The Sequel. The Little Rose.

Chapter Forty-nine. Morning tea.

Sang hid her face in her hands in mortification at the boys surrounding her roared with laughter.  "It's not funny, guys," she squeaked through her hands.

"Aggele, I'm sorry.  I'm not laughing at you.  Well, not exactly.  But you have to admit that is funny," Silas chuckled, as he tried to remove one of Sang's hands from her face.

Even North had a smirk on his face.  "Silas is right, Baby. Watching a miniature version of you suggest pole dancing to her grandparents is fucking hilarious," he snorted.

"Oh my goodness.  I made North laugh. This is worse than I thought," she muttered, causing Victor who heard the comment, to rub her back sympathetically. 

"You were an innocent little girl, Princess.  You were trying to be nice." Victor chuckled, and shrugged his shoulders as Sang threw him a wounded look through her fingers.  "It is funny."

"Funny!  Fuck, that's the best thing I've seen yet," Gabe snorted from the floor, where he lay prone wiping his eyes, next to an incoherent Nathan.

"Gabriel!" Sang exclaimed, before narrowing her eyes at Luke who had progressed from holding his stomach from laughter to hiccupping. 

"Cupcake, please.  Have pity on us.  That was the cutest thing.  You were so serious.  But pole dancing?  Come on."

"Well I didn't know.  The newspaper called it a sport.  They needed a new form of exercise and ..." Sang's voice petered out, as the boys started laughing again even louder.

Kota's ears were pink although his shoulders shook, and Sean couldn't even articulate at all.  Finally, Owen drew his hand away from his mouth long enough to pat Sang's shoulder, murmuring "You are priceless, Sang," before he collected the remote and started the DVD again.

*****

Rose skipped out into the garden where Grammy had been pruning roses.  "Grammy, do you remember my idea last year after I kept scaring Grampa in his workshop, even though I really didn't mean to?"

Grammy smiled and looked down at Rose's beaming face.  "I would never forget one of your ideas, darling.  Did you finish, part A of the plan?"

"I did Grammy.  Look."  Rose held up what looked like an ordinary game controller.  "I fixed it Grammy.  I took it apart and I made it better.  I got those components and stronger wiring you found for me and then I got the motor out of Grampa's old drill that broke and MOD.I.FIED the lot.  We need to make double sure it works now. Then we have to go to part B."

"Uh huh.  Okay.  What's part B, again?" Grammy asked.

"Putting it together, Grammy."

"And after that?"

"We make brownies," Rose declared with satisfaction. 

"Of course we do."  Grammy positively smirked. "So, with Grampa out of the way doing secret boy stuff with Mr D all day, I guess we're planning on doing all this now so we can surprise Grampa tomorrow?"

"Yep.  I figured we'd need some time to work out the controls properly and all you know?" Rose said a little vaguely.  She actually wasn't too sure about that part.  Maybe Grammy would need to use the controls for this.  She shrugged her shoulders and talked off to the workshop considering the possibilities if this worked.

Over four hours later Rose and Grammy had finally got it all constructed.  It wasn't the prettiest thing they'd ever seen, but they were both positive it would work.  Grammy sniggered loudly when Rose had explained she had thought of operating the whole thing via computer with a camera mounted on top.  "Why didn't you?  I wouldn't have minded getting a mini camera."

"I'm not really sure, Grammy.  It just seemed like more fun to hold the controls and steer."

"Well you can always change it any time you want.  You don't think it will be too heavy to rise, do you."

Rose looked almost surprised at the question.  "Oh no, Grammy.  I did the math.  Plus, I stripped everything down to bare essentials.  That's why it doesn't really look pretty. But, it will work.  I promise it will, even carrying a load of stuff."

"Promises aren't necessary, kiddo.  Not with me.  There's no doubt in my mind a plan of yours will work."  Grammy announced, as she handed the controller to Rose.  "You do the honours, Rose."

Rosie gripped the controller, stood back, pressed the ON button and watched with glee.

Sure enough, the surprise worked.  What had once been a broken drill, game controller and an old lightweight tray had become a "Personal Morning Tea Service Device" for Grampa.

Grammy wondered to herself why Rose didn't understand how special she was to invent such amazing things as she watched the rotors on the helicopter spin faster and faster and begin to lift the tray off the bench.  Grammy stopped thinking and quickly jumped out of the way, as Rose started moving it around the room. 

After ten minutes of them both practicing and giggling together over their close calls with walls Grammy finally settled the helicopter back on the table and Rose carefully put all the tools where they belonged.  Closing up her tool kit, the pair took it and the helicopter to hide until they needed it next.

Sure enough the next morning Grampa was pottering around in the garage changing the oil on his beloved Cobra, when a whirring sounded behind him. Spinning around he barked a shocked laugh out as he saw what looked like an old tray spinning towards him, holding thermal cups and what looked like a plate of his favourite brownies.  Grampa quickly stepped sideways and ducked when it headed straight for him, breathing a sigh of relief as it finally settled on the bench.

Looking around he spotted Rose standing in the doorway giggling and bouncing happily, as Grammy smirked proudly behind her.

"Surprise, Grampa. Do you like it?"  Rose asked with pure glee in her voice, as she raced forward and threw herself on her grandfather.

"I'm absolutely astounded Rosie child.  This is amazing."  Grampa grinned, as he looked at the helicopter-tray and carefully pushed it completely onto the bench.  He looked over Rose's head and noted the gleaming pride in his wife's eyes.  He'd known something was going on when he and Pete had taken a drive out to the paint ball facility the day before, but he had never expected this.  "How long have you been planning this?"

"Since last year, and you dropped that spanner when you were working under the car.  You always tell me I'm too quiet so I figured I could send morning tea in first as a warning that we're on our way.  Cool idea, huh, Grampa." Rose said as she turned and started unloading the tray of all its goodies.

"Mmm. Because seeing a loaded chopper flying straight for my face isn't alarming at all," he murmured to his smirking wife. "It's a stellar idea, Poppet.  I'm glad you thought of it."

"You're welcome, Grampa.  I may need to practice a bit though," Rose nodded to herself.  "Hey, I know.  I can bring stuff like dessert into the dining room next time Mr and Mrs D come visit.  He'd like to see what I did with the controller thingys, don't you think?"

"Kiddo, I think Mr D will be absolutely fascinated, but not in the least surprised, by your latest creation.  It really is amazing."

Rose munched on a piece of brownie while she expanded on her idea.  "I'll need to practice lots to make sure the pie doesn't hit him in the face.  Right, Grammy?  Right Grampa?"