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Regina wakes Cady up one Sunday morning by covering her whole face with little kisses. Cady’s awake by the third or fourth kiss, but Regina doesn’t let up until she’s covered the whole thing. Cady squeals and squirms in Regina’s arms the whole time, but she’s firmly stuck in Regina’s clutches, assailed by a barrage of kisses.
“Reggie! Reggie! ” Cady squeals. “That tickles!”
“There,” Regina says after she smooches Cady for the last time, directly on her nose. “That’s a proper good morning.”
“You’re such a softie,” Cady laughs, leaning in and kissing Regina’s nose in response. “I love you.”
“I love you too, baby.”
Cady nuzzles into Regina’s shoulder, humming softly. “Thank God it’s a Sunday. I want to just stay in your arms like this all day.”
“Normally, I’d agree to that in a heartbeat,” Regina says, “but I actually have a surprise for you today.”
“A surprise? ” Cady asks. “You know I’m not big on surprises.”
Regina runs a hand through Cady’s hair. “Yeah, but you always end up liking my surprises.”
Cady hums, leaning into the touch. Regina scratches lightly with her fingernails, and Cady practically melts in her arms. Regina smiles, continuing to scratch and make Cady into a gooey puddle.
“I promise, you’re going to love this one, sweet girl.”
“Sweet girl?” Cady asks. “It’s that kind of surprise.”
Regina laughs. “No, baby, but that can be on the menu for later. Much later.”
“Do these surprise plans have a set time?”
“They do. I’ll give you a little preview. We’ll start with breakfast at Honeybear. I made us a reservation.”
Cady looks up at Regina, eyes bright and happy. “Honeybear?”
“I know it’s your favorite,” Regina smiles at her, cupping her cheek. “So let’s get up and get ready, so we can get there in time.”
The promise of Honeybear Cafe is more than enough to get Cady jumping out of bed. Regina laughs, watching her from a sitting position on the bed. Cady dips in and out of the closet, looking back at Regina.
“Come on! Honeybear!”
Regina smiles, pushing the blankets off of her. “I’m coming, I’m coming. Just taking a second to admire the view.”
“You big gay softie. I love you.”
Regina walks up to Cady, placing her hands on Cady’s hips and holding her close, planting a kiss on her forehead. “I love you too.”
Regina picks out an outfit for Cady, which Cady always loves and appreciates. She’s dressed in a cute little sundress, complete with one of her favorite pairs of flats and jewelry hand-picked by Regina. Regina dresses up in a loose button down, half-tucked into a pair of light and flowy pants. She’s finished off the outfit with a pair of designer sneakers and a selection of her more casual jewelry.
By the time they’re out of the apartment and on the way to the car, Cady is practically bouncing with excitement. Regina holds her hand, keeping Cady from literally running off ahead. Cady’s excitement is contagious, meaning Regina’s certain she hasn’t stopped smiling since Cady got excited about breakfast.
Cady’s excitement certainly doesn’t stop when they get to the car. Regina keeps a hand on Cady’s knee while she drives, which only does so much to stop Cady from bouncing out of her seat. The drive isn’t too terribly long, but Cady’s already so excited by the end of it, Regina’s so relieved that she got lucky with parking. They get a spot less than a block from the cafe, so it’s a short walk (well, a short drag for Regina, who’s being tugged along by Cady) from the car.
They’re given a table right by the window, and when their waiter comes, they already know their order without even having to look at the menu. Cady gets a Nutella strawberry waffle, which is so fluffy and light, she feels like she’s eating a cloud. Regina gets a very fancy avocado toast, topped with eggs, tomato, arugula, radishes, and drizzled with lemon juice and olive oil. They’ve gone here plenty of times, and they always order the same things. It’s Cady’s favorite breakfast spot in the city, so Regina’s always willing to treat her if they can get a reservation.
(It helps that every time Cady gets her waffle, she ends up with some powdered sugar on her nose. Regina’s not entirely certain that it’s always an accident. Or ever, possibly. Every time, Regina cleans it off and gently rubs Cady’s cheek, and Cady looks at her with those big, soft, loving eyes, and Regina’s absolutely sure that this is how she wants to spend the rest of her life: hopelessly in love with her favorite loser.)
