InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Purity 4: Justification ❯ Bridal Shopping ( Chapter 77 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

"Cain?"

Looking up from the sculpture he was working on, he didn't smile at her.  "Going somewhere?" he asked.

"I was going to meet Sierra and Nezumi to go shopping.  Bellaniece's bridal shower is tomorrow and all . . ."

"Oh, right.  I must've forgotten . . ."

Biting her lower lip as she watched Cain turn back to the worktable, Gin slowly stepped forward, tentatively slipped her arms around his waist.  "I'll miss you."

His hands stilled for a moment before resuming his task.  "You sound like you're never coming back.  Do I need to worry about that?"

"No, of course not!  I'll be back!"

"Good."

"Would you . . . miss me if I didn't?"

"Absolutely.  You've grown on me . . . sort of like a fungus . . ."

Gin yanked her arms back as her mouth dropped open in outrage.  "You think I'm fungus?"

Cain chuckled and turned around hands resting on the table behind him.  "Okay . . . not fungus; more like a parasite.  Parasites are tinier."

"A . . .?"

"You know, you could always stay here."

"I don't know . . . You called me a parasite . . ."

"Oh, but I meant it in the nicest way."

"There's a nice way to mean that?"

Giggling as Cain nodded slowly, Gin squealed when he reached forward and caught her wrist, pulling her up against his bare chest.  "Think they'd notice if you didn't show up?"

Her eyes fluttered closed as Cain leaned down to nuzzle her neck.  "Probably."

"You could stay here and . . . distract me."

Feeling the heat of a voracious blush rising in her skin, Gin slipped her hands between them to push herself back.  "I think I distracted you enough last night."

He grimaced.  "Reminding me of that isn't really going to convince me to let you go."

She ducked her chin but couldn't repress the deepening flush.  "If I don't go, I won't have a gift for Bellaniece."

Sighing as he let his arms drop, Cain shook his head in defeat.  "All right, if you'd rather spend the day wandering around some store."

"I'll be back, and I promise I'll try to distract you later."

"Damn, baby girl . . ."

"You don't want me hanging around all day, anyway.  You're working on that, and I'd just drive you crazy."

He pinned her with a dark look that expressed his feelings on the matter.  "You're more interesting than a lump of clay."

She hugged him quickly and laughed.  "I hope so.  I've got to go or I'll be late."

Tilting her chin up, he kissed her gently; a teasing nibble that masked a deeper need.  Gin sighed softly and slipped her arms around his neck as he rubbed her back.  She wasn't in a rush to end the contact, and he didn't seem to be, either.  The lingering brush of lips was a heady thing, and in the end, it was Cain who pulled back with a frustrated growl.  "You'd better get going, or I'll forget that you already made plans," he warned.

She stepped back with an unsteady giggle and turned to go, stopping in the bathroom long enough to grab the bottle of perfume and turn it over in her hands.

'Cain hates that, doll.  Can't you forego it, just today?'

'I know he does, but I can't.  If I did, there'd be too many questions, and—'

'But you're meeting Nezumi and Sierra.  They won't notice how you smell, you know.'

She shook her head.  'They wouldn't, maybe, but what if we ran into someone?  What if Toga decides to meet Sierra afterward, or even worse, what if Ryo shows up?  He'd know for sure, and he'd tell Papa, and Papa would have a fit . . . No, I can't take that chance, can I?'

Wrapping her fingers around the bottle, she shut off the lights and headed for the front door.  Grabbing her purse and rummaging through it to make sure she had her keys, Gin stopped short as Cain strode around the corner into the living room.  "Since you're going out—What's that?"

Staring guiltily at the bottle of perfume still clenched in her hand, she shrugged and tried to smile.  "It's my perfume."

"Do you have to wear it?"

"Well, yeah . . . I like it."

"Don't lie to me."

"I'm not.  I'm—"

"I'm not stupid, Gin.  I know why you're doing it.  What I don't know is why you think you have to."

"Cain . . ."

He stepped toward her, holding out his hand, jaw ticking as he fought to control his irritation.  "Give it to me."

She grimaced but shook her head.  "No."

Did he have to look so hurt?  Did he have to look like she'd just slapped him or worse?  Cain's eyes narrowed as his gaze bored into her skull.  "Is it so awful, that you smell a little like me?"

