SIX the Musical One Shots (Discontinued)

With Edward and Mae

A/N: This chapter was suggested by @tterxng for Parrmour. This chapter will also include Edward and Mae. This chapter is told from Jane Seymour's perspective (I want to have a go with the first-person perspective with some of the queens, which is why I'm doing this.)

Everyone is having a day out with their children, except for Cathy and me. We are having a quiet day at home with Edward and Mae. Edward didn't want to leave the house, and Mae is too young to make up her mind. Right now, the two of them are sitting at the coffee table, colouring, while Cathy and I are watching. In front of us is the TV, and we have cartoons playing to entertain the two children.
'Having a two-year-old wake me up at three in the morning almost makes me feel like a demon is waking me up,' Cathy moans. 'Mae hardly ever stops screaming.'
'What causes her to scream?' I ask, hoping that Mae isn't overhearing what her mother is saying.
'I tried asking her, but I could never get an answer out of her. I think her father is freaking her out.'
'Please don't tell me he's back,' I drop my voice to a whisper. I hate my brother, both of them, after what they did to my son. If they ever come back, I'll disown them.
'I don't think so, but he did abandon Mae when she was only a week old. If that freak turns up here, I'll beat the living daylights out of him.'

'Have you found anything useful on the parenting forums?' I try steering the conversation onto safer topics.
'I haven't checked yet; I'm not as resourceful as you.'
'I thought as a writer; you're meant to research a lot. Why have you not tried there?'
'I feel that parents will berate me for not looking out for my daughter if I do. Everyone is doing it better than me!' Cathy's brown eyes sparkle with unshed tears.
'That's not true,' I say, my voice rising more than I intended. Cathy flinches a little, and I drop my voice to its usual volume. 'Cathy, no one's perfect. If we were, we wouldn't be human.' Cathy gives me a brief smile. 'No one will berate you for seeking help.' I run my thumb over her cheek. 'Okay?' Cathy nods.
'Thanks, Jane.' We turn back to the children, who are still colouring.

After ten minutes, Mae starts crying as it's past her nap time. Cathy scoops her up. 'Are we ready for our nap?' She asks. 'Say night-night to Auntie Jane.' Mae waves at me, and Cathy takes her upstairs. While Mae is sleeping, I hope Cathy reaches out to the other parents. She will need help. If she can't find any answers, I'll happily help.

I turn the TV to the news, hoping to find something interesting. All of the news is the same; humanity seems to be messing up something. I turn it off and wait for Cathy to return. I walk over to a bookshelf and pick out a book to read, but I cannot understand the words. Reading has never been my strong point. I put the book back and try to think of something else to do. I head into the kitchen and put the kettle on. Cathy will want her coffee when she comes down. I get two mugs out when Edward comes through with his completed drawing.

'Mama, look,' he says, and holds his drawing up. It's a stick figure drawing of the two of us with the other queens and their children. Then, I see another figure in a dark square marked as 'jail'.
'Who is that in the jail, Eddie?'
'That's Father,' Edward says. I feel a smile flicker on my face. That is undoubtedly where he-who-should-not-be-named should be.
'It's a great drawing, Eddie.' I take it from him and put it on the fridge, ensuring that one of the magnets covers the jail. I don't want Anne, or even worse, Kitty, finding it.

When Cathy walks downstairs, the other queens return. 'Thanks, Jane,' Cathy says when she spots her coffee on the counter.
'Cathy, do you want to go out with me at some point?'
'Like, on a date?'
'If you like,' I shrug, trying to pretend that it's no big deal. My heart is thumping so loudly that I have to ask Cathy to repeat her answer.
'I'd love to,' she says. Of course, she doesn't hug me, but her smile and sparkling brown eyes are enough for me.