InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "everything is permitted"

Harmony Johnson (watchherride) wrote in utr_logs,
@ 2011-01-10 18:27:00

Entry tags:

harmony johnson, jaina solo

Who: Jaina Solo and Harmony Johnson.
What: Harmy's babysitting the twins.
When: Monday evening.
Where: Jaina's house.
Warnings: Harmony has a hella potty mouth.

When school had gotten out, Harmony had sat in her office finishing up some paperwork. She'd gotten some headway into her pile when she heard her phone ring. It was Jaina, and Harmony was hardpressed to keep her eyes from sparkling. She hated that she had a bit of a crush on the younger woman, mostly because she was pretty sure that Jaina was straight, and that the friendzone was an inevitable resting place for her. Of course, Harmony was a pessimist when it came to the idea of relationships anyway. But she answered the phone anyway, and when asked to babysit while Jaina went to the grocery, Harmony ran with it.

That was why when Jaina came home with her bags of groceries, Harmony was in a pillow fort with the two little ones, reading them If You Give A Mouse A Cookie.

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abadfeeling
2011-01-11 02:12 am UTC (link)

Anakin had always been happy to babysit for Jaina when she needed it. The kids loved their uncle. And the twins were fine in the grocery store; she could have easily taken them with her. But Jaina had called Harmony anyway. Cait and Chris liked Harmony, and it gave Jaina an excuse to see her again.

Things had been a little awkward since Christmas. Jaina was trying to ignore the change in her feelings. It was perfectly innocuous to ask Harmony to babysit, though. A single mother with twins could use all the help she could get. And Harmony was a friend. People enjoyed seeing their friends. It was all very rational.

Jaina grinned when she saw the pillow fort. "Hey," she said on her way to the kitchen. She didn't want to interrupt anything. They were all too adorable.

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	watchherride 2011-01-11 02:16 am UTC (link)
	Harmony hadn't really seen Jaina enter so much as heard her. She had a lapful of kids, and her arms around them, holding the book. She continued ater responding in kind, smiling and still doing the exaggerated voices that she usually did when she read out loud. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	abadfeeling 2011-01-11 03:01 am UTC (link)
	The kids giggled at the voices, leaning in to look at the pictures. Hearing the subject matter, Jaina figured snacks were in order. After putting away the groceries, she poured four glasses of milk and opened a new bag of Chips Ahoy. She brought the snacks in on a tray and walked back into the living room as they finished the book. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	watchherride 2011-01-11 03:07 am UTC (link)
	Once the kids crawled out of the fort and started to eat the cookies, Harmy moved to put the pillows and blankets away in the closet. She smiled at Jaina, looking a bit sheepish. "Need help with dinner or anything? My nephew's been teaching me a few things about cooking." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	abadfeeling 2011-01-11 04:08 am UTC (link)
	Jaina smiled, nodding. "Sure, I could use some help." It would be nice if Harmony could stick around a little while longer. She hadn't been sure how to ask, but the offer to help with dinner was perfect. "How do you feel about tacos?" she asked, pulling tomatoes and lettuce out of the fridge. "Can you chop these?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	watchherride 2011-01-11 04:33 am UTC (link)
	"I love tacos. Anything with a meat product, and I tend to enjoy it." She was trying very hard to control her language around the kids, and she took the tomatoes and lettuce with a nod. "Sure can." She whistled a little to herself as she found a cutting board, making sure to go slowly and not cut herself. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	abadfeeling 2011-01-11 04:58 am UTC (link)
	Jaina started the stove and got out the ground beef. "Looks like the kids were having fun," she said, smiling. "They weren't too much trouble, I hope?" While the meat browned, she retrieved spices from the cabinets. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	watchherride 2011-01-11 05:47 am UTC (link)
	"Oh, not at all. They're really well-behaved." Harmy grinned and finished cutting the lettuce, putting it into its own bowl. "Is it... is it too personal if I ask what happened to their father?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

abadfeeling
2011-01-11 05:52 pm UTC (link)

"Good," Jaina said, smiling. They could be a handful, but they seemed to do better with babysitters that weren't Force-trained. Maybe they just weren't as fun to torture as family.