"No," she whispered, twisting the bottle in her hands.  "No, it isn't."

"Then why are you hiding it?"

"You know why."

Cain sighed.  "Oh, right.  Don't want to upset Papa, do we?"

"No, that's not it.  I—"

"You, what?"

She swallowed hard and shrugged.  "It smells pretty, don't you think?"

The incredulity in his expression was painful to see.  Gin stared at her feet.  "No, actually, I don't think it does."

"Well . . . I like it . . ."

He nodded as his scowl deepened.  "Never mind.  It's fine.  You'd better go."

He seemed so far away, so distant.  The look on his face—the complete irritation; the unmasked hurt—tore at her.  She was doing it for him; to keep everyone else from knowing the truth when that truth wouldn't really change a thing.  Didn't he realize that?

Gin opened the door and turned to stare at him before she could manage a thin little smile.  "I'll be back."

He forced a smile, too, and hers faltered.  "Have fun."

"Okay."


Bellaniece slipped into the apartment and quietly closed the door.  Cain was there; she could sense him near.  'His studio,' she decided as she dropped her purse onto the table and wandered off to locate her father.

Peeking into the quiet room, she grinned as she caught sight of him, hunched over the sculpture he was working on.  It'd been a long time since she'd actually been in his studio.  She couldn't actually recall being in there since she'd been back from Maine.  Watching Cain work was entirely soothing, and Bellaniece felt like a little girl, even if it was only for a moment.

He didn't appear to notice her right away.  Bellaniece smiled as she wandered over to touch the solitary painting on the wall.  In the dress that Bellaniece had helped Gin choose months ago, her father's skills had rendered the young woman in painstaking detail.  Every brushstroke, every line had managed to absorb a part of him, and the end result . . . "Daddy, this is beautiful."

Cain's head snapped around to cast Bellaniece a startled glance.  "Oh, yeah.  She's something," he agreed.

Bellaniece grinned at the flush that crept up Cain's cheeks but didn't comment on that as she carefully kept her gaze on the painting.  "She's really one in a million, as trite and stupid as that sounds."

"She is," he said as a strange brightness sparked to life behind his gaze.  "She's . . ."

"Are you going to sell this one?" Bellaniece asked, jerking her head toward the beautiful piece.

He seemed genuinely surprised by her question.  "Sell it?  No . . . why would I?"

"I don't know . . . You don't usually keep many of your works."

"That one's mine . . . err, Gin's.  I painted it for her birthday."

Bellaniece nodded slowly and ducked her head to hide her smile.  "If you painted it for Gin, why do you still have it?"

Cain stuttered a bit, rubbing the back of his neck as he shrugged and tried to look nonchalant.  "I-I . . . kept it because it was too wet to move.  Takes forever for oil paint to dry, you know," he blurted at last.  "Must've forgotten to take it to her."

"You need to work on your poker face, Daddy."

"What?"

"You're a really bad liar."

He chuckled almost self-consciously.  "Am I?"

Bellaniece nodded.  "Anyway, I was on my way to meet Kichiro's mother for the final fitting of my dress.  I just wanted to come over and see how you're doing."

Rinsing his hands in the small bucket of water, Cain paused with his hands hovering over it and smiled.  "Fine . . . shouldn't I be?"

"Of course you should be!  I worry about you, you know."

"Don't worry about me.  I'm fine.  Besides, don't you have a wedding in a couple days?"

"Even if everything goes wrong there, I'll still be happy," Bellaniece assured Cain.  "It's just a ceremony . . ."

"Oh, then you won't mind if I smack Dr. Ignorant around a little."

"Daddy . . ."

He rolled his eyes, drying his hands on a rag towel.  "All right; all right.  I won't beat on him."

"You know, he really is a lot like you."

"God, don't say that," Cain complained.

Bellaniece giggled.  "He is!  He's a good man."

The dark scowl Cain shot her stated his opinion on the matter.

"He's kind and gentle . . . He has a good heart."

"I'll take your word for it."

"He makes me feel good about myself," she said as a little grin surfaced.  "And I do my best to make sure he feels just as good."

Cain groaned.  "I don't want to hear about that," he stated.

"Oh, that reminds me," she exclaimed softly, snapping her fingers.  "Were you ever arrested?"

"Arrested?  No . . ."

