“Hmm…” Sam’s soft moan elicited a grin from Julie, while Brooke’s hand shifted on the blonde’s hip, much like Sam had felt waking up with her lover before. “Not now Brooke, I’m still sleeping,” Sam muttered out.

“No Aunt Brooke…Julie,” the child replied as she tried to open Sam’s eyelid once more. “See.”

“What the…” Sam blinked at the touch of small hands trying to open her eyelid. “Oh, Julie…hi Baby.” The blonde rubbed a tired eye with her hand, “Are you up?” Sam blinked several times as she tried to focus her eyes, looking over to the sleeping form of her lover, then back to Julie’s smiling face.

“Is she in there?” Julie asked Sam as she pointed to the woman’s midsection. “You said that mommy’s carry da babies in deir tummys.”

Sam looked down to where Julie pointed on her body. “Yeah, our baby is in there.”

“I can play wif her next year when she comes out?” The eager face waited for an answer.

“Well, I’m not quite sure exactly when she’ll come out but who knows, it could be next year.” She studied the child’s puzzled face. “Sometimes we just don’t know for sure, Julie.”

“Sam?”

“Yes, Sweetie Pie?”

“Can we go wish on the next year star now? Me no wanna wait.” Brown eyes looked over to the doors, then back at the blonde.

The young woman smiled, letting a giggle or two come out before she answered, “Sorry, Honey. You’ll just have to wait until this wish is done. You can’t go wishing on every star now.”

“I look like mommy, will she look like you or Aunt Brooke?”

“Hmm…I guess we’ll have to see when she comes out.” Sam watched as the child craned her neck to see her aunt. “You love your Aunt Brooke, don’t you?”

The small head nodded, “Yes, love Aunt Brooke.”

“So do I baby, with all my heart.” Sam looked over to the sleeping woman and smiled.

“She sings me to sweep and holds me and pways wif me.”

“Well, she rocks me and in more ways than just to sleep.” Sam smiled at the child, “When you’re older Baby, you’ll understand.

“Will you still be here when I get older, Sam?” The child sat on her haunches.

“The good Lord willing, I will. I’m not planning on being anywhere else.”

“What’s her name?”

The blonde looked at Julie for a moment puzzled by the question, then smiled when she realized whom the child was referring to. “We’ll have to see when she comes out. Why, what do you think her name is?”

“I’ve got a name for her,” the husky sleep-filled voice could be heard coming from the other side of the blonde.

“Oh, and what would that be, Hon?” She watched as Brooke stretched out, still half asleep. “I asked you first…er…Julie asked you first.”

The semi-sleeping woman paused when she heard the deep sigh and undecipherable muttering of Sam’s. “I think…her name is Chastity.”

“Why Chastity? I always did like the name Loran,” Sam teased the sleeping woman.

Brooke opened one eye and looked over at Sam, then shrugged her shoulders. “Chase for short. She is kind of responsible for this, what do ya think?”

Sam clamped her hand over her mouth and got hysterical with laughter. “Is that her name?” She finally got out. “Chastity?”

“No, actually, her name is Chase, well Cjersti Chase, anyway.” Brooke corrected.

“Ah…well then, Chastity it is.” Sam turned to look at the tot. “Do you like that one, Julie?”

“Put ‘em bof togeder,” the child clapped as she giggled.

“Loran Chastity…” Sam offered, “…or Chastity Loran?”

Brooke rose up on one elbow as she said the names out loud. “Chastity Loran Moleson…Loran Chastity Moleson. I don’t know, which one sounds better?”

“What’s a mowsum?” The inquisitive child asked.

“That, Julie, is Sam’s last name.” Brooke smiled as she looked over at the blonde.

“Well, I’m thinking that Chastity Loran Moleson-Gordon sounds pretty good to me.” Sam eyed her lover and smiled.

The dark-haired woman beamed with delight, then leaned in to kiss Sam. “I like it.”

“How come da baby gits to have two names?”

“Hmm…Good question. Brooke, can you help me out here?”

“Uh…uh…because…we…Sam and I aren’t married, Julie.” Brooke took in a breath, “You see, most people have the same last name after they get married.”

“Den do it. Mawy her Aunt Brooke, mawy her.” Julie grabbed each of their faces in her little hands and pushed them together in a kissing action, “Mawy her.”

The two women kissed, then chuckled at the tot’s insistence.

“We can’t get married, Julie.” Aching eyes looked over to Sam, then back to the child. “Because…we’re…”

Seeing Brooke’s remorse for their situation, Sam jumped in. “Because we’re not dressed for it, but we are dressed for some breakfast.” She turned her attention to Julie. “Why don’t you go get your little slippers from the other room?” The blonde helped the toddler down from the bed and slowly stood up, getting her own slippers on.

