“Taeyeon!” he waves his arm high in the air as he runs across the field. He’s out of breath when he arrives in front of her, but it doesn’t stop him from jumping up and down. “I’m all ready for our sleepover!” he grins.

“Good man, James. But you have a match to win first”

“Are you gonna watch?”

“Of course I am. But it seems your team is warming-up, so you’d better join them”

“Ok, Taeyeon” he shrugs off his backpack and leaves it next to her and runs off in the general direction of the team.

Taeyeon doesn’t see Sunny approaching.

“Hi”

“Hi” Taeyeon clears .

“Where are Sophia and Bella?”

“Sophia forgot something in the car; she’ll be right back. And Bella is with a friend until dinner”

Sunny nods and looks out to the field for Jamie.

“I don’t think he’s ever been so excited to do anything in his life” she tells Taeyeon, as they watch him kick a ball into the goal. “I could barely get him to sleep last night; he kept waking up and coming to my room to ask how much longer it would be until he got to see you”

“I’ve been looking forward to it too”

“He might be tired after his match”

“He’s a big boy; I’m sure he’ll let me know if he is”

They stand side by side, silently, awkwardly, and watch as a very uncoordinated Jamie tries to run drills. The sight of him makes them both laugh quietly, and when they finally face each other, some of the awkwardness is gone.

“I don’t think football is his calling”

Sunny laughs. “He insisted on signing up for it. I tried to steer him toward the martial arts, but I think he wanted to be with his little mate from school”

“Hi, Sunny”

“Hey…” Sunny hugs Sophia, “excited for the museum?”

“Very”

“Good” Sunny looks out at Jamie again, “I do hate to miss his match”

“You’ll be here for all the others” Taeyeon tells her.

“Yeah…”

A whistle blows, and Jamie runs to the sideline. “I’m thirsty, Mama”

Sunny squats down and opens his bag. “Here’s your water”

She watches him drink for a moment and puts her hands on his waist. “Sweetheart, Sophia and I have to go to the museum now, but Taeyeon will be here for your match, alright?”

He nods as he drinks.

She takes the bottle from him and sets it down on the grass. “I won’t see you until tomorrow afternoon, but I’ll call you later. And if you want to speak to me for any reason, you can tell Taeyeon and she’ll call me” Sunny looks up behind her at Taeyeon, who nods.

“Ok, Mama”

Sunny stands and pulls him into a tight hug. She leans over and presses a lingering kiss to the top of his head.

“I love you”

“I love you too, Ma. I gotta go; it’s time for my game”

She lets him go and he runs off, turning once to wave and blow a kiss at her. She catches it and puts her hand inside her pocket.

“He’ll be fine, Sunny”

“Yeah, I know”

“You’ll be fine, too”

“Mm” Sunny takes a deep breath. “So, everything he needs is in his little bag. I packed his swim clothes and two extra sets of clothing, just in case. He’s got his toothbrush and a book and he told me he packed some toys in the front pocket or something…”

“He’s not leaving for uni, Sunny. If he needs anything, I can run out and get it for him. So don’t worry, yeah?”

“Right. Let’s go then, Sophia”

Sophia turns and hugs her mother. “See you, Mom”

“Have a good time, darling”

Sunny walks away without another word.

...

...

...

“Hi there”

“Afternoon. This is for you” Sooyoung hands Sunny a bow-wrapped bundle.

Sunny looks at it curiously. “What’s this?”

“It’s a book bouquet”

“Oh. I didn’t know there was such a thing”

“Well now you do” Sooyoung winks. “I think it’s much more appropriate than the conventional, boring bouquet of flowers”

“It’s definitely different”

“Different is good” Sooyoung slides her hand up Sunny’s arm. “You look amazing”

“Thanks” Sunny steps back and looks into the living room, where Sophia is sitting. “I just need to grab a sweater” she says and walks away, “Sophia’s in the living room”

“Sophia…?” Sooyoung repeats, stepping further inside.

“Yes, me, I’m Sophia”

“I know you… I saw you at the…”

“Getty” Sophia finishes.

