Fate Has a Cruel Sense of Humor

Senior Executive

One year and seven months later...

I walked into my apartment at half-five, sighing after a long day of work. Barely getting my shoes off, I was knocked off my feet by a blond ball of energy.

"Momma!" Benji squealed clinging to me like a Koala. "I missed you!" I smiled at him, kissing his cheeks and tickling him.

"I missed you too."

Yes, Benji was calling me momma, it scared the hell out of me when he first did it and despite my family's protests, I tried to make him see who his real parents were with pictures of Layla and Aaron, but he got confused and my mother made me stop. She told me to tell him when he got older, so he could understand things better. She also made me take all the pictures of Layla and Aaron down and in storage and replace them with pictures of us. At first I protested, but I finally agreed. And he was my son, but every time I called him so I felt a little like I was snatching my sister's role from her. I got off the floor and picked him up, but he kicked to be let down and I obliged, watching him rocket to the kitchen with a smile.

This was no spoiled baby. When he finally got the hang of walking he refused to be held. I followed him, at a slower pace, and grinned at the sight of a haggard looking Luce, hunched over her laptop with a steaming mug of what I assumed was hot chocolate, because she despised coffee. It was something we had in common.

"That case got you stressing huh?" She looked up from her laptop and gave me a weary smile.

"You don't know how stressful divorcing couples can be." I shot her a look. "For the lawyers." She amended and I sent her a wry smile. Her parents were still together, she had nothing to worry about.

"Are you going to make dinner?" She asked hopeful.

"Who will if I don't." I grinned, opening the refrigerator and what I saw turned my smile up side down. "Who's turn is it to make groceries?" I growled, looking at the chart myself. It was Leslie's turn, but she couldn't make groceries if she was in Morocco, now could she? So I turned to Luce with a hopeful smile.

"Rock, paper, scissors?"

I won, paper covers rock, and Luce shuffled to the grocery store with my list, grumbling curses under her breath.

An hour later we all sat at the made for twenty dining room table eating, mashed potatoes, roasted chicken and steamed broccoli. I noticed Benji, pushing around his broccoli with his safety fork and frowned.

"If you don't eat your broccoli, Ben you won't grow tall and strong." I told him seriously and almost cracked up when he stared at me in utter horror.

"Not grow?" He asked me seriously and I kicked Luce, who was snickering, under the table. I shook my head seriously and smiled triumphantly when he started chomping on his broccoli.

"Good Benji, now you'll grow as tall as the trees at the park." I cheered. Benji giggled.

"Silly momma." He said dimpling up. I chuckled and started cutting up the strawberry tart I made for dessert. Benji started eating that with no reservations and I chuckled thinking that he still loved sweet stuff.

"It's time for Benji to get a haircut, don't you think?" Luce said conversationally. I looked at Benji, his blonde curls were starting to pass his ears. As long at it took him to grow it, maybe it was time for a haircut.

"I guess." I shrugged. "I'll take him next week. When is Leslie supposed to be coming back?" I was starting to miss her logical ways.

"She's supposed to be back sometime next month." I groaned. Luce threw me a bewildered look.