Julie’s voice took on a new enthusiasm, “Wif Sam and my baby.”

Sam tugged the covers up around her as she heard the voices coming out of the monitor fade. The sound from the hallway was becoming clearer until in the dim candlelight, she could see Brooke’s head entering the doorway as she held Julie in her arms.

“Hi, Darlin’, we’ve got company.” Brooke squinted to make sure that her lover’s tempting form was covered before entering with the child.

“Hi, Julie.” Sam spoke softly so as not to scare the child. “Couldn’t you sleep?” The small blonde sat up slightly, clutching the covers to her chest.

Trying to think of something to do with the small child until her lover could put on some bedclothes, Brooke thought of the only thing that came to her mind, a long cold shower. “Come on, Julie, let’s go get a drink of nice cold water.”

“God, Brooke, don’t give her water.” Green eyes flashed with alarm.

Catching Sam’s drift, Brooke mouthed ‘No water,’ then looked around the room for some other source of distraction.

“Before you come to bed Julie, maybe you and Aunt Brooke could go wish on a star.” Sam motioned with her head toward the French doors leading onto the small deck.

“The star…?” Brooke’s furrowed her brow. “Oh, the star…come on, Julie. Let’s see if that baby star is out tonight and make a wish on it.” The tall woman walked over to the French doors and pulled back the sheer curtains covering them. “Okay Munchkin,” she spoke to the child in her arms, “Let’s see if we can find that baby star.”

Julie looked out of the panes of glass, studying the night sky. Small brown eyes flickered from one point of light to the next until without warning, her tiny hand shot up to point out her choice. “Dat one. Dere.” She smiled, clapping joyously, “Dat’s the lil’ girl star.”

“That one over there?” Brooke found herself amused by her niece’s concentration. “So that’s the little girl star. Where’s the little boy star, Julie?” Brooke looked over her shoulder to see Sam pulling on a long night shirt from out of Brooke’s drawer and found herself smiling as she watched the material slide over the woman’s body.

“Aunt Brooke, you listening?” The small hand placed on Brooke’s face got her attention. “We don’t want to wish on dat one. Me no telling you.”

The older woman laughed, “Okay, well then, how about the surprise star?” Brooke saw the confusion in the child’s face. “You know…when you don’t want to know what your baby is and want to be surprised? When you just want to have a healthy little baby?”

“But me wants girls.” Julie was insistent, “I wanna be just wike my mommy and aunts.” The child stuck out her lip in a pouting manner. “I just got brothers.”

“Okay, then, you’re going to wish on the little girl star for when you get big?” Brooke watched as little eyes lit up. “What about Aunt Terri’s baby?

The tot’s small finger pointed up to the same sparkling star, another little girl was her silent prediction as the smile crossed her face, the little hands clapping as they did before.

Brooke glanced over in the direction of the bed to see the soft glowing figure of the blonde walking toward her, letting the expression of love come to her face. In that moment of time, Julie’s finger had again taken the same direction and pointed out the lil’ girl star.

“What? Who’s that for, Julie?” Brooke spoke softly, asking her niece.

Small hands pulled the adult’s face closer and cupped around the woman’s ear as Julie whispered her secret to her aunt. “A girl for Sam’s baby, too.” Then she leaned back to see Brooke’s face.

“Oh,” the woman let the corners of her mouth turn upward as she looked at the tot who was slowly nodding her head in confirmation. She winked at her niece then called out to Sam, “Are you going to come wish on the baby star too, Sam?”

“Sure, what can it hurt?” Sam made her way over to the door, then wrapped her arm around Brooke’s waist, while she reached out and touched Julie’s nose with her finger. “Now, show me which one I need to wish on.”

Both relatives pointed up to the same star. Brooke watched Sam’s face, then leaned over to whisper in the blonde’s ear. “You’re having a girl,” she informed her lover, then pulled back to see the smile come to Sam’s face.

“Okay…I can deal with that.” Sam raised her arm and pointed in the same direction along with them as she stole a glance at the tall woman next to her. Like a well rehearsed scene from some yet to be written story, they both moved their hands closer together and turned their faces to look at the star as each made their own silent wish.

“I love you.” The softly whispered words from Brooke brought a smile to Sam’s face as they turned to wink at one another, then leaned in, placing a kiss on Julie’s cheeks.

The events of the last few minutes had finally tired the child out and sleep was coming around to her tiny body once more as she yawned, clapping her small hands together as her head started to lean against Brooke’s shoulder.

“Come on Sweetheart, let’s get you in bed.” Brooke slowly moved toward the bed, waiting for Sam to get in first.

“Me seepy, mommy.” Julie nuzzled into Brooke’s shoulder as the tall woman leaned down to hand off the child. Julie quickly moved into Sam’s hands as they wrapped around her small body.

“Shhh…you sleep now, Julie.” Sam cuddled the child next to her in the middle of the bed, then gently kissed her forehead.

Brooke stood there for a few seconds, drinking in the scene with a warm sensation washing over her, bringing a smile to her face as she looked to Sam for guidance.

“Wherever you’re comfortable, Love.” Sam motioned with her eyes for Brooke to come into the bed. “I’ve got her.”

The tall woman took one of her pillows and laid it next to Julie. Walking to the other side of the bed, Brooke crawled in behind the blonde, wrapping a strong arm around her, as she rested her head against Sam’s stomach.

Green eyes looked down to her lover as she whispered, “You listening to see if the wish took?”

The older woman reached up and brushed some hair away from Julie’s eyes. “Something like that.” Brooke grinned, “Julie said she wanted to sleep with you and her baby…you know, the one you were going to let her play with next year.”

“Hmmm…I thought so. Don’t worry Brooke, it’s there, just waiting.” Sam winked, then touched her lover’s hand with her own.

