Title: Sleepover

Characters: The Jennings

Rating: PG

Length: 550

Summary: The Jennings entertain the idea of entertaining.

In the early morning rush of getting the kids out to school, Elizabeth was handing out the lunch-bags.

"Mom," Paige took her the bag, "don't forget I'm having a sleepover tonight."

"A what?"

Paige sighed. "Sleepover. Dad said it would be OK."

Elizabeth shot Philip a look. Of course he would. "How many girls are we talking about?"

"Five or six." Paige didn't need to be a mind-reader to realize her mother was not happy. "Definitely not more than ten."

"Philip, a word, please." Elizabeth handed the remaining bag to Henry then dragged her partner outside the kitchen. "You really think having a gang of girls rampaging around the house is a good idea?"

"Rampaging." Philip snorted. "It's a pajama party, for goodness sakes, not an enemy invasion. They're probably going to spend the night scaring each other silly and talking about boys."

Elizabeth couldn't believe her ears. "Probably?" She lowered her voice to a whisper, "And what if they decide to spend the night exploring the house?"

"So what do you expect her to do? Keep her friends away? Sleepovers are as American as apple pie."

"And when was the last time you've had a slice of pie?"

"Mom? Dad?" Henry poked his head into the room, interrupting his parents' discussion. "We're going to be late."

Once again, Philip had painted Elizabeth into a corner. She says 'no', she'll be the bad mom, leaving Philip to be the hip dad. "You realize this means we'll have to supervise them."

"No problem."

She turned back to the kitchen. "Let's go, kids."

****

Philip had agreed to take over the second shift and disappeared upstairs. The girls - eight had showed up in the end - had set out their sleeping bags and were giggling and shrieking in the living room. Elizabeth washed the counter for the 27th time that day, for lack of something better to do as she kept on eye on them.

When she was Paige's age, she didn't waste her time on stupid parties. By that time she already knew where she was going in life, and what she had to do to get there. Paige, on the other hand, could barely think past her next day at school. It was a wonder the USSR hadn't won yet.

"Mom," he daughter's voice broke into her thoughts. "You're hovering."

Lost in thought, Elizabeth now realized she had drifted over to the living room. She put on a smile. "Want to hear a really scary story?"

The girls made room for her as she joined them on the floor. "Once upon a time, there was a girl who lived by a forest. A big, dark forest. Her mother and father warned her, saying she should never enter the forest, that bad things happen to anybody who ventures in, and so she would sit by the window, looking at the trees and dreaming. One day, when her parents weren't home, she decided to check it out for herself…"

The girls huddled in their sleeping bags, wide eyed.

She looked up at him, shaking her thoughts away. "Yes, yes. I'll keep watch here, don't worry. You can go back to sleep."

He nodded, still half-awake, and without another word headed back to bed.