New Years Series

"I set up the blanket fort. The password to get in is three words."

"I set up the blanket fort. The password to get in is three words." Peggy says, sitting under the blankets hung from the walls and couch. 

The 5 year old little girl stares up at what her mother made and then looks back down at her. 

"Where's daddy?" She asks, making Peggy chuckle.

"Well...that is not only two words," Peggy says, crawling out from underneath. "That is also not the password." She smiles down at her little girl and places her on her lap.

She looks up once more as if thinking, then turns toward her mother with a small smirk on her face. "Where is daddy?"

Peggy chokes up and burst with laughter, pulling her close in an embrace. She places a kiss on her little head and leans against the couch behind her. 

"Well... daddy is at work. He should be home later tonight." The little girl looks down with a frown. "I'm sorry, poppet. He wanted to be home earlier, but- things didn't work out that way."

She nods against her mother's chest then pulls away. When she does, she runs to her room and disappears. 

"Elizabeth?" Peggy gets up and follows her daughter, but she doesn't get far before the 5 year old comes running back. "Darling where did you run off to?"

Elizabeth gets inside the fort and her mother follows. "Can you give daddy this?" She hands over a small piece of paper and Peggy's heart swells. 

"Oh darling. This is wonderful." She smiles and pulls Elizabeth into a tight hug. "Is this for your father?" 

She nods her head and Peggy beams in delight at the picture in her hands. It is a small drawing of their little family. Daniel is on the far left,  with Elizabeth in the middle, and Peggy is on the right, but Peggy notices something else and is confused.

"Poppet, what is this right here?" She points.

"My brother." She smiles startling her mother.

"Brother? Darling...you don't have a brother."

"Not yet, mum."Elizabeth smiles and laughs. 

Before Peggy can respond, the front door opens and closes. Startled, she tells Elizabeth to stay put and don't come out until she says so. The little girl listens and looks at her drawing again. As Peggy crawls out of the back of the fort, she quietly reaches for her gun hidden under the table, and makes her way to towards the door. She stands quickly and points her gun at the intruder, only to realize her mistake and set her weapon down immediately.

"Daniel? What are you doing home so early?" She asks, embracing her love.

"Jeez, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you weren't happy to see me." He cheeks. Peggy laughs and playfully shoves him; not enough to make him loos balance, but enough to get her point across.

"Oh, haha. You're hilarious." She smiles, placing a kiss on his cheek. Daniel looks at the fort and then at Peggy, but before he can ask, a little brunette girl runs out of it; her little curls bouncing as she runs.

"DADDY!" Elizabeth exclaims as she tackles his good leg.

"Hey meu pequeno anjo." Danial says, sitting down on the couch so Elizabeth can crawl on his lap. When she does, he holds her close and places a sweet kiss on her forehead."What's this?" he asks as she hands him the drawing.

"It's you silly," She laughs. "And then Mummy and me." She explains with a smile. Peggy sits next to them, tucked into Daniel's side.

"Why don't you tell daddy who that is, Lizzy." Daniel looks over at his wife with confusion.

"Oh right. I almost forgot," She chuckles, making her parents smile. Whenever Elizabeth tries to be formal or have proper grammar, she slips out a small English accent; making Peggy and Daniel melt in happiness. "That's my brother."

"Brother?" Daniel says with widened eyes. He quickly looks over at Peggy  who throws her hands in defeat.

"I have no idea where she got that from."

"Y-You're not...."

"No." She says lightly. 

Elizabeth watches the exchange between her parents and then rests her head on her mothers lap and her legs over her fathers. She looks up at them as they look down on her and she points to Peggy's stomach.

"Brother."

Both of her parents tense up and freeze.

"Darling...mummy isn't having another baby yet." Elizabeth pokes her again and smiles. 

"Yet!" She says happily. And after that she jumps off of the couch and runs into the fort. Her parents exchange a glance and then follow her in.

"You know, little one, you never gave me the password so you could come in here." Peggy says. Elizabeth looks up from her book with widened eyes.

"Daddy , mummy says we has to have a password." Daniel hums as if thinking, then looks over at the woman in question. "It has to be three words." She lifts up three fingers in the air to show him. 

"Three words, huh?" She nods her head and sits next to him. "How about... We want ice cream."

Elizabeth giggles. "Daddy that's four words!"

"Maybe I was just testing you, little miss." He smirks. She giggles and lays down on his lap.

"I wuv you." She says look at her pai.

"We love you too, sweetheart." She snuggles closer and looks at her mum.

"Password accepted."

"Really!?" Elizabeth pops up, making Peggy laugh and nod in confirmation. "Yay!" She crawls over to her mother and throws her little arms around her neck. 

For the rest of the night, the family of three stay in the living room. Daniel on the left, Elizabeth in the middle, and Peggy on the right; while Lizzy stays close to Peggy's belly. It isn't until weeks later, when Peggy becomes sick, that they learn she is in fact pregnant. After a long 7 months, Elizabeth's brother is born.