“Thanks, Darlin’.” Brooke called out a little puzzled. “I’ll keep an eye out for him.”

Pushing open the door to the laundry, Sam carried her precious cargo inside the small room where she promptly reached over to the dial on the washer, setting it to the correct settings and water temperatures for the white comforter.

“Okay Sweetie,” Sam set the child down on the dryer as she waited for the washer to fill, while she selected her cleaning elements from the shelf above. “We’ve got some laundry to do. Do you help your Mommy with the washing, Julie?” Sam watched as the tot shook her head. “No. Well, I guess I get to give you your first lesson then.” Sam smiled, then touched the child on her nose with a finger. “You just watch me and you’ll know all about getting your things nice and clean.”

Big brown eyes watched Sam’s every move as she selected the liquid soap and poured some directly on the stained comforter, rubbing it into the fabric with her two hands after she put the open bottle on the dryer next to Julie.

“See how we work the soap into a lather, Julie?” Sam smiled sweetly as she maneuvered the king-sized comforter into the top loading washer. You had to give her grape juice, didn’t you Brooke? She picked up the bottle and poured on some more soap. “Hmm…I’ll have to remind Brooke that she needs more. This one only has a few more washings left.”

“Good juice, Sam.” The child nodded then giggled as she watched the woman intently. “Me like jape.”

“Wait until you’re older, I can almost assure you that after your first child rearing experience that you won’t like grape juice any more.” Sam reached for the stain spray now and went to work on the comforter once more. “Your Auntie Brooke is going to have a bird if she sees this,” Sam muttered under her breath. The blonde looked over to the youngster and smiled at the cute image Julie was presenting with her teddy clutched so tightly in her hand. “You love that teddy, don’t you?”

“Yeah…me wuv Teddy.” The tot scrunched the bear into her neck and then kissed it on the head.

“Well, just remember, juice is good for you when it goes in your stomach, not on the things you love.” Sam pushed the comforter all the way into the washer then turned to clean her hands in the laundry tub. “I’m not so sure that it’s going to be any good for that comforter, though.”

Julie pulled her teddy away from her body and looked at it. There on the legs were dark purple splatters of juice. Looking over to Sam and then to the detergent next to her, the tot imitated what she had just seen being done. Tipping over the bottle of detergent, she held her teddy over the opening of the washer and let the soap pour out onto his leg. Tiny little hands gently massaged the bear until white foam appeared and the teddy slipped out of the child’s slippery hands. Julie picked up the bottle of soap and righted it, then reached down into the opening to retrieve her beloved bear just as Sam turned around.

“Hey, we can’t play in that water, Julie.” Sam held onto the tot and closed the lid to the washer. “You might fall in and then what would we tell your mommy?” Sam wiped Julie’s suds-filled hands with the same towel she had just used. “There, all dry now.” Sam winked at the child then continued, “You were such a good girl, sitting there watching me.”

“I good girl,” the child repeated and clapped her hands.

“You deserve a treat for that. Let’s go see what we can find.” Sam hoisted the child off the top of the dryer and placed her down on the floor.

“Julie big girl. Julie did laundry.” The tot took off out the door and headed for the stairs.

Sam shook her head and laughed, “God, where do they get the energy?”

“Hey Hon,” Sam poked her head into Brooke’s office. “Julie was such a good girl with helping me do the laundry…” Sam saw the hurried movements of her lover as she quickly grabbed the mouse and minimized the site she was looking at. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

“That’s okay, Baby. You’re not disturbing me.” Brooke smiled and waved to her niece who was clinging onto Sam’s leg.

“Can you watch your niece while I use the…ah…” Sam motioned to the bathroom.

Seeing Sam’s need written in her eyes, Brooke nodded, “Sure, Darlin’.”

“Thanks,” Sam opened the door a little wider as she moved into the room, bringing Julie with her. “Here’s a piece of candy for being such a big help and a big girl.” The blonde looked down at Julie and winked before leaving.

“Hey Munchkin,” Brooke reached out for the child and settled her up in her lap.

“Where’s Sam going wid the baby?”

“Uhm…Sam…” Brooke smiled, “and the baby, are going to go to the potty.”

Julie giggled and clapped her hands, first on her aunt and then turned to the computer keyboard on the desk. “Big girl potty…let’s sing Aunt Bwooke.”

“NO!” Brooke eyes widened in terror. “Sam doesn’t want us to sing because…she uhm…” the woman thought for a moment, then grasped at the first thing that came to her mind. “We might wake the baby.”