They're on a tight schedule, so after breakfast, Regina’s ushering Cady back to the car. It's a bit of a longer ride to their next destination, but Regina lets Cady take the aux and play whatever she wants to keep herself occupied.
Cady’s got a peculiar taste in music, but Regina never complains. She's split between older music her mother loves and listens to all the time and weird, niche 15 minute songs that are more noise than they are lyrics. Cady never plays more than a few minutes of those, but Regina sees the runtime pop up on the dashboard. Sometimes Cady makes her listen to them all the way through when they're at the apartment, but never in the car. Regina counts her blessings around that.
As they approach their next destination, Cady finally figures it out when she sees the signs.
“The aquarium?” Cady asks, looking at Regina.
Regina smiles and gives a little nod. “Yes, sweet girl. The aquarium.”
“We haven't been here since-.”
“-our first date,” Regina finishes for her. “I know. I've kind of been planning this surprise since then, but I've had to wait on the aquarium itself.”
Cady gives her a puzzled look. “What could you… Regina, I swear to God, if this is a proposal-.”
“It's not a proposal,” Regina assures her. “I remember everything you said, baby. No public proposals. I know. And one day, yes, I will come up with the perfect private proposal for you. But that's not what today is. Today is a very different surprise, but one I'm certain you'll love.”
“Alright.” Cady relaxes into her seat. “Sorry for jumping to conclusions. I know you know better.”
“It's okay, baby.” Regina squeezes Cady’s thigh lightly. “I know you aren't huge on surprises. You're allowed to be a little on edge. But I promise you, if you try to relax and just go with it instead of trying to figure it all out ahead of time, I promise , you're going to be very happy.”
Cady is quiet for a few moments. “I just don't like not knowing what to expect. And I know, every surprise you've ever given me has been really good and you're always there every step of the way. I just can't get past the not knowing part that easily.”
Regina turns the car into the aquarium parking lot, taking a deep breath. “We’re going to go to the admissions box, and I'm going to show them a special ticket I already have. We’re getting special treatment today. We can go around and see the other animals later if you want, but we’re actually here for something specific. I don't want to spoil what, but we’ll be spending quite a bit of time with staff today too.” Regina finds a spot, pulling in and parking the car, before turning to look at Cady. “Does that help, baby?”
Cady smiles at her and nods. “It really does. Thank you.”
Regina takes Cady's hand and squeezes it. “I've got you, sweet girl. Whatever you need I've got you.”
Cady takes a deep breath, squeezing Regina’s hand back. “I love you.”
“I love you too. Now, let's go see your surprise, shall we?”
Regina takes Cady's hand again once they're out of the car, and doesn't let go the entire way to the admissions booth. She only lets go briefly to show the employee an email she has, before the man calls for his manager. As soon as Regina’s phone is back in her pocket, Cady's hand is in hers again, fingers intertwined together perfectly.
“Ms. George!” the manager greets with a wide smile after the admissions attendant sends them through the main doors. “It's so lovely to see you in person again. And Ms. Heron, we didn't speak much last time, but I do remember you!”
Regina smiles. “Always a pleasure, Ralph. The whole thing’s still a surprise, so no spoilers, yeah?”
Ralph grins. “Of course! Right this way!”
Ralph leads the pair through a set of doors reading Employees Only, which leads to a series of confusing hallways. Eventually, they arrive at a door that reads Penguin Enclosure, which immediately makes Cady giddy.
“The penguins? Are we going to see Walter and Skipper again?”
“Sure are,” Regina smiles, squeezing Cady’s hand. “And a little extra surprise.”
Ralph leads them through. Turns out, they aren't immediately standing in the penguin enclosure, but rather, a back room that overlooks the private side of the enclosure, where the penguins go when they aren't in the public eye or doing encounters with visitors.
Off in one part of the private enclosure is a very familiar looking penguin, the one that looks just like Cady’s stuffed animal. Walter stands next to Skipper, blocking something from their view.
