Little Warrior

2. New Words

After one of those rare shifts where his schedule did not align with Lucy's, Tim came home and immediately heard her singing; it was not a rare occurrence, but what was new was that mixed with Lucy's singing was the sound of another little voice. He walked quietly through the house, following the voices, and pressed his ear to his bedroom's en suite bathroom door where he could properly hear Lucy and Trixie singing "You Are My Sunshine" together. His chest warmed while listening to the performance, and not for the first time since they started watching Trixie did Tim wish it could be like this all the time with a little girl's voice and laughter echoing through the house.

"Alrighty, Trix, let's learn a new song," Lucy suggested once she finished drying off the little girl after her bath.

"New song!" Trixie replied happily and looked at Lucy's reflection in the mirror where she was standing behind her and brushing her wet hair. "Braid, please!"

"Of course a braid. Are you ready for a new song?" Trixie gave Lucy a radiant grin that made her heart skip a beat. She taught Trixie the lyrics to "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" as she quickly fashioned her hair in a plait. When Lucy was done, she asked, "Do you like it?"

"Yay!" Trixie cheered and spun around to hug Lucy's hips.

For some reason, Lucy felt a wave of emotions crash over her, so she bent down to be eye level with Trixie and said, "I love you so much, kiddo."

"Love you, too," Trixie replied shyly.

Lucy wrapped her in a proper hug and held her close for a moment. She looked up and saw that the bathroom door was slightly ajar, and she caught Tim's eye where he was peering in with a fond smile on his face. "Come here," she said and motioned for him to join them, and he walked over to the middle of the bathroom, dropped on his knees, and turned it into a group hug that made Trixie giggle.

"Alright, Trix," Tim said and lifted her into his arms. "Time for bed."

"Story first," she requested.

"You bet!" He took her to the spare bedroom that had become hers and let her pick out a book to read.

When she selected "Cinderella", Trixie held it out for Tim to take.

"Great choice," he offered the book to Lucy and felt a little hand tug at the side of one of his pant legs.

"No, you," Trixie said.

He pointed at himself and asked for clarification, "You want ME to read to you?"

She nodded.

Tim exchanged a questioning look with Lucy who silently urged him to do as Trixie requested. He sat at the edge of her bed and was surprised when she curled up on his side, her eyes half lidded after sliding under the covers.

Lucy never found Tim to be unattractive, but there was something so uniquely heart stopping about him enthusiastically reading "Cinderella" to a girl who was looking up at him sleepily and with adoration.

When the story was over, Trixie was barely awake, so he carefully sat up from the bed and whispered, "Good night."

"Love you," she replied, her voice almost inaudible.

Tim was sure he must have misheard her but backpedaled anyways. Trixie had told Lucy she loves her multiple times before; she never said the same to Tim, and he understood how Trixie had developed a stronger attachment to Lucy than him. He tried not to let it bother him too much.

Emotion was swimming in Tim's eyes when Lucy looked at him, and she nodded that Trixie did, in fact, tell him she loves him for the first time.

"I love you, too," he said quietly and kissed the top of Trixie's head before leaving her bedroom and leaning against the wall right outside. "She...did you hear her?" Tim whispered.