"Not ever?"

"Was I supposed to have been?"

Bellaniece shrugged.  "I don't know . . . Are you sure you haven't been arrested?"

She thought she saw his cheeks pink before he turned away but wasn't sure.  "Yes, I'm sure."

"That's odd.  Sesshoumaru implied that you had been."

"When did you talk to him?"

"A few weeks ago.  Anyway, no changing the subject.  Were you arrested?"

"Weren't you on your way to meet Kagome?"

"Smooth, Daddy.  You're trying to put me off, aren't you?"

Cain shrugged.  "Is it working?"

Bellaniece sighed.  "Okay, fine, but you know that the curiosity is just going to kill me."

"There are some things that daughters don't need to know about their fathers," he explained.

"So you were arrested."

Cain didn't answer.

"Were you the indecent exposure or the lewd and lascivious?"

"Belle . . ."

"You're right.  That's a silly question.  So what's it like, to be 'exposed' in public?"

Cain's reddened cheeks were more than enough answer, in Bellaniece's opinion.  "Yeah, you need to stay away from Sesshoumaru Inutaisho."

Bellaniece laughed.  "Who was the lucky girl?"

Cain grimaced.  "It was a long time ago.  I was about your age.  It was stupid."

"Daddy, you dog . . ."

His blush deepened.

Bellaniece checked her watch and sighed.  "I've got to go.  I'm running late.  I'll see you before the wedding?"

"Sure."

"Okay.  I'll be the girl in white."

"Be careful."

She kissed his cheek.  "Always.  That sculpture is looking good.  It's Gin, isn't it?"

Cain glanced at the unfinished form on the worktable.  "Yeah, it is."

"Have you told her yet?  How you feel?"

"How I feel?"

Bellaniece rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.  "Oh, come on, Daddy.  You're as transparent as glass."

"I am?"

She nodded.  "To everyone else . . . Maybe not to her."

"It's not that simple."

Bellaniece clasped Cain's hands in hers and shook her head.  "It can be, Daddy.  You just have to want it to be."

He sighed.  "You think so?"

"Just think about it, okay?  She's your cake fairy."

Cain finally smiled, and Bellaniece hugged him.  "Yeah, she is."

"So . . . I have to go."

He nodded and leaned against the worktable as he watched her go.  She stopped in the doorway and looked back.  Cain's eyes looked troubled, but he smiled and lifted his hand when she wiggled her fingers in farewell.

'He's really over the moon for her, isn't he?' she thought as she wandered through the quiet apartment.

'Did you ever doubt that he was?'

'No, not really . . .'

'That's never been the question, has it?  Your father's always been crazy about Gin.'

'Now if she can just make him want to live . . .'

'That's a huge 'if', Belle.'

'Sure, it is,' she agreed as she stepped out of the apartment and headed for the stairs.  'If anyone can do it, though, Gin can.'

'I hope you're right.'

'Me, too.'  Bellaniece drew a deep breath.  'Me, too.'


"I can't believe you're making me go in here," Nezumi grumbled as she and Gin followed Sierra into the store.

"Well, we are shopping for Belle," Sierra pointed out reasonably.  "Anyway, what's the fun of a bridal shower if we don't get her something to make her blush?"

"Does she blush?" Nezumi asked.

"Hmm, good question . . ."

"Why aren't you more embarrassed about being in here?" Nezumi asked dubiously.

Sierra stopped and grinned mischievously.  "What?  You think this is the first time I've been in this sex store?"

Nezumi rolled her eyes.  "Kami . . . I always knew Toga was kinky . . ."

"There's a reason we have four children."

"So long as they don't know you by name," Nezumi grumbled.

Sierra laughed and kept walking.

"Gin?  You okay?"

Both women stopped and turned to stare at the third girl who was lagging behind.  Gin looked up from the bag in her hands and blinked, eyes darting from Nezumi to Sierra and back again.  "Pardon?"

"You've been quiet all day," Nezumi remarked.

"Have I?"

Sierra tucked a strand of strawberry blonde hair behind her ear and scowled at Gin.  "She's right.  You have.  Is something wrong?"

"No, no . . ."

Gin quickly whipped around to peruse the shelves, hoping that the girls would drop their current line of questioning.  She didn't want to talk about it, not when it made her sad.  She was supposed to be shopping for Bellaniece's gift, not worrying about things she couldn't control, like Cain's irritation over the perfume.

