Babysitting Blues

ANOTHER INVIDIA SHORT BY AMI MEITSU

A/N: Timeline is May 2207, a month or two before Akira and Ryou's adoption.

An abundance of pink, purple, yellow and white surrounded Invidia and Arty as they shared a picnic in a garden one warm, May afternoon. The colorful display of flowers was being provided by Arty's mother's garden, which he had just spent the last half-hour weeding.

"So, when are your parents getting back from Spain, again?" Invidia asked.

"Sometime next week, why?" Arty said.

"Because I like this."

"What?"

"Being alone with you in this beautiful garden, of course." Invidia reached over and grabbed his hand, and, just as she did so, a light breeze came by and blew both her hair and her light purple sundress slightly to the left.

Arty smiled at her and gave her a soft, gentle kiss.

She smiled back and looked around, noticing something on a tree. "How long has that been here?" She asked.

"That swing? A few years at most. Mom didn't put it in until she started the garden."

"Push me," Invidia demanded.

"What?"

"Push me…on the swing, it's been years since I was on a swing, and besides, garden swings are romantic." Invidia stood up and began to pull at his wrist.

"Alright, I'll push you," Arty said as he stood up and let Invidia lead him over to the swing. "Where are your shoes?" He asked a minute later.

"I left them on the blanket; I'm more comfortable like this anyway," Invidia said as she sat down.

"Ready?" Arty asked when she was settled in.

Invidia nodded and looked back at him, only to be met with another soft kiss. She smiled and turned while he gently pushed the swing.

'I like this, it's sweet and romantic. Arty's parents should go on second honeymoons more often,' Invidia thought. 'Besides, when they're gone we have the house and all the bedrooms to ourselves…'

'Princess, you're so cute like this, and it's kind of…sexy…' Arty smiled and began to drift off. He was only halfway into his thoughts when his cell phone rang.

"Arty, who's that?"Invidia whined.

"I don't know. Hello?" He said when he picked up the phone.

"Arty, I'm glad I finally caught you," Homer said over the line.

"Homer, what do you want?" Arty asked.

"I need a favor. You see, Wendy and I have to go out of town this weekend and we can't find anybody to watch Cassandra."

"Can't Derek and Nova or even Mark and Trelania do it?" Arty asked as he looked at Invidia.

"I already asked them, but they're busy helping Setsuna with a project she's doing. And Mark and Trelania are too busy with Misako. Besides, I'm not dumping my baby on a couple who already has a child under five."

"And what do you call dumping her on a couple with no children?"

"Please, Arty. This is really important to us, and you're the only one left who we really trust."

"I don't know, I have to ask Invidia," He said as he glanced at her.

"Unfortunately I need an answer now, we leave in two days," Homer said.

Arty sighed. 'I know it's not a good idea, but Homer's a friend. And besides, it's only three days, Invidia can handle a baby for three days, can't she?' He thought, then he said, "Alright, I'll do it."

"Really? Thank you. I owe you one."

"No problem," Arty said, then, he hung up and turned back to Invidia.

"What was that about?" she asked.

"We're watching Cassandra this weekend."

"Vhat?" Invidia asked.

"You heard me."

"Oh, no, no, no, NO! We are not looking after Homer's little brat!"

"Sorry, Princess, I already made the promise."

"Fine," Invidia pouted. "But you owe me for this!"

"I figured you'd say that, so after all of this is over, why don't we go on a romantic getaway? I'm off the first week in June."

"Really?" Invidia looked at him with wide eyes.

Arty nodded. "We can start looking at options tonight. Though, June seems like a long time from now, doesn't it?"

"Arty, what are you getting at?"

Arty gave her a sly smile and quickly swept her up, he then carried her back to the picnic blanket and laid her down.

"You know what I'm thinking right now?" Invidia asked when she realized what was happening.

"No, what?" Arty said as he started to kiss her neck.

"Two things. The first being that I'm beyond grateful for the fence and all of these flowers."

"And the second?"

"We should have done this a long time ago," Invidia said, then she whispered a very sexy, but sweet suggestion in his ear as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Of course, my Princess…" Arty whispered back as he ran his hand up her leg, but, halfway up he stopped and started to unzip her dress.

"I love you," Invidia whispered.

"I love you too," Arty whispered back, then they shared a hot, passionate kiss as Arty finally slipped her dress off and looked her over with love in his eyes.

Invidia looked back with the same amount of love, love that turned to annoyance the day Cassandra was dropped off.

"Now, don't forget, the emergency numbers are listed in the schedule book, and she will get up during the night. Oh, and if she starts talking call us right away," Wendy said as she handed Invidia a stack of baby supplies.

"Uh huh," Invidia said as she set the stuff down.

Now, you be good for Invidia and Arty, alright?" Wendy said as she handed Cassandra over to Arty.

Cassandra looked at her, and then cast her glance to Arty.

"She doesn't talk yet?" Arty asked.

"No, but we're working on it. I think she just likes being quiet," Homer said.

"Good, then maybe she'll stay out of the way," Invidia snapped as she glared at the baby.

Cassandra smiled, reached for Invidia's hair and succeeded in pulling on a strand hanging in Invidia's face.

"Ow! Don't do that! Ever! Do you know how much I go through to keep my hair like this?" Invidia snapped, causing Cassandra to cry.

"Invidia!" Wendy snapped and gently took Cassandra from Arty.

"What!? It's her fault, not mine!"

"Princess, just stop," Arty said.

Invidia pouted and turned away from them just as Cassandra's cries turned into whimpers and she was handed back over to Arty.

"Be good," Wendy told her. "And you be careful," she snapped at Invidia, then she turned and left with Homer.

"Now what do we do?" Invidia asked.

"Well, Wendy did say that she hasn't eaten yet, why don't you feed her?"

"Why me?"

"Because I have to set up the crib in the extra bedroom. Besides, it's not that hard, just move her high chair into the kitchen and make her a meal from the baby food."

"Fine…" Invidia grumbled. She picked up the high chair and put it by the table, then she took Cassandra from Arty and put her in it. "Stay!" She ordered.

