us against the world : shirbert one shots

goodnight, my loves

one shot: it's bedtime in the blythe household

inspired by the song "forever now" by michael bublé. i'm a sucker for sappy dads :,)

he crept quietly into the dark room. the sound of soft snores filled the space's silence adorably.

the moonlight grazed the room with a soft glow, running down the small beds onto the cold wooden floor under his feet. he was grateful for her, the moon, because she allowed him to see their sweet faces without turning on any lights.

he slid down the door slowly, his mind was soaking in the serenity of the moment. the children's faces were smooshed soundly into their pillows, muffling their snores only slightly. jem looked ever so peaceful, his small fingers curled around his blanket to wrap it soundly around his shoulders, his sweet red curls were mangled and sprawled all around his head. the moons rays illuminated it like a crown placed upon his head.

gilbert was so proud of little jem. he had proven to take after himself with a strong sense of tenacity and ambition even at such a young age. he was fiercely loyal to those he loved and would do anything to make them feel cared for. gilbert felt his heart tug with joy. he felt honored to be able to play a part in his sons life, honored that for however long providence would allow him, gilbert would be able to see jem blossom and grow into a strong and intelligent human that gilbert knew he would become.

he was so proud. it was almost a tangible feeling, like goosebumps running along his arms reminding him that this was not a dream. that this was his own beautiful reality.

his eyes moved slowly to the other side of the room where his third eldest was sleeping. precious little walter. walter stirred slightly and turned so gilbert had a clear view of his sweet pudgy cheeks. his big pink lips drooped ever-so slightly, letting a stream of drool drip down his face and onto his pillow. in the moonlight his spatter of freckles stood out even more then normal. if anne's freckles were the stars, then walters were an entire milky way. walters own chocolate curls were shorter and tighter then jem's, giving the illusion of being neater when really it was of universal knowledge that jem cared very deeply for being put together, while walter could scarcely care less about what was happening with this mop on his head.

gilbert thought absently about how much he adored the boy. walter, like his mother, had the biggest heart imaginable. his sole purpose in life was to nurture those around him. his heart was tender and precious, and yet the instant anyone he loved was being wrongly persecuted he lit up like a match. he was quiet and polite, and always had a story to tell. out of all the children, walter was by far the most attached to his parents. he dreaded being without them. his soul was so beautiful, gilbert thought. the very essence of him was full of love and unwavering kindness. his tiny voice was one of gilbert's favorite to hear, because it always meant a story or tale was coming soon. walter had gotten anne's way with words and never misused his gift. it was always accompanied by a small tap on gilbert's shoulder and a soft daddy, can i tell you a story? to which gilbert would dutifully respond, of course walter, always.

then as if his own thoughts had awoken him, walters eyes squinted open and a small smile speed across his sleepy face.

"hi daddy. is it morning already?"

"no, no. it's still late."

"do you need my help with something?"

gilbert smiled, "no walter you can go back to sleep, i was just checking on you two before going to bed myself."

"oh, well okay. i love you daddy."

"i love you sweet walter." gilbert kissed his forehead tenderly and tiptoed to the door.