The New Ginger Princess

The first real holiday of the year after New Years is Valentine's Day, a holiday that has a reputation of making people either lovestruck or lonely and bitter. That reputation, however, doesn't really matter to people under the age of about ten. To children, especially between the ages of about four and eight, Valentine's Day is very exciting and fun. They see it as a day filled with hearts, maybe candy or something cute and small, and picking out the perfect cards to bring to school.

Just over two weeks before Valentine's Day, Marissa sits on the living room floor after school going through the last of her homework with Austin at the coffee table. It has become the routine to split her weekly homework packet into sections and do a little bit every day right after school. The parents make sure to help their daughter when she needs it, quiz her on little things occasionally, check over the work, and have her go back and fix certain things when necessary. As Austin looks through the work Marissa did at school earlier he finds the note, "Messy, please work on neatness" scrawled at the top of a writing page. This note is at least a weekly occurrence and both parents do their best to work on it at home, having Marissa redo the parts of her work that are overly messy.

"Daddy, when is Valentine's Day?" Marissa asks out of the blue in the middle of doing her math page.

"February 14th," Austin says automatically, hoping that the answer is enough to appease the child's mind and get her to refocus, but not really expecting it.

Marissa looks to her father and asks, "how many days until Valentine's Day?"

Doing the quick math in his head Austin responds, "about sixteen days. Now focus on your homework, and do it neatly or you will have to do it again." 

For another ten minutes the little girl actually manages to maintain her attention on her work, taking care to keep it nice. Marissa learns well, and is able to sit still better than someone might expect, but she has difficulty keeping her mind tuned to one thing at a time, unless it is something she really loves. In some cases like this children might just take forever to complete anything, but in her case she just rushes through things so it is done and she can focus on something else. Unfortunately this results in most things having to be redone because the work is excessively sloppy.

When the last part of the homework is complete Austin checks it over, glad that only one of the answers needs to be fixed. Looking through the rest of the work that was done earlier that week he occasionally asks Marissa one of the math problems, or shows her a word and has her read it to him. As they finish they put the completed homework in its folder, making sure that it is put in Marissa's backpack to turn in the next day. With the work out of the way this leaves Marissa free to share the thoughts from her ever-wandering mind with her dad.

"Today we got to make a popsicle stick picture frame that looks like a little house, and tomorrow we get to decorate it and make a picture for it. Plus, Mrs. Collins said we were so good this week that tomorrow she will bring a snack for us to have and we might even get to watch a movie."

"That's awesome," Austin says, and lets her know he is still listening as he goes to the kitchen to grab an apple before going back to the living room.

Seeing the apple sets the child's thoughts on a different path for her conversation. "Patrick brought an apple in his lunch today, and it was so tiny, like the tiniest apple I ever seen, but it was so cute. I shared my goldfish with Jake because he gave me half his chocolate chip cookie, and Fiona's sandwich looked like a star. She said that her mom used a cookie cutter to do it and that for Valentine's Day her mom will make it look like a heart. We should use cookie cutters to make fun sandwich shapes for lunch tomorrow."

"I will think about it and tell Alan when he gets home," Austin replies. The afternoon continues with Marissa talking to her dad about anything and everything that comes to her mind.

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Monday arrives with Valentine's Day officially the major focal point for pretty much everything. Everything is decorated in varying shades of red and pink, with hearts everywhere, and all of the crafts and activities in class are centered around the holiday. Along with that, a note is sent home to the parents informing them of the intended plan for class on the Friday just before Valentine's Day. The note is at the front in the homework folder that week so the parents can find it.

Alan sees the note when he sits with Marissa to look at her homework and decide which section she should do. As he sets her to work on the chosen section Alan reads through the note.
 
"Dear parents,

Valentine's Day is approaching, and as it is a very exciting holiday for children, it is typical to celebrate it in class. The children will be allowed to exchange valentines, and you are not obligated to have your child participate in this, although it is greatly appreciated. Starting Monday, the kids will be able to bring their cards at any point that week. The cards will be gradually handed out through the week until they can be brought home after school on Friday. If your child does participate please ensure that you bring enough cards for each of the students so that nobody should be left out. There are 21 students in the class. Also, any card brought by your child should have their name written on it, preferably by your child because it is good practice. 
If you have any questions or concerns come talk to me.

Sincerely, 
Mrs. Collins"

The letter is set aside to show Austin later, so as to remember to go out and get valentines for Marissa to bring to class.

