That Blue Gibson: Another Round

forty-eight

"What the hell is taking them so long?"

Liz nervously paced the sidewalk in front of Dave while waiting outside The Mad Hatter. The girls, all five of them, had banished the adults so they could shop for mouse ears in peace under the guise of Violet and Shane being responsible enough to watch them. 

"They're probably adding glitter to everything," Dave grumbled, peering into the shop's windows before Phee's muffled voice drifted through the door.

"Quit peeking, Daddy!"

Liz snorted a laugh, "She's gonna kick your ass, David."

"Yeah," he gave her a lopsided grin and tugged her against his chest when she paced past him, "I'm still gonna make them vacuum all the glitter out of the van though."

Winding her arms around his middle, she pressed her face into his shoulder not caring in the least that it sent her aviators askew. They were quiet for a beat, listening to the kid's laughter from inside the store when Dave tightened his hold around her ribs.

"Breathe, Liz."

"I'm breathing," she retorted just as her body betrayed her by dragging in a deep lungful.

His chest shuddered with a laugh, making her look up at him, "The vein in your forehead says otherwise."

She wrinkled her nose and reached up to slap her palm over her brow, "Crowds make me nervous, you know that."

He hummed an acknowledgment, but he didn't let her go. "It's okay if someone recognizes you, babe. It's not like the kids don't know what you do." 

Now feeling like he knew her better than she knew herself, she pushed out of his arms and took a step back, "Please don't psychoanalyze me when I'm at work." She meant to appear facetious, but instead of cracking a smile he raised an eyebrow at her in another silent analysis that sent her into a tailspin, "I mean, I'm not at work, obviously... I just..."

"It's okay, Liz," he repeated softly while reaching for her again, "I get it."

Sighing in both frustration and relief, she lurched forward, breathing in the smell of his black shirt and him, trying to ignore the anxiousness that was creeping up her spine. 

"Dave!"

She nearly jumped out of her skin when Jack yelled from just steps away, pointing excitedly at the ears on his head. 

"Wow, buddy! Darth Vader ears!" Dave gently pulled away from her and crouched to be at Jack's eye level, overemphasizing his amazement when the red lightsabers between the black ears illuminated and sending Jack into hysterics.

Liz felt her shoulders relax while watching them laugh and let her face split into a wide smile when Owen bounced out of the store with a pair of racecar ears from his and Dave's favorite movie. He received the same level of excitement Jack had been given and clapped his hands happily before throwing them around Dave's shoulders.

Their sweet moment made Liz's heart swell and she was about to duck into the store to pay before she became all weepy, but Violet and Harper appeared in front of her wearing matching smiles and mouse ears. 

"We got you and Dad some," Harper declared, reaching into the bag Violet was holding and producing a sparkly white headband with iridescent mouse ears and a shoulder-length swath of tulle. "Here," she motioned for Liz to come closer and set the headband in her hair, adjusting the veil so it hung neatly around her. 

"Guys...," she started, grasping for the words to tell them how sweet they were when Phee crashed through the doorway in a dead run at Dave, shoving tuxedo-themed ears over the black baseball hat he was already wearing.