Work Text:
Celebration
Cuddy's front door flew open before Thirteen had made it all the way up the front steps. "Oh, thank God," Cuddy said. "Did you get the Hello Kitty drink umbrellas?"
Thirteen blinked, her jaw falling open. "What are you wearing?"
Cuddy's dress was an unfortunate cross between a fifth-time-around bridesmaid's nightmare and a desperate drag queen cruise director's attempt to liven up Mariachi Night. "That doesn't matter," she said. Her eyes were haunted--also, Thirteen thought, like the bridesmaid's and the cruise director's would be if they were introduced by an honourary aunt who insisted that they were going to get along wonderfully and wouldn't it--hint, hint--be just lovely if they gave their long-suffering mothers grandchildren?
"Remy!"
Thirteen snapped back to attention. "Sorry," she said. "I just had the weirdest mini-nightmare."
"If it involved forgetting the drink umbrellas--" At least Cuddy sounded like herself when her voice was promising a dire vengeance for anyone who failed her.
"No, no, I have them." Thirteen rummaged in one of the three paper grocery bags she was carrying, and pulled the package of pink-and-kitten furled-paper umbrellas out triumphantly, pressing them into Cuddy's hands. "I have everything. Power Puff Girls place settings, Sailor Moon cutlery-slash-moon-wands, Dora The Explorer charm bracelets--" Thirteen went for the big guns and reached into the bottom of the last sack, bringing out a cut-glass bottle. "And Mommy's Jim Beam."
Cuddy's eyes weren't getting any less haunted. "I can't."
Thirteen took one look around the living room--what she could see of it around Cuddy's puffed sleeves. The living room had been transformed from a tasteful (if occasionally toy-strewn) conversational setting of couches and armchairs into the Disney Princesses' Tequila Lounge And Freebase Cocaine Hour. Pink, yellow, and purple streamers hung from every corner. Glitter exploded from the tinsel-laden and bejewelled pinata hanging from the center of the ceiling. Unicorns, fairies, pixies, and cheerful woodland animals seemed to stare at Thirteen from the wall hangings, as if they were slavering for the blood of the unbeliever.
"You can," she said, refusing to look away from the magical creature parade in case they pounced. She took Cuddy by the shoulders and gently urged her back into the house before the neighbours might think they'd started an undercover greeting card sweatshop. "You really, really can."
Cuddy lifted her hands helplessly, but she let Thirteen guide her back towards the bedroom. That was, thank God, free of most things pink and glittery--except Cuddy herself. "I have to...put out the plates. And the punch bowl. And the prizes for Pin the Crown on the Princess..." She made a gesture as if she was about to scrub her face and then thought better of it, for her mascara's sake. "Wilson will be bringing Rachel home any minute, and then the guests--"
"The ten four-year-olds who you're babysitting for free for five hours, you mean?"
That earned her a sharp glance. "I know you think this is frivolous," Cuddy snapped, "but--"
"Hey," Thirteen said. She took one last look around. Definitely nothing wrong with the bedroom. In fact, it was everything that was just right--Cuddy hadn't even made the bed this morning, which was almost a miracle. She must have been panicking too hard about the rest of the house. Thirteen nudged the door shut, beginning to smile. "I got the emergency fairy plates, didn't I?"
"PowerPuff Girl plates," Cuddy insisted weakly, but her sighed objection as Thirteen moved towards her barely registered. "Remy, we can't."
"Maybe you can't," Thirteen said. She tried to find a way to get closer over the poof of Cuddy's skirt and finally managed it, her arms circling Cuddy's waist. At least this dress didn't do any disservice to Cuddy's cleavage. Thirteen, on the other hand, was still dressed in the clothes she'd thrown on this morning before Cuddy had nearly thrown her out the door to chase down a dozen items that could only be found in five different dollar stores around the city. "I promise, I can."
Cuddy didn't give in to the kiss immediately, but Thirteen was determined to push all thoughts of living up to the expectations of her "guests" out of her head--after all, Thirteen was sure that spun sugar and permission to run in the house would more than satisfy them. "Relax," she murmured, and Cuddy finally did, her shoulders sagging, leaning against Thirteen like she didn't even have the energy to maintain her skeletal system. Thirteen kissed her softly, not pushy, although she was already thinking about the moment, post-migraine, when all of Rachel's little princess friends would have gone home.
"Oh, God," Cuddy said, her breathing considerably slower. "I needed that."
Thirteen's smile grew. "That's all you needed? Because there's more..."
"Mommy!"
The shriek came from the living room, followed by Wilson's more uncertain, "Cuddy?"
Thirteen rested her forehead against Cuddy's, their lips parting softly, and laughed softly. "Okay, there's not more where that came from."
"Mommy, the fairies came!"
Thirteen tilted her head back, meeting Cuddy's eyes, which had lost some of their frantic, fanatic shine and were regarding her with a soft, steady challenge. "You really went with the fairies story?"
"Shut up," Cuddy said evenly, reaching up to thumb away a hint of her lipstick from Thirteen's mouth. "I wanted it to be magical. At least for her."
"It's not frivolous, Lisa," Thirteen said quietly. "She's going to love it."
The door burst open and Rachel ran in, thumping into their legs at thigh-height as if no group hug could possibly be complete without her. "Mommy! Thirteen! Did you see?"
Cuddy raised an eyebrow at Thirteen. Thirteen rolled her eyes, but she was already smiling as she crouched down and wrapped her arms around Rachel, swinging her up to ride on her hip. "See what, Rachel? Can you show us?"
She was still keeping the Jim Beam for later.