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That Saturday the three of them make a trip to the store to have the little girl pick out the cards she wants to give to her classmates. The parents let their daughter go through her usual process of carefully choosing exactly the right package. After almost five minutes of inspecting all of the options the child holds up a box of valentine cards that have pictures of puppies and kittens wearing headphones along with the cheesy little statements that you expect. 

Alan checks that there are 32 cards in the box which is more than enough for the class and asks, "You want these for the whole class right, not just the girls?"

"Yep. These are really cute," Marissa says.

"And they come with stickers," Austin points out as he takes the box from Alan.

The little girl's smile grows slightly, "Even better."

The three of them finish getting a couple more things before buying their stuff and deciding to go out to lunch. 

Luckily it is just late enough for them to miss the lunch rush, so the diner is relatively clear and Lights should still be around. With the minimal amount of people there the family has no trouble catching the attention of their close friend as they walk in. Lights sends a smile their way as she delivers some food to a table and the three settle themselves into a small booth. There is no real need for menus because each of them already know what they want but Marissa likes to have one anyway. The parents let the little girl go to the counter to ask for the menu, keeping an eye on her from the table as she stands on her tip-toes and talks to the guy behind the counter. 

Marissa prances back to the table with a kid's menu and some paper in one hand and a few crayons in the other. "Tony says hi," the child chirps to her fathers as she sets all of her stuff down and glances at the menu thoughtfully for a moment before switching her attention to drawing a picture. 

"Here are your drinks guys," Lights says, placing a strawberry lemonade and two cherry cokes in front of them.

"Thank you Auntie Lights," the little girl beams at her aunt and takes a sip from her lemonade that she didn't even have to ask for. 

"You're welcome sweetie. Would you like the chicken strips and french fries like you normally do?" The question is answered with a quick nod from the child, no need to even ask the others because they always get the same thing and would speak up if they wanted something different. Lights goes to put in the order before coming back to the table and sitting next to Alan, across from Marissa and Austin. "I'm taking my break right now, so I can spend some time with you guys."

"I hope you don't have to work next Saturday because Beau will be really upset if you're working on Valentine's Day," Alan remarks.

"No worries, I have all next weekend off and I get to leave mid-day on Friday, so Beau and I will spend the entire weekend together at his place. He has something planned, although he hasn't told me anything yet. Honestly I am just glad to finally be able to spend some actual time with him. What about you guys?"

Both parents send their friend a confused look and Alan asks, "What do you mean? You know we never go out on Valentine's Day, although the day after Austin always goes out early to buy a bunch of chocolate."

"Besides, if we want to go on a date we will wait for a day that is less busy, and have you and/or Beau babysit," Austin adds. "In all seriousness, the three of us will just have a night in together and will most likely let Marissa pick out how we spend the day."

"That sounds nice," Lights notes.

Most of the time is spent with the adults listening to Marissa share her thoughts, which are mostly directed towards the little girl's favorite aunt. Around the time that their food arrives Lights leaves the family be so she can go back to work. The three of them eat their meal and make sure to say goodbye to their friend before they go.

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The Friday just before Valentine's Day is the day of Marissa's Valentine party in her class, and all of the cards are carefully tucked away in her backpack. Marissa wanted to wait until Friday to give her valentines to everyone, so she spent the night before making sure to put her name on each card. Austin and Alan drop their daughter off at school before heading to the music shop.

Walking into the store they see Beau nervously pacing the aisles and adjusting the already straightened CDs while muttering to himself. Alan laughs quietly, finding his friend's unnecessary nervousness highly amusing. Austin manages to remain composed, so as to not be rude, and lightly elbows his husband for being unable to do the same. The shorter calms down and pulls himself together before their friend notices the laughter at his expense. 

"Hey Beau. What has you so stressed out?" Austin asks, drawing Beau out of his distracted panic.

"This whole Valentine weekend thing. There is just too much pressure to make everything perfect."

At this Alan's amusement fades and his caring nature kicks in; he sets a hand on his friend's shoulder and says, "You know perfectly well that no matter what you guys do Lights will still love you. She is just looking forward to spending the weekend with you. I mean she cleared her entire weekend, and is only working a half day today, all so she can be around you."

"I think she's also happy that she shouldn't have to go to her place at all this weekend," Beau adds.

