David wakes Erica with a kiss
This came to me, after a friend was telling me about her Christmas dinner---her first time ever cooking (as in a meal for a lot of people and a CHRISTMAS dinner at that) and how horrible it turned out. LOL And then I thought Erica and D&E, and how I love to play with Erica's psyche. She loves being Erica Kane, and she wouldn't change it for the world, but sometimes I think she'd likely wonder what it would be like to be "normal" like everyone else. So that's where this came from. Hope you like. 
And yes, it is just this part. Hehe. 
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Leo coughed and choked as he burst out of the kitchen, Erica at his side, as they waved smoke out of their faces.
David and Bianca were barreling down the stairs at almost exactly the same moment, both panicked at the sounding of the fire alarm.
“Mom?” Bianca blew out as they rounded the corner from the stairs and the kitchen became visible.
“We’re fine,” Leo said though a cough, “I put out the fire.
“Fire?” David breathed, moving toward his wife. “Are you alright? What happened?”
She nodded, “I’m fine. It was just a little fire.”
“What caught on fire?” Bianca asked as she peered into the kitchen.
Leo shook his head. “It looked like the Ham?”
“The Ham?” David blew back, leading his wife to the couch. “What the hell was a ham doing in our oven?”
Erica shook her head as she sat down on the couch.
“We were trying to cook a Christmas dinner,” Leo told him, shrugging as he and Bianca moved around the couch.
“Why?” Bianca asked, half through a laugh, the image of her mother and Leo in the kitchen trying to cook flooding before her.
“Because your mom wanted help and she batted her eyes at me. How do you resist when she does that?” He asked of his brother.
David shook his head, and knelled down in front of Erica who smiled over her shoulder at Leo. “I don’t. What happened?”
“I was trying to make us Christmas dinner.”
“Why?” He asked again, shaking his head. “You don’t cook.”
“No, but I should,” She blew out threw a hard breath. “I was having lunch with Opal today and Dixie and Janet were there, even Brooke joined,” She hissed. “They sat there talking about Christmas dinners, doing dishes, soccer games, fixing ripped clothes. And I couldn’t talk about any of this stuff. We’re having a baby in six months, and all I know of being a mother is how to be a CEO.”
“That’s what this is about?” He asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
“David, I’m not even sure which one is a soccer ball,” She exclaimed, shaking her head.
Bianca and Leo snickered and David shook his head through a love filled smile. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“What happens if he needs me to take him to practice? Or she needs cupcakes for a bake sale. I wouldn’t even know where to begin with a cupcake.”
“None of that matters,” David assured her as he raised a hand to her cheek.
“Yes it does,” She sighed, “I don’t know how to be a mom.”
“Yes you do,” Bianca jumped in quickly, “I turned out just fine.”
Erica shook her head. “I know how to be a mother, but I don't know how to be a mom. I haven't had a lot of practice with the day to day stuff with a child. I don’t know how to make snacks and pack lunches. I don’t know about practice and bake sales. Or how to repair a hole in a shirt.”
“No, but you know how to bat your eyes a men and get them to do anything you want,” Leo told her, knowing she could hear the smile in his voice.
“And you know how to be a CEO of any company they might want,” Bianca said, “And how to dress to the nines everywhere she goes, or better yet, how not to be one of those boys who just rolls out of bed and doesn’t even comb his hair.”
“You can pass on your strength and stubbornness,” David said, thumbing at a few of her tears. “You can teach any child to be as good as he or she can be.”
“What if he or she just wants to be normal?” She breathed, eyes locked with David.
He nodded before offering her a sweet smile. “Then he’ll have to realize that everyone else’s normal is boring. If that’s what I’d have wanted for him or for me, I would have chosen a different life.”
She smiled at that and nodded slowly. “I just wish I knew how to do this.”
“You’re going to be great, mom. And that’s what I’m here for. And David. Even Leo.”
“Yeah Erica, whether your like it or not, we are a family,” Leo threw in, a wicked gleam in his voice.
“A motley crew we are,” David told her, smiling. “But it works and it’s all any kid is going to need.”