Arty laughed to himself as he watched, then he took the portable crib into the apartment's third room for set up. And, while he set that up, Invidia took some random jars of food and placed small portions onto one of four feeding dishes Wendy had provided.

"Here," She said as she sat the tray and a spoon in front of Cassandra.

Cassandra looked at her for a brief moment before turning her attention to the food. She patted it with the spoon for a good five minutes before she decided that it was more fun to put her hands in it.

"Stop it!"Invidia quickly picked up the tray and washed off Cassandra's hands. "I guess I have to feed you myself, but you need a bib…" She got up and came back with a blue bib that had a rubber ducky on it.

"Okay, now that you're all set, open," She held the spoon up, and to her surprise, Cassandra did as she was told and opened her mouth. 'It's about time you did something right!' Invidia thought, then, she succeeded in feeding her four more spoonfuls. Pleased with the result Invidia moved on to a different item and was met with disappointment.

Cassandra took one look at it and turned away.

"Come on! Eat it! I'm not wasting food because you're stubborn!" Invidia snapped as she tried to force her to eat. After five failed attempts, she gave up and sighed. "Okay you win."

Cassandra laughed and Invidia took that opportunity to shove the spoon in her mouth, but, instead of swallowing, Cassandra spit it right back at her, staining her light blue top with dark green.

"Gross! Who do you think you are!?"Invidia snapped as she slammed the spoon down. "Do it again, I dare you!" Invidia then tried several more times to get her to eat, but all she ended up doing was acquiring more stains on her shirt.

"That's it! I give up, you're nothing but a brainless idiot! A monkey could eat better then you!" At that, Invidia put her head in her hands and began to cry out of pure frustration. Unfortunately, her crying made Cassandra cry and caused Arty to come investigate.

"Princess? Cassandra!" Arty picked Cassandra up and placed a hand on Invidia's shoulder. "Both of you stop, it's alright. Now, what happened here?"

"Look at me! What do you think happened!? That baby is a demon! She ruined one of my good tops!"

"Invidia, she's just a baby, she doesn't know any better."

"I don't care! Look at me! I'm a mess," Invidia whined.

"Princess, you go change and I'll finish up here, alright?"

Invidia nodded and left. As soon as she was gone, Arty looked at Cassandra and put her down.

"You'll eat for me, right?" He asked as he gently brought the spoon to her lips. "Please?"

Cassandra obediently opened her mouth and ate what he offered.

"Good girl, now about we try something new. You like strawberries, right?"

Cassandra smiled and happily ate the strawberry puree, which happened to be one of her favorites.

"Good girl," Arty repeated. "Aren't you just the cutest little thing?"

"Why are you talking like that?" Invidia asked.

"It's called positive reinforcement. If you make her happy she'll do what you want, see?" Arty then demonstrated his technique, ending with another "good girl."

"Whatever, I'm going to go finish the makeshift nursery."

"Have fun," Arty teased.

Invidia rolled her eyes, and dragged the changing table and toy bin into the room. 'I hope I don't have to use this! I refuse to change any diapers, it's way too disgusting!' She sighed and started organizing things into various places, she was in the middle of stocking the changing table when Arty called her.

"Invidia, can you do me a favor?"

"Depends on what it is," She replied as she stepped out into the living room.

"Give Cassandra a bath."

"Why?"

"Because she's messy, and besides you're in charge of her too."

"Fine, but you have to help me, I don't know anything about bathing babies!"

"Alright, we'll do it in the hall bathroom. Fill up the tub like normal and I'll get her ready for it."

Invidia nodded and went to fill up the bathtub, thinking, 'Fill it like normal, huh? Is he planning on drowning her? While I don't want to watch her, I hope not, Wendy would kill us, and I really don't want to go to jail…' She pondered it for another minute before Arty came in with a small inner tube and Cassandra in a baby-sized towel. He set the purple inner tube in the bathtub and gently placed Cassandra in it. It took her a minute to realize what was happening, but when she did realize it, she happily splashed the water.

"Oh, so you like baths, do you?" Arty teased.

"Stop that."

"Stop what?"

"That baby talk, it's annoying."

"But she likes it."

"Who cares? It's still annoying."

'Whatever.' Arty rolled his eyes and gently began to wash Cassandra, describing the movements to Invidia in case she had to bathe her alone. "And you could always get in the bath with her."

Invidia gave him a look.

"Right, now when you wash her hair…"Arty continued on as he gently coaxed Invidia into helping him wash Cassandra's hair. He helped her along the way and got Invidia to dry her while he drained the tub.

"Now what?" Invidia asked.

"Now, I'll show you how to properly diaper her."

"How come you're so good at this?"

"I used to look after my baby cousin while his mother was looking for a new job and picked up some things," Arty explained as they walked across the hall.

"And how long ago was this?"

"Four or five years ago, long before I met you."

"And which girlfriend were you with then?" Invidia teased.

"It was either number three or four, I don't remember."

"Good, I don't want you to remember," Invidia whispered, as she moved up and gave him a light kiss on the cheek.

Arty smiled at her and gently laid Cassandra on the changing table. "Now, watch, because I'm only going to do this once."

Invidia stood behind him and carefully watched what he did, then she walked off to pick out a new outfit for Cassandra. 'Pink, pink, and more pink! Can't Wendy see any other colors? Wait…this looks okay,' She thought, picking up a dark blue, sailor dress.

"How's this?"

"Cute. And after we dress her, why don't we let her crawl around for awhile and explore her new surroundings?"

"No. I'm not letting her loose! She might break something!"

"No she won't, she can't even reach our breakable items."

"But, she could fall against something and knock it over, or get stuck in the bathroom or one of the bedrooms."

"Then we'll just put the baby gate up," Arty said.

"We have one of those?" Invidia asked skeptically as she handed Arty the dress.

Arty nodded. "Wendy and Homer brought it with them so that we didn't have to keep Cassandra in one place all the time."

Invidia took in a deep breath and said, "Fine, I'll watch her in the living room, I have laundry to do anyway."

"Then you take her," Arty said as he handed her Cassandra. "And I'll set it up."

