How is this my life?

Cockblock

"Jamie."

Andrea had actually volunteered to take Emma and Braden on a long walk with Max and Michonne was visiting Jenner with Andre. Amy was very grateful that she could have this talk with the siblings. Billy was still glued to her side and his older sister was pointedly looking away from them.

"I'm not calling you mom." She grumbled, looking close to tears.

"No, we talked about this." Amy reached out her hands to both children, he grabbed hers eagerly but his older sister was hesitant. "I'll take care of you, love you to pieces but that does not make me your mom."

"But I want a mom." Billy protested immediately, glaring accusingly at his sister.

"Hey, none of that!"

"WE have a mom!" Amy and Jamie both turned to him at once.

"She died!" Billy ignored the blonde at his side to yell at his sister. "I want someone to tuck me in and kiss me and love me! Sofia tried to kill me and I just wanted mom to make it better!"

"You can't just replace her!" Jamie yelled right back, not moved by his words at all.

"Enough!" Amy pulled her hands away with a stern expression. "Jamie, your brother is allowed to have his own thoughts and opinions. It's not about replacing anyone, if Billy needs that connection with someone then you need to be a good older sister and support your brother."

"Yeah!" Billy smiled smugly at his sister, scooting closer to Amy in victory. "I can pick my own mom."

"Billy." Amy sighed, turning to the young boy with a sad sigh. "By what you told me, your mom was a wonderful person. I don't want you to feel obligated to call me anything, okay? However, just like you your sister deserves to make her own choices. It's only been two months since you've found me."

"It feels like forever." Billy leaned into Amy's side, turning his face away from his sister.

"Well, it wasn't!" The young girl wrapped her arms around herself tightly. "She could still be out there. Maybe she found help or got better. Maybe she's just walking but she's still our mom!"

"She got eaten!" Billy hissed like a cat. "Mom stayed back to get eaten so we could get away!"

"Then how can you replace her?" She demanded, glaring down at the table sobbing. "Mom gave her life for us and you just..just!"

"Come here." Amy held out her hand for the crying child, Jamie scooted around the large bench so she could hug the blonde. "Shh, I'm so sorry, love."

"She's gone!" Both children started to sob, pressing their faces to the blonde's chest. Amy lifted herself just a little so she could reach the overhead cabinet to pull out a box of brownies.

"You know." Amy thought she might be getting the hang of operating her arms around children as she unwrapped the cosmic brownies. "My mom and dad just left for Europe when this started."

"Really?" Jamie rested her head on Amy's chest, leaving the older woman incredibly uncomfortable but not complaining.

"Yeah, Andrea and I had already set off to start my life as a nomad when the news broke." She hummed a little sadly, not being able to see their faces. "I never did get through to them, not even voicemail."

"That's sad." Billy's voice warbled, his sister nodding in agreement.

"It is." Amy agreed, keeping her voice even. "However, I like to think about how any time any of us cried, my Dad panicked. I mean full on, had no idea what to do so he would just blurt the first inappropriate thing that came to mind. In fact, one time Andrea got dumped by a boyfriend, Dad started singing Silent Night. Middle of the Fourth of July cookout and my sister is sobbing hysterically and there's Dad, belting out Christmas carols like it's his job."