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“Uncle Lockwood, please will you be the princess this time?” Emily begged.
“But Emily, I’m already dressed for the role of prince. And I thought I was doing an excellent job of playing prince.” Lockwood straightened the plastic crown on his head and looked down at the five-year-old. “I was thinking of talking with the council about some new laws. Perhaps something that would restrict young children from eating most of the biscuits.”
“Please, Uncle Lockwood.” She stuck her bottom lip out and his will power weakened.
“Alright. So if I’m the princess, who are you?” Lockwood removed the prince’s crown.
“I’m going to be the dragon, and we will fight at first until you realize that I’m friendly and want to help you find your prince. Or your princess.” Emily produced a small dragon costume from inside the incredibly large bag George’s sister-in-law had brought with them. She then pulled from inside its depths an adult-sized princess dress.
“You…have an actual dress for me?” Lockwood gaped. What child brought an entire dress-up wardrobe, including adult costumes, to a babysitter’s house?
“Yes! And jewelry!” Emily grabbed a small case and opened it to piles of costume jewelry which had obviously been given to her by her mum.
“Well then, let’s make me pretty.” Lockwood grinned.
*
Lucy yawned as she opened the door to Portland Row. There were days she still expected to open it and find George looking out the window for the donut delivery, but he’d moved into his own flat a few months before Lockwood and Lucy had gotten married and that had been almost two years ago now.
“Anthony?”
They’d both promised to babysit today, but Lucy had needed to see her doctor, so Lockwood had offered to watch Emily alone until Lucy was back.
She heard giggling in the sitting room, so she headed that way. The sight before her was not what she expected.
“So then he said he didn’t want to be friends with me!” Emily was saying, a tea cup in hand.
“No!” Lockwood gasped, an identical tea cup in his own hand.
“Anthony?” Lucy blinked in awe.
Emily was wearing a dragon costume with a crooked tiara sitting upon her head, and Lockwood wore the frilliest dress she had ever seen. It was a deep green and had several ribbons of thick lace along each edge and some incredibly puffy sleeves. She could see his trousers and button up peeking out from underneath as she stifled a laugh. He had several necklaces draped around his neck, one a long string of pearls, and two other cheap-looking strands of gemstones. There was a plastic ring on his pinky and what had to be very painful clip on gold and pearl earrings on either earlobe. On top of his head was a tiara similar to Emily’s except while hers had red gems, his had purple.
“Oh, Lady Lucy, you’ve arrived home so soon! We were just sitting down to tea. Please, join us!” Her husband gestured to the floor next to him. He’d set up a makeshift tea party complete with biscuits and scones with jam on the coffee table.
“So I’m merely a lady, huh? While you’re, what, a princess?” Lucy settled next to Lockwood and surveyed the table. A biscuit did sound tasty. “Hello, Princess Emily.”
“You can be a princess if you like,” Emily said, taking another biscuit.
“Thank you; that would be lovely.” Lucy took a biscuit of her own and nibbled on it.
“Oh, Princess Emily needs to pee-pee!” Emily stood suddenly and dashed from the room and up the stairs.
“Do you need help with your costume?” Lockwood called.
“I got it!” Came the high-pitched response.
Lockwood chuckled. “Do you remember when she was still so little? And that time George was changing her and didn’t realize that little girls could pee so far?”
“If I remember correctly, you didn’t know either.” Lucy looked at him pointedly.
“Yes, well. I had enough common sense not to crouch so close to her when changing her nappy.” Lockwood turned his attention to her. “So what did the doctor say? Low vitamins like we thought?”
Lucy opened her purse and took out a tiny onesie that said Future Fencing Prodigy. “Not quite vitamins.”
“Is this… are you… holy shit. We’re gonna have a baby?” Lockwood’s eyes were wide.
Lucy nodded slowly. “Is that…okay?”
“Is it okay? Luce, that’s amazing! I’m gonna be a daddy!” He stood and pulled her with him. He kissed her soundly. “We need to call George and Flo and Holly and Kipps. Should we have a baby shower? Well probably closer to when the baby is born, I suppose. What about names? What if we did them themed with when the baby will be born?” He paused. “Wait, when will the baby be born?”
Lucy laughed. “Not for a while. Dr. Johnson thinks I’m about 6 weeks along based on my cycle, but I’ll need to see my obstetrician yet to confirm. And Lockwood, it’s still pretty early. I would rather not tell anyone for a bit, if that’s alright. Not for another few weeks anyway.”
“Anything you want, my love.” He kissed her again and pulled her into a hug.
“Aww, Uncle Lockwood, you’re so sweet!”
The two pulled away and smiled at their ‘niece.’
“I thought little kids hated seeing grown ups kiss?” Lockwood smirked.
“Only my parents. That’s yucky. But you two are still cute. Mum and Dad say it’s because you’re in…the honeymoon phase? I don’t really know what that means, but they must be right.” She shrugged with all the confidence and presence a five-year-old dressed as a dragon could possess. “Are there any more biscuits?”
“Yes, sweetie, there are some tucked behind the toaster that your Uncle Lockwood likes to think I won’t find.” Lucy grinned.
“Hey!” Lockwood exclaimed as Emily ran off giggling. “And for the record,” he started, looking miffed. “I absolutely knew that you knew they were there.”
“Mmhmm. Okay, Anthony.” She kissed him sweetly. “Here’s hoping we’re always in the honeymoon phase.”
“Oh, love, that won’t be hard.” He kissed her forehead just as a dragon burst back into the room.
“The biscuits had a magic spell on them and now I’m mean again! Rawrr!” Emily raced in, arms high above her.
“Oh no, what ever shall we do!?” Lockwood threw the back of his hand to his forehead.
Lucy chuckled and grabbed a toy rapier from where it sat on the couch. “Don’t worry, Princess Lockwood, I’ll trap that dragon and reverse the spell to save you and the kingdom!”
“Oh, Princess Lucy! Huzzah! Huzzah!” Lockwood tossed his puffy sleeve-clad arms into the air in celebration and Lucy ran off after the dragon, waving her pretend rapier all around.