Invidia nodded and carried Cassandra into the living room and set her on the floor, Arty followed and quickly set up the baby gate so that it blocked off the hallway.

Cassandra watched the two of them for a minute before crawling over to play with her toys.

"Good girl, now stay," Invidia ordered.

Arty laughed to himself and headed into the master bedroom to do some reports, leaving Invidia alone with a basket of unfolded laundry and a baby.

Invidia dumped the laundry onto the floor and set the basket on the coffee table, then, she sat down and started to fold it, humming to herself while she worked. She was so busy she didn't notice when Cassandra crawled over to the pile, until it moved.

'What the…?' Invidia thought as she turned around. Behind her she saw Cassandra crawl off with something black in her hands. "Hey! Give me that!" Invidia stomped over and quickly snatched Arty's shirt away from her. "Stay out of the laundry!" She snapped.

Cassandra tilted her head and crawled off into the kitchen for a few minutes before returning to pull something red from the laundry pile.

"Hey! I need that!" Invidia snapped and tried to pull the item out of her hands.

Cassandra pulled back with a frustrated whine.

"No!"Invidia snapped as she quickly yanked the fabric out of her hands. "Are you deaf!? I told you to stay out of the laundry!" Invidia then picked her up and put her in the corner with some toys. "Now, stay! You move again and I swear I'll…"

"Invidia, what are you doing? And what's that?" Arty asked as he entered the living room.

"Nothing," Invidia said nervously as she quickly hid the item in her hands behind her back.

"What's behind your back?"

"Nothing, now go away."

"No, not until you show me what's behind your back."

"No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"I said, 'yes'," Arty said as he suddenly jumped her.

"Arty! What are you…? No…Stop it!" Invidia said as he started tickling her. She immediately dropped what was in her hands and tried to hold him back.

As soon as she dropped the item, Arty grabbed it and stood up. "Ha," he said.

"Hey! Give that back!"

"Ooh, Sexy…" Arty teased as he held a dark red slip with black lace straps in front of him. Along with the straps there was also lace along the bottom and the top. "And just what were you planning to do with this?"

Invidia quickly snatched it out of his hands. "Well…I…I wanted to wear it for you, but you ruined the surprise!"

"No I didn't. Seeing the slip by itself is a lot different from seeing my sexy princess wearing it…"

"Arty." Invidia blushed, and quickly turned her head away from him, only to see Cassandra with one of her skirts in her hands. "Cassandra!" She grumbled.

Arty just shook his head and headed back into the bedroom to finish his reports while Invidia picked Cassandra up and set her in the corner once again.

"Stay! And that's an order!" Invidia sighed and went back over to pick a purple top out of the pile. But, before she could do so it was snatched away from her. She looked around and glared at Cassandra. 'Alright! That's it!' Invidia stomped over to where the extra supplies were, pulled out the playpen and set it in the middle of the floor, then, she quickly picked Cassandra up and set her in it. "Since you won't stay when you're told to, I'll make you stay!" She said as she angrily threw some plush blocks in with Cassandra. "There, have fun." She sighed again and continued doing the laundry in peace.

Cassandra looked at Invidia and then up, she hated being trapped in her playpen with no one to pay attention to her. She soon began to whine, hoping it would help.

"Shut up! You did this to yourself!" Invidia told her.

She continued on, but stopped when she realized that it wasn't helping. She then looked at the blocks, picked one up and threw it out of the playpen and straight towards the back of Invidia's head.

Invidia winced and turned toward her.

Cassandra just giggled at her.

Invidia glared at her for a second before turning her back again.

Cassandra frowned at Invidia's lack of reaction and threw another block at her.

'Shake it off, Princess…just shake it off…' She told herself as she shook her head.

Cassandra frowned again and threw three more blocks at Invidia, who picked the third one up and threw it right back at her. The block hit her in the head, but, being that it was a soft, plush material it didn't hurt. She looked at the block and began to cry out of frustration.

"Oh, come on! I didn't even throw it that hard, and it's plush for Arishna's sake!"

"Invidia, what did you do?" Arty asked as he approached the playpen and picked Cassandra up.

"I think she's mad because I threw a block at her."

"Why?"

"She was throwing them at me! And I didn't even do anything!"

"She's probably frustrated because you put her in this playpen and left her. She hates that."

"I don't care what she likes or dislikes, she's annoying."

"That's no reason to ignore her. But, lucky for all of us it's her naptime," Arty said as he glanced at the clock.

"Good," Invidia said.

Arty just shook his head and walked off with Cassandra in his arms. After he put her down, they had a peaceful silence for about three hours. Cassandra woke up while Invidia was making dinner, causing her to drop what she was doing so that she could bring her out into the kitchen; she then set her in the high chair and gave her a spoon. "Here, amuse yourself," she said.

Cassandra smiled and happily banged the spoon against the tray.

Invidia smiled and turned back toward the stove, where she busily stirred the pasta she was using to make one of her favorite dishes, chicken and broccoli alfredo with extra broccoli. After she stirred and drained the pasta she started stirring the sauce and was about to add a few more pieces of broccoli when Arty hugged her from behind.

"How's it going?" He asked.

"Just fine, we'll be able to eat in a few minutes."

"What about Cassandra?"

"She's over there," Invidia pointed to her.

Arty let go of Invidia and pulled out a chair so that he sat in front of Cassandra. "Now, what are we going to do about your dinner?" he asked.

"She can eat what we're eating, can't she?"

"Probably not, I know babies eat spaghetti, but I don't know about alfredo."

"Then I'll just heat up some spaghetti sauce for her."

"I don't think it's that easy, let me get Wendy's notes," Arty left and came back two minutes later with a purple notebook. "According to this she can eat pasta, but it has to be spiral pasta, so that she can pick it up with her fingers."

"So now I have to make an extra meal for her? Great…" Invidia huffed.

"No you don't, I'll do it. You look busy anyway."

Invidia gave Arty a grateful look. "Thanks," she said.

Arty nodded and began looking around for the rotini pasta and tomato sauce. While he rummaged around Invidia got to work setting the table and getting down the plates for their dinner.

"Hey, while you're up can you go get one of the plastic plates?" Arty asked.

