Cartoon Cuts [Virginia Suburbia, early evening]

[sith_happened]

It was time for Juliet's first haircut--her blonde curls had stopped being adorable and had started getting knotted. And being sixteen months old meant that a patient and careful comb-through was not in the cards.

So there the three of them were in a brightly lit children's barber shop: Anakin, toting Juliet and Rory toting the camera.

Anakin was looking for the most competent person in the shop. Juliet was looking at the cartoons.

"Dora!"

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"Yes, please," Rory requested, glancing up from where she was digging in her purse for animal crackers or something. "For her scrapbook, honey."

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"You keep hair?"

He was so going to have to call Aeryn.

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"Look at her bitty cuuuurls," Rory cooed. "We'll want to remember how soft and pretty they were once she's older and borrowing your products to maintain that."

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"Oh, she'll never use my products," Anakin declared.

Juliet tried to dodge out of the way of the scissors.

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"Juliet, look, it's easy," Rory tried, looking pleadingly at the hairdresser. "Mommy gets her hair cut all the time."

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"Nonononononononono," Juliet replied.

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"What if I get my hair cut now?" Rory tried. "Or Daddy does?"

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Juliet gave her an inquisitive look. "Cut?"

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"Yup. Cut, 'cause too much hair makes our heads hot and it hurts when we take baths," Rory explained patiently. "Daddy and I can get haircuts too, just like you."

Rory beckoned the hairdresser over, pulling out a lock of her own hair. "She's gonna show you how haircuts work on Mommy, okay?"

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Anakin was looking a little dubiously at Rory. "I don't want a haircut," he murmured.

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Rory shot him a glare. "I'm not coaxing two of you into this," she said through a gritted, forced smile. "We're going to show Juliet that haircuts don't hurt. Just let the lady cut a lock of your hair, Anakin."

Meanwhile, Juanita -- who was clearly accustomed to this -- reached up and snipped off about two inches of Rory's hair. "See, Juliet?" Rory continued, smiling and shrugging. "Didn't hurt at all!"

[sith_happened]

"See," Anakin repeated. "It didn't hurt Mommy at all."

Juliet gave him an echo of his own glare.

"Fine. She'll cut my hair too. Just a little bit off the back where I can't see it."

Juanita wasn't rolling her eyes, but that was because she was a professional.

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"Look how brave Daddy's being, Juliet," Rory said, clearly more to goad Anakin than to actually encourage the wee child.

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Anakin made a face at her as his hair got snipped. "There," he said. "It didn't hurt at all. Now it's your turn!"

Juliet looked dubious before saying, "...kay."

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"What a big girl!" Rory exclaimed, clapping her hands. "Juliet, you are so brave."

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Juliet clapped her hands together. "Cookie?"

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"After haircuts!" Rory said, also clapping.

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Juliet looked confused. Hadn't the lady cut her hair once, just like Mommy and Daddy?

"Done!" she insisted.

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"Almost!" Rory told her, wide-eyed. "Soooo close!"

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"Noooooooooooo," Juliet declared, two tears welling up.

Behind her, Juanita was snipping as quickly as possible.

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Rory was getting sort of desperate here. "Juliet, who's the prettiest princess? It's you, right? And only the prettiest princesses get ice cream and cookies."

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Anakin was busy holding down everything within tossing distance through the Force, just in case Juliet decided to throw a truly spectacular tantrum that would be hard to explain in Arlington, Virginia.

"Eye cream?" Juliet replied, brightening.

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"Yes," Rory told her, nodding. "Ice cream. Maybe with sprinkles?"

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"And more eye cream?" Juliet wheedled.

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"How much ice cream can you eat?" Rory asked, puffing out her cheeks and widening her eyes.