'Maybe the present I got for him will make him feel a little better.'

'A new paint brush and a couple tubes of oil paints aren't going to go that far in making amends, doll.'

'What am I supposed to do?  My scent would only raise questions, and Cain . . . he can't answer those questions any better than I can.'

'Well, you want him to stay, don't you?  You want him to stick around?'

Gin winced.  'Yeah, I want him to do that.  Thing is, I want him to do that for the right reasons, not because Papa overreacted . . .'

'Newsflash for you: if your Papa found out, it wouldn't really be an overreaction, and you know it.  The only time you'd start really picking up Cain's scent is if you chose him as your mate, and for that to happen, then Cain's got to do the same thing, too, at least on some level.'

'But it doesn't matter, does it?  It doesn't matter what I want, and really, it doesn't matter what Cain wants, either.  He made a promise, and that promise . . . He's honorable.  He'll keep his promise, won't he?'

"Earth to Gin . . ."

Snapping out of her reverie, she blinked and slowly turned to face Sierra and Nezumi.  "I'm sorry.  I was daydreaming."

Sierra didn't look like she believed Gin's reason, but she shrugged.  "Are you sure there's nothing you want to talk about?"

"Oh, I'm fine!  Besides, we're here to shop, right?"  Grabbing the first thing she saw, Gin held it out toward the girls.  "This looks—Eep!"  With a gasping squeak, Gin shoved the box of brightly colored condoms back on the shelf.

"Yeah, Belle-chan and Kich won't need those," Nezumi grumbled.

Glancing around a little too late, Gin's eyes widened as she stared in horrified fascination.  "This is a . . .?"

Sierra giggled.  "A sex store, Gin.  Perfect for Kichiro and Belle, don't you think?"

Fingers trembling as they trembled against her lips, Gin shook her head and backed away from the shelf.  "I have to get out of here," she whispered, face reddening as she shot both women imploring glances.

"It's not that bad, Gin-chan.  This is one of the nicer stores."

Nezumi rolled her eyes.  "Spoken from experience," she muttered dryly.

Sierra picked up a penis-shaped sucker and laughed.  "Oh, nice!  'Practice Pops . . . Perfect for the inexperienced as well as the professionals,'" she read.  "Professionals?"

"Wow, that's just wrong," Nezumi commented, somehow managing not to blush as she stared at the eight-inch lollipop.

Gin pressed her palms against her cheeks but remained silent.

"Oh, look . . . It even has liquid candy inside, too," Sierra commented.

"Well, from what Ryomaru's said, Belle doesn't really need practice doing that . . ."

Gin groaned.

Sierra laughed as she pulled another sucker out of the cardboard stand.  "Yeah, but these would be hilarious . . ." Trailing off as she turned to pin Nezumi with a thoughtful stare, Sierra tapped her chin as she considered something.  "Hey, Nez . . . How big is Ryomaru?"

Gin's groan shifted into a wheeze.

"Ryomaru?  Why?"

Sierra rolled her eyes.  "He and Kichiro are identical twins—identical twins, identical penises."

"That's probably true," Nezumi commented slowly as she took the lollipops from Sierra.  "Hmm, well . . . I don't know; it's hard to say when there aren't testicles attached."

"Oh, kami," Gin rasped out, whipping around as she stared at the ceiling and willed the others to hurry.  "I don't want to talk about the size of my brothers' . . . things."

"Okay, then how big is Cain's?" Sierra asked absently.

"C-Cain's?  How should I know?" Gin blurted, sure her face was about to explode in flaming color.

Sierra laughed.  "Oh, come on, Gin.  We're all friends here.  Have you seen it?"

Stifling a panicked whimper as Sierra wiggled her eyebrows, Gin shot Nezumi an imploring glance only to find her sister-in-law staring at her in rapt attention.  "S-Seen it?" Gin choked out.

"She has!" Nezumi gasped, eyes widening as she gaped at Gin's horrified expression.

"Oh, God!  I was teasing, I swear!" Sierra said.  "Gin . . . I'm . . . impressed!"

"Now, Sierra, let's not embarrass her," Nezumi cut in, slipping her arm around Gin's shoulder and stepping back to shield the girl from Sierra's ardent attention.

