After a hurried look to Sam, Brooke sprang into action. “Oh God, Munchkin.” She swept the tot up into her arms and started to head to the closest bathroom. Making her way across the room she stopped at the door and looked back at Sam. As if practiced for hours in unison, they both spoke the word as they shook their heads, “NO!”

Sam chuckled as she heard her long-legged friend taking the stairs two at a time to get to her destination faster. She sighed when the hurried verses of the potty song came floating down from the second floor. “Well, I guess that says it all.” The blonde snuggled into the couch and looked down at her stomach as she gave it a gentle rub with her hand. “Maybe someday, Chastity Loran…but not just yet.”

Finishing the last bit of her pizza, Sam leaned on her arm as she rested it on the tabletop. “God, I feel like an encyclopedia, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Brooke had learned quickly to keep her answers simple. She looked down when she felt her sleeve being tugged on.

“Aunt Bwooke, why does the T.V. come on?”

“Because we hit the power button.” She smiled at her niece, then looked up to Sam, “Care for another?” She held out the last two pieces of pizza from the cardboard box.

“Why?” Julie tugged at Brooke’s sleeve again.

“To turn on the T.V.” Brooke glanced back at Sam to see her shaking her head.

“But why?”

“Because you wanted to watch it,” Brooke tried to reason with the child.

Julie listened carefully, then looked up, first at Sam, then back to Brooke, “Why?”

Taking in a deep breath, then slowly letting it out, Brooke answered her niece. “Because you wanted to watch Barney.”

“Oh,” Julie looked pensive for a moment, then reached up and tugged at the woman’s sleeve another time. “Why?”

“Because you like Barney.” Brooke rolled her eyes, “God knows why you like that purple beast, but you do.”

Sam could see the next round of the same question coming and tried to head it off, “Because we thought you wanted to, that’s why.” The blonde reached across the table and held onto her lover’s hand. “Brooke, we’re not getting anywhere with this. Can’t you see it?”

“Yes,” she sighed.

“So why are you feeding into it?” Sam saw a lone, dark eyebrow rise slowly on Brooke’s forehead. She turned to Julie and got down on to her level. “Julie, when you ask your mommy why… what does she tell you?”

The child made a face and held her hands up in the air, “I dunno…it pends”

“Depends on what, Baby?” Sam’s own frustration was beginning to show.

“I dunno…” Julie looked up with innocent, brown eyes and asked, “Why?”

The blonde sat back up in the chair and rolled her eyes as she slowly shook her head. “Definitely not going to happen Brooke, not in a million years. Tonight we take back that wish.”

“Deal,” Brooke hurriedly agreed. There was a moment of silence before blue eyes looked over to Sam. “Wait a minute…you mean you actually wished for it too?”

Sam looked wearily at Brooke, “What do you think?”

They locked gazes for a moment, then Brooke softly sighed, “Oh.”

The faint sound of the doorbell ringing brought Brooke’s mind to the present. She thought she had only dozed off for a few minutes as the three spent the last part of their day together on the couch, waiting for Julie’s parent’s to arrive. Casting a roving eye to the bodies on her left, Brooke smiled at the sight of Julie curled up sweetly with her teddy bear in one hand and Sam’s shirt in the other.

The tall woman stretched as she wiped the sleep from her eyes, “Sam…I think they’re here.” Brooke watched as Sam opened a struggling eyelid and nodded.

“DING- DING- DING!” The ringing was much more insistent this time.

Brooke sat bolt upright. “Ugh…she’ll wake up.” The tall woman moved as fast as she could to stop the bell from sounding again. Reaching the door, she quickly punched in the security code and pulled open the door. “Oh, thank God it’s you. Come on in.” She motioned for her sister to follow her.

“Hey Sis. What’s up?” Randi laughed seeing that it definitely wasn’t the same confident woman she had known all of her life. The lawyer took a wide sweep of the area with her eyes as she followed her sister into the living room. “You finally wore her out, huh?” Randi motioned to the two figures on the couch. “Did she give you any trouble?”

“Not much.” Brooke stretched her sore muscles and winced, “The munchkin just fell asleep about…” she looked down at her watch, “…half an hour ago.”

Brian entered the room right behind Randi, but kept walking through until he came to the dining room door and looked around in the dim light that filtered into the room. “Damn, Brooke, what happened to your house?”

“Your daughter, Brian.” Brooke motioned to the two chairs in the living room, “Have a seat, guys. I’ll get her bag.”

Brian smiled and chuckled. “You mean…bags, don’t you?” He watched as Brooke made a face and headed for the stairs.

