It was half past two in the afternoon and it was such a slow day that Taeyeon was already home from work. For the first time in months she had the luxury of not having through endless amount of signed papers. And because Taeyeon liked to torture herself the first thing she did when she got home was set herself up cross-legged at the kitchen table with a nice tea and sat down to read a paper that wasn't hers.

She was halfway through the first page when Tiffany slammed open the front door without bothering to knock and went right up the stairs calling Sunny's name. Taeyeon debate between sitting and listening to Tiffany search in vain or calling out and decided the latter would make her go away faster.

"Kitchen!"

Tiffany clomped back down the stairs and darted into the kitchen.

She looked disappointed and scowled when all she saw was Taeyeon and papers. Taeyeon scowled right back at her. "It's called a doorbell, Tiffany. Use it."

"It's called a wardrobe, Taeyeon. Get one," Tiffany shot back. "And learn to lock your door."

"You'd just use your key," Taeyeon grumbled as she sipped her tea. She replaced it on the table and sighed. "And anyway you're getting ready to be a mother shouldn't you entering people's houses with more decorum?"

Whatever comeback Tiffany had to that was lost when the word 'mother' registered behind her eyes and her earlier excitment came back with a vengeance. "Where's Sunny?” Tiffany demanded.

Taeyeon raised an eyebrow. "Work," she said dryly. "Where most people are around this time of day. Except, evidently, bored me and excitable fashion designers."

Tiffany looked dangerously close to actually bursting into tears. "But She promised me," she whined. "She has to come with me! I can't do this without her."

"Do what without her?" Taeyeon asked innocently. Oh, so innocently. She wasn't prepared for what came next.

"I got the call," Tiffany said as she bounced over to table and actually hugged Taeyeon. "She's ready, the papers are everything's all set. I just need to sign. I'm ready."

That was quite possibly the understatement of the century. Tiffany had been ready for more than a month before the paperwork had gone through. Her flat was child-proofed, nursery was all set up, and this child had enough clothes to fit ten babies (Taeyeon was just grateful that they didn't make all-pink-print baby clothes, although it wasn't for trying on Tiffany's part).

"Okay then," Taeyeon said. She made a little shooing motion with her hands. "Go get them. Show them what you got.”

"I can't do it alone," Tiffany whispered. "Please, Taeyeon? I need someone."

Maybe if she didn't look so anxious, or so terribly terribly hopeful then Taeyeon would have turned her down. Maybe if Tiffany hadn't used a kicked puppy look that reminded her disconcertingly of Sunny. Maybe if this wasn't the first time Tiffany had every truly asked her kindly for something.

"What about your hubby?" Taeyeon asked desperately. It was her last ditch attempt to get out.

Tiffany perked up, sensing victory."He is still in LA visiting family. We want this Tae, I want this."

Taeyeon nodded, finally she sighed. "What do you want me to do?"

Tiffany squealed. "Nothing! Just come with me and maybe hold my hand and try not to act too much like a lesbian."

"Come with, hold hand, be less gay," Taeyeon checked it. “Let's go, then."

But Tiffany didn't budge. "Not like that," she said as she looked Taeyeon up and down.

Taeyeon looked down at what she was wearing: an old pair of grey joggers and a shirt she was 99% sure was actually Sunny's. She sighed again. "Fine. I'll change."

...

...and so now here she was, sitting in a chair watching little kids play in a room while Tiffany was in the office. She was also gettin strange looks from most of the little kids. Not because she was the only adult in the room (there were several others who worked here wandering around keeping an eye and even more over behind the desk in the corner) but because she was new.

Taeyeon fiddled with her phone again. She'd already called Sunny and left a message with the secretary there but she didn't let out until three. She had already sat through the hand-holding part and the where Tiffany had talked her ear off anxiously.

There was a flash of brown and suddenly a little person was sitting next to her. She couldn't have been more than five years old and she contemplated Taeyeon with such serious face for such a little girl.

"Hi." Taeyeon blinked.

"Hi," she said back.

"Why are you doing that?" the little girl asked, pointing to Taeyeon's hand.

"Doing what?"

"That thing!" The little girl made a twisting motion with her right hand over her left.