"We don't own any plastic plates. They're tacky."

"I was talking about Cassandra's dishes, and get a bottle too."

"Fine," Invidia said, then she went to go dig out a blue dish set that included a plastic plate, fork, spoon and bottle. "What's the bottle for?"

"She's going to be given some formula after her next bath, so I figured it was easier to have the bottle in reach," Arty explained as he finished his cooking and filled Cassandra's dish. Invidia then picked up their plates and placed them on the table while Arty got a bib and gave Cassandra her dinner.

"That's a stupid bib," Invidia said. The bib Cassandra wore was pink and said I love my Grandma.

"No it's not, it's cute. Homer said it was a present from Wendy's mother who's her middle name sake."

"What is her middle name anyway?"

"Lorraine."

"It's cute…I guess…" Invidia muttered, then she began to eat.

Across from her, Cassandra started to eat with the fork, but soon got bored with it and put her hands in the spaghetti. She ended up eating a third of it and wearing the rest of it.

"Arty, she's making a mess!" Invidia whined as she loaded the dishwasher.

"Then give her a bath."

"Can you do it? I plan to take a bath of my own."

"Alright, but be done in an hour, I want you to feed her."

"But…"

Arty gave her a look.

"Fine," Invidia sighed, and headed into the master bathroom to set herself a bubble bath. She was done within forty-five minutes and came out wearing the red slip she had folded earlier, covered by a dark red, silken robe so that Arty couldn't see. She headed into the living room and found Arty holding a pink-clad Cassandra. "Alright, how do I do this?"

"Well, getting the bottle ready would be the first step."

Invidia nodded and went into the kitchen to do so. She came back three minutes later with the blue bottle in hand.

"Okay, now sit down on the couch and I'll hand her to you," Arty said.

Invidia sat and Arty came over and gently handed her Cassandra. It took a minute for Invidia to sit her in the right position, but, once she did she gently offered the bottle.

Cassandra smiled and took it.

"Now let go of the bottle," Arty ordered.

Invidia did and wrapped her other arm tightly around Cassandra's body.

Arty smiled. "You know, you look cute as a mommy," he teased.

Invidia blushed, then asked, "how do I know when she's done?"

"She should drop the bottle."

And she did two minutes later. As soon as she did, Arty took it and Invidia burped her. Cassandra then rested her head on Invidia's shoulder and soon fell asleep. "I guess it’s bedtime for you," Invidia whispered. Then, she carefully stood up and went to go lay Cassandra down for bed. When she came back out Arty was sitting on the couch waiting for her.

"Why don't we watch a movie?" He suggested. "It's only eight o'clock."

Invidia shook her head. "I think I'm just going to read for awhile. Why don't you go take your shower?"

"Alright," Arty said as he got up.

Invidia followed him and while he headed into the bathroom she picked up her latest book and settled in on the bed. She stopped when she heard the water stop and put the book down. Then, she threw off her robe, pulled the bed covers down, turned the lamp down to 'low' and laid across the bed in a sexy position and waited.

Arty came out just two minutes later in a pair of black pajama pants and stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed Invidia. "Princess…w…what is this?"

"You know what this is."

"Yes, but…"

"Come on Arty, just because we have a baby for a few days doesn't mean that we can't be together."

"But, Invidia…I…"

Invidia got up and went over to him. "Come on, Darling," she whispered. "You know you want me…And I want you…Please, make love to me…" She then leaned up, threw her arms around his neck and gave him a hot, passionate kiss.

Arty was startled at first, but soon fell into it. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in closer. When she backed away she had nothing but pure love in her eyes. Arty smiled at her and then swept her off her feet and gently laid her on the bed.

"You're beautiful," he whispered as he gently fingered the lace at her breasts.

"And you, my Darling, are the handsomest man I have ever seen…"

Arty smiled and gave her another deep kiss, then he moved down and kissed his way down her neck to her breasts while gently sliding down one of the black lace straps that covered her shoulders. He then kissed her shoulder and moved back over to her neck while he slid the other strap and then the slip down, exposing her breasts to him.

She moaned as he passionately kissed them and started moving down to her stomach. "Arty…take this off…make me naked, please," She demanded.

"I'll take this off when I'm ready to," he teased, then he kissed her again, making her gasp. He then grabbed the hem of the slip and quickly pulled it off of her.

"What about you…? You…you need to be naked with me…" Invidia gasped. Then she worked on getting his pants off, once she did he looked her over with pure love in his eyes and leaned down to kiss her again. But, right in the middle of their kiss they heard a high pitched cry.

"No…not now," Invidia whined.

"She can't help it Princess, it's not like she knows what we're doing," Arty said as he got up and slipped a robe on. "I'll go see what's wrong now, but next time it's your turn."

Invidia nodded and waited for him to come back, when he did she asked, "what was it?"

"Just a change, and don't worry I washed my hands and used sanitizer."

"Good, now get over here," Invidia demanded as she clicked the light off.

Arty looked at her for a moment before slipping off his robe and going back over to her.

Invidia wrapped her arms around his neck to kiss him again, while he gently eased her down onto the bed and got on top of her. He then gave her another hot kiss before moving down to run both his hands and his kisses all over her body.

She gasped and moaned while he touched and teased her all over, making her feel hot, sexy and completely in love. And, she returned the favor, making him feel just as wonderful as she did, maybe even more…She was just about ready to give into him completely when he came up and they shared a hot, passionate kiss as he took her without warning and she screamed out his name. Arty gripped her hands and held her down, kissing her like mad as their love making went on. And right before the climax hit her, Invidia heard another cry.

Arty looked worried, but Invidia gripped his hand harder. "Don't stop," she said. "Just ignore her for now…"

Right after she said it, they both came to a hot, intense climax that had Invidia crying as she screamed out his name over and over again.

She fell spent against him and whispered, "I love you…you don't know how much I love you…"

"I think I do," Arty said, then he kissed her.

Invidia began to cry harder as they kissed and quickly grabbed his hands.

"You're beautiful, impossibly beautiful…you know that right?" Arty whispered as he moved a strand of loose hair out of her face.

"I…I think so…"

"Good, now go take care of the baby."

