'𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺. - 𝘱𝘢𝘶𝘭 "𝘫𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴" 𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘢.

'𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵.

she placed a cutting board on the kitchen table, before rummaging through their fruit stash, and deciding what to cut up.

-

the small family, plus carl and judith, sat around the dining table. squishy fruits like strawberries, halved grapes, blueberries- raspberries even, sat in judith's bowl. she sat in clementine's future high chair, munching away at the sweet fruits. the three older people had the same, plus apples.

genevieve loved how sweet the fruit they grow at hilltop tasted. they were simply perfect.

clementine remained wrapped against her mother, cooing sleepily. she always slept better attached to one of her parents. 

(usually, it was genevieve. but she still slept soundly in paul's arms.)

"carl, if you'd like to go look around and visit enid - maggie, even - i don't care to watch judith. or you can take her with you, we've got a couple of strollers people gave us for clem." genevieve smiled sweetly, rubbing at her child's back.

"can i use one if the strollers? judith loves going on walks." he looked over at his sister who was basically a mess, before looking between the couple.

"yeah, of course! they should be by the front door. you know which one she'll fit in." the mother hummed, watching as carl stood to take his and his sister's plates to the sink.

carl then moved to clean his sister up, quietly thanking genevieve as he did so. she watched the teen, and how gentle he was with his sister. she felt paul's eyes boring into the side of her face.

"do you need anything else?" jesus asked, collecting the rest of the dishes at the table so he could clean up. vi and clem stayed at the table, considering the baby was just about asleep.

"no, thanks. we'll be back soon." carl lifted judith from the carrier, and took hwler over to strap her in a stroller.

-

evening had fallen upon the small family. carl had come back to lay judith down for the night, before heading back out to have dinner with enid.

at the moment, paul and genevieve were curled up together on the couch. clementine was in her crib.

vi read a book, while paul watched over her shoulder, just enjoying her company. she was lost in the literature, her eyes scanning over each line, her nimble fingers flipping the page once she reached the end.

she was in heaven.

admittedly, genevieve had always been big on reading before the end of the world. but she didn't have much time to do it. now, she was able to do it all the time, and she loved it. she enjoys reading to children, who come to the library, and especially enjoys reading to her boyfriend.

just as she was getting ready to turn the page, a shrill cry which she recognized as clementine pulled her from her trance. she sighed quietly, and shut her book.

"i'll be back." she smiled, pressing her lips onto paul's temple, before heading off to their bedroom. "oh my princess.." she cooed, lifting the baby from the crib.

she held her close, shushing and bouncing— doing anything to try and calm her down. she cupped her hand over the baby's diaper and felt that it was in fact, not full.

"oh my darling, oh my darling, oh my darling clementine." the mother quiwtly sang, looking down at her daughter with pure love. "you are lost and gone forever, dreadful sorry, clementine." the baby started calming down, and that alone made genevieve happy. "light she was and like a fairy, and her shoes were bumber nine.."

clem started dozing off, her tiny hand that was wrapped around genevieve's finger slowly loosening.

"herring boxes without topses, sandals were for clementine." once she was finally back asleep, she placed her back innthe crib, and watched her. she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist, and she knew exactly who it was.

his touch made her melt like snowflakes melted against skin. his touch made her heart skip a beat. she loved paul. in a different way from how she loved her baby.

she needed him. needed him how plants needed sunshine and water to grow.

she was the plant, he was the nutrients.

he saved her. before he even knew her, he made that decision to cut her free.

to let her live.

if it weren't for him, she wouldn't be at hilltop right now, a baby on her hip.

she wouldn't have found a glorious new family.

she'd more than likely- be dead.

"let's get to bed, yeah?" her boyfriend muttered, standing and pulling her with him. he plopped down onto the mattress, and she followed.

"good night, my love." she whispered, curling up into his side.

"sleep well, beautiful." he kissed the top of her head, then fell silent.

-

morning soon rolled around, and the sunlight was enough to draw genevieve from her thoughts, if it weren't for the quiet whining of her baby. she was out of bed with one roll, and was calming the infant down.

she got a few light hours of sleep. something was better than nothing, though.

she shushed the whimpering clementine who she now held, gently bouncing back and forth.

"baby, you're gonna wake your daddy up." she whispered, frowning that she had to leave the room since clem was getting a bit too loud.

the mother headed over to the small living room, plucking a diaper and the pack of baby wipes from the small basket they kept underneath the coffee table. she quickly changed clem's diaper, who almost instantly calmed down.

"why don't we go check on judith? i didn't hear carl come home last night." she redressed her child, and cradled her against her chest. "and then i can start breakfast." she hummed quietly, keeping her footsteps light as she headed down the hall.

quietly, she cracked open the door to peek her head in. she ws more than happy to see the toddler up, and clutching at the side of the pack n play, her hair hanging in messy ringlets from how hard she slept. genevieve felt a smile form on her face. she would get to take care of judith during the sibling's stay! she was mlre than excited.

"good morning, pretty girl!" she cooed, adjusting clem so that she was cradled to one side. she used her free arm to lift judith, resting her on her free hip. once she was situated, she headed back into the living room, figuring breakfast could wait until paul was awake.

she took a seat on the loveseat, adjusting clem so she restrd against her chest. judith curled into her side, still groggy from het slumber. genevieve's head leaned back, and she sucked in a quiet breath. she was mentally preparing her day- hoping carl would return soon to watch his sister, and paul would be busy doing something so she and clem could sneak off. there was that feeling inside of her that she needed to get out, the one screaming at her to take care of it. to blow off steam.

she didn't know how long it had been when she felt a pair of warm lips meet her forehead. she didn't even hear him coming, was she really that out of it?

"good morning, vi." he hummed, leaning over her to kiss clem's head, and riffle judith's hair. "i'll make breakfast this morning. you look tired." he teased, his attractive smile gracing his features once more.

"be my guest," she paused, looking down at the toddler at her side. "i've gotta get this monkey cleaned up!" she pinched and tickled at judith's belly, earning a loud giggle from her.

he retreated to the kitchen, and genevieve scooped both girls into her arms, making a mad dash to carl's room, causing judith to laugh more.

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motivation is at an atl.
don't be silent while reading.
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