“Okay,” She nodded, her smile brighter now. “But I still want to learn to cook, maybe. A few things at least. So the baby doesn’t starve if it’s alone with me.”
David and Bianca nodded. “Okay, that sounds like fun. We can learn together.”
“Yes and not with ham’s or turkey’s, okay?” David smiled.
“Okay,” She grinned as he leaned up kiss her quickly.
“Isn’t this the part where some fairytale comes on TV and we all live happily ever after?” Leo joked, but Bianca’s eyes went wide and she nodded.
“There’s always a holiday movie on Christmas Eve. It’s Wonderful Life plays this time every year.”
“I love that one,” Erica nodded at David.
“I’ll go make the popcorn,” Bianca said through a smile as Leo nodded.
“And I’ll go order the pizza, after I call Greenlee,” He paused after he said it, and waited for a few seconds before starting again. “I mean, if that’s okay.”
Erica sighed, and blew out a mock angry breath as nodded, “Fine. In the spirit of the holiday and all of that.”
Leo and Bianca bounded off and David moved from his spot in front of her so he could find the remote. “You scared the hell out of when that alarm went off, I thought the house was burning down.”
She laughed a little and nodded. “It almost was. Leo was far calmer about how to put the flames out than I was.”
“Flames?” David blew out throwing her a worried glance over his shoulder.
She shrugged. “What can I say, I’m a pioneer in the kitchen too, apparently.”
“Apparently,” He laughed as he slid in next to her. “I love you, Erica. You. The never boring, always exciting, frustrating, stubborn, horrible cook..don’t ever go into the kitchen alone…you. That’s never going to change. And our child is going to love you for the same reasons. Just trust yourself.”
She was beaming now, and leaned into him. “I was looking at it all wrong,” She started, resting her head on her shoulder. “I was trying to make our family fit the picture of normal. When what I should have been doing is making normal be what we have.”
“Exactly,” He nodded, dropping a kiss on her lips. “I like what we have.”
“Me too, me too.”
Brooke, Dixie, Opal, they could have their nights of sowing and dinner making. They could have soccer games and bake sales, and they could have perfect houses and picket fences. What she had was better. What she has was real. What she had was real, honest love, and a family who wanted to be together. Not one who had to be together.
She was far more lucky than they could or would ever realize.
The End
And yes, it is just this part. Hehe. _______________________________________________
Leo coughed and choked as he burst out of the kitchen, Erica at his side, as they waved smoke out of their faces.
David and Bianca were barreling down the stairs at almost exactly the same moment, both panicked at the sounding of the fire alarm.
“Mom?” Bianca blew out as they rounded the corner from the stairs and the kitchen became visible.
“We’re fine,” Leo said though a cough, “I put out the fire.
“Fire?” David breathed, moving toward his wife. “Are you alright? What happened?”
She nodded, “I’m fine. It was just a little fire.”
“What caught on fire?” Bianca asked as she peered into the kitchen.
Leo shook his head. “It looked like the Ham?”
“The Ham?” David blew back, leading his wife to the couch. “What the hell was a ham doing in our oven?”
Erica shook her head as she sat down on the couch.
“We were trying to cook a Christmas dinner,” Leo told him, shrugging as he and Bianca moved around the couch.
“Why?” Bianca asked, half through a laugh, the image of her mother and Leo in the kitchen trying to cook flooding before her.
“Because your mom wanted help and she batted her eyes at me. How do you resist when she does that?” He asked of his brother.
David shook his head, and knelled down in front of Erica who smiled over her shoulder at Leo. “I don’t. What happened?”
“I was trying to make us Christmas dinner.”
“Why?” He asked again, shaking his head. “You don’t cook.”
“No, but I should,” She blew out threw a hard breath. “I was having lunch with Opal today and Dixie and Janet were there, even Brooke joined,” She hissed. “They sat there talking about Christmas dinners, doing dishes, soccer games, fixing ripped clothes. And I couldn’t talk about any of this stuff. We’re having a baby in six months, and all I know of being a mother is how to be a CEO.”
“That’s what this is about?” He asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
“David, I’m not even sure which one is a soccer ball,” She exclaimed, shaking her head.
