#for those new to the lore - robbie's full name is amelia robin

[livwritesstuff]

circa 2009

There's pandemonium in the Harrington kitchen.

Pandemonium in and of itself isn’t unusual, but this specific instance is.

Nancy and Robin are there (the latter laughing so hard she has tears streaming down her face), along with the whole Harrington family - Steve and Eddie and their three daughters.

Eight-year-old Moe is ranting and raving, twiggy little arms flying through the air. Hazel, who just turned three, is wailing, though her reason for it isn’t clear, and she’s clinging to Steve like a lifeline. Six-year-old Robbie is looking back and forth between Nancy and Steve with a look of disgust on her face.

The reason for the pandemonium: the girls had just learned that their dad used to date their Aunt Nancy.

“Papa, she’s a lesbian,” Moe admonishes Steve (as if he hadn't known that fact for years).

"Who cares about that — he’s her sister!" Robbie exclaims, looking vaguely horrified.

"No he’s not!" Moe fires back.

"Is too! Why else would we call her Aunt Nancy. Papa, tell her Aunt Nancy’s your sister!"

"I could," Steve says, doing his best to ignore Eddie and Robin's continued howls of laughter (and trying to not break, himself), "but…it wouldn’t be true."

"See!" Moe yells proudly, "Papa dated a lesbian!"

"No he didn't!" Robbie argues, "They're making it up. Papa likes boys!"

“No — Papa liked girls too. He likes both.”

For some reason, this makes Hazel cry even harder.

"What’s making you so upset, sweet girl?" Steve asks her.

Hazel raises her head to look at Steve.

“B-but what about Daddy?”

"What about Daddy?"

"Don’t you love him?"

"What??" he exclaims, "Of course I love him!"

"Then how come’d you date someone else?"

Her face crumpled and she was crying again, her little face pressed into the collar of Steve's shirt. He hugged her tight, meeting Eddie's eyes over her mop of blonde curls.

"She's not dating anyone ever," Steve tells him, "Call me a bad parent. I don't care. It's not allowed."

“Sweetheart, Papa didn’t really know me yet when he and Aunt Nancy dated,” Eddie tried to tell his youngest daughter, "We were in school still."

“Nuh-uh,” Robbie cut in unhelpfully, “You said you and Papa went to school together.”

Robin, who’d been halfway to composed, ended up doubled over in laughter again, and even Nancy, who'd been cool as a cucumber while she watched the whole situation unfold, couldn't help a snort.

"Thank you so much for your help, Amelia," Steve sighs.

"Wait 'til you guys hear who else you know that Aunt Nancy dated," Robin says with a wicked grin.

"No!" Steve and Nancy say in unison.