Archive of Our Own ^beta

Dad had said something had come up. He hadn't explained what that meant exactly, just that she was to look after the younger kids after being dropped off at the Carpenter home. 

Some of the other adults were talking downstairs but Maggie focused on the kids. They were all young enough that they could still use electronics so she set up a DVD player starting with Snow White. When that was finished she put in Pinocchio, one of Theo's favorites. She had watched some of these with her first family the Mendozas, bittersweet memories she still didn't like to linger on. 

Theo sat right in front of the screen. He had grown a lot in the past couple of years, although he still only came up to her elbow. It had taken some finagling but she'd set up subtitles for him.

Evie was too little to do much beside sit in her crib, full head of blonde curls peaking over the edge, but Maggie tried to position it so she could still see the screen. 

The wooden skull that Bonea called her home was settled in Maggie's lap. Bonnie didn't get quite as much out of the movies as the rest did but occasionally chirped in with background facts, such how large sperm whales could grow.

It was nice to have siblings again. Maybe they could make pancakes for dinner.