadn't shaved in awhile and even his dream-self had become a disheveled mess. Star did her best to fix his hair. "I'll let you dream-sleep but first I want to talk to you. I know I said this before but...I am so proud of you. Your grand plan totally worked. I just had to shake hands, sign papers, and talk about how wonderful you are.

I never would have imagined a day where my kingdom would merge with all the neighboring kingdoms to become a single state and that state would be allowed to join your country. A day when monsters were secured the right to vote and due processes just like anyone else. All that work, the proposals you wrote, the laws you authored, the speeches, petitions, fundraisers, rallies, campaigns, the 230 step plan. You are amazing!"

"Vía la revolución." He muttered.

"AND you can not guess how many times I was asked when my husband was going to make the move from political strategist to senator. We also got countless thanks because the dimensional merger fixed the ozone hole, resetting global warming, and cleaning up all the major pollution disasters. Brand new world just waiting to be taken care of and SO many people looking for you and I to take care of it."

Marco was half-smiling now. He had already heard this all before but it was always nice to hear it again. "Could you please inform Honorary Queen Star Butterfly that it was also her plan. Not only does she deserve the same credit but she also provided the vision and leadership needed for all these plans to even have a chance. Maybe she should be the one thinking about a new political career?"

Star was happy now having her husband's full attention. "I just wanted to say thank you. Even if you weren't my everything I would be proud of you. On top of that you put up with our crazy kids solo for way too long. You are my hero and my best friend."

"I don't know if you should be completely proud of me. Remember when Jenna asked if she could sacrifice our first born saying she would make it worth our while? I've caught myself thinking, what if we just gave her all three?" Marco was smirking but Star could see in his mind, he really had thought about it if only for a moment.

She patted Marco's chest. "And that is why Aunty Jenna does not babysit."

"You had fun?"

"I wanted you there with me! It's no fun without you." Star replied.

"Well...if we had all gone for a month it would have been miserable. These kids suck the life out of everything."

"I know, I know. And we did pledge to never be the parents of crying babies on a plane."

Marco looked deep into his wife's eyes and gave a concerned look as if he saw something. "Wait, what are you leaving out?"

Star slowly transitioned from happy to annoyed at the world. "Arrgggg...MAYBE I left out that I was late for everything because the only places I could pump were in the hotel or the back of the rental car. MAYBE I woke up multiple nights with the girls acting like fountains soaking the sheets."

Marco smiled. "Your girls can give quite the show. Was that the worst of it?"

"Mostly. One creepy old member of the 'Religions Right' asked me if I needed a side-king. He was so gross and he insisted on mansplaining the constitution to me. I HATE mansplaining! Why do people vote for these old men? Also, did you see the anti-monster protesters on TV? They were not fun, I swear I saw Mina herself mixed in with them."

Macro reached up to play with her long blond hair as it hung down in front of him. "I saw them, I'm glad it didn't get violent. But...speaking of violence, did you see the kids yet?"

"I peeked at all three, they are still cute when they are asleep."

The two stopped talking now and just enjoyed looking into each other's faces.

"You hear that?" Marco pulled a pillow over his head.

Star's smile returned. "I hear him. You sleep, Mama Star has this one. I miss ma crazy babies!"