"Oh.." Jaina ran a hand through her hair. "No, it's all right. Donny disappeared three years ago." Almost to the day. The anniversary would be in a few weeks. "The kids disappeared too. We had a funeral for them." It seemed a little morbid now, considering the twins were sitting a room away, playing. "Christopher and Caitlyn came back about a year and a half ago. Just showed up." She smiled. "They didn't even remember being gone. Donny didn't come back, but," she shrugged. "It's all right."

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	watchherride 2011-01-12 05:28 am UTC (link)
	Harmy reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, sighing. "I"ve heard that this place takes people. I'm so sorry." She didn't know what else to say, but it was important to her that Jaina know she was there for her. "It's not all right, but there's not much you can do but soldier on." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

abadfeeling
2011-01-12 04:20 pm UTC (link)

Jaina was grateful for the support, and nodded some. "It's been three years. That's longer than we were together." She shrugged a little. She had moved on, she supposed. "I dated someone else for a few months, but after the kids came back I was more preoccupied with them, and I don't think Galen wanted much to do with kids." She shrugged again. It had been a fairly amicable split, and she'd never let herself get that close to Galen anyway. It was probably the smoothest break-up in the history of her family.

"I'm just glad Chris and Cait are here. I was a wreck without them."

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watchherride
2011-01-16 04:42 am UTC (link)

"I'd take the kids over someone you were kind of dating. And the kids are so much more important than anyone you'll date, you know?" She sighed a little and ran her fingers through her hair. "I helped raise my siblings. I'm glad you're there for your little ones. And I'm glad I can help you all out." She was glad that they hadn't talked about her awkward little crush.

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abadfeeling
2011-01-16 05:07 am UTC (link)

Jaina nodded. "There wasn't even any question. Galen just sort of faded into the background, and I think he was happy to fade." Jaina shrugged. There was no hurt or regret in her voice. "It would have been different if the kids were important to him too. It's hard to date someone when you have toddlers on the brain all day and they don't even care about kids."

Jaina blushed, running a hand through her hair. "I'm glad you've been there for us. It's a great help."

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	watchherride 2011-01-16 05:20 am UTC (link)
	"Or if the kids had gotten attached. Then they'd have lost something too." She chuckled when as if on cue one of the little ones came and wrapped their arms around Harmony's leg until she picked them up. "Hey, monkey." She noticed the blush and it made her sheepishly look down. "I don't mind." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	abadfeeling 2011-01-16 05:30 am UTC (link)
	Jaina nodded. "Part of it may have been me being possessive of them, too. They'd just gotten back, I didn't really want them to get attached to him." She smiled at Christopher as he latched onto Harmony. "And they needed stability." She ruffled Christopher's hair, glad for the distraction. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	watchherride 2011-01-16 05:40 am UTC (link)
	"It's important at this age. They forget about it as they get older, but it has a lot of benefits." She rumpled Christopher's hair and kissed his forehead. "You hungry, hon?" Smiling a little when Jaina, she handed Christopher some lettuce, helping him pull it apart instead of cutting it. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

abadfeeling
2011-01-16 06:09 am UTC (link)

She smiled some, watching Harmony interact with Christopher. Harmony really was good with the kids. Sometimes Jaina felt a little overwhelmed. She'd been a Jedi and a fighter pilot. It hadn't really prepared her for motherhood. Her own mother had been distant--always on some diplomatic mission, or sending her and Jacen off into hiding. Jaina didn't have much 'technique' down. She just shoveled love on the kids and hoped it would turn out all right.

"I guess I've had a hard time letting people get close." Why was she telling Harmony all of this?

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watchherride
2011-01-16 06:18 am UTC (link)

Harmony had essentially raised her siblings in the absence of their parents, and she'd done so for countless random neighborhood children that she babysat and watched over the years. It was her profession, and as much of a shell of badassery she gave herself, she was a mother through and through. Not having children had been something she'd mourned when she turned forty, but she figured she'd had hundreds over the years. It evened out.

"Me too. My parents were sort of not around, and they weren't really stable. So I didn't have much of an exampe. And one of my little brothers has the perfect marriage, so I figure he got all the luck. And I'm picky anyway." Oh, and a lesbian. She didn't want to mention it; it seemed like it would make the situation more uncomfortable.

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abadfeeling
2011-01-16 06:46 am UTC (link)

"Oh, I'm sure he doesn't have all the luck," Jaina said. "You probably just haven't found the right person yet... I'm sorry, that sounds really cheesy, doesn't it?" She laughed awkwardly.