“That’s right. You’re Taeyeon’s daughter”

“Mm-hmm”

“Big art fan, are you”

“I like to think so. And I’m an artist myself” she proudly tells Sooyoung.

“Small world; so am I”

“Really?”

“Yup”

Sunny comes back to join them. “Ok, I’m ready”

“Let’s get out of here, then” Sooyoung walks to the door and holds it open, gesturing like doorman, “after you”

Sophia takes Sunny’s hand. And when they walk past Sooyoung, she sees a familiar look on the brunette woman’s face.

...

...

...

Taeyeon carries his limp body up the stairs and lays him down in her bed. She carefully removes his glasses, folding the arms in, and places them on her nightstand. Covers him with a throw blanket and watches him with an affectionate smile as he breathes in and out.

She’s taken back to when he was in the hospital, to when he couldn’t breathe properly on his own; to when it seemed like all hope was lost and they would lose him. And as she gently moves a few strands of hair from his lidded eyes, she quietly thanks whoever can hear her for bringing him back into her life.

...

...

...

“Thanks again, guys, I had a great time” Sophia leans on the passenger side window frame. “And remember, I’m always up for a trip to the museum”

Sooyoung leans forward toward the steering wheel. “A museum buddy – I like that!”

“Will you tell Jamie I love him, and I’ll call him in a bit”

“Sure, Sunny, I’ll let him know. Bye”

“Bye”

Sunny watches Sophia run down the driveway and disappear to the front of the house.

Sooyoung puts her hand on Sunny’s thigh. “Are you sure you don’t want to go in and see him for a minute?”

“No” Sunny shakes her head, “this is their time” she smiles sadly, “let’s just go”

...

...

...

She changes her clothes and finds them building a sandcastle on the beach.

“Hello, darling, did you have a good time?” Taeyeon stands, claps her hands together and wipes them on her shorts.

“Yeah, it was really interesting, and Sooyoung is really nice”

“Hi, Sophia”

“Hi Jamie - your Mom said she’s going to call you in a little while”

“Sooyoung?” Taeyeon asks.

“Yeah, you know, Sooyoung” Sophia walks around their creation and nods. “You two are constructing an appealing castle. Can I help you finish it?”

“Sure!” Jamie says, handing her a shovel.

“So you went to the museum with Sunny and Sooyoung”

“Yeah”

“And you had a good time?”

“Yes, Mom”

Taeyeon kneels in the sand and picks up a pail. “And you say she was nice to you?”

“Mm-hmm, she’s really nice. And she’s an artist too; she’s illustrating Sunny’s book”

Taeyeon scoops some sound into the pail. “Sunny’s book…?”

“Yeah, isn’t that wonderful?”

Taeyeon jabs at the sand inside the pail. “Did Sunny have a good time?”

“I think so”

“We need more water” Jamie says as he stands with his hands on his hips and inspects their work.

“I’ll get it” Sophia tells him.

Taeyeon follows her daughter down to the water. “Who dropped you off, Sophia?”

“Sunny and Sooyoung”

“Did Sunny say anything about where they were going?”

Sophia bends down and lets the water from an approaching wave flow into the pail. “Sooyoung said she wanted to take Sunny out for dinner, but I don’t know where” she stands and looks up at her mother, squinting into the sun. “Why?”

“It’s not important”

Sophia shrugs. “You know, I think Sooyoung likes Sunny as more than a friend” she tells her mother as they walk back toward Jamie.

“Why do you think that?”

Sophia hands Jamie the pail full of water. “Because of the way she looks at her”

“Oh?” Taeyeon crosses her arms. “How does she look at her?”

Sophia kneels down and begins to dig a moat around the castle. She pauses for a moment and tilts her head, then looks up at her mother and says, “The same way you do”

...

...

...

“Are you two sure you don’t want to sleep in the tent tonight?”

“Absolutely sure”

“No, thanks”

“Then I’ll bid you goodnight” Taeyeon kisses her daughters, “I love you. Don’t stay up too late”

“We won’t”

“Love you; night”

They sit on Bella’s bed and wait for their mother to close the door behind her. When she does, Sophia collapses back onto her sister’s bed.

