“How was school today, baby girl?” Andy asked his daughter as she walked in the door. Without saying a word, Akasha threw her bag down and ran up stairs. “What’s that all about?” He asked his husband, Chase, as he walked through the door after her.

Chase closed the door, threw his keys on the table and picked up Akasha’s bag. “I don’t know. She’s been in that mood ever since I picked her up. She won’t talk to me.” Chase said, sitting down on the couch. “Why don’t you take a stab at it.”

Andy stopped folding the laundry he’d just taken from the dryer, and started to walk upstairs. “You know you could finish that.” Andy said, stopping halfway up the stairs. He just heard Chase sigh as he continued to Akasha’s room. “Akasha? Can I come in?” Andy said, after knocking on her door. She may only be six years old, but both Andy and Chase gave their little girl respect. He waited a few minutes then walked in when he didn’t get a response. He walked over to her and sat down on the edge of the bed, where his little girl was laying on her belly, crying. “Tell daddy what’s wrong.”

After a few minutes Akasha looked up at her father, her big blue eyes red and swollen from crying. Andy pushed her long dark hair out of her face and waited patiently for her to speak. “The other kids were teasin’ me.” She said, after a few seconds.

“What were they teasin’ you about?” Andy said, praying it wasn’t what he thought it was.

The tears began to build up in her eyes again. “They laughed at me ‘cause I didn’t know what a mommy was.” She stopped there because she began to cry uncontrollably again.

Andy was taken aback. He’d expected something about the two daddies thing, but he never expected anything about a mommy to pop up. He fought every urge he had to tell her that she didn’t have to go to school anymore, and just picked her up and rocked her for a few minutes, waiting for her to calm down. She was so upset that her little body was just trembling against Andy’s. That fact had Andy madder than he’d ever been in his entire life. He controlled it, though, and carried her downstairs where Chase was just finishing up the laundry. “We have to talk.” Andy said, sitting down on the couch with Akasha.

“What’s going on?” Chase said, immediately stopping what he was doing, and sitting down next to Andy, rubbing Akasha’s back. “She sick?”

“No she’s not sick.” Andy said, starting to rock her again. “But the rest of the world is.”

Chase began to get just as angry as Andy, but for an entirely different reason. “What happened?” Chase said, starting to sound frantic. “Did someone touch her?”

Andy could tell where this line of questioning was going and cut Chase off. “No, nothing like that. The other kids laughed at her because her fathers didn’t bother to explain what a mommy was.” Andy said, shouldering all the blame for this situation. “We just assumed that she would understand that grandma meant one of our moms. Well, she didn’t. We should have explained it to her.”

From where Chase’s mind had just been, Andy’s declaration made him chuckle. That almost got him punched by his husband, so he quickly covered. “Sorry.” Chase said. “But when you think of where my mind was going, this is actually a very easy problem.”

“Nothing about this is easy, Chase.” Andy said, still mad at himself. “Maybe I should just home school her.”

Chase just rolled his eyes at his husband, knowing he was mad at himself. He took Akasha from him and sat her on his lap so she was facing both of them. “Let me tell you a story.” Chase said, and waited for her to agree. When she did, he began the tale.

Chase laced his fingers through Andy’s. “About seven years ago, after me and daddy had fallen in love and decided we’d spend the rest of our lives together, we found out we had so much love in our hearts for each other that we had to spread it around. That’s when we decided to have you.” Chase said, knowing he was leaving most of that part out. He really didn’t think that her mind could comprehend the fact that it was quite a shock when they found out that Andy was actually going to have a baby. Naturally. And since that day she had grown up in a world that was dominated by homosexual men. That’s when it dawned on Chase. She probably didn’t know that all men couldn’t have babies.

“We didn’t think that we were going to be able to have a baby, until we found out that your daddy is very special.” Chase said, glancing at Andy and noticing the blush on his cheeks. Andy knew that this day would come. The day when his daughter would find out that he was a freak, he was just hoping that he could avoid it as long as possible. Now all he could do was sit there and watch the astonishment that was sure to grace his daughter’s face when she found out.

“You see, not all boys can do what your daddy did. You remember the pictures that daddy showed you? The one’s where you’re in his belly?” Chase said, hoping she would remember. She nodded her head and he breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, not all boys can do that. In fact it was a really big surprise when we found out that your daddy could do that, because, so far your daddy is the only boy that has been found that can have babies.”

