Summary: This is a response to Lorein's Challenge # 3: Having two mommies and two daddies is a bit confusing for little Jenny, so she gives Ben an unusual nickname. Sweetness ahead, but come on. Any child of Michael's is going to be cute.
Rating: G
Archived: 07/25/05
Notes: Occurs post-season 5, though a couple of events have been changed from canon.
A little bunny in the meadow
Is nibbling grass without a care
He's so delightful as he hops for you
You say, "Hi, bunny"
And he stops for you?"Don't Be The Bunny"--Urinetown
"Sure you've got every thing?" Melanie asked leaning over to brush some of Jenny Rebecca's black hair out of her large brown eyes.
Michael almost rolled his eyes, but held back. "We're good Mel. Aren't we, honey bun?"
From her spot on Michael's hip, the little girl pressed her hands into his shoulders and straightened up her eyes searching the empty space behind her father.
"Bunny?" she asked him hopefully.
Confused, Michael glanced at Lindsey, who could only shake her head.
"Don't ask us," she said. "She's been saying 'Bunny' since we told her you were coming to take her for the weekend. I thought she meant one of her stuffed animals, but she doesn't have a rabbit."
"Kind of shocking since she owns every other stuffed animal under the sun," Melanie said shooting a pointed, but not unhappy look at Michael.
"What?" he asked with a sheepish smile. Shifting in order to get a better grip on her, Michael kissed his daughter's temple. "No, honey bun. There are no bunnies here right now. But I'll bet we'll see some at the park."
Jenny Rebecca seemed satisfied with this answer, and wrapped her arms around Michael's neck.
Shrugging, Michael turned to the open door "Ben's going to meet us at the park on his way home from class. Hunter should be home by the time we get back so hopefully she'll be hungry by the time we have dinner. Say good-bye to your mommies J/R."
"Bye Mommy," Jenny Rebecca called as Michael started down the steps. "Bye Mommy."
"Bye honey," Lindsey waved. "Be good for daddy and Ben."
Michael couldn't remember much about being three. Oh, sure he had some hazy memories of waiting in the booth for Debbie to finish at the diner, and some rare visits from Uncle Vic who at the time was still living in New York, but no real specifics. So he had to wonder if it was all three-year-olds, and not just Jenny Rebecca, who could run back and forth playing in piles of leaves for two hours without stopping. He couldn't even imagine having that kind of energy his daughter was currently showing off, and all he was doing was wandering behind her making sure to keep her in sight as she zoomed from one destination to another, usually pinballing back to him before shooting off in another direction.
Jenny Rebecca's excited shout of "Bunny!" broke what had before just been a long string of happy giggling, and she took off in the direction of the park's exit.
"Jenny! No, don't chase the rabbits," Michael called, breaking into a run behind her. It wasn't that Michael thought J/R could actually catch the rabbits, but that didn't mean she wouldn't chase the damn things right into moving traffic if he didn't stop her. Luckily, as she rounded the corner out of the park, Ben rounded the corner into the park.
"Ben!" Michael cried. "Catch her!"
Having gotten used to such shouts, Ben dropped down, ready to catch Jenny Rebecca as she streaked past. However, neither Michael's shout nor Ben's actions were necessary as Jenny Rebecca made no attempt at getting past Ben. Instead she grabbed hold of his right leg, nuzzling her nose into the jean. Once she'd given Ben's leg a proper hug, she smiled up at him and said, "Hi Bunny!" in a clear cheerful voice.
Puzzled, Ben scooped-up the little girl up, and carried her back over to Michael.
"What did she call me?"
"Did you take her to a petting zoo?" Michael asked as he paced the wood floors of their home.
Watching Jenny Rebecca, who was sitting on the floor completely immersed in her coloring book, with a rather lost look, Ben shook his head. "No."
"Did you read her Peter Rabbit?"
"No."
"Did you try to show her how Samantha Stevens twitches her nose to cast spells on Bewitched and fail miserably?"
"No."
"Did you explain who the Easter Bunny is?"
"No."
"Did you watch Donnie Darko with her?"
"She's a little young for that movie."
"You didn't, I don't know, let her watch the Playboy channel did you?"
"Michael!"
"I'm just covering all the bases."
"We don't even get that channel."
"Yeah I know," came Hunter's disappointed grumbled from across the room.
Pointedly ignoring the teenager, Michael tried for another explanation. "Maybe we're wrong, and she's not talking about you."
Ben shook his head. "Michael, you sat her down pointed to yourself and asked, "Who am I?" she said "Daddy." You pointed to Hunter and said, "Who is that?" she said "Hunter." You pointed to me, said, "Who is that?" and she said "Bunny."
"Maybe you look like a rabbit to her?"
"I don't have huge incisors and big floppy feet," Ben said dryly.
"She's three! I don't know what she sees," Michael shot back running a hand through his hair. "Ben, we're still trying to figure out why she runs screaming from the room whenever Brian walks in, I can only take one mystery at a time here."
Collapsing onto the couch next to Ben, Michael leaned over and rested his chin on the other man's shoulders.
"Well, this solves the question of what she's going to call you."
"Oh, I'm thrilled."