"You're right," Sierra sighed.  "I'm sorry, Gin."

"Thank you."

Nezumi's lip twitched as she stared at Gin.  "But since we're on the subject . . . is it . . . bigger than a bread box?"

"Nezumi-chan!" Gin nearly wailed.

Nezumi laughed and shook her head.  "Sorry, Gin-chan.  I had to . . ."

Gin just groaned.

"Okay," Sierra said as she checked her watch and made a face.  "We'd better hurry.  Toga does well with the girls, but he's been alone for awhile, and I know from experience that the twins are a handful . . ."

Relieved that the girls would finally leave her alone, Gin tamped down her embarrassment and tried not to look around the store.  She'd already purchased a lovely little silk nightgown for Bellaniece.  She wasn't touching a thing in this store; not with a ten-foot pole . . .


"Sorry I was gone so long," Gin apologized as she dropped her purse and keys on the table beside the door and hurried over to kiss Cain's cheek.  Setting the lingerie bag on the table, she started toward her bedroom to find some wrapping paper.  "We decided to have tea after we got done shopping, and then we were talking . . ."

"What'd you buy Bellaniece?" Cain asked as he eyed the pink bag dubiously.

"Just a nightgown," Gin called back, voice muffled as she rummaged through her closet.  "I bought something for you, though . . ."

Cain's eyebrows rose as he considered her statement.  "For me?"

"Yes," Gin answered as she emerged from the bedroom with a roll of pale gold foil wrapping paper and another paper bag with raffia handles.  "I'm sorry about earlier . . . The perfume."

Cain recognized the logo from a local art supply store and grinned as he accepted the bag.  "What is it?"

She rolled her eyes as she set the paper aside and dug the garment box out of the pink bag.  Pulling the nightgown out of the box, she held it up for Cain's perusal.  "What do you think?"

He eyed the flimsy silk and snorted.  "You should have gotten her flannel."

Gin paused with the plastic string that attached the price tag held tight between her hands.  She was going to bite through the plastic. Shaking her head, she sighed and snipped the string in her teeth.  "Flannel isn't sexy," she commented.

"Yeah," he shot back, "I know."

"Are you going to look and see what I bought for you?"

Cain chuckled and finally opened the bag.  Scowling at the contents, he shook it slightly and cleared his throat as his eyes rose to stare at Gin.  Having repacked the garment box, she was measuring paper before carefully dragging her index finger claw down the length for a nice, clean cut.  "Uh . . . Gin . . .?"

"Is it okay?  Not too big?"

Cain's eyebrows rose as his cheeks pinked.  "Too big?  Are you kidding?"

"Well, I saw it, and I immediately thought of you.  You were complaining that yours was all bent and stuff . . ."

"B-Bent?" he stuttered indignantly.  "Bent?"

"Yes, bent and fuzzy and all that."

Cain snorted as his cheeks reddened.  "You weren't complaining about fuzziness before," he grumbled.

"I don't mind it," she assured him.  "But you have to admit, it's rather hard to work with that way."

"Gin!"

"Hmm?"

"Oh, my God . . ."

"I wasn't sure . . . I think that one is bigger than your old one . . . Is that a problem?"

Cain snorted.

Carefully taping the wrapping paper, she didn't see the incredulity on his face.  "Anyway, you can throw out the old one, right?  I mean, you don't really need it anymore . . ."

"Gin?"

"Yes?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Gin frowned and finally looked up at him when he covered her hands with one of his.  "Your present," she explained.

Cain shook his head.  "So you wanted to give me everything in that . . . bag?"

"Sure . . . of course I did . . ."

"And you're positive?"

She looked puzzled but nodded slowly.  "Yes . . ."

Cain sighed and dug into the bag, pulling out a hideous blue lollipop shaped like a penis.  Gin gasped and squeaked out a shocked little noise as her hands flew up to cover her lips.  "I didn't—!  No-o-o-o-o-o . . ."

"You didn't buy this."

She shook her head vigorously, eyes wide, worried.  "Kami, no!"

"Then who did?"

Gin pondered that then suddenly broke into a low growl.  "Those girls . . .!  Just wait!  I'll get them back . . ."

Cain grabbed Gin's arm as she started to stomp away.  "Where are you going?"

Gin snorted.  "I'm going to call Sierra-chan and Nezumi-chan!  They did this!"

