He watched with fondness as his little angel twirled the daisy in her tiny hands, her big brown eyes watching the petals twirl in the spring breeze. He sighed, and looked back up at the clouds as the gently rolled by in the breeze.
"Daddy?"
Mickey looked back down at his daughter, seeing her looking up at the sky. "Yeah?"
"How come the sky's blue?"
He smiled as he pondered the correct answer to her question. "Well... Can ya imagine it another color?"
"Uh huh!" she nodded. "Like green or pink..."
"So what color do you like best?" he asked. He watched as she looked at the sky with a curious gaze, before she turned to him.
"Blue," was her cute response.
"Me too," he said, looking back up at the sky.
"So how do the clouds move?"
Mickey sat up, his face gleaming with excitement. "Because of magical ponies with wings called pegasi. Pegasus ponies."
His daughter tilted her head. "You mean like the one in Hercules?"
He nodded. "Yep. 'Cept these ponies are smaller, and they control the weather and move the clouds."
She looked up in the sky. "How come I can't see them?"
Mickey chuckled as he tickled her stomach. "Same way as with Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy; they're magical, and can only be seen when they want ya t' see 'em."
She sat up and looked to her dad. "What were you like when you were my size, daddy?"
Mickey chuckled. "Ask mommy. She can tell ya. I was like you. Curious about the world around me."
She was silenced for a moment, as if pondering over his question. "Soo... What was mommy like?"
Mickey smiled, thinking back. "In a way, a lot like me. 'Cept she was more relaxed about things."
"What does that mean?"
Mickey chuckled. "She knew how to keep daddy in line. Still does, too. Heh."
"So you and mommy knew each other when you were little like me?"
"Sure did, kiddo. We grew up together."
"Awww!" was her reply, squeezing her tiny fists together in glee. Mickey thought he'd have a heart attack. Besides his wife, now he had a daughter that would cause heart attacks.
"And she was a lot like you." He tickled her stomach with his finger, making the tiny mouse giggle. Yep, there went his heart again.
"Daddy?"
"Yeah, Mina."
She looked up at him with curious eyes. "Where do babies come from?"
Mickey froze as his pupils shrank so much they were almost nonexistent. "Minnie!" His only thought.
"Yes, dear?" The said mouse stepped out onto the back porch, the light yellow sun dress she wore highlighting her already beautiful features.
"Uhhh... Mina wants t' ask ya somethin'..." Mickey replied, a little awkwardly.
Minnie smiled and walked over to where her husband and daughter sat in the grass. "Yes, Mina?"
"Where do babies come from?" Mina looked up at her mother.
For a second, Minnie froze as well, her pupils also shrinking, and Mickey noticed a faint pink tint suddenly appear on her muzzle. But then Minnie smiled as she knelt down next to the two. "From above."
Mickey sat up, leaning close to his young wife. "Yer not gonna tell her she came from a stork, are ya?" he whispered.
Minnie shot him a smirk. "Pfft. You really think I'm gonna tell her that ol' wives tale?" Minnie looked down at her daughter as she inhaled a breath. "You were a gift from above, sweetie."
"Did Santa bring me?"
Mickey couldn't hold in his snickers. First time he'd heard that one. Her innocent, naïve nature was too adorable for any man to resist.
Minnie giggled, also unable to resist the cuteness of her daughter. "No. You were a gift from Heaven."
Mickey position himself so he could listen, as he always enjoyed listening to his wife explain things to their daughter.
Minnie continued. "You see, a little while before you were born, Daddy and I decided we wanted to have a baby." Minnie gave Mickey a warm glance as she continued. "So we prayed we could be blessed with our own little bundle of joy, and before long, you were born. Heaven had given us our own little angel, a piece of Heaven."
Mickey picked up his daughter. "Our little piece of Heaven on earth."
"That's right." Minnie scooted closer to the two as she moved one arm around Mickey's waist, the two looking at their beautiful little girl.
"So... Do I have wings? Like angel wings? Like the Pegasus ponies that control the weather?"
Minnie glanced at Mickey curiously. And he offered a light grin with a slight lift of his shoulder. Then Minnie got it, knowing what he was talking about. She winked.
"Gotcha," she whispered. Then she tickled her daughter. "Well... not exactly like that. But you can still fly."
"Yep!" Mickey fell back onto his back as he picked his daughter up gently, lifting her in the air.
"Wheee!"
Minnie giggled as she watched them, then stood up. "Ready to soar?"
Mina nodded quickly, and Mickey stood as he and Minnie each held onto one of their daughter's hands. They gently lifted her up and began to swing her back and forth, all three of them laughing together.