Taeyeon looked down and sure enough she had been twisting her ring around on her finger. It was a common habit she had developed and it made Sunny smile every time she caught her doing it. "Nervous, I guess," she said.

"About what?"

"My friend is adopting a baby today and I suppose I'm nervous for her," she admitted truthfully.

The little girl nodded solemnly. "The pretty woman with dark hair? She's adopting Sarang."

Taeyeon nodded. "Yes, that's right."

The girl nodded back. Taeyeon thought they must look like a right pair of bobbleheads. The two of them sat in silence for about half a minute before the girl started to swing back and forth. When she looked at Taeyeon again it was with big brown eyes full of hope.

"Are you married?" she asked.

Taeyeon choked a little on the breath she just drew in. "Um, yes. What do you know about people being married?"

"When two people love each other very much they go to a church and they get married and then they wear rings like yours and they live happily ever after for the rest of lives," the little girl said matter-of-factly.

"Well, um, yes, that's right," Taeyeon said. She was a little awestruck, to be honest, both at the wealth of information this little girl had and at the fact that she had said that sentence without taking a breath. She started to twist her silver wedding band again.

"When did you get married?"

Taeyeon felt like she should be mad, or annoyed, or tired of questions, or all of the above. Instead she found the little girl's curiosity endearing. "Two years ago next month."

"Is he handsome?"

She paused, unsure of how to explain the next part. She opted out instead. "What's your name?"

The little girl scrunched up her face into a grimace. "Haru."

"I think it's a pretty name," Taeyeon assured her. "Well, Haru, yes I am married. But the person I'm going to be with for the rest of my life is a woman." She wasn't sure why so nervous for this child's reaction.

Haru just nodded again as if this made all the sense in the world. "Is she pretty?" she re-worded her question from earlier.

Taeyeon smiled, thinking of brown hair and brown eyes and the world's sweetest smile. "She's the most beautiful person I've ever met. She's my very best friend in the entire. “

"What's her name?"

"Sunny," Taeyeon said, and her smile grew bigger. It amazed her that even years later just the sound of Sunny's name still made her heart beat just that much faster.

"I like that name. Do you love her?"

Taeyeon swallowed around in . "Very much," she said. "I've loved her for a very long time."

Neither the adult nor the child noticed that Tiffany had stepped out of the office with a sleeping baby in her arms and now stood with some of the people that worked there were now very very curious. It was safe to say that this little audience was just as engrossed in the conversation unfolding in front of them as the participants were. Not even Tiffany had ever heard the whole story.

"How long?" Haru asked.

Taeyeon debated telling the whole truth and decided the little girl wouldn't be asking if she didn't want to know. "Since I was fifteen years old."

Haru's eyes got big. "Wow. You got married when you were fifteen?"

"No!" Taeyeon laughed, something she very rarely did with anyone but Sunny. "I fell in love the first time I saw her. And the first time I saw her I was fifteen."

"What was she doing?"

"Introducing herself," Taeyeon said. Haru snickered and Taeyeon laughed with her. "Hey! It's true. We were in the same school. They called my friend's name and then hers, and curious so I looked over and that was it."

She still remembered that day even at thirty years old. Remembered how Sunny had intorduced herself shyly (just like she would do again years later in college) and back down when the room broke into whispers. Remembered catching her first glimpse of those warm brown eyes and smiling at Sunny hoping that maybe, just maybe it would relieve the poor little brunette's nervousness. Remembered the pounding of her heart when Sunny smiled back.

"And then what happened?" Haru asked. She had turned fully in her chair and crossed her legs to give Taeyeon her full and undivided attention. "She was your girlfriend?"

Taeyeon mimicked her position. "No, not for a while."

"Why not?" She frowned.

"Why not what?"

"You loved her. Why wasn't she your girlfriend?"

"Well I didn't know if she felt the same way, did I?" Taeyeon pointed out. "And then when I found out she did I wasn't sure what to do. So I ran. For a really long time."

"Why?"

Taeyeon bit her lip and tried to think of a good way to phrase her mixed up, messed up bundle of feelings back then to a five year old now. "Do you ever watch scary stuff on television?" she asked finally.

Haru looked a little guilty but nodded.

"When something scary comes on you cover your face, don't you?" Taeyeon asked. "Because if you can't see it then maybe it can't hurt you."

