Let's Play!

Ansel nodded slowly, climbing in and wrapping his arms about her.

"I love you. Sleep well. "

Willow nudged him back a little with her shoulder.

"It's okay. You don't need to do that and be bored for no reason. I'll be fine. You just enjoy the rest of your evening."

She only managed to get to sleep because her body was so tired, but she did manage it.

Ansel didn't understand why she'd push back. But he did let her go and just sat and watched her for hours before he eventually laid down and snuggled to sleep with her.


He was too asleep to register the little that crawled all over them until he felt a hairbrush fall on his face. He smiled a bit.

/ Hi Rosie.~

"Hi daddy! I have a brush. See? "

Ansel smiled a bit. Look at all those words. When did they happen?

"You do. Mommy is still asleep. "

He pointed out, shifting to tuck her in between himself and Willow.

Willow was not asleep. She was just not admitting it to the world yet. However, that was just as good considering Rosie's answer.

"Kay. I'll make her pretty for when she gets up. "

The ripping of the hairbrush through willow's hair was not for the faint of heart.

Ansel cringed so hard and moved to place a hand over Rosie's.

"Daddy help? "

He could at least keep his wife from being scalped.

Rosie pouted. She wanted to do it. She knew exactly what her mom needed to be beautiful.

"But you don't have big hairs?"



Willow was squinting hard at the wall now.

Ansel shifted, starting at the very bottom of Willow's hair.

"We want to be easy on mommy. You can do it, but start like this. "

He encouraged, walking her through the first few small strokes right along the ends.

"Kay..."

The single word was laden with every ounce of disappointment the child could hold in her body. Her vision was ruined. She let go of the brush and just sat there, watching her dad sadly.

Willow didn't let it go on. She sat up, interrupting the process.

Ansel felt bad for his little girl, moving to scoop her up.

"Aww, Rosie..."

He looked hopelessly a Willow, clearly lost on how to make this better.

Willow didn't meet his eye.

"Did Daddy tell you he was wanting to give you special ponytails today?" she told the child after a second. The disappointment vanished instantly.

"Really?!"

"Are you ready? "

"Yeah !"

She excitedly reached for the brush to foist onto Ansel as willow disappeared into the bathroom.

Ansel blinked and looked at Rosie's excited little face before he tentatively started to work on his little girl's hair.

/ um..... are regular ponytails also special ones? /

He did just wake up and was rather the "panic" mode still with fixing broken Rosie

/ yes. /

The child was happily singing a song as she sat there and patiently waited for him.

/ Are you ok? I didn't want her to hurt you...../

He asked as he carefully did one little ponytail and worked diligently on the other. She was so precious.

/ unharmed,/ she confirmed as she climbed into the bathtub.


The child grinned up at him happily, feeling at her ponytails.

"... where's the bow? "

Because obviously special ponytails had to have bows.

Ansel smiled. Bows he could do, now that she mentioned it, he did have a set he'd gotten for her. He'd get up to grab the little clips to place on each little pigtail. Soft white delicate and hyper realistic white roses with a pastel butterfly of blue and purple sat resting on it's edge.

"They aren't bows, but daddy thought you'd like them? "

He asked as he moved to bring her into the bathroom to examine herself ( and not so secretly) show off Rosie to Willow.

"I'm a flower!" She announced with glee.

"I love my special ponies!"

Ansel grinned, kissing her forehead.

"Roses for Rosie."

He answered with a proud smile and look to Willow.

/ Thanks for helping me. /

The child looked back at the flowers with confusion.

"They not rosie."



Willow nodded, sinking lower in the bathtub until she was watching him like a lonely little alligator.

/ you didn't need it. /

/a huh, I was lost..... you look really cute over there./

Ansel laughed at Rosie, kissing her forehead.

"They aren't pink, that's true."

Rosie was still confused but let it go after a minute.

"I wanna show Azving."



Willow lowered her eyes, sulking. Yeah, it was clearer this morning without a many mixed emotions and burbling thoughts. The withdrawal was definitely from the sense of displacement making her feel lonely.

Ansel moved to the tub as Rosie headed off.

"I love you. "

He shared gently, reaching to lightly brush her hair back a bit.

Willow sat up, lifting her head out of the water. She poked a particularly large bubble.

"I love you too. Have a good day."

".... do you want to be by yourself? "

Ansel asked her curiously.

Her knee jerk answer was no, but she quickly reasoned herself out of it.

"Yes."

All she could think about was all the ways she kept ruining time with him, and that there was something wrong with her that she didn't understand. It would be best to be alone and focus on getting everything figured out. Besides, he had plans for today.

Ansel considered her before he kissed her forehead.

"What if I wanted to stay with you, would that change your feelings about it?"

He asked her softly, waiting as he decided what he'd do either way after this. He didn't have solid plans and had originally had her in them, but given that she seemed to need a reboot moment he was willing to rework it all. Like he had afternoon plans with Brooke but otherwise.....

As though either the kiss or his words sapped the last of her strength, she slid down and disappeared under the water. She stayed there for a few seconds, struggling with it.

She reminded herself that he'd thought of her when he had no need to yesterday. He WANTED her. And she wanted another chance, even if it felt doomed. It took every ounce of strength to push herself out of the collapsed heap of rot she was living in this morning, and from the outside it was invisible. All it looked like we sitting up again in the bathtub.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" She asked instead of answering his question.

Because she was trying so incredibly hard to meet him.

Ansel looked at her, feeling a bit puzzled.

"When? When Rosie was uh 'Brushing' your hair? "

He asked curiously.

Willow shook her head, not pointing out that the brushing would have woken her on its own.

"Last night. "

Ansel relaxed now.

"Because you needed rest. I can feel when you're body is tired, just as I'm sure you're aware of mine and all it's.... quirks. I just want to be sure both of us are having our needs met.... so I stayed closer to you and let you rest."

She didn't think he was lying, but it didn't make her feel better either. The insecurities were still just as stifling

"Would you hand me a towel? " was her only response, though.

"Of course. "

He shared gently, getting to grab a towel and help her get out without injury.

Willow made her way back to the bedroom. After a lot of debate, she picked up one of the hair ties and used it to pile her hair on her head without even brushing it.

"Am I still doing whatever I was doing wrong last night? " she asked quietly

Ansel arched an eyebrow.

" You're not don't anything wrong, darling. "

Willow sighed heavily, shoulders slumping.

"I don't understand."

Ansel moved to hug her into him.

"I'm sorry. Help me see why you thought there was something wrong? "

When he approached, she wrapped her arms around his waist but did not stand.

"Because there's something you don't like about my brain... which i guess explains why there's no room for me. You probably can't escape my brain unless I'm asleep. But I don't understand what I'm doing bad, so i can't stop it."

She paused, some of her other thoughts clicking into place with a possible explanation and she let go of him.

"Is it the... the sick thing in my head? Is that the problem?"

Ansel shook his head slightly.

"I don't see it as wrong. It's something that makes me feel sad for you. That your mind is also worrying or working or going? It's got to be exhausting. "

He expressed carefully.

" i don't know which piece of your mind is doing it. I just know I'm sad that you can't have peace. I love you. "

"I'm not... i..."

Willow picked at a fray at the edge of the towel around her body.

"It's just being mindful. Otherwise I'll make more mistakes."