After a moment, the mice set their daughter back down.
"So, you two ready for dinner?" Minnie asked.
"Uh huh!" Mickey and Mina replied together.
Minnie laughed warmly, and knelt down as she kissed Mina's head. "I can tell you're your daddy's daughter."
The family walked into the house and had a wonderful meal together. After dinner, Mina wanted to help clean the dishes, as did Mickey, so the three washed them together. Afterward, Mina started getting sleepy. Mickey and Minnie walked Mina upstairs to her room to tuck her in.
"So what story do you want to hear tonight, sweetie?" Minnie asked as she helped her put on her pajamas and sat on the edge of the bed. "Do you want us to read you a story?"
Mina shook her head. "Can I hear the story of how you and daddy saved Christmas again?"
"Again?" Mickey chuckled as he joined his wife on the bed. "Aren'tcha a little tired of hearin' that one?"
"Nope!" was Mina's cute reply.
Minnie giggled, and turned to her husband. "Why don't you start, sweetie?" She pecked his cheek.
Mickey stood up and began to tell the story of how he and Minnie saved Christmas. Minnie watched with a warm smile as her husband acted out the story. He never settled to just sit down and tell it. No. He always acted it out. Habit. But she loved watching him act out his stories, and she was always just as entertained as their daughter. Minnie soon joined in his play, acting out her parts as Mickey acted out his. Together they told the story, Mina watching with ever excited eyes as her parents told the tale.
By the end of the story, Mina was dozing off. Minnie and Mickey hugged their daughter, each kissing her goodnight as they tucked her in. Mina yawned an adorable yawn, causing both mice' hearts to explode. "G'night, Mommy. G'night, Daddy. I love you."
Minnie smiled as she looked at her daughter, and looked up at her husband, who wore a prideful smile like her.
"Goodnight, Mina. Love you, too," Minnie and Mickey said in unison, and quietly closed the door, watching as their daughter snuggled with her stuffed animal.
"Can she get any cuter?" Mickey asked in the hallway.
Minnie shook her head with a soft giggle. "It's not possible. If she does, our hearts won't take it."
"Between you and her, I ran out of insulin shots in just a few days."
Minnie blushed, and smiled as she leaned up to peck her husband's cheek. "You comin' to bed?" She smiled cutely. "I wanna snuggle."
Mickey gripped his chest again. "You girls are gonna kill me, ya know that? I'm surrounded by cute!"
Minnie giggled, his exasperation making him adorable as well. "Eh, I'll just revive ya the same way I always do." She took his hand as she started walking down the hall to their bedroom.
He knew what she meant. All she had to do was kiss him and it would restart his heart. "Remind me to go to the pharmacy tomorrow. I need to pick up some more insulin."
Minnie giggled as her cheeks flushed again, leading her lover into their bedroom. She pulled off her sun dress and put on a green tank top and gray lounge pants. Glancing at him, she saw that he'd watched her change. This never failed to make her muzzle turn pink. "Your turn," she inquired cutely.
Mickey changed out of his jeans and shirt into burgundy lounge pants and a blue tank top. Suddenly, Minnie jumped onto the bed and quickly grabbed his hand, giggling as she done so. When he was level with her, she circled her arms around his neck, pressing her body against his.
"I love you, you know that?"
He smiled, returning her embrace. "I know. Love you, too."
"No, I mean I really love you. Don't ever doubt that."
He pressed his forehead to hers. "Never have, kiddo."
Minnie smiled, her heart melting, and pressed her lips to his. After several seconds, the two young lovers pulled away and snuggled up together, pulling the covers over themselves as they settled down for the night. Minnie sighed a soft and content sigh as she lay with her head on Mickey's chest, hearing and feeling the gentle beating of his heart. After a moment, she looked up at him.
"Mickey?"
He looked down at her. "Yeah?"
She nuzzled him. "Thank you."
He quirked a brow. "For what?"
She looked up at him, her eyes shimmering. "For giving me a daughter. For being a wonderful husband and dad, for giving me - for making us - a family."
Mickey felt his heart swell. He nuzzled the top of her head. "Thank you, too, Min. For giving me a beautiful daughter, for putting up with me, and for giving me - us - a family too."
"Oh, Mickey..." Minnie purred, and leaned up to kiss him, her eyes beginning to water. As they pulled away, they nuzzled noses.
"G'night, Min."
"Goodnight, Mickey. I love you."
"Love you, too."
Mickey and Minnie shared one more kiss goodnight, then settled down to sleep, their ears perked listening to the gentle snoring of their daughter. With love and joy in their hearts, the mice drifted off to sleep, know they were, and always would be...
...a family.
The End.
