Morning (Deirdre, Julian, Aislinn)
As much as Deirdre loved Renee, and as much as Renee may have wanted her too (Deirdre didn't know, she hadn't asked...) Deirdre wasn't sleeping in the same bed as Renee. She left that to Julian, because he could get away with it without any weird complications. Deirdre didn't want to upset Scarlett or Kait, let alone Renee or herself. It was just too hard. Julian seemed to understand the situation without Deirdre having to explain it, and of course he was more than willing to comfort Renee while she slept. Deirdre relegated herself to the sofa, and Julian was glad to have another demon under the roof. Especially since Damon was mostly out, making himself useful alongside the others who were searching for Tasha.
While the house slept Deirdre, ever the morning person, lay on the sofa with her hands on the curve of her belly. Her twins were awake and she could feel them moving. As she brushed her fingers across her belly, they fluttered against her skin. They were reacting to her, and it was strange. It was like they were already here. Even in the dim light of the room, anyone could have seen the huge grin on Deirdre's face.
Julian walked into the living room, his daughter in his arms. She had woken him promptly at 5:30 and he had managed to get her out of Renee's bedroom without her waking up. He stood in the doorway though, when he saw Deirdre grinning away.
"I can feel you," Deirdre whispered to her twins. "And even though you make my back hurt and I hate getting fat, I'm going to love you so much."
Julian smiled his own little smile and then he entered her view because he didn't want her to feel like he had been spying on her. He had forgotten, of course, that Deirdre was able to sense Aislinn. She had known he was there. "Hi, Julian. Hi, Aislinn! Want to feel the babies?"
"Sure." Julian moved to the sofa and once he was sitting, he placed Aislinn in his lap so he could extend one hand to Deirdre's belly. "Oh! There they are!" He giggled as he felt the fluttering underneath his hand. "You know...I missed this with Aislinn. Not that I would have enjoyed it...heh. How far along are you?"
"Twenty-two weeks," Deirdre grinned. "We were supposed to find out the sex of the babies last week but then...well, we had to cancel the appointment anyway. I can wait."
Twenty-two weeks. Aislinn had only had the benefit of two more weeks in the womb. Julian decided not to mention that... "I didn't know what sex Aislinn was until I showed up at the hospital. To be fair, I didn't know I was having a kid either." Julian bent down to kiss Aislinn's hair and she leaned against his chest, snuggling against him. "She's still tired, but apparently 'tired' doesn't mean 'sleeping'. It means waking daddy up so she can cuddle."
"I think she's adorable." Deirdre sat up then, only struggling a little. She sat sideways so she was facing Aislinn. "Do you love your Daddy the most? Hmmm?"
Aislinn simply complied with a sleepy, "da!"
Deirdre grinned and she stuck her tongue out a little. "Oh gosh. They're so precious. All the babies! Do...do you like it, Julian? I mean, you didn't exactly have a choice, but-"
"I had a choice." Julian's voice was quiet. Respectful. He liked Deirdre, but he hated it when people said he didn't have a choice. "I didn't have to be a Dad. I mean, I didn't have a choice in the biological part, no. I made a mistake, and that was done. But I didn't have to be part of her life. From the moment I saw her though...I knew I wanted to." Julian had made a hard decision, and he liked it when people acknowledged that instead of dumbing it down to 'not having a choice'. Everyone had that choice. None of the options had been easy. He had simply chosen the one most people seemed to think was obvious. But a a gay seventeen-year-old choosing to be a dad and whatever else he happened to be...it wasn't obvious at all. "And I love it. I love her. She's the best thing I ever did. Even if...you know, sometimes I lose sight of it because I'm young and dumb-"
"I don't think you're dumb." Deirdre shook her head so that her hair fell in crimson waves over her shoulders. "You have something inside of you that's hard to keep quiet. And sometimes, it wins because it's strong and because of whatever reason, you happened to be weak that day or whatever. Trust me. I get it. And that boyfriend of yours? He would too."
Julian nodded quietly. "I know. I think that's why he didn't leave me when he said he was going to. It's nice. Having people who understand."