“Sam?”

“Yes, Brooke?” Sam glanced back to view her lover as she crawled out of the bed.

“I love you.”

Sam closed her eyes and let the warmth fill her, savoring it. “I know, Hon, I know.”

The tall woman moved closer to the blonde then knelt down before her, placing a kiss on Sam’s stomach.

“What’s that…?”

Blue eyes glanced up to Sam as she kissed the woman’s stomach once more, then spoke softly to where her lips still were. “And I love you, Chastity Loran.” Brooke stood up and gazed down into Sam’s eyes, “Wherever you are.”

“Ohs…want ohs,” the tiny voice kept saying over and over again as she jumped from one leg to the other, trying to look up to the cabinet above the counter where Sam was hurriedly attempting to get the coffee ready for her friend.

Brooke stood at the doorway to the kitchen and watched the scene unfold with a smile on her face. “Hey, Sweetie Pie, can I get the Cheerios for you?” She offered, then swiftly moved across the floor and scooped the tot up in her arms, placing her on a chair at the table. “You just sit there for a second and I’ll get the ohs,” Brooke laughed. “God, I could get used to this,” she said under her breath as she turned back toward the counter and Sam. “Thanks, Darlin’.” She kissed the blonde on the cheek, reaching for the box of cereal at the same time.

“Ohs…want my ohs,” the child demanded, not letting Brooke forget what she was doing. As the tall woman turned with the box in her hands, Julie stood up on her chair and clapped. She watched as her aunt opened another door, retrieving a bowl, then pulled open a drawer, securing a spoon, before she made her way to the table. “Me…me…me pour. Me big girl,” Julie insisted, “Mommy says so.”

Sam grabbed the carton of milk from the refrigerator, then delivered it to the table as she watched the excitement in the young child’s face over something so simple as breakfast.

After placing the box of cereal on the table, Brooke sat the bowl and spoon down in front of the tyke, then attempted to have the child seated. “Come on, Julie.”

The child sat down quickly, then moved the bowl out of her way as she reached for the box. “Ohs, ohs,” she lamented as she grasped the box with her tiny hands.

“Wow, will you look at that,” Brooke glanced over to Sam and the two woman locked eyes for only a second or two before the sound of a high pitched scream jolted their beings. Brooke’s eyes riveted back to the table to see Cheerios cascading down to the floor from the box that was laying on its side on the table. She looked at her niece and saw the wide-eyed little girl with her hands up to her mouth.

Julie reached out into the moving mob of circles and picked one up, offering it to her aunt. “Uh ohs,” the meek voice said as she batted her eyes and smiled.

The older woman just shook her head and started to smile, cursing herself for not having a camera at her disposal that very instant. She reached out and took the offered piece of cereal in her mouth, then kissed the tot on her head.

“I wuv you,” the child cooed.

“Aw…Julie, I love you, too.” Brooke said as she righted the box and scooped some of the cereal out of the overflowing mound in the small bowl. The crunching sound under her feet assured her that not all of the spilled ohs had stayed on the table.

“Me pour milk, Aunt Brooke?” The eager eyes waited for an answer.

“Ah…how about we let Sam pour the milk, okay?” Blue eyes shifted to the woman still holding onto the container of milk.

“Otay,” the child crossed her arms and stuck out her lower lip.

Seeing the trademark Gordon pout coming on, Sam decided to keep the child’s spirits up. “How about I give you a little glass of milk and you can pour that, okay Julie?”

The child thought for a moment then nodded her head, as a huge grin lit up her face. “Otay.”

Sam crossed the kitchen to the sink and took a small plastic cup from the drain board. Turning back to the table, she spotted the husky sticking his nose in through the doggie door. “Hey Mario, you want to help your mommy get the ohs off the floor?” Sam let the dog in and moved toward Brooke before she crossed back to the table. “Okay Julie, here you go.” She gave her the cup and filled it with milk. “You just needed something that you can wrap your hands around, that’s all.”

“Dank you, Sam.” The child smiled and then turned her attention back to her cereal.

Brooke stood up and kissed Sam’s cheek. “Thanks, Baby.”

“Don’t mention it.” Sam winked, looking up to the tall woman. “Even I get into trouble with my little hands.” Sam watched the mouthed words of ‘Oh yeah,’ come from her lover as the woman’s head nodded eagerly. The blonde then reached up, returning the kiss and whispered in Brooke’s ear, then moved off toward the counter.