Pride is not the word I'm looking for, there is so much more inside me now

[gobetween]

The day was sunny and warm without being overbearing, perfect for a new dad to hang out outside with his son. Gobo was currently laying on his stomach in the grass with his arms folded underneath his chin, ankles crossed behind him. In front of him Frizzle was crawling around, pouncing on dandelion puffs. Occasionally he'd try to eat one, but that would get a firm- but gentle -reprimand and, a good-natured Fraggle even at this stage, he'd just go on with his little gamboling around.

Gobo smiled a little wider, resting his head a bit more on his cheek, watching Frizzle track around the sun-kissed hill. What a perfect day.

Comments

[gobetween]

"Yeah, it really is." He smiled, which grew some when Frizzle, pausing in the flag waving, stretched his arms and yawned. "I think it's time for a nap." A glance up. "Hey you wanna help me with that?"

[noimpulsecontrol]

She nodded. "I'd love to help get the little sleepy-headed squirt settled in."

[gobetween]

"Thanks, I appreciate it." He gently took the cloth and put it on the counter to be dealt with later, and made his way through the livingroom and down the hall. The room that'd been set aside for Frizzle had been decorated in a fashion that you might exactly expect for five Fraggles working together, and of course just as littered with toys, clothes, and things as the rest of the home was.

With Della's help it wasn't long before Gobo got Frizzle changed and settled down into his bassinet. Though he was looking rather sleepy he hadn't quite conked out yet so, gently rocking the bassinet, Gobo leaned toward him. He was humming gently, and it wasn't long before that transitioned into the full song.

♫ Cold moon
Lonely as can be
Sailing where the starlight fades to blue
Don't you
Sometimes feel like me
Wish the friends you dream about were true?
And they would sail away with you
Sail away with you... ♪

Between the rocking, the singing, and the darkness in the room, soon Frizzle let out another wide, long yawn. He snuggled his head in against the ragdoll beside him, starting to drift off.

♫ Some day
You may tumble down
Sad because your light is nearly through
Moon, stay
I will search around
Climb until your light is bright as new
And then I'll sail away with you
Sail away with you
Sail away with you... ♪

Gobo carefully tucked the blanket up, letting his voice fade off in those last lines as he noticed Frizzle's breathing beginning to even out. He smiled softly and stepped back, carefully tiptoeing his way out of the room.

[noimpulsecontrol]

That sure brought back memories, in a sense... Singing one's little children to sleep was a special thing and deeply personal to each family - at least, she sure felt that way. Della rubbed her opposite arm with a little cough, once they were out of the room and back in the kitchen.

"You know, Gobo, I wrote a lullaby for my triplets, before the eggs had even hatched. I'm sure Fraggles have lots of songs for- well, for everything, but if you wanted, I could teach you mine?"

[gobetween]

"Hey, Fraggles may have a lot of songs, but we're always glad to hear more. I'd love to learn it."

[noimpulsecontrol]

"Of course, I should have known," Della said with a warm smile. She started to hum the tune as she cleared off a place to sit...

♫Look to the stars
My darling baby boys
Life is strange and vast,
Filled with wonders and joys♪

As she sat down, she reached for Gobo's hand to pull him into her lap. He may have been quite grown-up now, but he'd always be one of her own to Della.

♫Face each new sun
With eyes clear and true,
Unafraid of the unknown
Because I'll face it all with you...♪

[gobetween]

The tug down got a surprised noise from the throat, and he looked up at her with that same sort of expression. Then he smiled, waiting until she was finished before he spoke.

"That's a really pretty lullaby. I bet Frizzle will love it."

[noimpulsecontrol]

She gave him a quick but tender squeeze. "Thanks, Gobo. I'm glad you think so." She let go of him, then, with a smile, glancing around the room to hide how choked up she was. "Man, I'm guessing Boober doesn't love living in this mess?"

[gobetween]

How can he resist returning that little hug? Then he sat up a bit and looked around, snickering. "No, no he doesn't. He helps us clean up but it's a never-ending process between Frizzle, Red pitching in to help, and Wembley picking up something only to forget where he put it goes. Or think it could also work better in the new spot as it could in the old spot, even if it's a nutcracking mallet in the bathroom."

[noimpulsecontrol]

Della snorted in amusement. "Well," she laughed, "it's good to know that as much as some things change, some things also stay the same. As for the mess... I'd say it gets better as the kid grows, but, well - you know that's not always true."

[gobetween]

Gobo got to his feet and, now that they were talking about it, started to pick up. Or he made the attempt anyway, because it quickly became one of those 'have to straighten the couch to put things on it to sort, but have to sort the items on the couch now to put them away first' kind of situations.

"Between the other kids around here and seeing Lexi and her brothers' room, believe me, I know." He said it in good humor, of course.

[noimpulsecontrol]

"Ha, you think their room is bad? You should've seen when I was living on Donald's houseboat. Ooh, he was not happy when he saw that mess," she snickered, as she set to helping Gobo clean up.

[gobetween]

"Oh I've definitely seen bad. When Red and Mokey first moved in together, it was a mess!" He snickered, while directing her where to set things. "And crowded. You could hardly turn around without stepping on someone's tail."

[noimpulsecontrol]

Della smiled widely. "Oh, so they have some practice living with each other?" It did explain how things had gone so well for those two very different Fraggles - as close friends as they were - upon making the move into Fraggle Home.

"I guess it can go too far, but I think some mess makes a place look like someone actually lives there. Homes that are too clean are creepy."

[gobetween]

"They do, which is good because that means they got all their arguing out at the start."

He stacked some things back on the shelves, and looked around with a grin. "Y'know, I agree. I'm all for having a personal touch on the home, and sometimes that comes with a bit of clutter. You shoulda seen my and Wembley's old cave back at the Rock. Hats on hooks and on shelves, guitar to one side, postcards everywhere, telephone planters... We definitely made it our own after my uncle moved out."

[noimpulsecontrol]

"Yeah, exactly." Della nodded along. "Some people don't get it, but- Buh? Telephone planters?" She glanced over to Gobo, blinking once. "Is that... What?"

[gobetween]

He laughed and nodded. "Yeah! You know those old ones, where you listen to one side and talk in the other? Uncle Scrooge has a couple and he showed me how they work."

He turned toward her and leaned back, holding his hands out as wiiiide as they could go. "We found this neat Gorg-sized one at the Trash Heap one day. The curved part you pick up was hollowed out already, so we just turned it upside-down and put a couple plants in each size. It's a pity it was too big to bring with us to Fraggle Home, but we found a good caretaker for it down at the Rock with a cousin of mine."

[noimpulsecontrol]

"First of all, those phones are cool, and they're not old, stop it," Della said with a bit of a laugh. "You're making me feel old with that, and I'm definitely not. Second of all, that's really clever! You guys are definitely a resourceful bunch." A moment's pause, and then she frowned. "Wait, third of all! You have a cousin? I didn't know you had any family like that except for... Matt has a kid?"

[gobetween]

He laughed, and though he seemed uncomfortable on the surface, there was a grin alongside that.

"Y-yeah, about that. None of us knew until the Storyteller told him when he moved back to the Rock. It was a heck of a surprise for everybody, but Morris was already a friend of ours so it wasn't much of a stretch to consider him family, too."

[noimpulsecontrol]

To her credit, after the initial shock at the idea of Matt having a child wore off, Della just laughed. "Well, that must have been a fun day."

[gobetween]

Gobo laughed as well, and nodded. "It was certainly a day, I'll tell you that much."