Work Text:
“Are you even going to talk to me or is this how it's going to be now?”
Jo threw her jacket down on the table and crossed her arms. Anna had called her there to help her clean up after their daughters birthday- or, as Anna liked to remind Jo, Anna's daughter.
Anna sighed and continued to wipe the table without touching Jo's jacket. She didn't even bother to look in Jo's general direction. She heard Jo sigh herself, and heard her footsteps walk from the dinning room to the kitchen, and then the paper towels ripping. She knew Jo was upset that she couldn't be at Violet's birthday – and not because Anna didn't allow it; it was Jo's work (she was a owner of a small down diner in town) that was the issue – but she couldn't change that.
Anna didn't want to think about Jo, even if she was just in the other room. She didn't want to think about their fights, or the way that Violet stood at the door and listened to them yell. And she definitely didn't want to think about laying in bed alone, wishing Jo was there, but hating her for making her feel this way.
She heard Jo's footsteps coming back towards the dining room, and Anna reached up to wipe a tear that had decided to fall. She had just put her hand back down when Jo walked in.
She went to the other side and got the few places that were still covered in icing from ten messy seven year olds. Jo could tell from the icing that Violet had got her wish for dark blue icing, and that more of it had made it onto the table than her actual mouth. The pizza in the kitchen was all gone, and there were juice boxes everywhere. Jo could see where Violet had been sitting by the huge Donald Duck balloon that was tied to the back of one chair. Violet loved disney, loved Donald Duck and that balloon managed to trigger the memory of Jo and Anna taking six year old Violet to Disneyland for a summer week. It had been- Jo stopped herself. She tried not to think about Anna.
The two wiped up the table and cleaned up all the trash in the dinning room in silence. When Anna held up the trash bag so that Jo could dump an armful of juice boxes and wrapping paper, (Violet had gotten the Disney infinity game that she had been begging for the longest time) they looked each other for a few seconds before the both heard the little footsteps coming down the hallway.
“Jo!” Violet's little voice echoed throughout the dinning room and Jo couldn't help the smile that spread across her face.
“Hey there, Vi.” Violet smiled at the nickname, and ran into Jo's arms. Jo help her for a minute, happy to feel like she was home again, before putting her back down.
“I missed you today!” Violet gave her the saddest puppy eyes that Jo had ever seen and she swore she almost cried.
“Oh, honey, I'm sorry, I had to work, but I'm here now.” Jo kneeled down to Violet's height and pushed her long red hair behind her ear. God, she looked so much like her Anna.
Jo heard Anna clear her throat and she looked up at her, leaning against the counter, ankles crossed.
“Well, it is passed your bedtime, Vi-”
“Oh, can Jo read me a bedtime story, please, please, please!”
She didn't say it as a question, she knew that Jo couldn't say no.
“Of course, I can. What are we reading tonight?” Jo asked as she stood up and Violet took her hand and pulled her towards her room down the hallway, the whole way telling Jo about her party. Jo managed to look behind her and looked at Anna, who didn't seem to know what to do, so Jo gave her a little crooked smile, like she always used to. It made Anna roll her eyes but give a little smile back. Just like it used to.
Violet ran to her bookshelf and picked up one of her shorter books, one with a few pictures, and handed it to Jo.
“Cinderella?” Jo asked, flipping open the cover as she sat on the edge of Violet's bed. Violet crawled under the covers.
“Yup, it's my new favorite. Her dress so pretty.”
Jo smiled at her and started to read the fairytale.
“Once upon a time...”
After the story was over and Violet was fast asleep, Jo stood up to leave but when she turned to the door, Anna was standing there. They stood, staring at each other for a moment before Anna moved out into the hallway and Jo walked out, closing Violet's door softly.
“Did I miss sometime while I was cleaning?” Jo asked quietly as soon as the door was closed. Anna had her face in her hands, and Jo saw her chest jump a little.
“Anna, are you okay?” Jo moved towards her, but Anna looked up at her. Jo thought she could see tears on the edges of her eyes.
“What, yeah, I'm fine, I just...I'm just really tired you know.” She wiped her eyes, and stuck her hands in her back jean pocket, like she always did when she was upset.
They looked at each other again. They had barely spoke at all since Jo showed up, but they kept catching each others eyes. Jo didn't know what to do. She wanted to hold Anna, tell her everything was okay, and that she loved her. God, did she love her. More than anything else in the world.
Jo looked down the hallway, towards the dinning room.
“Well, um, it's getting late, and I have to work again in the morning so if you need me just...” Jo let the sentence linger, and after one more look at Anna, she went to walk away. Until she felt something grab her wrist. She turned quickly to see Anna holding on to her, her eyes watering with tears.
“Please just...please just stay.”
So Jo did. She turned the rest of the way, and had Anna in her arms. She never wanted to let go, her hands in Anna's hair, Anna's hands in Jo's. They stood in the hallway like that for a long time, with Jo just whispering “I'm sorry” over and over again. Until finally Anna leaned away, and took Jo's hand. And led her back to their bedroom, where Jo never wanted to leave again.
Stripped out of their clothes and leaving the rest of the party mess for the next morning, they crawled under the covers together. Jo looked at Anna, and moved her hair from her face and kissed the tip of her face. Anna closed her eyes and smiled.
“I love you,” Anna whispered, her eyes still closed.
“I love you, too,” Jo whispered back, holding her closer.
Staying here was their paradise.