Brooke stretched along side of Sam’s body and nestled closer to her, “Wouldn’t it be great if you and I could have a baby together?”

“That one…and a few more even. What do you say?” Sam spoke softly.

Hope-filled blue eyes grew bigger realizing that they both wanted the same thing. “I say, when do we start.”

The blonde glanced over at the sleeping three year old in her arm, then smiled coyly as she whispered, “Not tonight, Dear…” Sam smiled at her lover adding, “…maybe tomorrow.”

The advent of daylight streaming in through the French doors caused the small brown eyes to flicker open as Julie roused from sleep. The night had seemed to pass quickly and the sleep had been undisturbed in the very large bed of her aunt’s. No monster had dared to come anywhere near the child with both Sam and Brooke guarding her as they slept.

The tot knelt in the bed and watched as the two slumbering forms continued in their dream world, each one touching the other physically in some small way as their bodies rested. Julie moved closer to Sam as she tried to lift the blonde’s eyelid to see if she was there. “Are you home, Sam?” The tiny voice whispered, then waited for a reply.

“Hmm…” Sam’s soft moan elicited a grin from Julie, while Brooke’s hand shifted on the blonde’s hip, much like Sam had felt waking up with her lover before. “Not now Brooke, I’m still sleeping,” Sam muttered out.

“No Aunt Brooke…Julie,” the child replied as she tried to open Sam’s eyelid once more. “See.”

“What the…” Sam blinked at the touch of small hands trying to open her eyelid. “Oh, Julie…hi Baby.” The blonde rubbed a tired eye with her hand, “Are you up?” Sam blinked several times as she tried to focus her eyes, looking over to the sleeping form of her lover, then back to Julie’s smiling face.

“Is she in there?” Julie asked Sam as she pointed to the woman’s midsection. “You said that mommy’s carry da babies in deir tummys.”

Sam looked down to where Julie pointed on her body. “Yeah, our baby is in there.”

“I can play wif her next year when she comes out?” The eager face waited for an answer.

“Well, I’m not quite sure exactly when she’ll come out but who knows, it could be next year.” She studied the child’s puzzled face. “Sometimes we just don’t know for sure, Julie.”

“Sam?”

“Yes, Sweetie Pie?”

“Can we go wish on the next year star now? Me no wanna wait.” Brown eyes looked over to the doors, then back at the blonde.

The young woman smiled, letting a giggle or two come out before she answered, “Sorry, Honey. You’ll just have to wait until this wish is done. You can’t go wishing on every star now.”

“I look like mommy, will she look like you or Aunt Brooke?”

“Hmm…I guess we’ll have to see when she comes out.” Sam watched as the child craned her neck to see her aunt. “You love your Aunt Brooke, don’t you?”

The small head nodded, “Yes, love Aunt Brooke.”

“So do I baby, with all my heart.” Sam looked over to the sleeping woman and smiled.

“She sings me to sweep and holds me and pways wif me.”

“Well, she rocks me and in more ways than just to sleep.” Sam smiled at the child, “When you’re older Baby, you’ll understand.

“Will you still be here when I get older, Sam?” The child sat on her haunches.

“The good Lord willing, I will. I’m not planning on being anywhere else.”

“What’s her name?”

The blonde looked at Julie for a moment puzzled by the question, then smiled when she realized whom the child was referring to. “We’ll have to see when she comes out. Why, what do you think her name is?”

“I’ve got a name for her,” the husky sleep-filled voice could be heard coming from the other side of the blonde.

“Oh, and what would that be, Hon?” She watched as Brooke stretched out, still half asleep. “I asked you first…er…Julie asked you first.”

The semi-sleeping woman paused when she heard the deep sigh and undecipherable muttering of Sam’s. “I think…her name is Chastity.”

“Why Chastity? I always did like the name Loran,” Sam teased the sleeping woman.

Brooke opened one eye and looked over at Sam, then shrugged her shoulders. “Chase for short. She is kind of responsible for this, what do ya think?”

Sam clamped her hand over her mouth and got hysterical with laughter. “Is that her name?” She finally got out. “Chastity?”

“No, actually, her name is Chase, well Cjersti Chase, anyway.” Brooke corrected.

“Ah…well then, Chastity it is.” Sam turned to look at the tot. “Do you like that one, Julie?”

“Put ‘em bof togeder,” the child clapped as she giggled.

“Loran Chastity…” Sam offered, “…or Chastity Loran?”

Brooke rose up on one elbow as she said the names out loud. “Chastity Loran Moleson…Loran Chastity Moleson. I don’t know, which one sounds better?”

“What’s a mowsum?” The inquisitive child asked.

“That, Julie, is Sam’s last name.” Brooke smiled as she looked over at the blonde.

“Well, I’m thinking that Chastity Loran Moleson-Gordon sounds pretty good to me.” Sam eyed her lover and smiled.

The dark-haired woman beamed with delight, then leaned in to kiss Sam. “I like it.”

“How come da baby gits to have two names?”

“Hmm…Good question. Brooke, can you help me out here?”

“Uh…uh…because…we…Sam and I aren’t married, Julie.” Brooke took in a breath, “You see, most people have the same last name after they get married.”

“Den do it. Mawy her Aunt Brooke, mawy her.” Julie grabbed each of their faces in her little hands and pushed them together in a kissing action, “Mawy her.”

The two women kissed, then chuckled at the tot’s insistence.

“We can’t get married, Julie.” Aching eyes looked over to Sam, then back to the child. “Because…we’re…”

Seeing Brooke’s remorse for their situation, Sam jumped in. “Because we’re not dressed for it, but we are dressed for some breakfast.” She turned her attention to Julie. “Why don’t you go get your little slippers from the other room?” The blonde helped the toddler down from the bed and slowly stood up, getting her own slippers on.