dancing on my own

                    The clatter of plastic to concrete drudged Adrian from his reverie. Moments before in his lazed perch on the park bench, a brood of sorts had coveted the chiseled mien of raven features, and with the absentminded train of pupils on the ‘off-leash’ fenced enclosure Rocky romped around in, a glaze of hazel masking the race of a mind that could go a mile a minute, his head had been in the clouds. Maybe it was the autumn air induced the daydreaming; maybe it was the soft hum of Somewhere over the Rainbow. It was, however, the sippy cup that rolled to his feet and the softened lilt of a tired mother that pried him out— had him nodding, fast, and crouching his broad frame down to retrieve it, “Here you go,” Adrian said in low timbre, dusting it off gravel free with his jacket sleeve before handing it over. He glanced up; between the cherub and her equally sweet-looking mother. The smaller of the two was half asleep, seen in the way eyelids rose and lowered in a slow, sleepy blink, but the rise of thin lashes revealed blue: blue as azure, as robin eggs in a nest, “She’s got your eyes,” He told her aloud. Shifting his head to settle his green haze on the mother, they squinted in the sun’s glare as a soft, lopsided smile settled on full lips, “… What’s her name?”

Saskia had been watching the man earlier - or, more specifically, his dog. She had felt a pang of guilt, knowing Misty was stuck in their tiny apartment instead of enjoying the fresh air. But she couldn’t properly watch her dog while trying to get Nora to sleep, she told herself. As the man approached her, she smiled gratefully. “Thank you,” she murmured, taking the cup and tucking it safely into a bag. His compliment caught her by surprise, but it sent a warm sensation through Saskia’s chest. She had often been told she looked like her mother, but had only old photographs to prove it. She had hoped Nora would look more like her than her father, less for her sake and more for her daughter, to lessen and confusion as the child grew older. To hear that a stranger thought they had the same eyes served as a sort of reassurance. “Oh!” she exclaimed, albeit softly, the corners of her mouth stretched towards her cheeks. “Thank you. That means a lot. More than you could know,” she added, her cadence soft to help the baby sleep. “Her name is Nora.”

Ice-cream in the park wasn’t something that Scarlett got to treat herself to often, but after closing a case and winning a bet with Scott today, she felt she deserved it. It was when she had the ice-cream cup in one hand that she passed by the bench, the singing cut off abruptly by a cuss word. She couldn’t help but laugh, even though it probably was not the right time to laugh. “New rendition of the song?” Scarlett grinned, leaning down to grab the cup as it slid across the footpath, handing it back to her. “I’m not the best advocate for parenting skills and whatnot, considering I haven’t held a single baby since I was like, probably 18, but she looks so peaceful so I’ve gotta say you must be doing a helluva job,” she babbled on, eyes wide as she glanced down at the almost-sleeping baby. “Maybe aside from the swearing around a baby, but like, she’s not going to know now is she? Unless she’s an Einstein kid and can understand sentences at this age, which if in that case, damn you’re doing good teaching her.”

Blushing, Saskia couldn’t help but smile. “Honestly, I think I swear more in front of her than any other time. No idea why. I’m just glad she hasn’t picked any of it up yet.” She shook her head, laughing at how idiosyncratic it seemed. “Oh, she’s not always this quiet,” she offered, never having been very good at accepting compliments. “But thank you.” Listening to the blonde speak, Saskia just grinned. The other woman seemed funny, which was a nice reprieve for someone who tended to be as serious or reserved as she did. “I’m not sure if it’s possible for a one year old to understand full sentences. If she did, it certainly wouldn’t be because of anything I did,” she shrugged. “I’m going less for Einstein baby and more happy baby.”

June didn’t actually notice the young mother and child before she heard her sing, a smile parting her lips quietly. After spending some quality time with Adam and Mia recently, just seeing another kid made her chest swell. Especially when the kid was close in age with Mia. Seeing the sippy cup fall to the ground, June was quick to react, already turning to walk that way when the mother asked for a hand. “Of course,” she whispered gently and hurried the last couple of steps, bending down to grab the cup and place it back onto the bench. “There you go. And what a cute little girl you have,” she adde for good measure, a warm smile taking root on her curved lips.

Saskia breathed a sigh as relief as the woman came to her aid. “Thank you,” she said, a grateful smile forming on her face. “And thank you. Yeah, she’s not too bad is she?” Saskia smiled at the little bundle in her arms. “I used to think babies looked like potatoes. Or aliens. Is that horrible?” she asked, a laugh escaping her. Of course, even if Nora did look like a potato, Saskia wouldn’t care. She loved her too much to look at her and see anything other than beauty and joy.

With his hands shoved in his pockets and this trademarked frown on his lips, Gray wandered through the park en route to the bar. The detour came about after he’d seen a bunch of teenagers up ahead on his normal route, and that was something he did not have the patience to deal with today. He had an hour to kill, either way, so this was a win-win. However, the sound of melodic singing cut off by a curse word had him stopping in his tracks, quirking a brow as he felt something brush against his shoe. “Pretty sure those aren’t the words to the song.” He looked down, the offending sippy cup on the brink of leaking on the footpath, before looking back up at the voice with a mild smirk on his lips. Bending down, he grabbed the cup and stood up, handing it over to her. He hadn’t much experience with babies over his adult life - or ever, if he were to be honest - so it wasn’t a wonder why he wasn’t sure what to say. “How old is she?” he figured was a safe question, not that he needed to question it, but… he did have an hour to kill.

Saskia smiled, her cheeks flushing a rosy hue. “You know, I just forgot how it goes,” she joked. “Thank you,” she added sincerely as she took the cup and placed it safely away from her. “I never seem to have enough arms anymore.” Saskia looked into the man’s eyes, grateful for his question. It was simple, and she assumed he was just trying to be polite. But still, it was nice for someone to ask about Nora. Sure, she got coos and questions from old ladies, but people her own age seemed to act like kids were contagious unless they had kids of their own. “Actually, she just turned one. Time is such a funny thing, you know? It usually feels too fast or too slow. And now I have a clock in the form of a tiny human.”