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Rosie opened the door slowly and peeked in. Poppy and Daddums were still asleep. Clutching Bear against her, his fuzzy head tucked under her chin, she tiptoed to the foot of the bed. Poppy was on his back, snoring softly. Daddums was on his stomach, almost entirely covered by the duvet, with just a few dark curls and a bit of forehead visible on the pillow. It was early, and the morning sun was just beginning to brighten the room.
Rosie considered her options.
Still holding Bear, she lifted the duvet from the foot of the bed and crawled beneath it. Up onto the mattress she climbed. It was dark and stuffy under the covers, but she wasn’t afraid. She was a brave little girl, and besides, Bear was with her. Slowly, she made her way between Poppy and Daddums. Daddums shifted a bit, and Rosie stopped and waited. When he was still, she continued to crawl.
Finally, her head popped out from beneath the duvet, and she took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh cool air. She made sure Bear’s head was out too, then turned over and lay on her back, wriggling into a comfortable position between her fathers.
She looked at one, and then the other. Rosie loved weekend mornings. She had been promised a trip to the zoo today, and she had been so excited that she hadn’t been able to sleep. Now, cosy and snug with Poppy and Daddums, she hugged Bear, closed her eyes, and drifted off.
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John slowly opened his eyes, squinting against the bright morning sun. He was just starting to stretch when he discovered Rosie asleep beside him. Carefully, he rolled to his side and looked at his daughter. Her golden curls lay mussed and soft on her forehead, and her pink mouth made a tiny "o" as she breathed the deep and even breaths of slumber.
She was beautiful and perfect, and John loved it when he woke to find her there. Usually, she was a whirlwind, a four-year-old tornado of a girl, never standing still, and so he treasured these serene moments when he could just gaze at her in wonder. He pressed his lips to her forehead and said, “Good morning, Bumblebee!”
Rosie opened her eyes.
“Poppy!”
“How did you get here?” he asked, in a mock scolding voice.
“Bear and I snuck!”
John laughed.
“We’re going to the zoo today," she declared.
“Yes, we are, sweetheart. We should wake Daddums up.”
Rosie turned over to look at Sherlock, still buried under the covers.
“Daddums!”
A muffled, grumbling sort of sound emanated from beneath the duvet.
“Daddums, wake up,” she said more loudly, tugging on a lock of his hair.
Sherlock rolled over and pulled the covers from his face.
“Bumblebee!” he exclaimed, his face lighting up in a smile.
“Good morning, Daddums,” Rosie said, throwing an arm around Sherlock and planting a big kiss on his nose. “We’re going to the zoo today”.
“Yes,” Sherlock said. “Is Bear going with us?” He gave one of Bear's stuffed paws a squeeze.
“Of course.”
“So, the four of us then,” Sherlock said. He leaned across his daughter to give John a quick good morning kiss. They held each other's gaze for a moment, and John was overcome with happiness and contentment. He thought that nothing could possibly be better than cuddling in bed on a Saturday morning with his family. But hovering, unwelcome, at the edges of his joy, was the knowledge that someday Rosie would be too old for this. He could see these same sentiments mirrored in Sherlock's blue-grey eyes.
Settling back on his elbow and looking at Rosie, John asked, “And what is Bear’s favourite animal?”
Rosie thought about this a moment and said, “The monkeys.”
“And how about you?” Sherlock asked.
“The lions!” Rosie shouted, knowing exactly what was about to happen.
“Aren’t you afraid of the lions?”
“No,” she giggled.
“You know what lions do, don’t you? They do THIS…”
Sherlock flung Rosie’s nightgown up and blew a big, wet raspberry against her belly.
She shrieked with delight and writhed as his stubbled face tickled her.
“Stop, Daddums! Stop!”
Sherlock stopped, and all three of them giggled.
They snuggled close together for a few more minutes, talking about the animals they would see at the zoo and the myriad other treats and wonders there.
"May I have a candy-floss?"
"Terrible for your teeth," John said.
Rosie turned to look at Sherlock with her best wide-eyed, pleading look. "I'll work on him," he assured her, winking at John and giving him the lopsided smile that he knew John found irresistible.
“I love you,” John mouthed.
“I love you too,” Sherlock said.
“Love! Love! Love!" Rosie sang and then gave Bear a kiss on the cheek. "Enough love. I'm hungry. Let’s make breakfast!” She jumped up and scrambled out of bed, pulling her fathers with her.