"But…Darling…"

"No buts, you agreed to take care of her too, now go see what's wrong."

Invidia sighed and slowly got up. She then slipped her robe back on and went across the hall.

"What now?" She whined as she picked Cassandra up. As soon as she did Cassandra tried to grab her breasts. "What are you doing?" Invidia asked nervously as she felt a hand on one of them. "Stop it!" She then pulled Cassandra away from her and held her out at arms length. "Arty!" She called.

"What?" Arty asked when he entered.

"She's trying to grope me! Make her stop!"

"What are you talking about?"

"She keeps trying to grab at my breasts. Take her!" Invidia handed her over and backed up.

"Grabbing at your…Invidia, she's hungry."

"And what makes her think I can give her anything?"

"She's used to being nursed, that's all. Go make a bottle and wait on our bed."

"Our bed? But Arty, we just…I mean…"

"I know, but we don't have a chair in here, besides, you'll be more comfortable that way."

Invidia sighed, and, not finding it any use to argue, went to go make a bottle. When she came into the bedroom Arty had her sit on the bed and gently handed her Cassandra so that she could be fed. Invidia gently offered the bottle, but Cassandra didn't seem to be interested in it at all, she just reached for Invidia's breasts again.

"Stop that!" Invidia said, then she offered the bottle again.

Realizing that she wasn't going to get what she wanted, Cassandra gave up and took the bottle. When she was done Invidia burped her and put her back to bed. When she came back into the bedroom she sighed and threw her robe off. "Arty, I don't know if I can do this for two more days, it's exhausting."

"It'll be fine, now come to bed."

"Oh, we're not going to bed just yet."

"No?"

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Invidia said as she climbed on top of him.

"Do you have something to say about it?"

"Of course," Invidia purred, then they kissed and spent the next hour making sweet, passionate (and uninterrupted) love to each other. And, afterwards they fell asleep in each other's arms, only to be woken up a three thirty by Cassandra, who was both thirsty and wet. Arty got up to change her while Invidia filled a bottle with water and gave it to her in the kitchen. They then tried to put her back to bed, but, she wouldn't go to sleep.

"Please, go to bed," Invidia whined. "I'm tired and for me to go to bed you have to sleep."

Cassandra, who was sitting up in her crib, just smiled.

"No! No smiling! Sleep…"

Cassandra tilted her head and presented Invidia with a stuffed cat.

"No! I don't want that! I want you to sleep! Please!"

"Princess, calm down," Arty said as he came over and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"But I'm tired and she won't sleep!"

"Well, the care guide Wendy gave us said that if she wakes up really early and can't sleep then you have to rock her and sing a lullaby."

"Do I have to?"

"If you want to sleep you do."

Invidia groaned, and then picked up Cassandra and carried her out into the living room. She sat on the couch and began to sing a soft, sweet lullaby that her mother used to sing to her and, within six minutes both she and Cassandra were sound asleep. Arty came out to check on them three minutes later and smiled; then, he gently took Cassandra out of Invidia's arms and put her back to bed. After she was settled in he came back out and gently carried Invidia into the bedroom to put her to bed, then, he climbed into bed with her and pulled her close to him as he began to fall asleep himself.

They woke up again four hours later and found Cassandra happily playing in her crib, so Invidia picked her up and they all went into the kitchen for breakfast.

"So, do you have any ideas for breakfast? Arty asked.

"Pancakes," Invidia said as she went around getting the ingredients she needed.

"And what about her?" Arty asked as Invidia measured blueberries.

"Can't she eat pancakes?"

Arty shook his head. "Wendy and Homer haven't introduced them to her yet, and I think it's best to leave it to them."

"Then what is she supposed to eat?"

"Well, Wendy did say that she liked Cheerios."

"We don't have any Cheerios."

"I think she included them with the baby food, I'll go check." Arty went into the living room and rummaged through her food bag, coming back with a miniature box of Cheerios.

"Give her some fruit too, plain cereal isn't very healthy," Invidia told him.

Arty nodded and took the fruit salad out of the fridge; he then took one of the plastic dishes from the dishwasher and filled it. "Invidia, can you get her some juice?"He asked.

"Not now," Invidia replied as she flipped pancakes.

"Fine, I'll get it." Arty then pulled a small container of organic apple juice out of the fridge and filled one of the smaller bottles with it. "Here you go, Honey," he said when he placed the food on Cassandra's high chair tray.

Cassandra smiled and gently picked up a piece of cantaloupe and put it in her mouth, then she picked up another piece and held it out to Arty.

"No, I don't want that. It's your breakfast, not mine," Arty said gently.

Cassandra tilted her head and put it down, then she grabbed a Cheerio and ate it.

"Good girl." Arty smiled.

"How come she doesn't eat them with milk?" Invidia asked as she placed two plates of pancakes, eggs and fruit on the table a few minutes later.

"She doesn't like it when it gets soggy, and I don't feel like cleaning it up if she knocks it over."

Invidia just shrugged, sat down and picked up the jar of kren from the table.

"How come you didn't make any bacon, Princess?" Arty asked as he looked at his plate.

"Because I don't like it. Besides, fruit is better for you anyway," Invidia said as she gently poured some of the kren over her pancakes. "Hey, see if she eats this." Invidia handed him a small spoonful of kren.

"Alright," Arty took and presented it to Cassandra, "Do you eat this?" He asked.

Cassandra studied it and opened her mouth, allowing him to feed her. She thought for a minute and then smiled.

"I'll take that as a 'yes.'" Arty smiled.

"Well, that's one thing she's done right."

Arty rolled his eyes and continued eating, but, halfway through he heard a crash and a cry. He looked over and saw Cassandra looking at her bottle, which was rolling around on the floor.

"What happened? Did you knock over your juice?" Arty asked as he picked it up. Cassandra took it from him and happily began to drink it, then she put it down, picked up some Cheerios and threw them towards Invidia.

"Hey!" Invidia snapped when one hit her above her eye.

Arty chuckled, earning him a glare from Invidia.

"That's not funny!"

"Yes it is."

"No it's not! It's annoying!" She snapped as she got up and took her plate to the sink.

