Avery tilted her head to the side as she heard Matt enter the room behind her.
"Off to work?" she asked, smiling when he came to help her finish making Penny's bed up.
"Yep," Matt nodded, straightening the sheet up. "I'll be back late, I'll try to be quiet so I don't wake anyone... don't wait up, ok?"
"I couldn't, even if I tried," she laughed. "I'm terrible at staying up."
"No stamina," he joked. He kissed her on the cheek. "Have fun with Penny."
"Always."
Taylor & Penny
Taylor pulled in to Matt's driveway just as Matt pulled out. He gave a wave, then parked the car and grabbed Penny's bag from the back seat. Penny already had her seatbelt off and was climbing out of her car seat, so he hurried to open the door for her and let her out.
"Stay close to Auntie Avie, yeah? Don't go running off or anything," he insisted as he locked the car up.
"I know Dad."
"Just checking."
They made it to the front door and he lifted her up so she could ring the doorbell.
Avery
Avery made her way to the door and opened it, grinning when she saw her brother and her niece.
"Hey Pennyloafer," she greeted, holding her hand out for Penny.
"Hey Tay."
Taylor & Penny
"Hey Avie," Taylor grinned, before holding out Penny's little backpack to her.
"Hey, Pen, here you go. You be good, you hear?"
"I will Dad," Penny put the backpack on and then took Avery's hand.
"Thanks a lot for watching her," Taylor turned to Avery, "if anything comes up, Ike's got the boys."
Avery
"No probs, we should be fine," Avery assured him.
"Have fun on your date night."
She smirked a little.
Taylor & Penny
"Oh we will," Taylor assured with a nod, looking down at his daughter.
He paused a moment, as if debating still whether to actually leave her there or not. Then he knelt down and pulled her into a hug.
"Be good," he said softly, giving her a kiss on the cheek before standing up.
"Thanks again," he said to Avery before turning and heading back for the car.
"Bye Dad!" Penny waved.
"Love you," he called back.
Avery
"Relax, we're not gonna burn the house down," Avery said to him as he was leaving.
"See ya, Tay!" she called.
She turned to Penny and grinned down at her.
"Ya hungry, kiddo?"
Penny
Penny nodded, her finger in her mouth as she watched Taylor's car pull away. Once he was out of sight, she turned to her Aunt and held her arms out wanting to be picked up.
Avery
Avery bent down a little and lifted Penny into her arms, hoisting her up on her hip.
"Just you and me tonight, is that ok?" she asked, pressing her nose against her niece's.
She closed the front door behind them, and locked it, and then head through to the spare bedroom to put Penny's bag down.
Penny
"What about Pammy?" Penny demanded, watching where they were going.
Avery
Aver chuckled and made a kissing nose. Seconds later, the little tabby kitten came running from wherever it was she had been hiding. She rubbed up against Penny's legs.
"Now, I better feed you, or Tay will kill me. Pizza, Pennyloafer?"
Penny
"Pammy!" Penny exclaimed, picking the kitten up.
She cuddled her as she purred, immediately sending her power to work on anything that might have happened between seeing her last.
"Pizza? Okay. I like pizza. Pammy hurt her foot a few days ago."
Avery
"Aww, my little baby," Avery fawned over the kitten, leaning down to give the kitten a kiss on the nose.
She led the way into the kitchen and grabbed one of the pizza menu's down from the fridge.
"Ok, what kind of pizza?"
Penny
"I like the one with the pineapples on it," Penny nodded, following Avery with Pammy still in her arms.
"But Mom doesn't always get that one. Mom doesn't have pizza much."
Avery
"Sure thing," Avery nodded. "Well, it's our secret, ok? We'll tell your Mom that we had lots of vegetables."
She located her phone to call for the pizza.
Penny
"I can do that! But she doesn't like fibs," Penny seemed to argue with herself for a moment as she set Pammy onto one of the chairs in the dining area.
"Stay and don't fall," she told her before going to fetch a cat toy.