“I thought she’d never leave”

“Why, what’s up?”

“This is all such a mess” Sophia sighs.

Bella mimics her sister’s position, and they lie side by side, staring up at her ceiling that Sophia painted abstract designs on when they moved in.

“That Sooyoung wants Sunny”

“So?” Bella shrugs. “Sunny wants Mom”

“Not for long. Not if Mom keeps pushing her away”

“She’ll come to her senses”

“Do you really think so?”

Bella rolls onto her side and leans on an elbow. “…Do you?”

Brown eyes look into black. “Mom’s turning back into the person she was in Seoul. She’s losing herself all over again because she can’t deal with… whatever it is that Sunny does to her”

“You don’t think she would try to…”

“No” Sophia cuts her off, “but she’s going to lose Sunny to Sooyoung, and then she’ll hate herself for it”

Bella rolls onto her back and shakes her head. “Why are the adults in our lives such idiots?”

“I don’t know, big sister. I don’t know…”

...

...

...

“Your turn, James”

“Aw, I don’t want to come out of the tent” he whines.

“I’m not sleeping in there with you if your teeth aren’t clean” Taeyeon tells him, “and you need to change into your pyjamas, too”

“Alright, alright” he pokes his head out of the enclosure. “Can you get my stuff for me, please? I’m still hanging up stars on the tent”

“Five minutes, young man”

“Ok, Taeyeon”

He disappears behind the flap of the tent Taeyeon set up for them in the living room and continues to stick glow-in-the-dark stars on any free space.

Taeyeon makes her way around her house, turning off lights and checking the doors, before ending up back in the living room. She can hear Jamie rustling around inside, and smiles when she sees the material of the tent poke out in various places as he attaches the stars.

“Two minutes, James” she calls to him.

“Ok!”

“I’m getting your toothbrush from your bag” she sings.

“I only have three more stars!”

“I’m opening your bag…”

Taeyeon rifles through his things, pulling out his pyjamas and a case for his glasses. She opens the front pocket and finds parts to several different toys, none of which match the other. Not finding his toothbrush, she dumps out the contents onto the sofa and sees the toothbrush tucked inside a plastic baggy, lying next to a book. To the right of it is a small piece of paper. Taeyeon thinks Sunny must’ve written Jamie a note, and she can’t help roll her eyes at Sunny’s sentimentality. She picks up the paper and turns it over, and is surprised to see it’s not a note at all.

As Taeyeon examines the image on the paper, she sees the name on the top, left-hand corner. Thinks it must be Jamie’s sonogram photo, until she sees the date under Sunny’s name.

It looks all too familiar, the A and the B, and Taeyeon’s head tilts and her eyebrows furrow as her mind attempts to comprehend what she’s looking at.

“All done!” Jamie pops out of the tent, excitedly. He approaches Taeyeon and picks up his toothbrush. “Those are my babies” he says, when he notices what she’s looking at.

As if she wasn’t confused enough already, Taeyeon looks at him, and says, “Your babies…?”

“Yeah, my baby brother and sister; they’re in Mama’s uterus”

Taeyeon continues to stare at him, blinking rapidly, mouth moving up and down but void of sound.

“I’m gonna go brush my teeth and change now. Be right back!”

She watches him run off and her eyes slowly make their way back to the sonogram. Her eyebrows do a dance and her face contorts with every feeling imaginable passing over it in a matter of seconds.

When Jamie gets back, he finds Taeyeon sitting in the same spot, with her head bowed, still staring at his mother’s sonogram.

“Are you ok, Taeyeon?”

She looks over at him and hands him the sonogram photo, nodding. “Yes, James, I’m fine. Let’s get inside our tent, ok?”

“Yeah!”

Jamie shoves the paper into his backpack pocket and dives into the tent. And before Taeyeon follows him, she removes the wrinkled paper, flattens it between her palms, and places it between the pages of his book.

...

...

...

“… so then Jack told Amy that…” Sooyoung stops mid-sentence, when she notices Sunny staring off. “You’re somewhere else”

“…Huh?”

“You haven’t heard a word I’ve said” Sooyoung smiles.