“Oh…” Julie put her finger to her lips and let out a long, “Shhhhhhhhh.”

“Shh…” Brooke now mimicked her niece.

Eyeing the piece of candy on the desk, the small tyke wanted her treat. “Good girl tweat…candy, me need candy, Aunt Brooke…candy.”

Brooke took the piece of candy from the desk and after unwrapping it, held it out to her niece. “Okay Julie, here’s your big girl treat.”

The child nodded her head and clapped wildly, turning to the screen, touching the keyboard as she took the piece of candy into her mouth. “What’s dat?” She looked back to her aunt.

Brooke leaned out to look into the hallway, seeing the bathroom door still closed. She turned back to the computer and opened the site bringing the screen to life with color. “That’s a computer, Munchkin, and this is Vermont.”

“What’s Vewmond?” Julie took the candy out of her mouth and offered it to her aunt.

“Ah…no thank you.” Brooke pulled back from the offering. “Vermont is a place up North.”

“Why?” She put the candy back into her mouth, then grabbed Brooke’s sleeve with her sticky fingers. “What’s Nowth?”

“North is…it’s a far away place.” Brooke stared at the screen.

“Oh.” Julie turned to stare at the screen imitating her aunt. “Like Grammies’ house?” She asked as she leaned into Brooke’s chest, with drool running from her mouth and over her chin, dripping on the adult’s clothing without her realizing it.

“Like your Daddy’s Mommy?” Brooke felt the head nod against her. “Yeah.”

“Why…” Julie tugged at Brooke’s long hair. “Why you looking up nord…in vewmond?” She asked spitting out the piece of candy with her words and watched it land in Brooke’s hair. She reached out to retrieve it only to have it squish out of her small hand and settled deeper into the cascading locks of her aunt.

“It’s a surprise for someone.” Brooke winked at her niece, and unthinkingly moved in to give her a touch on the nose with her own.

“Why?” Julie placed her sticky hands on Brooke’s face and held it up against her.

Feeling the degree of stickiness, Brooke pulled her face away from the child’s as Julie turned her attention back to the screen. Running her hand through her long hair, Brooke easily found the matted, sticky mess that the lost piece of candy was creating and pulled the morsel of sugar out of her hair. She sighed. After seeing strands of hair stuck to the candy, she tossed Julie’s ‘good girl’ award into the wastebasket when Julie wasn’t looking. “Hey Julie, why don’t we go take a bath…hmmm?” Brooke grabbed the mouse and exited the Internet. “We can play in the water.”

Julie put her finger on Brooke’s nose and grabbed it. “Horsey ride, horsey ride,” she nodded wildly.

“Okay, horsey ride it is.” Brooke shifted the tyke up on to her shoulders and got up from the chair. She turned to exit the office just as Sam was on her way in. “Hey, Sam.” The smile lit up Brooke’s face, “This little girl is going to take a bath.”

Sam looked up to see Julie grasping handfuls of hair in sticky little hands. “That might not be a bad idea for both of you.”

“Yeah?” Brooke asked with a slightly seductive tone.

“Oh, don’t go getting any ideas.” Sam cautioned Brooke, “I’m not the one covered in stickiness.”

The tall woman leaned in toward her lover’s ear and whispered, “You could be, given a little time and some attention.” Brooke kissed Sam’s cheek for emphasis and then ran her tongue up the outside of Sam’s ear.

Sam could feel the heat of a blush start in her chest and slowly spread toward her face. “Any more of that and I will be, Brooke Gordon.” The blonde moved back and then in a surprise attack, kissed the taller woman’s nose. “Mmm…peppermint?”

“You should know, you gave it to her.” Brooke scowled.

“Hmm…” Sam sighed as she looked up to the gleeful child riding on Brooke’s shoulders, then shook her head. “Better add candy to that growing list of what not to have around when we have kids.”

Brooke nodded her head, bringing the sticky little hands right along with her, and sighed.

The brunette stood patiently outside her sister’s house. There were signs of life in the house with a light on upstairs and the van still parked in the driveway. C.C. looked at her watch as she tried to remember her niece’s schedule. “Yeah, three-thirty, this should be nap time. I’d better not ring that doorbell.” Without any second thoughts, the young woman turned to her sister’s security panel and punched in the code. Within seconds she heard the familiar sound of locks clicking, then C.C. carefully opened the door.

Venturing inside, the willowy woman stopped as she turned to close the door. Her view of the living room was enough to peak her curiosity as she saw one of the end table lamps on the floor surrounded by pillows and cushions all over the floor.