The blaring annoying horn of his alarm clock woke him. Grunting, he jumped from his bed and turned the machine off. Ranma stretched out, yawning loudly before lowering his arms and scratching his stomach.
4:30 AM
"I hate Monday's." he grumbled in a yawn, slipping on some loose sweat pants and slippers. It was time to work out.
***
5:30 AM
"Morning Theo." Ranma called as he slid a breakfast of buttery eggs and tender cooked bacon across the table, before turning back to the stove and frying up some more.
Theo grunted a, "Good morning." before setting into his breakfast.
It had been three years since that horrible day Julia had been cursed, and it had been three years since Ranma found himself the 'mother' of the family, despite not being the correct gender. The girls had taken it rough at first, but as they started school up and made friends they had managed to get on with their lives, more or less. Gina would still occasionally go into a crying fit, but he always made sure he was there to comfort the little girl. It was odd, while he knew Theo was doing a fine a job as he can in raising the girl, he realized that with Julia's curse he had become a mother, if not in gender, to two girls.
Ranma shook his head, slipping his cooked eggs on to a plate before grabbing a bottle of Sunny-D and settling in on the table. "Sleep well?"
Theo grunted, taking a sip of his coffee. Nothing woke him up faster then a burning horribly tasting liquid going down his throat. "Well enough." he coughed, patting his chest lightly, "Erg. I got a problem Ranma."
Ranma burped, "Eh? What's up?"
"My day to carpool, I forgot about that when I promised Dee'em I'd assist him in a curious research project. Can you take the kids today?" Theo sighed. He really didn't like depending on Ranma so much when it came to the kids, but he had really saved his ass these last three years.
Ranma nodded, "Yeah, no problem." he picked up his Sunny-D and started jugging the whole bottle, before stopping and setting it down. "Summer's coming up, Theo."
Theo nodded, pushing his plate away and sighing in slight contentment at the good food, "Yeah. You plan on taking Brittany to Jade as planned?"
"Yeah. M's giving me time off, he knows how important this is to me." Ranma seemed to hesitate a moment, before continuing, "Theo, about Gina."
Theo grunted, waving his hand unconcerned, "Don't worry about her. I've already had a talk with our neighbors. They agreed to watch Gina if neither of us are around."
Ranma nodded, "Sounds good." he looked at the clock...
5:49 AM
"I better go take my shower." Ranma said as he stood up from the table, quickly putting his dishes, and Theo's, into the sink after washing them down a bit before taking off.
Theo just sat there for a while, staring off into space thinking.
***
6:17
"But daaaaaaddy! I don't wanna go to school!" Brittany pouted as Ranma ushered her from her bed, shooing her to the bathroom, while she fought the entire way by grabbing onto walls as best she could. She never could hold on for long, her daddy often initiating his dreaded tickle attack to get her to let go.
"But Brrrrrrriiiiitany! I don't wanna get time out!" Ranma cooed, pushing on his little girl. While he doubted he would be put in a card board box and left to rot for a few hours if he didn't make sure Brittany got to school, he didn't doubt it would eventually lead him to a metal cell. "Besides, don't you miss that new friend of yours?"
Brittany smiled, "Danielle! Ooooh! I wonder if she recorded Sesame Street like she promised!"
Ranma chuckled. His daughter was so easy to please at times, "Well, hurry up and take your bath, get some breakfast, and get dressed and we can go find out."
"Yahhhh!"
***
6:30
Ranma smiled, idly parting the growing length of blond hair for the child's cherub face. Gina was such a cutey when she slept, like an angel. Reaching out, he clicked on the table lamp and nearly chuckled as Gina pulled the Big Bird emblazoned covers over her head.
He sighed, reaching out and grabbing the newest picture stand to the little girls bedside table. Taken five months previous, the picture depicting Julia kneeling down and hugging Brittany and Gina with the brightest smile on her face, Theo in the back ground smiling at the scene. He knew he was smiling just the same when this picture was taken. There was always something so.. live.. so wonderful about Julia coming back and hugging the kids. He really missed the old days when Julia wasn't cursed.
Theo missed it too, he could tell. The kids dealt with it well enough, but Ranma knew Theo had been hurting for a very long time. Heck, he didn't even know if he had recovered at all.
Shaking his thoughts off, he wondered why he had been thinking more of her today then any other day. "Gina-sweetie, time to get up." he grinned, tickling her sides through her blanket, "School days, school days, " he started singing, before stopping. Damn, he sucked at even singing a rhythm.
"Hmm, lemme sleep daddy, I'm tired." Gina voice reached his ears, muffled by her blanket.
Ranma smirked, "Hey Gina, if you don't get out of bed right now, I'll go digging through the letters Julia sent you!" the girl guarded those letters as if her life depended on them. He respected her privacy, but threatening to do something always got a rile out of the youngest Digger
"Wahhh!" Gina practically flew from her bed in a mad dash for the bathroom.
"Heh, works every time." Ranma chuckled as he started to make the girls bed.
***
7:15 AM
"You have your lunches girls?" Ranma asked in a hurry as he threw his leather duster on.
"Yes daddy." "Yes dad." Ranma nodded, patting down his pockets until he found the keys. "Right, lets go." he started ushering the kids out the door.
***
7:25 AM
"Hmmm. Pinser, Pinser." Ranma mumbled as he drove the Hummer down the street, occasionally slowing down to read the address boxes on the side of the road before moving on. He knew this Pinser girl lived near by them, but since he had never actually driven the car pool he had to ask the girls for directions.
"There we are!"
***
7:45 AM
"Brittany?" The little six year old, almost seven, Penny Pinser asked her friend while glancing at the strange man.
"Hmmm?"
"Who's the guy?" she asked curiously, ignoring Gina he just stared at the window and said nothing.
"Oh, that's daddy!' Brittany squealed, "He's really strong and nice!"
Penny blinked, before shaking one finger cutely in the negative, "Bet my mom's stronger!"
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
"Is not not not not NOT!"
Ranma sweat dropped.
***
8:00 AM
Ranma sighed, stepping out of the Hummer as the girls climbed out of the Driver side back seat door. He was glad they finally made it, Penny and Brittany had been arguing since they got in the car!
Brittany smiled and hugged his legs, "Bye daddy! I'll see you after school!"
Ranma kneeled down and gave her a kiss on the nose, "Bye sunflower. Be good, okay?"
Brittany nose twitched at the contact, giggling a little, as she was ticklish, "Okay!"
Ranma smiled as he watched the Brittany run off with Penny chasing after her, and Gina following them at a slow clip.
"Gina? Hold up a minute." Ranma sighed when Gina seemed to startle at his request.
"Gina-sweetie." Ranma brought the girl in a tight hug, "I love you sweetie." he had made it a point to show how much he loved the darling little girl ever since Julia had become cursed. It was probably why she started calling him daddy as well as Theo.
"I love you too dad." Gina returned the hug, before stepping back and running off.
Ranma sighed, watching his two little angels go running into the school before climbing back into his Hummer. Time to go to work.
***
Lets Look Towards
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(Posted Thu, 29 Jan 2004 05:23)
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