“So, Sam…” Randi looked over to the woman that her daughter was enthralled with, “How’d everything go?”

“We…we had fun, Randi.” Sam politely smiled, not really wanting to go into details. Julie started to wake from her short nap. “Hey Sweetie, look who’s here.” The blonde caught the child’s attention and pointed over to her parents.

“Daddy…” the smile on her face glowed brightly as she slid down from the couch and scurried toward her father. “Hi, Daddy.”

“Hey Princess, how’s my girl?” Brian picked up his daughter and hugged her tight.

“Good, Sam’s been letting me pway wif da baby.”

“Baby?” Brian knitted his brows and looked over to Sam.

“She’s still on that baby kick..eh?” Randi asked curiously.

The blonde sighed, “Yes…just play along. She seems to think I’ll have a playmate for her for next Thanksgiving dinner.”

Brooke rounded the doorway into the living room, placing the assorted bags, boxes, and favorite blanket down by the outside door. “There you go,” she turned to see Julie wide-awake and moving toward her, out of her father’s arms. “God, she’s awake?” Brooke quickly stepped over and hid behind Sam.

“You big coward,” Sam teased the tall woman behind her, “don’t go hiding now.”

Brooke leaned in and whispered into Sam’s ear, “No babies.”

“Me wanna play wif baby.”

“Honey, the baby’s been awake for a long time now. She’s gonna have to sleep for a looooooooooooong time,” Sam drew out the word. “She may not even wake up for next thanksgiving.”

“Dat’s not what the wittle girl star said.” Julie put her hands on her hips. “She gonna come say hi soon.”

Sam cringed as she mumbled to the woman behind her, “Remind me to shoot that star.”

“I gonna wish on it ehwee night…” Julie turned to look at her parents, “Mommy and Daddy will help.”

Brooke leaned in to Sam’s ear and repeated her words, “No babies.”

The blonde turned her head and totally agreed with her lover, “Damn right,” she said under her breath, then turned to smile at Randi and Brian. “Sorry.”

“Well, come on, Princess.” Brain held his hand out to his daughter. “Let’s get home so Aunt Brooke and Sam can…uh…

“Find da baby?” The tyke asked.

Randi watched as the smile came to her husband’s face, “Don’t even go there. I’m sure that they’re not up to it, just like you never seem to be after a day with Julie.”

“Oh God,” Brooke buried her head into Sam’s shoulder at the thought.

Sam patted the woman’s head. “Remember that for future planning, Love.”

“But I wanna stay wif Sam.” Julie poked her lower lip out and started to pout. She looked up to Sam as the tears began to flow.

The blonde rolled her eyes as she knelt down to reason with the child. “What’s the matter, Sweetie?”

“I wanna stay wif you and Aunt Bwooke. I no wanna go.” She sobbed, “I pwomise no watch Barney.”

“But your Mommy and Daddy need you,” Sam looked to Randi for help.

Brooke knelt down next to her lover. “It’s okay, Julie. Sam and I will come see you soon.”

“You will…weally?” Brown eyes were filled with hope as she looked up to her aunt.

“Sure we will.” Brooke nodded.

Julie looked over to Sam, “Pwomise?”

Sam looked over to Brooke and took her hand. “Yeah, Julie, together we will. We promise.”

Randi moved closer to her daughter, “Julie, please come home with Daddy and me. You don’t want Daddy to cry now, do you?”

On cue, Brian buried his face in his hands and pretended to cry.

“But I like it here. I love Aunt Bwooke.” Julie’s attention was captured by the sound of sniffing and whimpers that came from her father. “Don’t cry Daddy, I come visit you.”

“See Julie? We don’t want Daddy to cry. I know you love your Aunt Brooke.” Randi got down on one knee next to her child. “She loves you, too.”

“And Sam and da baby.” Julie wasn’t sure where to look now as she moved her head back and forth from one adult to the other.

More determined than ever, Randi kept working on her daughter. “But Daddy wants you to come live with him and Mommy. Besides…” the lawyer waited until she had the child’s attention, “…all of your toys are there.”

“Toys…my toys?” she said rather surprised.

“Yep, all your toys.”

Sam leaned in and whispered, “Hey, how about if you go take care of your toys and next time, we’ll come visit you?” Sam didn’t budge when she heard Brooke mutter under her breath. “Please, please, say yes.” The tall woman looked to the heavens and crossed her fingers as she covered all her bases.

After giving it a moment of thought, Julie nodded her head, “Otay.” She ran over to her father and took hold of his hand, “Come on, Daddy…let’s go pway.”