Bianca and Leo snickered and David shook his head through a love filled smile. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“What happens if he needs me to take him to practice? Or she needs cupcakes for a bake sale. I wouldn’t even know where to begin with a cupcake.”
“None of that matters,” David assured her as he raised a hand to her cheek.
“Yes it does,” She sighed, “I don’t know how to be a mom.”
“Yes you do,” Bianca jumped in quickly, “I turned out just fine.”
Erica shook her head. “I know how to be a mother, but I don't know how to be a mom. I haven't had a lot of practice with the day to day stuff with a child. I don’t know how to make snacks and pack lunches. I don’t know about practice and bake sales. Or how to repair a hole in a shirt.”
“No, but you know how to bat your eyes a men and get them to do anything you want,” Leo told her, knowing she could hear the smile in his voice.
“And you know how to be a CEO of any company they might want,” Bianca said, “And how to dress to the nines everywhere she goes, or better yet, how not to be one of those boys who just rolls out of bed and doesn’t even comb his hair.”
“You can pass on your strength and stubbornness,” David said, thumbing at a few of her tears. “You can teach any child to be as good as he or she can be.”
“What if he or she just wants to be normal?” She breathed, eyes locked with David.
He nodded before offering her a sweet smile. “Then he’ll have to realize that everyone else’s normal is boring. If that’s what I’d have wanted for him or for me, I would have chosen a different life.”
She smiled at that and nodded slowly. “I just wish I knew how to do this.”
“You’re going to be great, mom. And that’s what I’m here for. And David. Even Leo.”
“Yeah Erica, whether your like it or not, we are a family,” Leo threw in, a wicked gleam in his voice.
“A motley crew we are,” David told her, smiling. “But it works and it’s all any kid is going to need.”
“Okay,” She nodded, her smile brighter now. “But I still want to learn to cook, maybe. A few things at least. So the baby doesn’t starve if it’s alone with me.”
David and Bianca nodded. “Okay, that sounds like fun. We can learn together.”
“Yes and not with ham’s or turkey’s, okay?” David smiled.
“Okay,” She grinned as he leaned up kiss her quickly.
“Isn’t this the part where some fairytale comes on TV and we all live happily ever after?” Leo joked, but Bianca’s eyes went wide and she nodded.
“There’s always a holiday movie on Christmas Eve. It’s Wonderful Life plays this time every year.”
“I love that one,” Erica nodded at David.
“I’ll go make the popcorn,” Bianca said through a smile as Leo nodded.
“And I’ll go order the pizza, after I call Greenlee,” He paused after he said it, and waited for a few seconds before starting again. “I mean, if that’s okay.”
Erica sighed, and blew out a mock angry breath as nodded, “Fine. In the spirit of the holiday and all of that.”
Leo and Bianca bounded off and David moved from his spot in front of her so he could find the remote. “You scared the hell out of when that alarm went off, I thought the house was burning down.”
She laughed a little and nodded. “It almost was. Leo was far calmer about how to put the flames out than I was.”
“Flames?” David blew out throwing her a worried glance over his shoulder.
She shrugged. “What can I say, I’m a pioneer in the kitchen too, apparently.”
“Apparently,” He laughed as he slid in next to her. “I love you, Erica. You. The never boring, always exciting, frustrating, stubborn, horrible cook..don’t ever go into the kitchen alone…you. That’s never going to change. And our child is going to love you for the same reasons. Just trust yourself.”
She was beaming now, and leaned into him. “I was looking at it all wrong,” She started, resting her head on her shoulder. “I was trying to make our family fit the picture of normal. When what I should have been doing is making normal be what we have.”
“Exactly,” He nodded, dropping a kiss on her lips. “I like what we have.”
“Me too, me too.”
Brooke, Dixie, Opal, they could have their nights of sowing and dinner making. They could have soccer games and bake sales, and they could have perfect houses and picket fences. What she had was better. What she has was real. What she had was real, honest love, and a family who wanted to be together. Not one who had to be together.
She was far more lucky than they could or would ever realize.
The End
