Slice of Life

By Laura Davies <brightfeather1.geo@yahoo.com>

Rated: G

Submitted: January 2003

Summary: Another glimpse inside the life of our favorite family.

Yet another vignette set in the Forever and All Eternity universe. <g> This one was actually a POV assignment for my creative writing class… Thanks to my beta readers who gave this a look see before I posted it and turned it in…

***

Joseph sat up in his crib, rubbed his eyes, climbed out of his prison, and landed headfirst on the floor. He used the bars of his crib to pull himself up and padded out into the hallway, sticking his thumb into his mouth as he went. He toddled into his sister's room and grinned around his thumb as he saw a bear lying on the floor by her bed.

He walked over by the bed, picked up the bear and hugged it tightly, sneaking a glance up at the bed, where Kiley lay sleeping. He walked over to the corner of the room and plumped down on the ground. "*My* bear," he said with a large grin spreading over his small face. He began to play with the bear, making roaring sounds as he marched it towards a pile of blocks that lay nearby. With a loud crash, the blocks fell to the ground as the bear knocked over the pile.

Kiley sat up in bed, pushed back the covers, and stood up. She caught sight of Joseph with her bear and frowned. "Hey, that's *my* bear!" she exclaimed, as she hurried over to reclaim it from her brother. "Joseph, gimme my Clarkie- bear," she demanded, grabbing one of the bear's legs.

"*Jo'eph* bear," he insisted, tugging it away from her. He stood up, planted his feet, and glared at his adversary. "*Mine*," he repeated.

"He is not! Clarkie-bear is *mine*!" Kiley walked over and snatched at the bear, pushing Joseph in her eagerness to get her toy back.

He fell to the ground, releasing his death-grip on the toy. Joseph climbed back up onto his feet and glared blackly at his sister. "Jo'eph bear—*gimme*," he demanded as he pulled back his little fist and hit her in the face.

Kiley simply scowled and hung on to the bear tightly. "No, he's *mine*! You can't have him!" she yelled, glaring at her brother.

Joseph kicked her in the leg. "*MINE*!" he yelled as Kiley began to cry.

"*MOMMY*!" Kiley yelled as Joseph pulled back his fist to hit her again.

Lois hurried into the room and separated the two quarreling children. "Kiley Christine Kent! Joseph Samuel Kent! You two know better… what happened?"

"Mommy," Kiley began, sniffling. "Joseph stole Clarkie- bear, an' then he hit me an' he kicked me!"

"Is that all that happened?" Lois asked with a frown.

"N-ooo," Kiley said slowly. "I pushed him, 'cause he wouldn't give Clarkie-bear back."

Lois plucked the bear out of Kiley's arms. "Since you were fighting over Clarkie-bear, he now belongs to *me* until your dad gets back." She placed the bear up on a high shelf and turned towards the now sullen children. They were identical pictures of disappointment as they stuck their lower lips out in a pout. "I'm giving *both* of you time out." Lois ushered them over to the small table and sat them down in the chairs near it. She wiped her hand across her eyes tiredly—it was going to be a *long* day.

Finis.