"You're just cranky," Arty teased.

"I am not cranky," Invidia pouted just as the phone rang.

Arty answered and sighed when he hung up.

"What?" Invidia asked.

"Hardy needs some help with something, so I have to go."

"And leave me alone with the baby?"

"Sorry, Princess."

"But Arty!"

"Sorry, I promised I'd help him."

Invidia groaned and Arty went to get ready to go out. He left an hour later, leaving Invidia alone with Cassandra, who was now clean and fully dressed, in the living room.

"Now, what am I supposed to do with you?" Invidia asked as Cassandra played with a stuffed animal.

Cassandra turned to look at her and held out a teddy bear.

"I'm not playing with that."

Cassandra blinked once and then crawled away, leaving Invidia alone to think.

'What am I going to do with her? I don't know how to entertain a baby…' Invidia sighed. 'Maybe Nova will have some ideas, she's good with children.' Invidia then stood up and picked up the phone.

"Hello?" Nova asked when she answered.

"Nova, I need your help, I'm stuck with Cassandra for the day and have no idea what to do with her."

"It's a nice day outside, why don't you take her to the park? That's what Derek I were planning to do with Setsuna."

"Two problems. One, I don't know how to install a car seat. And two, what the hell am I going to do with a baby at the park?"

Nova sighed. "Alright, what if I come by and help you?"

"Thank you, when?"

"I'll be there around ten thirty."

"Okay, see you then, bye," Invidia said, then she hung up and turned to Cassandra. "Guess what? You get to play outside now," She told her.

Cassandra smiled, picked up one of the plush blocks on the floor and presented it to Invidia.

"Oh no, we are not playing with those again," Invidia said as she picked her up and put her in the playpen with some stuffed animals. "You stay here, I have chores to do." She then walked off and began to unload the dishwasher.

Cassandra watched her while she worked, and pouted. Invidia had walked off on her again and she didn't like it, so, she started to whine.

"Vhat?!" Invidia snapped. "What do you want?! I gave you toys and you can see me, so shut up!" She walked off again to finish her dishes and start the laundry while Cassandra followed her with her eyes. This pattern went on until Nova arrived an hour and a half later with Derek and Setsuna behind her.

"So, they stuck you with the baby," Nova joked when Invidia let her in.

"It's not funny! She's annoying! All the whining and crying and the throwing food around and stealing my laundry, it's frustrating!" Invidia snapped.

"I would say 'you get used to it' but you only have her for one more day," Derek said.

"Thank goodness! Now, about this car seat, Nova…"

"Before we do that we have to pack some things up, where's her diaper bag?" Nova asked.

"Her what?" Invidia asked with a curious look.

"Diaper bag, it's what you use to carry around her diapers, food, wipes, things of that nature."

"I don't have one."

"And why not?"

"Because no one ever told me about it! Duh!"

"Alright then, I guess we have to make one, what's that bag for?" Nova pointed to a pink bag sitting on the couch.

"That? It's her baby food."

"Empty it out and I'll show you what to do. Where's her other things?"

"The second room and the right is our makeshift nursery," Invidia explained while she gently set the jars of baby food on the table.

"Daddy, this looks yucky," Setsuna said as she picked up one of the jars.

"It may look yucky to you now, but you used to eat it when you were a baby too," Derek told her.

"Really? I used to be this small?" Setsuna pointed to Cassandra.

Derek nodded just as Nova came back.

"Here," She said, dropping some baby items on the table, then, she picked up the bag and showed Invidia how to properly organize it. Afterwards, she took her out to the car and pulled a car seat out of her trunk.

"Now we're going to…why are you looking at me like that?" Nova asked.

"There is no way I am putting that pink…thing in my car!"

"But, Invidia…"

"No, it's too big and I don't want to look like a mommy."

"But you are a mommy, for the weekend anyway."

"No."

"Fine, we'll put it in my car then," Nova said, not wanting to start an argument. She then showed Invidia how to set it up, and how the seatbelt on it worked. "Alright, now, what about a stroller?"

"It's upstairs, it was left with us in case we wanted to take her out for a walk."

"Go get it and tell Derek to bring Cassandra down here."

Invidia nodded and did just that, and with in ten minutes, they were all en route to a local park outside of Nova and Derek's neighborhood. Immediately after they arrived Setsuna dragged Derek to the playground, leaving Nova and Invidia alone.

"Won't this be fun?" Nova asked Cassandra sweetly. "Now you can explore."

"Stop that," Invidia said while setting up the stroller.

"Why? Talking to her will help, besides she gets bored if you ignore her."

"So?"

"So, if she's bored, she cries."

'Yeah, yeah…whatever,' Invidia thought as she got Cassandra out of the car and strapped her into the stroller.

Cassandra smiled and looked at her surroundings with awe, paying close attention to a white flower next to the stroller wheel. It fascinated her and she wanted it, so, she reached forward and whined.

"What?" Nova asked. "You like the flower? Here." She gently picked it and handed it to Cassandra, who stared at it and then tried to eat it.

"No!" Invidia snatched it away from her. "Flowers are not food! If you're hungry I'll feed you when we get to our spot." She then threw the flower over her shoulder, released the stroller's brakes, and walked with Nova following.

"Where are you having this picnic anyway?"

"Over by that large tree, it's our favorite picnic spot."

"Really? Because Arty and I prefer to eat over there." Invidia pointed out a tree with white blossoms, while thinking, 'Or, better yet, in his parents' garden, because then we get to do more than eat…'

"You know, we've never been over there, but it's beautiful. It's a good idea for next time."

Invidia nodded and continued walking, but, she didn't get more than four feet before being stopped by a woman.

"Oh how cute," She said of Cassandra. "What's her name?"

"Cassandra, she's not mine."

"How nice that you're watching her though, she's adorable!"

"Of course she is to you. You haven't been around to see her cry, throw toys or spit food out at me!" Invidia snapped.

The woman backed up and gave Invidia a look. "Are you alright, ma'am?"

"She's a little worked up right now," Nova said. "Don't worry about it."