Ralph leads them around to a different angle, and when Cady finally sees it, she gasps.
Nestled between Walter and Skipper is a small baby penguin, fuzzy and completely adorable.
“Oh my God! ” Cady squeals. “Walter and Skipper had a baby!”
“They sure did,” Ralph says with a smile. “One of our other penguins abandoned her egg this year. It's not common, but it happens. Other penguins are often immediately ready to adopt an egg given to them. This year, it was finally their turn.”
“It's so cute. Does it have a name?”
Ralph looks to Regina, who squeezes Cady's hand, drawing attention to her. “That's the surprise, baby. The name.”
Ralph nods. “After your last visit here, Ms. George put in a special request with a very nice donation incentive attached. She requested that when Walter and Skipper had a child, that we name that baby Chip.”
Cady’s eyes go wide as she looks back at Regina. Regina smiles softly at her, squeezing her hand. It takes Cady a few moments to process her words, and then before Regina can react, Cady launches herself at her, giving her a giant hug. Regina stumbles but catches her footing, holding Cady close.
“Penguins were his favorite,” Cady whispers, pressed into Regina.
Regina gives a sad smile. “I know, baby. That's why I did this.”
Cady looks up at her, beside herself. “You're… I don't even have words. I love you.”
“I love you too,” Regina replies, pressing a kiss to Cady's forehead.
Regina and Cady stay in the private viewing room of the penguin enclosure for a while. Chip is the cutest penguin either of them have ever seen. Cady can’t stop obsessing over him. She wants to hold him so bad, but she knows she can’t. Not until he’s older and able to be cleared for the penguin encounters.
Betsy arrives not long after Regina and Cady did, which is another layer to the surprise for Cady. Not only has the baby been named after Chip, but they’re dedicating a little plaque to Chip Heron by the exhibit. They have to take some photo ops for the press release, both with the penguins and with the plaque.
The photo ops with the penguins are first. They get to meet Chip up close, but they don’t try to touch. Walter and Skipper are protective of their son, as they should be, but they allow the others to stand nearby for the picture (with plenty of fish delivered to all three of them afterwards, as rewards for being good and not pecking the humans).
The picture is printed and assembled into the plaque, which has already been pre-inscribed, meaning they had to take the picture standing in a certain order. Regina stays out of the picture, insisting that this is their moment. Once the picture is inserted, they allow the three VIPs to read the inscription.
Meet Chip! This little guy came to us after he was abandoned by his mother in his egg. Chip’s fathers, Walter and Skipper, took to the egg immediately, and adopted him as their own.
Chip was named by one of our generous donors in honor of Chip Heron. Chip Heron was an avid zoologist and penguin lover who had one day dreamed of studying penguins in Antarctica. Unfortunately, he never made it there. Chip Heron’s family was able to meet little Chip prior to his public debut. Pictured above are his wife and daughter, Dr. Betsy Heron and Cady Heron, spending some time with Walter, Skipper, and little Chip.
We honor Chip Heron’s love and legacy here at the aquarium, and hope that his love for penguins will inspire future zoologists and penguin enthusiasts.
Cady tears up reading the plaque. Regina holds her, rubbing her back and helping her calm down. Betsy’s a little teary eyed too, and gives Regina a big hug when Cady finally lets go.
“Thank you,” Betsy says quietly. “You have no idea how much this means to me. How much it would have meant to him.”
“It’s the least I can do,” Regina replies, hugging Betsy back. “Someone who learns about him will finish his journey to Antarctica. I just know it.”
That’s enough to get Betsy sobbing. Cady joins the hug, the three of them taking a moment together. When everyone’s calmed back down, Betsy gives Regina another squeeze and mouths one last “Thank you. ”
Regina smiles softly at her. Every penny of this was totally worth it.
After the emotional aftermath of reading the plaque, aquarium staff bring the three VIP guests to the cafe for a complimentary meal. There’s going to be some press this afternoon, so they have to stick around for a little while longer.
