*Note!* - If you are a previous reader please re-read all chapters or you will miss new details!
Snickering mischievously Rura waits for her Mother to find her in their large pantry. With flour all throughout the air it's difficult for either of them to see, but Rura found a hiding place and can hear her mother Erika fumbling around trying to find her. Things crash to the ground as her Mother tries to find countertops to hold on to and give her direction and support so she doesn't go walking into a wall. Trying not to laugh out loud Rura contemplates moving from her hiding spot, as she can hear her Mother cursing and getting closer.
" Rura when I find you, you won't be able to get the flour out of your ears or your hair for weeks! You've ruined my kitchen with this war of yours!" her mother shouts, trying to sound angry. This brings out a giggle from Rura.
"Aha! I've found you child," Erika yells as she dumps a bag of flour on Rura's head.
Squealing and coughing, Rura runs from the kitchen right into the open arms of her Father who just returned home from work. He takes a moment to survey the scene before him and sees his beautiful wife tumbling out of the kitchen looking just as much of a ghost as his daughter. Bellowing out his laughter he twirls Rura around and helps Erika up off of the ground, wiping some of the flour out of her eyes.
"Well now, who's started this war?" He asks with a smirk already knowing the answer.
His wife just huffs and looks at their daughter who tries to contain her laughter. Looking up at her father innocently, with wide green eyes she pouts her lip. "Daddy, mommy tried to get me again."
Hiding his laugh behind a cough, he tousles Rura's hair and says, "Oh really? Mommy is always ruining her kitchen isn't she?" When Rura nods her head he continues, "Well don't you think we should help her clean it up since she seems to be so clumsy? Maybe she needs glasses, it seems she thinks you're one of her cooking bowls." He finishes, earning a hard glare from his wife.
Rura nods her head vigorously, running back into the kitchen laughing, looking for a broom. As she begins the long and tedious task of cleaning up the mess her and her mother have made playing around, her father and mother look on with pride and happiness in their eyes. Erika turns to her husband with her brows raised, "Glasses?" she asks. "How long have you been waiting to use that line dear husband?"
With a cheeky grin Jace tells her he has no idea what she's talking about. " However, I do think we should go help our little kitchen monster before she makes more of a mess." They both know however that Rura has always had a talent for knowing where things were, even if visibility was low or next to nothing.
Shaking her head, Erika enters the kitchen with Jace on her heels and they help little Rura clean the floors after all the countertops have been wiped off. Jace begins to wash the dishes while Erika dries them and Rura helps put them away. After the few hours it took to finish cleaning up, everyone is exhausted and it's decided by them all that they'll eat out for dinner.
While everyone is eating, Erika starts to feel sick. She slowly begins to pick at her food while keeping light conversation with her husband and daughter but Rura notices everything.
"Mommy are you okay?" Rura asks, looking concerned. What would she ever do if her mother wasn't alright? She may be a daddy's girl but she loves her mother dearly and needs her. Her father stops eating as well and looks at his wife carefully, waiting for her response.
"Yes dear I'm alright. Just feeling a little nauseous is all." She replies with a soft look on her face. "Finish your dinner before it gets cold, you have school tomorrow. I know how you behave when you're lacking sleep."
Satisfied with her mothers answer, Rura finishes her food and runs off to bed. However Jace continues to watch Erika closely. Feeling his eyes on her Erika asks him what's wrong.
"Are you sure you're alright Erika? Now that Rura has said something to you, I've noticed that you've been eating less than you normally do." Worry begins to settle in his stomach. He's loved Erika forever, if something happened to her he'd be completely lost in this world.
When Erika turns around and sees the worry written on Jace's face she smiles again. Shaking her head at him, she goes to sit next to him and takes his hand. "Honey if something were wrong I'd tell you immediately. However Rura did kind of ruin my surprise for you tonight." Jace waits for Erika to finish speaking since he is confused and curious. Surprise?
"Jace, we're having a baby." She tells him excitedly but nervously. They've always had trouble conceiving and her doctors have warned her that pregnancy is dangerous for her health. She will always be considered a high risk pregnancy no matter how far along she is.
Jace's face lights up as he kisses his wife hard, but he refuses to let her see his worry for her. "Rura will finally have a sibling to play with." He teases Erika. Giving him a light smack on the shoulder she eyes him. "You know it'll be years before they'll really be able to play together. I just hope by that time she'll still be interested in her younger sibling. You know how teens are. Maybe she won't want to be bothered by someone so much younger than her." Erika worries.
Chuckling Jace just shakes his head. He knows how Rura is and she'd love to have a sibling, no matter how far apart their ages were.