He chuckled.  "It's not that bad."

"That's what you think," she grumbled, cheeks reddening as she jerked away from the lollipop still in Cain's hand.  "Get that away from me!"

Cain glanced at the lollipop and laughed.  "What?  This?  Why?  It's just candy, Gin.  It won't hurt you."

"It's not candy; it's . . . nasty!" she hissed.

"It's not nasty.  It's hard candy," Cain remarked as he read the label and cleared his throat.  ". . . With liquid candy inside . . ."

"Oh, that's not even funny, Zelig-sensei!"

"Ouch . . . formalities, Izayoi-san?"

"You're teasing me," she pouted.

"Gin . . ."

"Yes?"

He nearly laughed at her mulish tone.  "Will you eat it?"

"The lollipop?" she squeaked.

He nodded.

"No."

"Why not?"

She opened and closed her mouth a few times, cheeks reddening painfully as she grimaced.  "Do you know what it's shaped like?"

"Oh, I think I do."

"Why do you want me to . . . eat that?" she nearly whined.

Cain chuckled again.  "I don't know . . . might be . . . a turn-on."

"But you said it was just candy," she pointed out.

He shrugged.  "Maybe, but . . . You know what it's shaped like, don't you?"

She looked like she wanted to argue or cry.  She did neither.  "You'd . . . like . . . it?"

"I think I would, actually . . ."

"W—I—I could . . . I could do that."

Cain strode around the sofa and sat, casually grabbing one of the throw pillows and holding it in his lap as Gin slowly shuffled toward him and sank down beside him.  Showing more guts than he could credit, she reached out, face stained deep crimson, and took the lollipop from him.

"It's just candy," she muttered as she unwrapped the sucker.  "Not a big deal; just candy."

'Yeah, that was just a mistake,' Cain's youkai grouched as Gin stared at the lollipop and slowly flicked out her tongue to taste the tip.

Cain nearly groaned out loud as Gin's expression seemed to brighten.  "It tastes pretty good," she remarked grudgingly.

'Oh, hell . . .'

'Pretty stupid for a tai-youkai, aren't you?'

'Yeah, I am,' he agreed.

Though she didn't look comfortable at all, she did manage a relieved sort of smile as she pulled the candy out of her mouth with an obscene popping sound.  She wasn't even trying to pretend that the candy was anything other than what it was.  Wrinkling her nose, she made a face as she grimaced.  "It's kind of sour," she told him.

"Really," he choked out, clearing his throat a few times as he clutched the pillow against his lap.

"Not so bad, though," she allowed.  "You want to try it?"

Leaning away as she held out the glistening lollipop, Cain shook his head and swallowed hard.  Gin shrugged and popped the sucker back into her mouth.

'Holy damn,' Cain groaned inwardly.

'You can say that again . . .'

'Yeah . . .'

The sudden crack drew a wince from Cain as his mouth dropped open in shock.  Unable to control the grimace that encompassed his features, he jerked back and sucked in his breath so sharply that it whistled.  "Oh, my God!  Gin!"

Chewing the bite of candy she'd broken off, she blinked innocently and swallowed a few times before responding.  "What?" she asked, moments before biting off another hunk of the candy.  

"You bit it!"

"It's candy," she muttered.

"Candy shaped like a penis!"

She wrinkled her nose as her cheeks reddened.  "Well, I wouldn't bite one of those."

"I hope not," he grumbled.

Gin started to lean toward him.  Cain caught her shoulders and held her off.  "Uh, I think you should stay over there."

"But—"

"No way, Gin.  Keep your iron-forged teeth over there, thanks."

"Cain!"

He sighed.

"What else did I . . . give you?" Gin asked hesitantly.

Cain considered the edible body paints and condoms he'd seen in that bag and shrugged.  After the fiasco with the lollipop did he really want her to know what else was in there?  He winced.  Maybe he ought to wait till the image of Gin, biting off the head of the sucker waned.  "Not a thing," he told her with a sigh.  "Just . . . Let's just watch a movie or . . . something."

She set what was left of the lollipop on the wrapper on the coffee table and scooted over to cuddle beside him.  Cain flipped through the channels until he found a Disney movie to distract her.

Moments later, she was giggling at the antics of an animated llama, and that was just fine with him.