Avery
With the pizza ordered and on it's way, Avery went into the dining room to watch Penny play with the kitten.
She scratched behind Pammy's ears, earning an affectionate purr.
Penny
"Pammy's a good cat," Penny said with a nod as she returned with some feathers on a stick.
"There's lots of bad cats around our... where our house is. They're mean all the time. Daddy tells them off. I'm not allowed to help those ones."
Avery
Avery took a seat in one of the chairs, watching her niece play with the cat.
"Really? Well, I'm glad Pammy is a good cat then."
Penny
"If she was a bad cat then I might not be allowed to help her," Penny said thoughtfully.
She hesitated then, looking in the direction of the hallway.
"Where's Matt?"
Avery
"He's working, he won't be back until long after we're both asleep," Avery smiled.
She pet Pammy's head again.
"So you're stuck with me, I'm afraid."
Penny
"That's okay," Penny said decidedly, dangling the feathers for Pammy to play with.
"It's already five o'clock Dad said. And my bedtime is seven. That's two hours."
Avery
Avery opened her mouth to answer when the doorbell went off. She scanned telepathically, and then grabbed her wallet. She answered the door, paid the delivery guy and then came back upstairs, balancing the two pizzas.
She put the boxes on the dining room table and grabbed some plates and napkins, and a plastic cup for Penny, made one trip, and then went back to the kitchen to get some juice.
"Apple, orange, or water?" she asked Penny.
Penny
"Ummmmmmm orange," Penny decided, putting Pammy's toy down and helping the kitten down from the chair.
She ducked off to the bathroom to wash her hands.
Avery
Avery poured out a cup of orange juice for Penny and set it in front of her plate at the table.
She opened the pizza boxes and waited for Penny to come back.
Penny
Penny came running back, but when she entered the room with Avery she stopped to walk.
She pulled herself up into her chair and reached for her cup.
"Thankyou Auntie Avie."
Avery
"You're welcome," Avery replied.
She served Penny up some pizza, then went about grabbing her own piece.
Penny
Penny finished her dinner without another word, and wiped her hands with a napkin when she was done.
"Auntie Avie, can I play with Pammy again now?"
Avery
"Sure, just wash your hands again," Avery said.
She packed up the leftovers for Matt to eat later, and took everything into the kitchen.
Penny
Penny rushed off to wash her hands again, then led Pammy over to the couch. She took a toy mouse from the floor and set it going from where she sat, giggling as Pammy chased after it.
Avery
Avery finished up in the kitchen and then went into the living room to keep an eye on Penny.
"Did you want to watch a movie, Pens?"
Penny
Penny looked at the clock, and opted not to mention that it was almost her bedtime at home.
"Okay!" she said decidedly.
Avery
Avery caught the thought and checked her watch.
"We'll watch something short, and then bedtime, ok?"
Penny
"Awwwwww!" Penny moaned, pouting a little.
She set the mouse going for Pammy again before sitting back on the couch so her feet didn't touch the floor.
Avery
"Sorry, Pens," Avery shook her head. "But those are your parents rules, so, they have to be ours too."
She sat down on the couch after setting up a short dvd.
Penny
"I thought you said you were the cool Aunt," Penny pouted again as Pammy jumped into her lap.
She settled her and began stroking her carefully, softly sending the kitten off to sleep.
Avery
"I am," Avery smiled.
She leaned over and tickled Penny lightly.
Penny
Penny giggled, but groaned a little when Pammy was disturbed.
"Does Pammy have to go bed too?" she asked.
Avery
"She usually just goes to bed when she feels like it," Avery smiled.
"Pammy doesn't really have a set bedtime. But she can sleep with you for awhile."
Penny
"Okay," Penny nodded, scratching the kitten behind the ears.
She settled back to watch the DVD for the next half hour.
Avery
When the DVD was over, Avery shut off the tv and got off the couch.
"Come on, let's go brush your teeth," she smiled at Penny.