The woman nodded and walked back to her area. Invidia watched her and continued on, only to be stopped four more times on her way down the path, which annoyed both her and Cassandra, who was starting to whine.

"Hold on a minute," Invidia said as she helped Nova set down the picnic blanket. She then reached into the diaper bag and pulled out a bottle of water and a box of animal crackers and set them on the stroller tray.

"Invidia, no!" Nova quickly pulled the things away. "You have to wipe the tray down first, who knows what kind of germs she can get from it?"

"Fine," Invidia huffed; then, she pulled a disinfectant wipe out of the bag and wiped the tray down. After she was done Nova put the items back down.

Cassandra smiled and ate one of the animal crackers while watching them set up the picnic. Shortly after they set up Nova ran off to get Setsuna and Derek and they all sat down for lunch.

"Do you eat this?" Nova asked as she presented a piece of pasta from some Italian pasta salad to Cassandra.

Cassandra took it from her and threw it at Derek.

"Hey!" Derek said.

"Aw, did she hit you?" Invidia teased. "I'll make it better," she said as she hugged him.

Derek smiled at her. "I can always count on you Princess," he teased.

Invidia laughed and ate another forkful of pasta salad while looking out at the pond in front of them. 'It's so beautiful here. I wonder why Arty and I never thought to change our picnic spot…' Invidia thought with a content sigh, but, just as she finished the thought Cassandra began to cry…no, she began to scream.

"What's wrong with her?" Invidia asked.

Nova picked her up and held her for a minute before saying, "she needs to be changed."

"There is no way I'm doing that!" Invidia snapped.

"But Invidia, she's…"

"No! I don't know a thing about changing diapers, and I'd like to keep my lunch inside my stomach."

"Fine," Nova huffed as she picked up the diaper bag and carried Cassandra off to the bathroom.

Derek gave Invidia a look. "That was rude, Invidia. She's your responsibility, you know."

"I know, but I didn't ask her to be, besides, just the thought of changing diapers makes me nauseous."

"That doesn't matter, she's your baby for the weekend and you have to take care of her whether you want to or not. And I don't want to hear any more of your stupid excuses!" Derek snapped.

Invidia looked at him with angry tears in her eyes. "Then I'm leaving! Thanks for the food!" She then kicked over the picnic basket and stomped off towards a hiking trail. 'Stupid Derek, he's such a know-it-all! Just because he has a kid doesn't mean he's an expert and what he said was just plain rude! I hate him!' Invidia thought as she walked, and, about two yards into the trail she slumped down on a rock and sighed. 'I didn't ask to watch the baby; Homer just dumped her on us. I never wanted to be a mommy! Through babysitting or otherwise,' Invidia thought, then she put her head in her hands and cried a mix of sadness and frustration. She didn't know how long she had been sitting for before Nova found her.

"Invidia?" She said. "So this is where you went."

"Nova, take me home."

"But, Invidia…"

"No, I want to go home, now!"

"Alright, come on," Nova pulled at her wrist and led her back to their spot, where Cassandra sat in her stroller watching Derek and Setsuna eat.

Invidia avoided looking at Derek and quickly gathered Cassandra's things while Nova went over to whisper something to Derek, who nodded. They left a few minutes later and arrived at Invidia's within a half hour.

"Thanks, Nova," Invidia muttered once she had Cassandra re-settled in the stroller.

Nova nodded and drove back to the park.

Invidia watched the car until it was out of sight and headed upstairs to the apartment, once she was inside she picked Cassandra up and carried her to her crib. "It's naptime for you, got it?" She said as she took off her shoes and then draped a light blanket over her.

Cassandra looked up at her for a minute before falling asleep.

"You know, you're kind of cute when you're asleep," Invidia said before she went back to her room to take a nap herself. Once in the bedroom she exchanged her red sundress for a black slip and made herself comfortable with her own blanket. She slept until Arty came home and woke her up forty-five minutes later.

"Princess?" He whispered as he gently shook her. "Princess, wake up."

"Hm?" Invidia looked at him.

"Where's Cassandra?"

"Sleeping."

"So, what did you do with her today?"

"Went to the park with Nova and Derek, who I hate right now."

"Why? What did Derek do to you?"

"Ask him. He was the one snapping at me for no reason!"

"Fine, I'll ask him. How long have you been asleep?"

Invidia looked at the clock. "About forty-five minutes, and I was in the middle of a really sweet dream too!"

"About what?" Arty teased.

"Well I was in this field full of flowers and I could hear Mama's voice, she stood at the other end and…why do you care?"

"I thought it was something sexy."

"Arty!" Invidia lightly slapped his shoulder.

Arty shrugged. "What? I can't help it, especially with the way you're dressed…" He teased, then he gave her a deep kiss.

Invidia blushed and returned it. "Not now," she said. "Now I just want to sleep..." Invidia whined, then laid back down.

"Alright, have a nice nap, Princess," Arty said, then he kissed her head and headed into the living room to work on some flight logs. He was doing well, until he heard Cassandra's cry thirty minutes later. He sighed and brought her out into the living room with him. "Here, play with these," Arty set down two plastic cars and went back to his place at the computer desk.

Cassandra watched him for only a second before turning her attention to the two cars in front of her. She grabbed the blue one and rolled it across the carpet and into the kitchen, where it stopped. She then smiled and crawled off to retrieve it.

"Arty?" Invidia said a few minutes later.

"Hm?" Arty turned and found a very sleepy-looking Invidia in front of him. She rubbed her eyes and then went over and knelt next to him so that she could lay her head on his leg.

"You still sleepy?" Arty asked as he gently placed his hand on her head.

Invidia nodded and closed her eyes, but as soon as she did she felt something pulling at her slip. She turned her head and found herself looking at Cassandra, who had been pulling at it to get her attention.

"What?" Invidia asked.

Cassandra held her arms out.

"She wants you to pick her up," Arty explained.

"What? No," Invidia said, then she laid her head back down.

Cassandra pouted and continued to pull at her slip.

"Alright! Come here," Invidia stood up, and then leaned over to pick her up. Almost immediately after she did, Cassandra wrapped her arms around Invidia's neck and rested her head on her shoulder.

"She likes you," Arty teased.