Cait ran into the room, grabbing for Jaina's pant leg. "Can we go make stuff? You said we could!"

Jaina laughed and held out a hand for Caitlyn to lead her out to the garage. "Well, okay.." She glanced back at Harmony. "Want to come check it out?"

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	watchherride 2011-01-16 07:16 am UTC (link)
	"It doesn't sound cheesy, it's true." Harmony laughed and grinned down at Caitlyn, blinking. "Making stuff? Uh oh, that sounds ominous. Of course I want to check it out." She followed, still carrying Christopher. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

abadfeeling
2011-01-16 07:24 am UTC (link)

"Well, good." Jaina grinned, opening the door to the garage. It wasn't too cold, thankfully. The room was huge, and there were half-finished projects all over, including a few interesting vehicles that certainly weren't street legal. Caitlyn had her own kid-safe area with projects, and Chris had a table set up with his art supplies.

"It's kind of a mess," she admitted. Cait's area was actually straighter than most of the place, and she sat down among her little plastic tools and started to work on things. The clutter factor was high, but each major project had enough room to work.

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	watchherride 2011-01-16 05:18 pm UTC (link)
	"Holy sh...shnikeys." Harmony caught herself quickly before laughing and setting Chris down. He toddled over and started to paint with surprising care and tidiness for such a little kid, and Harmony chuckled. "Messes are good." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	abadfeeling 2011-01-16 05:31 pm UTC (link)
	Jaina shrugged, laughing. "They're inevitable." She couldn't even blame the kids, since most of the mess was hers. "Would you believe I know where everything is in here?" She glanced around and then modified her statement. "Well, I could find it if I needed it." "Hey, do you want to see a bike I made?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	watchherride 2011-01-16 05:40 pm UTC (link)
	"Of course I would. This kind of looks like my apartment, actually." She grinned and leaned against the doorway, watching the organized chaos. Until she heard the word "bike" in conjunction with "made". "You work on bikes? He - heck yes I do." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	abadfeeling 2011-01-16 06:12 pm UTC (link)
	"Sometimes," Jaina said, smiling. She thought Harmony would be interested in that. "I made a couple. Years ago." She led the way, around several piles of spare parts, to two awesomely futuristic looking bikes. "I don't get out on them much." The kids were still in sight.. She'd arranged the place so almost every major project had a view of their play area. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	watchherride 2011-01-16 06:17 pm UTC (link)
	"These are gorgeous." Harmony walked over to them and began sweettalking them as if they were people, running her fingers over the handlebars. She smiled contentedly, shaking her head. "I've been cheating on my bike with a car lately, but it's a pretty unique car." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	abadfeeling 2011-01-16 09:10 pm UTC (link)
	Jaina grinned, happy to see someone enjoying her work so much. "Oh? I'd like to see it sometime." She had a thing for cars, too. "I promise I won't try to take it apart." She grinned, holding her hand up to swear. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	watchherride 2011-01-16 09:53 pm UTC (link)
	"Oh, she wouldn't let you anyway. She's possessed by a demon, but she likes me." Harmony shrugged. "I've got friends with some weird habits." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	abadfeeling 2011-01-17 10:19 pm UTC (link)
	"Well, that is unique. Now I'm really interested. I've never seen anything like that before." She gestured at the bike. "You can take her for a spin, if you want." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	watchherride 2011-01-18 10:15 pm UTC (link)
	"Only if you come with me. Maybe sometime next week or something." Harmony was surprised at her own ballsiness, if only because Jaina had kids. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	abadfeeling 2011-01-19 12:29 am UTC (link)
	Jaina laughed. "It's been years. I'll look like an idiot, but sure," she shrugged, grinning. She had two bikes, after all. After a beat, she added, "You should have one of them. I don't need two. I hardly ever ride, and it will be at least twenty years before I even dream of letting the kids get on one." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	watchherride 2011-01-19 12:49 am UTC (link)
	"What? No, I couldn't, no, they're yours!" She blinked, eyes going wide. That was way too generous. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

abadfeeling
2011-01-19 12:59 am UTC (link)

"No, you should. I'm not using them, and besides, I can just build more. Just.. think of it as a Thank You for all your help with the kids." Jaina brushed a hand through her hair, shrugging. "Or a late Christmas present."