"Seriously, I don't understand why she hasn't completely moved out of her place yet; she practically lives at your place anyway. Her apartment is basically a storage space that she only goes to because she needs to just grab a few things. I don't understand why she doesn't just officially move in the rest of her stuff," Austin remarks, receiving a nod of agreement from Alan.

Their friend shakes his head and huffs out a short laugh before explaining. "The reason she hasn't officially moved in yet is because she's waiting until the end of her lease in like three weeks. In the mean time Lights is helping her roommate find a new person to move in and help pay rent, because she says she would feel bad just leaving Britney to deal with everything alone."

"So as long as you haven't decided to propose this weekend you will be perfectly fine," the ginger points out, only half joking.

Beau grins, much more at ease than before, "You know as well as I do that if I were to propose on the weekend of Valentine's Day that she might kill me for committing such a sickening cliché. I plan to do it before the year is up though, so be ready to slap some sense into me again when that time comes because I will undoubtedly be freaking out."

"That's what friends are for dude," Alan confirms. 

The guys continue to converse while they complete varied tasks around the shop until about noon. Beau and Austin both have to go, leaving Alan to look after the store for the rest of the day. Normally Beau stays on Fridays but he is leaving early this week to pick up Lights for their romantic weekend. Also, there are a couple guitar lessons scheduled for the afternoon so Austin will watch Marissa and come pick Alan up from the shop at six.

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Standing along with the other parents Austin waits patiently as the kids walk out and find their backpacks. The brunette watches as his daughter bounces over, decked out in her outfit of choice for the day, all pink and covered in hearts. Holding hands the two make their way to the car as the little girl talks about her day.

"Daddy, you and Dad forgot your lunch in the car again," the child comments, pointing to the paper bags sitting in the back next to her car seat. 

Austin finishes securing his daughter in her seat and looks at the forgotten lunches, knowing the only acceptable solution. "Alright, let's go see Dad then," he says before getting behind the wheel and heading to the music shop.

The bell on the door causes Alan to look up from the counter and see his husband and daughter walking in. "Hey guys, I didn't expect you to come in today, although it is a nice surprise."

"You and Daddy forgot your lunches again," the little girl scolds, holding out the lunch bag with 'Dad' written at the top in crayon. 

Alan apologizes and accepts his lunch, the two parents opening their lunches on the counter while their daughter sits on the chair next to them. Both fathers stand there eating and listening to Marissa go into detail about the different valentines she got.

"Oh and I got a box of chocolates in the shape of a heart from Jake."

"He gave everyone boxes of chocolate?" Alan asks.

"No Dad, just me and Fiona, but Fiona says he is just her friend and only gave her one because he didn't want her to feel left out. She says he likes me and Patrick thinks so too."

This earns a look from both parents that is completely missed by the child who continues on to talk about the Valentine present she made for her fathers. As usual the conversation continues to shift until the time when Austin decides to bring Marissa home.

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The next morning is Valentine's Day, a typically overlooked holiday in the Carlile-Ashby household. This year is a bit different however, and when Marissa goes into the living room upon waking up she finds both of her parents already awake. It is strange for Alan to even be awake before ten on a Saturday, so Marissa definitely did not expect to see him in the kitchen making pancakes at 7:30 in the morning. 

"Good morning Dad. Good morning Daddy. Happy Valentine's Day."

"Good morning Princess, happy Valentine's Day," Alan replies to the little girl standing in the entryway. 

Austin also returns the greeting and makes a plate of chocolate chip pancakes for the child, setting it down at her spot on the table. The little girl sits down and starts to eat her breakfast, being joined by the brunette. After the final pancakes are made Alan grabs the present him and Austin had bought for their daughter, bringing it to the table along with his own breakfast.

Marissa's eyes light up at the sight of the plush pink ladybug placed in front of her. She thanks her parents and hugs the plushy to her chest before running off to go get the present she made for them. The little girl bounces back into the room with a heart shaped card in one of her hands that she sets on the table between her parents. They both look at the card together and smile fondly at the handmade gift before wrapping their daughter in a hug.

"I love you Princess," Alan says, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"I love you too Dad, and I love you Daddy. Happy Valentine's Day."

"I love you too, Sweetheart," Austin replies, also kissing the top of her head. "I love you Alan," he whispers before placing a kiss on his husband's forehead.

"I love you too Austin," he expresses softly with a light blush tingeing his cheeks a pastel pink.

It seems that even the holiday that the couple usually mocks is easy to get totally wrapped up in now that they have a child to remind them how nice it is to have a day just devoted to letting someone know that you love them.