"I don't know why, all I've done is yell at her."

Arty shrugged. "Maybe she's trying to say 'thank you' for taking care of her?"

" Maybe," Invidia said, then she smiled and gently ran a hand through Cassandra's hair. "Here, take her. I have to get dressed," Invidia told Arty as she handed Cassandra over.

Arty gently set her in his lap while Invidia walked off, but as soon as she turned her back Cassandra started to whine for her.

"She'll be back, don't worry." Arty said gently.

"What's she whining for?" Invidia asked when she came back out dressed in the red sundress she had been wearing earlier.

"She wants you."

Invidia sighed and picked her back up. "What are we going to do with you?"

"Why don't you give her some juice or something? She looks hungry."

"Alright, come on you." Invidia carried Cassandra into the kitchen and shifted her so that she could be held with one arm. Invidia then filled a bottle with apple juice and gave it to her.

Cassandra held it with one hand while keeping the other wrapped firmly around Invidia's neck.

"Aw, you're too cute," Arty said.

"Who? Me or her?"

"Both of you."

Invidia blushed.

"Oh come on, you're cute when you're being motherly."

"I am not motherly!" Invidia snapped.

"She seems to think so."

Invidia rolled her eyes at Arty and smiled at Cassandra, thinking, 'Maybe this isn't so bad after all.'

And, it wasn't, the rest of the day and the next one went quite well, though Invidia still refused to even touch dirty diapers. And, during the next afternoon Derek came to apologize, bringing a plate of chocolate chip cookies with him.

"What makes you think I want your cookies?" Invidia asked. "They're probably poisoned."

"Nova made them," Derek said.

"Fine, I'll have one. Come on in." Invidia led him in and shut the door. "Sorry about the mess, Wendy and Homer are coming by for Cassandra soon, so we've been scrambling to pack her stuff up."

As soon as she finished Cassandra came over, sat next to Derek and patted his shoe.

"Hey there," Derek picked her up. "Are you ready to go home to mommy and daddy?"

Cassandra looked at him for a brief second and then started reaching for the floor. Derek put her down and she crawled off.

"Where is she…?" Derek asked.

"Probably into the kitchen, she likes to roll her toys around on the hard floor. But, never mind her, take your shoes off and sit, I'll get some milk for the cookies."

"How about some coffee instead?"

Invidia gave him a look. "Cookies are for milk, so I'm getting milk, got it?"

"Okay," Derek agreed as he set the cookies on the coffee table and sat on the couch.

"Hey, Derek what are you doing here?" Arty asked as he came out with a broken down crib.

"I came here to apologize, and I brought cookies."

"Sweet," Arty reached down to grab one, but Invidia slapped his hand.

"No, these are mine. You can have some when we're done talking, got it?" She set two glasses of milk on the table.

"You're mean," Arty teased.

"I know, now go finish clearing out that room."

Arty fake-grumbled and walked off.

Invidia laughed and sat down, then she grabbed a cookie and turned to Derek. "Okay, talk."

Derek drew in a breath and said, "Alright, I'm sorry that I was so rude to you yesterday. I had no reason to snap at you like that and that if I have something to say I should say it better."

Invidia nodded. "And I'm sorry for being such an ass about it, because, in a way, you were right. So, apology accepted." She went over and hugged him.

He kissed her head in return, making her smile. She then got up to get another cookie, but stopped when there was a knock at the door. She answered and found Homer and Wendy in front of her.

"Where's my baby?" Wendy asked.

"Somewhere in the kitchen, but don't worry about her for now. Start with getting this stuff out of here," Invidia pointed to the baby items scattered around the room.

"I'll help," Derek offered as he picked up the crib.

"Alright," Homer nodded and he and Wendy grabbed some items as well, leaving Invidia in charge of keeping Cassandra in the apartment while the door was open.

Arty jumped in to help with the packing once he got the changing table torn down, and, with him added they were done within twenty minutes.

"And, here's you rbaby," Invidia picked up Cassandra and tried to hand her over to Wendy.

Cassandra turned away and grabbed on to Invidia.

"Come on Cassandra, come to Mommy," Wendy then picked her up about of Invidia's arms.

Cassandra whined and reached for Invidia.

"What?" Wendy asked. "Do you want to say good bye?"

Cassandra continued to whine while saying, "P…pr…p…Princess!"

All of the adults gasped and looked at her.

"Did she just…?" Homer said.

"I think so," Wendy said. "This means…she can talk! Homer! She can finally talk!"

'But why did that have to be her first word?' Homer thought.

"That's partially my fault," Arty said. "I'm the one who calls Invidia 'Princess,' and she likes Invidia, so…"

"Who cares? Point is, she can speak! Thank you," Wendy said to Invidia and Arty. "Thank you for watching and helping her."

"No problem," Arty nodded and Homer and Wendy turned to leave.

"I should get going too," Derek said. "Keep the cookies."

"Alright, thank you," Invidia gave him another quick hug before closing the door. "You know, this was actually kind of fun," she said to Arty.

"I know you're going to hate me for this, but it makes me want to have kids even more."

"Well, you're the one who said you wanted to go slow with the adoption process. But, if you want to speed it up, I'll help," Invidia said.

"Really?!"

Invidia nodded. "If it's what you want. I get nearly everything I want; now it's your turn."

"Alright, we could make our appointment with the academy now."

"No, tomorrow," Invidia said.

"But, Invidia, why wait? We could…"

"Tomorrow…I have something I want to do with you today."

Arty raised his eyebrow.

"Come on," Invidia pulled at his wrist and led him outside and into the car.

"Invidia, where are we going?"

"Your parents aren't coming home until later this week, right?"

"Yeah, but…what are you thinking?"

"We've spent the past three days being held down by a baby, I think it's time for some fun. So, we're having another garden picnic."

"But we don't have any food, and…"

"I put the basket in the trunk while you were helping Homer pack up the playpen."

"I knew there was a reason I loved you," Arty teased.

"I know, I love you too."

Arty smiled and once they arrived and got settled in he pulled Invidia close to him and gave her a deep kiss.

They then spent the rest of the afternoon just being together…