A/N: Chapter 6- first. Again, I am so so so sorry I am so behind on these. It's almost embarrassing.

In this chapter I introduce a little headcanon of mine. Stanley isn't a French name at all, obviously. And in the original French version of BATB, Stanley's name is Norbert. So therefore i headcanon that Stanley is actually his middle name, Norbert his first. It just works for me. Hope you enjoy it too!

Neither Stanley nor Lefou are surprised when Clara begins her baby babbling. It happens right when they thought it would, a soft "mama" escaping her lips as Stanley sits next to her with an open container of baby food.

At the near-word, Stanley whoops and pumps his fist, turning to Lefou. "I told you she would call me 'mama'! You owe me fifty!"

Lefou just snorts, pulling out his wallet to give Stanley the $50 he'd promised if this happened. "There you go. Don't spend it all in one place, Stan," he laughs.

"Actually, that's exactly what I plan to do," says Stanley, putting the bill in his pocket. "They're having a great dress sale at the mall. I could use a new one. And my favorite little girl can get one to match!" His voice raises in pitch and makes Clara giggle.

"Mama!" she happily agrees, kicking her feet.

"That's right!" says Stanley, nodding. He leans forward, kissing her forehead.

After that, she continues her babbling, growing ever more talkative over the next few weeks. Clara is a happy and excitable baby, constantly kicking her feet and squealing at whatever Stanley and Lefou say to her. She starts adding more sounds to her vocabulary, soon calling Lefou "dada" and stringing the noises together to mimic Lefou and Stanley when they talk to her.

One of the first near-words she uses that doesn't refer to them is a soft, "eh?" to ask Stanley to dress up with her. Stanley is ecstatic when he realizes what she's saying, pulling her into his arms and twirling her. "You want to find pretty clothes with Mama, ma cherie?" he asks her, booping her nose.

Clara giggles and affirms, "mamamama!" And then she looks over at Lefou. "Da?"

Stanley tilts his head, trying to decipher her baby talk, and finally asks, "You want your Daddy to play too, is that it?"

"Da?" she says again, waving at Lefou. "Da da da!"

Lefou laughs softly, walking up to the pair. Clara holds her arms out for him, clearly wanting to be held by him for a while. Obliging, Lefou gathers her in his arms. "Well, little one," he tells her, looking her in the eye, "see, I don't like dresses like your Mama does. But we can still play together!"

"Da?" she asks as Lefou starts bouncing her lightly.

"Come on, I'll watch you two play," Lefou says, holding her closer and heading towards Clara's playroom. Stanley goes to grab a dress for each of them as well as some nail polish.

"What color do you want today, mon ange?" Stanley asks Clara, holding out a few bottles. She grabs for a red one, and Stanley smiles. "Good choice. This one's my favorite!" he tells her, kissing her forehead. "Now come here."

The trio settle on the floor, helping Clara put on her red and black dress. She points at Stanley when she's done, clearly indicating that it's his turn to get dressed. Laughing, Lefou covers her eyes while Stanley changes, and Clara starts to giggle as well, though it's more because Lefou is laughing than because she understands what's amusing them.

Soon enough, Lefou is looking at a matching set of black and red dresses, father and daughter both sporting red nails with white polka dots. Clara is squealing in delight, a constant stream of noises escaping her. "Da!" she yells, pointing at Lefou. "Ma ma ma ma, ma da bababa!"

Beaming at his beautiful girl, Lefou says, "You're both so pretty! Look at you!" He leans forward, kissing Clara's forehead and then Stanley's lips. He takes Clara's hands in his, giving an exaggerated gasp. "Look at your nails, cherie! Stunning! Your mama did amazing as always."

Clara looks between Lefou and Stanley, and then softly asks, "Dwess?"

This time Lefou's gasp is real, and Stanley joins in. Looking at Stanley, Lefou stammers, "did- did she just-"

"She did!" Stanley declares, pulling Clara into his arms with a proud smile. "Our baby just said her first word!"

Shaking his head, Lefou says, "I can't believe her first word was 'dress'. No, actually, I can believe it. Only your child, Norbert Stanley."

Stanley chuckles at that, looking down at Clara. "Nothing wrong with appreciating the value of beauty, right, mon chou? Your daddy just-" he picks her up and kisses her- "doesn't get it, does he?"

Clara giggles, and repeats, "dwess!" pointing one little finger at Stanley's outfit. As Stanley sets her back down in Lefou's lap, she pulls on Lefou's shirt. "Dwess! Da, dwess!" she insists.

"I don't have any dresses, little one," Lefou says, shaking his head with a wry smile.

"We'll have to bring him to the mall with us next time," Stanley says, sitting in front of them and winking at Clara. "Now that you know how to ask, he'll have to give in. Thanks for the help!" He holds out the bottle of nail polish from earlier. "Now, how about a compromise, hmm?" he asks, looking between Clara and Lefou.

Clara squeals with delight, clapping her hands together. "Da!" she yells, kicking her legs. "Da da da!"

"Oh, alright," Lefou sighs, holding out his hands to let Stanley paint a matching pattern on his nails. "How can I resist the two cutest people on the planet?"