“Sure I have. Jack… Amy…”

“Have I overstayed my welcome? Do you want me to leave?”

“What? No… no, Sooyoung, I…” Sunny sighs, “I’m just thinking about Jamie”

“Ah” Sooyoung puts her wine glass on Sunny’s patio table and leans forward, patting Sunny’s knee. “You’re going to see him in a little over twelve hours, Sunny”

“Yeah, I know”

“You’re just hyper-sensitive because of the pregnancy”

“No” Sunny frowns, “I miss my son” she insists.

“Ok…” Sooyoung waves her hands in surrender, “ok”

“…I’m sorry”

“Nothing to be sorry for, but maybe I should go. You are sleeping for three, after all”

“I am a bit tired”

They walk across the small backyard and through the house. Sooyoung opens the front door and leans against it.

“I love being with you, Sunny”

Sunny smiles shyly. “You’re great company too”

Before Sunny knows what’s happening, Sooyoung’s lips are on hers. Sunny pulls her head back slightly, but Sooyoung follows and kisses her again. And Sunny lets it happen.

...

...

...

“You look terrible”

“Good morning to you too, darling”

“Morning”

“Sophia not up yet?”

“She’s in the shower”

Bella gets a bowl and a box of cereal and the milk from the fridge and sits at the table, across from her mother.

“Rough night?” she asks, as she prepares her breakfast.

“Didn’t sleep”

“See? That’s why I didn’t sleep in that tent” she says, taking a told-you-so bite of her cereal.

“It wasn’t the tent”

“What was it then?” she asks through a mouthful.

Taeyeon shakes her head. “Just… a lot on my mind, darling”

...

...

...

Sunny’s waiting on her porch when the car pulls up into the driveway. Taeyeon puts it in park and turns off the engine. Jamie moves the passenger seat and opens the door, hopping out and running to his mother.

Sunny scoops him up, ignoring how heavy he is, and they cling to one another like it’s been years. She peppers him with kisses, and he giggles when they tickle his neck.

“I missed you so much, sweetheart”

“I missed you too, Mama. Me and Taeyeon sleeped in a tent”

“You slept in a tent?” she sets him down and they sit on the porch step. “Where…?”

“In the living room. It took her a long time to set it up, and she said a lot of bad words when the pole hit her in the face”

Sunny laughs. “It sounds like you had a wonderful time”

“Yeah, it was so much fun. But Bella and Sophia didn’t want to sleep in the tent, so it was just me and Taeyeon. And she got these cool stars that glow in the dark and I got to put them all over the tent”

Taeyeon reaches into the back seat and gets Jamie’s backpack. She takes a deep breath before she gets out of her car and walks to the porch. Sunny looks up and smiles broadly at her.

“Hi. Looks like you had a long night”

Taeyeon smiles tightly. “You could say that”

“Where are the girls?”

“Birthday party”

“I wasn’t invited” Jamie frowns.

“That’s alright, I’m glad you’re here with me. We can bake a cake, if you’d like to”

“Yes!”

Sunny grabs his chin and kisses his cheek.

“Wanna stay and bake a cake, Taeyeon?”

Taeyeon’s glad her eyes are hidden behind dark sunglasses as four, brown puppy-dog eyes look up at her.

“Sorry, James, I need to catch up on some work. But you’ll save me a slice, won’t you?”

“Yeah, ok” he sighs.

Sunny kisses Jamie’s head comfortingly, and when she goes to stand up, Taeyeon grabs her elbow to help her.

“Uh… thanks”

“No problem” Taeyeon steps back, “…I should go”

She bends down and kisses the top of Jamie’s head. “Thanks for camping out with me”

“You’re welcome”

“I’ll see you soon, alright?”

Jamie lowers his eyes and nods. “Bye”

Taeyeon looks at Sunny and then turns and leaves.

“See you” Sunny says as she’s walking away.

Taeyeon doesn’t turn around, but says, “bye” before getting in her car and driving away.

....

....

....

this is special update from me

coz i loved all of your so-emotional comments lol

and thanks so much to all of you who voted this fic.

enjoy!!