The food’s okay. It’s nothing to write home about, but they still make it fun. Cady and Regina take turns throwing french fries into each other’s mouths, until one bounces off Regina’s cheek and hits Betsy square in the forehead. Regina looks horrified, but Cady can’t possibly contain her giggles. Betsy, to Regina’s relief, finds the situation hilarious, and Regina finally lets herself laugh along with them both. It’s been quite a long time since Betsy gave Regina her blessing, but Regina’s always been nervous that she’d change her mind and go back to hating her. She’s pretty certain that she earned some big, long-term points with Betsy today, and she feels really grateful that a single french fry didn’t undo all of that. It certainly would have if it had been her own mother.
Huh. Maybe that’s something she should unpack with her therapist.
Regina brushes it off, letting herself laugh with Cady and Betsy. That’s a problem for another day.
In the afternoon is the public reveal of Chip and the plaque. There’s some folks from the local news station looking for a fluff piece for the evening news, and some photographers from local newspapers. The aquarium’s own photographer is also there, taking about a million pictures before and after the announcement.
Someone from the aquarium (Cady didn’t catch their title in all the commotion) talks a bit about the newest addition to their penguin exhibit, and how the new baby was adopted by two male penguins. They then talk about the dedication to Chip Heron through the naming of the penguin, and briefly nod to the VIPs. Betsy says a couple of words of thanks to the aquarium for honoring her late husband with this. She repeats what Regina said earlier (with Regina’s permission), and says that she hopes Chip the penguin will inspire a young aspiring zoologist to complete the journey that Chip Heron had hoped to complete, and study penguins in Antarctica. The press eat that part up.
It’s all over before Cady knows it. She’s pretty exhausted when everything is done, all things considered. She had no idea that today would be like this. Regina offers to go around the aquarium with her, but Cady just wants to go home.
“Okay, sweet girl,” Regina says, pressing a kiss to Cady’s forehead. “Let’s go home.”
When Cady and Regina make it back to their apartment, Cady immediately pulls Regina over to the couch for snuggles. Regina laughs, wrapping Cady up in her arms and lifting her onto her lap.
“Was that a good surprise?” Regina asks.
“The best, ” Cady tells her. “I still don’t know how you managed to set all that up.”
“A hefty donation and a lot of luck,” Regina laughs. She presses a kiss to the top of Cady’s head, making her melt even more in her arms.
Cady looks up at Regina, unable to stop smiling. “I love you.”
“I love you too, baby. I’m glad you liked it.”
“I loved it. And I love you.”
Regina laughs, taking Cady’s chin and tilting her head up. Cady scoots up so she can kiss Regina properly, soft and sweet. Regina keeps a hand on Cady’s cheek, cupping it gently while they kiss. Cady pulls her mouth back, but presses her forehead against Regina’s. She gets lost in Regina’s eyes for a few seconds, before sighing and closing her eyes.
“Adorable,” Regina says softly, rubbing Cady’s cheek with her thumb. “How about we spend the rest of the afternoon right here, snuggling and watching something together?”
“That sounds perfect. ”
Regina tilts her head up, pressing a kiss to Cady’s forehead. “Get comfortable, sweet girl.”
Cady buries herself into Regina’s neck. “I am comfortable.”
“Baby,” Regina laughs, “you aren’t gonna be able to see the show.”
“Just for now,” Cady tells her. “I’ll turn around in a bit. I just need to decompress.”
Regina rubs Cady’s back lightly. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, absolutely. Just a lot of feelings today. Mostly good, some sad, ‘cause my dad, but still good. Just… need a few.”
“Well, in that case,” Regina pauses, wrapping her arms around Cady tightly, “I am more than happy to just sit here with you and cuddle.”
“Yay!” Cady presses a chaste and gentle kiss to the skin in front of her, which happens to be Regina’s neck. Immediately, she presses her forehead against the spot she just kissed. “You’re the best. Just, like, in general.”
Regina smiles and laughs. “I love you, sweet girl.”
“I love you too, Reggie.”
Regina smiles wider at the nickname, holding Cady close. She sighs contentedly, shutting her eyes and basking in the warm happiness of the woman in her arms, letting it spread to her.
After all, a happy Cady always makes for a happy Regina.