"Honestly, you having one would probably get me out on mine more. It would be nice having someone to ride with. Otherwise they're just taking up space in here."

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	watchherride 2011-01-19 01:57 am UTC (link)
	"If you promise to come out with me. You have to swear." Harmony crossed her heart with a finger and nodded for Jaina to do the same. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

abadfeeling
2011-01-19 02:04 am UTC (link)

"I promise," Jaina said, crossing her heart with a finger. She grinned, pleased with the outcome. Harmony would give the bike a good home. And she liked the promise, too. It would be good to ride again, and it was always fun spending time with Harmony.

"We can go on Saturday. I'll talk to Ani about watching the kids." Hesitantly, she added, "Maybe we can even make a weekend of it."

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	watchherride 2011-01-20 12:53 am UTC (link)
	"Good." Harmony liked when Jaina smiled, having noticed that she didn't do it often enough. "Saturday sounds great." Then she tried not to cough a little at the suggestion of a weekend outing. "Yeah, yeah, that's a great idea." Wait. She was pretty sure that Jaina was straight, and the whole weekend thing was confusing her. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	abadfeeling 2011-01-20 09:40 pm UTC (link)
	Jaina beamed when Harmony said yes. That sealed it. The fact that she could not stop grinning probably meant she liked Harmony. What exactly was she supposed to say, though? "Good." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	watchherride 2011-01-21 01:10 am UTC (link)
	Harmony couldn't help but grin in return as well. "Yeah, good." She chuckled and scratched the back of her neck. "I'm really... thanks, I'm really looking forward to it. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

abadfeeling
2011-01-21 04:30 am UTC (link)

"Me too," she said, feeling a little giddy. Harmony probably.. it seemed like Harmony liked her. Jaina was still nervous.. She hadn't figured everything out. What if it didn't work out? The kids liked her a lot, Jaina didn't want to mess things up.

"I really like..how good you are with the kids." And she sucked at communicating. She just meant..after their conversation about why things didn't work with Galen... This was important to Jaina.

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	watchherride 2011-01-21 04:41 am UTC (link)
	Harmony smiled and reached out to squeeze Jaina's hand. If she didn't like her, it could be a friendly gesture, which was something Harmony worried about. "I like the kids a lot. They're fun to be around, and ... I don't know, they're sweet. You know I'm always up for babysitting." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

abadfeeling
2011-01-21 09:25 pm UTC (link)

Jaina smiled when Harmony took her hand. For a minute there, she had been so nervous that she almost thought her heart was going to beat out of her chest, so the comforting gesture was appreciated. It seemed to calm her down.

"Chris and Cait really like you," she said, running a hand nervously through her hair. This was the part where she would rather pilot an X-Wing through an asteroid field than speak. "I like you, too."

Just then, Chris came bounding up to them and grabbed onto Jaina. "Mom! Mom! Come look!"

Thank the Force! Jaina thought, chuckling.

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	watchherride 2011-01-22 12:38 am UTC (link)
	Harmony's jaw had dropped, and she blinked down at Christ, still gaping. But she couldn't stop smiling, and she bit her lower lip to keep from looking too much like a trout. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	abadfeeling 2011-01-22 02:14 am UTC (link)
	"Okay!" Jaina said, scooping up Chris for a further distraction. "Let's go see." She propped the boy against her hip, kissing the side of his head before hurrying him back to the kids area. She had managed to avoid looking at Harmony, nervous about her reaction. She busied herself with cooing over Chris's drawing. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	watchherride 2011-01-23 07:28 pm UTC (link)
	She smiled from a distance at Jaina and the kids, liking how good she was with them, and appreciating that the kids would likely turn out well. It'd be hard not to with an awesome mother. Who apparently liked her. Harmony wondered if she meant in a romantic way. She almost blurted out the phrase 'like like' before internally reprimanding herself. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	abadfeeling 2011-01-23 07:42 pm UTC (link)
	After talking with the kids briefly, Jaina looked back over her shoulder to catch a glimpse of Harmony. She was smiling. Good! Jaina smiled, blushing just a little. Good. She turned back to the kids, showing Cait how to fit two parts together. (Reply to this) (Parent)