Deirdre nodded and then she reached out to touch little Aislinn on her head. Aislinn looked over at her and Deirdre's heart melted into goo. "Oh, Julian. She's so precious."
"Yours will be too," he informed her with a proud smile. "Absolutely."
"Do you hear that. babies of unknown sex?" Deirdre placed her hands on her belly again. "Julian has given his seal of approval."
Underneath her hands, her children let her know they could feel her.
While the house slept Deirdre, ever the morning person, lay on the sofa with her hands on the curve of her belly. Her twins were awake and she could feel them moving. As she brushed her fingers across her belly, they fluttered against her skin. They were reacting to her, and it was strange. It was like they were already here. Even in the dim light of the room, anyone could have seen the huge grin on Deirdre's face.
Julian walked into the living room, his daughter in his arms. She had woken him promptly at 5:30 and he had managed to get her out of Renee's bedroom without her waking up. He stood in the doorway though, when he saw Deirdre grinning away.
"I can feel you," Deirdre whispered to her twins. "And even though you make my back hurt and I hate getting fat, I'm going to love you so much."
Julian smiled his own little smile and then he entered her view because he didn't want her to feel like he had been spying on her. He had forgotten, of course, that Deirdre was able to sense Aislinn. She had known he was there. "Hi, Julian. Hi, Aislinn! Want to feel the babies?"
"Sure." Julian moved to the sofa and once he was sitting, he placed Aislinn in his lap so he could extend one hand to Deirdre's belly. "Oh! There they are!" He giggled as he felt the fluttering underneath his hand. "You know...I missed this with Aislinn. Not that I would have enjoyed it...heh. How far along are you?"
"Twenty-two weeks," Deirdre grinned. "We were supposed to find out the sex of the babies last week but then...well, we had to cancel the appointment anyway. I can wait."
Twenty-two weeks. Aislinn had only had the benefit of two more weeks in the womb. Julian decided not to mention that... "I didn't know what sex Aislinn was until I showed up at the hospital. To be fair, I didn't know I was having a kid either." Julian bent down to kiss Aislinn's hair and she leaned against his chest, snuggling against him. "She's still tired, but apparently 'tired' doesn't mean 'sleeping'. It means waking daddy up so she can cuddle."
"I think she's adorable." Deirdre sat up then, only struggling a little. She sat sideways so she was facing Aislinn. "Do you love your Daddy the most? Hmmm?"
Aislinn simply complied with a sleepy, "da!"
Deirdre grinned and she stuck her tongue out a little. "Oh gosh. They're so precious. All the babies! Do...do you like it, Julian? I mean, you didn't exactly have a choice, but-"
"I had a choice." Julian's voice was quiet. Respectful. He liked Deirdre, but he hated it when people said he didn't have a choice. "I didn't have to be a Dad. I mean, I didn't have a choice in the biological part, no. I made a mistake, and that was done. But I didn't have to be part of her life. From the moment I saw her though...I knew I wanted to." Julian had made a hard decision, and he liked it when people acknowledged that instead of dumbing it down to 'not having a choice'. Everyone had that choice. None of the options had been easy. He had simply chosen the one most people seemed to think was obvious. But a a gay seventeen-year-old choosing to be a dad and whatever else he happened to be...it wasn't obvious at all. "And I love it. I love her. She's the best thing I ever did. Even if...you know, sometimes I lose sight of it because I'm young and dumb-"
"I don't think you're dumb." Deirdre shook her head so that her hair fell in crimson waves over her shoulders. "You have something inside of you that's hard to keep quiet. And sometimes, it wins because it's strong and because of whatever reason, you happened to be weak that day or whatever. Trust me. I get it. And that boyfriend of yours? He would too."
Julian nodded quietly. "I know. I think that's why he didn't leave me when he said he was going to. It's nice. Having people who understand."
Deirdre nodded and then she reached out to touch little Aislinn on her head. Aislinn looked over at her and Deirdre's heart melted into goo. "Oh, Julian. She's so precious."
"Yours will be too," he informed her with a proud smile. "Absolutely."
"Do you hear that. babies of unknown sex?" Deirdre placed her hands on her belly again. "Julian has given his seal of approval."
Underneath her hands, her children let her know they could feel her.