Miss Mercury

Birthday

Amelia's first birthday is tomorrow and Freddie is planning a party for her, Amelia staying at Roger's tonight so he has time to set the house up in the morning without worrying where she is.

He brought her with him to the studio so Roger can take her with home him when they are done.

She was playing in the playpen set up in the corner for most of the recording session. No one noticed the gap between the pen wall and the studio wall but now bored with the toys in front of her, Amelia crawls towards the gap.

Squeezing herself through the gap she ventures under the sound bored and when the record booth door opens she crawls in after Freddie, John and Roger come out before the door closes again.

No one was paying attention to the happenings in the recording booth as Brian records they just let him get on with it.

Amelia crawls towards her favourite person while Brian is finishing his solo, she gets right next to his feet and Brian steps back right onto her little fingers, she screams.

"Christ!" Brian jumps away, panicking he quickly removes his guitar and headphones. Freddie sprints into the room picking her up to check her fingers before Brian gets a chance.

"Is she alright?" He runs a hand through his curly hair as she wails into Freddie's neck, worried he's done some serious harm. Since Amelia has started to crawl Freddie's newest fear is her fingers getting trodden on.

Tread marks on one hand but the other is just red, "Some ice wouldn't hurt," Freddie looks to John through the booth window. The bassist quickly leaves to get some, "but she'll be alright."

Brian panics even more, "I didn't see her. I would never..." 

Freddie interrupts the guitarist, "It was an accident Brian, I had a feeling it would happen someday but maybe her next studio visit should wait till her hands are off the ground."

He moves towards the door as John comes back but turns back to Brian when he mutters angrily to himself, "Brian I know you'd never hurt her. It was just an accident."

After sitting with the ice one her fingers for a while, the band decide they've had enough for today. Freddie carries Amelia to Roger's car, "Be good for Uncle Rog and I'll see you tomorrow," kissing her chubby cheek multiple times he clips her into the car seat.

------

Roger is feeding Amelia her breakfast the next morning while Dominique and Felix are still in bed. They have a couple of hours till they need to head to Garden Lodge so they're having a lazy morning.

He doesn't often get quiet mornings like this so he doesn't mind. With the last spoonful of porridge, he wipes her mouth over and removes her bid. Giving her teddy he leaves her in the high chair while he cleans the side up.

Amelia babbles away to him, some words he understands and replies to the nonsense conversation. Roger leans across the counter to grab his dirty plate and as he brings his arm back he knocks a glass off the side, "fuck!" he curses when the glass smashes on the floor.

He bends down to pick up the glass pieces, "fuck," Amelia murmurs.

Roger looks up forgetting about the glass he bends to eye level with the innocent-looking child, "What did you say?"

"Fuck," she repeats, the word sounds wrong in her soft voice. Amelia's speech has started to come along, she can say most basic words but unfortunately for Roger, she has started picking up on words that other people say.

His eyes widen, "shit, no you can't say that."

"Shit," she repeats this time.

He faces palms, "No no no you can't say that either," he puts a finger against her mouth, "you going to get me into trouble you little monster."

"Why?" She whispers.

"Because those words are naughty."

She points at him accusingly and he tries not to smile, it might be funny to him but she can't know that "Yes I know I said them but I am allowed to coz I'm an adult. Your dad will kill me if you say those words."

He removes his finger, "Do you understand, Milly? You can't say those words." When she nods he sighs with relief turning back to the broken glass.

------

Almost everyone has arrived when Roger and his family arrive with the birthday girl. Freddie snaps her up, "Happy Birthday my little angel. Let's open some presents."

He sets her down in front of the pile of presents and Veronica helps her open them, "I can't believe she's one already where has the year gone?"

"Four more years and she'll be starting school," John teases holding his hands up in surrender when he receives a glare from Freddie, "just telling the truth mate."

The children played a few party games after the food and Joe brought out the teddy bear-shaped cake he made for her. She blew the candles out and Freddie gave her a small bit in a bowl because he would like her to sleep tonight and not be bouncing off the walls.

By early evening most of the children are worn out, Mary and her family have gone home and so have Jer, Bomi, Kash and Miami but the Deacon's, the May's and the Taylor's remain.

Veronica was coming back from the kitchen cup of juice in her hand for Lauren. Walking into the living room she collides with Roger causing the juice to spill over the floor, followed by a small, "fuck."

The entire room stops staring at the little girl in Freddie's lap, "What did you just say?"

Amelia bows her head hearing the unhappy tone in her dad's voice, "fuck," she repeats whispering.

Freddie frowns, "And where did you learn that word?" she points to a guilty-looking Roger.

"Nice one Rog."

"Shut up Deaky."

Freddie glares at the drummer, "Roger, what did you do?"

"It was an accident, I knocked a glass off the side and it slipped out." He didn't do it on purpose, "I did tell her not to say it again."

"Not the point, why am I not surprised it would be you to teach her a swear word?" Freddie turns his daughters face towards him, "But Milly, you need to listen when we tell you not to do something, okay?"

She nods mumbling a sorry hiding her face in his shirt. "It's okay just don't do it again, Uncle Rog is in trouble too." He chuckles watching a heavily pregnant Dominique tell the drummer off in the hallway.

Loved writing this chapter, I can easily picture Roger being the one to teach a child a swear word.