Akasha looked confused. “How come there’s all those babies if daddies can’t have ‘em? Where’d they come from?” Akasha said.

Chase took a deep breath, knowing this was going to be the toughest part of this whole conversation. “Well, that’s where mommies come in.” Chase said, pushing a piece of her hair behind her ear. “Not all boys like boys. Some boys like girls.” Chase suddenly remembered something that would help him out here. About two months ago, she walked into the bedroom while him and Andy were having sex. She was scared and crying. It was only after a little talk that they found out that she thought Andy was hurt, because of the noises he was making. That’s the night they sort of explained about sex. They just told her that when two people really loved each other they showed it physically, by touching and kissing and stuff, and that’s all they were doing. She was fine with that. Chase hoped it would help him out here. “Remember what we told you about people who really love each other? You know when they show it physically?”

“Yeah, I member.” Akasha said.

“Good.” Chase said, happy not to have to go through that again. “When a boy really loves a girl, they do the same thing. That’s where the babies come from. And when that happens it’s the mommies, or the girls, that have the babies. So that’s what a mommy is. It’s a girl that’s had a baby.”

“Can I do that?” Akasha said, looking down at her belly, remembering the pictures of Andy she’d seen.

Chase and Andy both cringed at that thought. “When you get older you’ll be able to do that. And weather you fall in love with a boy or a girl, you’ll be able to have babies.” Chase said, not wanting her to think that if she did fall in love with a girl instead of a boy that there would be anything wrong with that.

“So that’s why all the other kids have mommies and I have two daddies?” Akasha said.

“Yup. That’s why.” Chase said, hoping this talk was just about over. “You have any more questions?”

“Yeah.” Akasha said, not noticing the look of despair on Chase and Andy’s faces. “When can I have babies?”

Andy sat forward and put his head in his hands. Akasha was only six. Why on earth would she want to have babies now. Chase saw this and knew he was going to have to field this one too. “A lot of years from now. Why?” Chase said.

“’Cause I want a brother or sister.” Akasha said.

Andy and Chase looked at each other and laughed. All their worry seemed to fade away at that point. “Baby girl, for you to have a baby brother or sister daddy would have to have it.” Chase said after he stopped laughing.

Akasha looked at her fathers, and crossed her arms. “You’re always kissing daddy.” She said, looking at Chase. “Why don’t I have a brother or sister yet?”

That’s when it occurred to both Chase and Andy that she thought all you had to do was kiss to get a baby. Andy saw that look on Chases face. The one that said, ‘hey I’m about to explain every nuance sex to our six year old’. That’s when Andy butted in. “We have to be alone to get a baby.” Andy said, thanking God that he could read Chases face so well.

Akasha sat there for a moment and then climbed down off her father’s lap. She walked over to the phone and picked it up, hitting speed dial number 2. Uncle James and Uncle Chris’s number. “Come get me.” She said, in a very demanding tone.

“You running away from home, munchkin?” James said being very familiar with her demands.

“Nope.” Akasha said. “Daddy said they needed to be alone to get me a baby brother or sister. So I’m leaving them alone for a little bit.”

Chris had been handed the phone by this point, so all he heard was the last thing she said. Figuring that Chase and Andy were in a fight or something he agreed. “Okay, munchkin, we’ll be over in a minute.”

Half an hour later Chase, Andy, James, and Chris were all standing in the Stevens living room laughing. Andy and Chase had explained why she was leaving them alone for a night, and they all found it very amusing. Akasha came down with her fourth bag that she’d packed to go stay the night with James and Chris, and sat it beside her others. “I’m ready.” She announced like the princess that she thought she was. As James and Chris grabbed her bags and started for the door she turned around and faced her fathers again. “I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want a brother or a sister. I just want a brother. I want his name to be Lastat. And I him to have blonde hair, brown eyes, and be very quiet. I’ll be home tomorrow to play with him.” With that said, she marched out the door.

“You two better get busy.” James said, walking out the door, laughing so hard he almost dropped the bag that had her Barbie's in it.

“Hey, be careful with that.” Akasha said from her booster seat in James truck. “That’s got my Barbie's in it. And I brought your favorite one Uncle James, so we can play later.”

Chris was standing in the door way, listening to this conversation. “I’m so glad that the camcorder batteries are charged up.” He said. “I don’t know what I want to tape more. Those two playing Babies, or the two of you trying to get her a brother by tomorrow.”