Pixie Dust and Dark Voids

Jade woke up around 10 and reached over to hold Gerard. Finding his space empty she stretched out along his pillow and lay for a few more minutes. Listening carefully she could hear Maggie’s little giggle and she smiled. A deep husky voice followed the giggle and she laughed. Gerard was singing again. Grabbing a random t-shirt of Gerard’s she hopped down the stairs to the kitchen.
Maggie was on Gerard’s hip as he swayed about the kitchen, she was laughing wildly and holding on to him for dear life.
”Sing once again with me! Our strange duet.. That’s where you sing Mags!”
Maggie let out a sharp scream, and Gerard laughed. “See perfect, fame beckons my dear. Now, get in your chair while I finish your mothers breakfast”
”Ahem” Jade coughed at the door, turning both their heads. Maggie cried out one of her gurgled and extended her small hands, which Jade lovingly pulled toward her.
”Hello my baby, are you having fun?”
”Fine thanks” Gerard replied.
”Not you. I know you have had your fun. Have you even been to sleep?”
”Nope, couldn’t settle, you had me wide awake” he smiled, kissing her cheek, “Now move, these pancakes need flipping” Gerard nudged the girls out of the way and resumed cooking, while Jade sat down, sitting Maggie on her lap and stroking her hair.
”Had daddy been polluting your ears little one? What is all over your clothes?”
”Her father has been singing her a mixture of different songs ranging from the Beatles to The Rolling Stones, to Eminem and Opera. All while her mother has been lazing around like hog”
“Bite me” Jade laughed, jigging Maggie on her knee.
”Already have love, twice last night” Gerard dodged the tablecloth that flew to him. “Right pancakes we have, Maggie eyes off”
”Had she eaten?”
”Jade its 10.15, I have fed my child, we have a KFC didn’t we love”
”I don’t even know if you are joking or not” Jade whined, placing Maggie in her seat, where she picked up a wooden spoon and began banging it wildly on the table.
”She had one of those banana breakfast things that come in a pot. Then a bottle of milk and 2 iddy biddy bits of banana from me”
”Gerard, the doctor said she shouldn’t be on solids!”
”Pah what does he know? She wolfed them down, I was on solids at her age.”
”I don’t think you were ever not on solids. Alright but don’t go over board ok?”
”I’ll cancel the pizza then shall I?” he pulled a face at Jade as he sat opposite her, distributing pancakes on their plates and digging in. Maggie just stared at them both as they ate in silence, with the odd giggle as they kicked each other’s feet under the table.
Tink walked lazily through the cat flap, causing another scream from Maggie who was overjoyed at seeing her punch bag.
”Oh and what time do you call this?” Gerard shouted as Tink walked off into the living room, “Something has to be done about her you know”
Jade was choking with laughter on her pancake and had to swallow before calling him an idiot. After breakfast Jade stood to clear away but Gerard pointed her to the door, “I’ll do it, the maid starts tomorrow anyway, so consider this your first day of freedom”
Jade smiled and lifted Maggie from her seat, “I take it you gave her a little bit more than one bit of banana Ger”
”Why would one accuse me of that dear?”
”Well I’m not one for accusations as you know, but this one is cast iron from the state of her clothes. Is that muffin? Did you go to Star bucks”
”No” Gerard looked at the floor. Maggie giggled.
”God she is a traitor” Gerard smiled, “Ok it was a tiny bit of muffin, no bigger than my fingernail”
Jade laughed and shook her head, “From now on you have supervised visits” Gerard grinned and watched her walk up the stairs holding Maggie at arms length.

Leaving the kitchen spotless Gerard walked up the stairs to find his family. “Loved ones?” he called out, but received no reply. Hearing a splash he walked into the bathroom and smiled at his girls. Maggie was sat in her bath seat, splashing about madly. Jade was next to her washing her hair, being careful to keep the suds away from Mags. Jade looked up and smiled, “Don’t even think about it”
”There’s room” Gerard whined as he kneeled down beside the bath and passed a small rubber duck to Maggie, which she promptly shoved in her mouth.
”There isn’t” Jade laughed, grabbing Maggie’s sponge and washing the baby down. “Me and you are practically one when we are in here, I don’t see all three of us bathing in perfect harmony”
”Me and you are usually one when we are in there Jade there’s a difference”
”She is washed now. Will you dry her while I finish cleaning myself?”
”Sure thing chicken wing” he sang holding his arms out to Maggie who gladly gripped his fingers. Lifting the wriggling pink thing out of the tub he wrapped her neatly in a towel and took her through to the bedroom. Hunting for the bathmat, he placed her upon it on the floor.
”What is she wearing? He called while rubbing her down, which Maggie seemed to think was hilarious, s hilarious in fact she peed all over the floor.
”Argh” Gerard screamed, “Every time.”
”Don’t tickle her then, and her clothes are on the side there” Jade called through. Gerard ran into the bath room with Jade in his arms and dunked her in the water feet first, swishing her around a bit then pulling her back out, he fetched a new towel and wrapped her in that. Plonking her on a dry bit of carpet, he had a talc war with her, which Jade walked in on. “Not so much” jade shouted.
”I didn’t” Gerard coughed, “She knocked it over”
Lifting a grinning Maggie from the white cloud, he held her close and sniffed her, “Awww Maggie you smell all lovely” he cooed, pulling a nappy on her. “No more accidents.” Plopping her back on the floor he walked across the room to fetch her clothes, pinching Jade’s bottom as she was pulling on her jeans. As he turned round he watched Maggie trying to tip her self over.
”Jade look” he laughed, “She’s doing it. I knew all those hours on the floor weren’t in vain.”
Together they watched her flailing about on the floor until she finally flipped herself over onto her front. Maggie lifted her head and grinned up at them both. Gerard and Jade both whooped in delight and ran to her, kissing and hugging their little diamond.

Later that day Maggie lay asleep in her Moses basket beside the sofa, as Gerard called his mother and arranged them to go and stay for a week or two. The flights were sorted, booked at the last minute and Jade was packed. Gerard had spoken to Doug about Bond, which he wasn’t to even mention to the press, as it was in pre production. Jade appeared at the doorway with two suitcases and groaned. “Need more hands”. Gerard smiled, “I am not looking forward to this flight” he sighed looking down at his sleeping princess.
”She will be ok, you know her” Jade smiled. “Time to face the world”

The next day the papers were covered with pictures of Jade and Gerard at the airport, but now they were hounding in on their child. Gerard had been careful to cover Maggie by pulling the hood up over her as she slept. Holding the basket closer to her, he told his bodyguards to get rid of the press. He didn’t want his daughter splashed about all over though news, this didn’t go down too well with many reporters but he didn’t give a damn.