Haru was frowning. "Sunny scared you?"

Taeyeon nodded. "Sunny terrified me. Sometimes when someone loves you that much its scary. So I ran because I figured maybe if I did that then she wouldn't scare me so.”

"Did she run after you?"

"Yes," Taeyeon smiled fondly.

"Why?"

"To this day I have no idea. She says its because she loves me. I think its because she's very, very stubborn."

Haru giggled. "And then you were girlfriends?"

"No," Taeyeon said sadly.

Over by the office the little audience had grown to listen to what Tiffany thought might just be the most heart-tugging little story she'd ever heard. Somewhere around the Taeyeon was recalling the first time she saw Sunny the object of the conversation had shown up. Tiffany watched Sunny, and Sunny looked at Taeyeon as if watching Taeyeon her heart out to that little girl was the most important thing to ever happen in the entire universe.

"Why not?" Haru asked.

"Because I did some very stupid things," Taeyeon admitted. "And I was still scared."

"Did Sunny get tired?"

The lump was back in Taeyeon's throat and now it was accompanied by a tightness in her chest. "Yes," she said. "Sunny got very tired of running after me."

"So you stopped, right?" Haru leaned forward and she was frowning as if she didn't already know the end of this story, as if she hadn't seen the rings. "You stopped and wait her to catch up?"

Taeyeon shook her head and Haru looked heartbroken and disappointed. So did the little audience behind them, but neither of them knew that.

"I did something better," Taeyeon smiled and waited for Haru to smile back before she elaborated. "I stopped running. I stood still for a really long time and thought about what of life I would have if I didn't have Sunny. And then I turned around and started running to her instead of away from her. It was the smartest thing I've ever done."

Haru's grin lit up her whole face. She reached out and touched the ring on Taeyeon's finger. "And then you lived happily ever after?"

"Yup."

Haru's whole demeanor changed suddenly. She leaned back and her eyes were serious.

"And now your friend is adopting Sarang, because Sarang is a baby and babies are cute they don't know any better. Everyone does that." Taeyeon frowned, concerned at the sudden change.

"Does what?"

"Adopt babies," Haru shrugged.

"They're cuter and cuddlier. No one wants a big kid running around."

"Hey! I like big kids," Taeyeon said. "Less house-training."

Haru giggled again but her eyes were too far away for a child. "Why?"

"Why what?" Taeyeon asked.

"Why do you love Sunny?"

The question was like a punch to the gut. It knocked out her breath and stopped her thoughts for a minute. It wasn't because she couldn't answer it, it was because she had many answers she needed to sort them out.

"She thinks I can be better than I am," Taeyeon said finally. "Sunny sees every bit of me and loves it all. She sees things in me that I don't see in myself. And she is brave and strong and kind. She's the best person I've ever met. Sometimes," she confided, "I think she might actually be an angel."

Haru nodded as if that made the most perfect sense ever.

Sunny couldn't stand it anymore. She walked over and tucked a stray piece of Taeyeon’s hair behind Taeyeon's ear. "Also I'm very stubborn," she said. "I didn't give her much of choice."

Taeyeon leaned into the touch. "True. You're very annoying."

"You seem to inspire it in me."

Haru was watching Sunny with big, awestruck eyes. She looked at Taeyeon. "She is pretty," she said.

Just at that moment the doors at the other end of the room opened and one of the other workers came up to gather up the kids for dinner. He herded them as best he could when he caught sight of Haru sitting and talking with them still he turned and made his way over. Taeyeon's heart hurt.

She looked up and locked eyes with Sunny, and in a quick second a rapid-fire silent exchange took place. Not for the first time Taeyeon was grateful that they were the kind who could hold entire conversations with their eyes.

Are you sure? You're the one who brought it up last week. And you snapped at me. I'm not snapping now. That much is obvious. It could work. Same page? Same page.

Taeyeon grabbed Haru's hand and stood up. "Come with us for a minute?" she asked.

The little girl nodded trustingly and followed them over to Tiffany, who had a look of dawning realization on her face. Sunny just shared a smile with Taeyeon and they both looked at the notary who had signed off on Tiffany's papers.

"So," Sunny began. "This adopting thing. How does that work?"

...

...