SURPRISE! (Aly, Peter)
"You're It," Alyona's husband informed her by sticking his head around their bedroom door. Aly was busy dressing her daughter for the day and she didn't even turn to look at Peter, though she smiled when she replied.
"And why is that?"
Peter entered the room and he crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall in a 'I'm totally relaxed, man' pose Aly wasn't even looking at. "The blond one wants to talk about boobs."
Aly chuckled then and she picked Lauren up, half-dressed, because Peter was priceless when it came to anything of a 'girl' nature. It was to be expected. He had been a member of the clergy for a long time. "And you can't talk to her about boobs?"
Peter gave Aly a scathing look. "She wants to talk about size, Alyona! What am I supposed to say, 'why yes, your breasts are just fine' that would mean I not only have to acknowledge that she has turned thirteen, which I haven't done okay, and that I was somehow appraising her....Aly don't make me do it! he said, turning red. "You married me, which means you promised to talk to all the girls about boobs and...you know...that thing."
"That thing?"
"The thing! The thing that happens once a month which I am not going to talk about ever, ever, ever!"
"And just why should I take on the responsibility of that! We have more girls than boys!" Aly said, though she was joking. Of course she would.
"Be...because I have to talk about erections and penises and why sometimes you feel a bit funny when your pretty teacher bends over to help you with your mathematics, and naughty dreams, and I'm fairly sure it would be a good idea to inform Tommy that I probably passed down my incredible ability to impregnate anyone anywhere and he should be really, really careful..." Baby Thomas was Peter's only biological son, though the pair was raising Aly's son from her first marriage, as well as Aly's brother David's son, now that David had passed on. "Anyway, Lydia and Tasha already know all that...girl stuff. You only have Anna and Lauren."
"Do you really want Svetlana explaining adolescence to Rasputina?" Aly asked pointedly.
"Heh...right. Probably not." And then Peter leaned up off of the wall. "Alllyyyyyyyyy. Do it for meeeeee!"
Aly laughed and she crossed the room, handing over their daughter. "Fine, you pussy. Finish dressing Lauren and then she gets breakfast. Tommy and William are with Lydia and Rasputina is still sleeping, miraculously."
"Thank you!" Peter said quickly, bouncing Lauren in his arms.
"You're welcome. But this means you have to promise me to have a conversation about something."
"Anything," Peter said, carrying Lauren back over to the bed. Once there, he started putting her shirt on. "What is it?"
"Now that I'm not sick any more, I want to think about reversing the tubal ligation I had."
There was silence in the room as Peter froze. Their poor daughter had her shirt half on, and Peter was holding her arm in the air and there it stayed.
"Peter?"
"Hmm?" Peter looked down when Lauren started to fuss about the shirt blocking her view, and he jumped to action. "Oh, I'm sorry, tiny angel! Here you go!" He finished pulling her shirt on and then he turned to Aly. "I'm sorry, uhm...did you just say that to see my reaction?"
"No, Peter!" Aly shook her head and she laughed. "I'm not sick any more, there's no reason not to have more kids!"
Peter's eyes widened and Aly believed she was able to see his heart pounding through his shirt. "Uhm...really!?" Peter asked with his head cocked to the side, his voice high-pitched and he sounded dumbfounded. "Because...we're raising eight kids, Aly..."
"We're raising six," Aly corrected. "Tasha is twenty-one and more than capable of taking care of herself. And Rasputina is usually with Svetlana." She wasn't at the moment, while Svetlana tried to avoid being arrested by her former foster-brother, but the little girl did usually reside with the Russian demon. "And Lydia is almost fifteen. And we have Angie to help us." Angie was the nanny they had hired when Peter had had brain cancer. The family loved her so much, she still lived with them, even though Peter had a deep-seated hatred for hiring people to do what he felt parents should do as he had been raised by nannies and not his own parents. Angie's role was more ceremonial than actual nanny. She was just another adult around who could help out, and they all adored her. There was no way Peter could refute that her presence did help, even if Peter and Aly did do 99% of the actual parenting themselves.
"And then we have three children under three!" Peter screeched. "It was busy enough before William came to live with us!" And then Peter hurried to explain that because Aly had glared at him and David had sworn inside her head. "I'm glad he's here! I love William, and I wouldn't want him to be anywhere else, but it is hard sometimes raising three tiny kids. And now Rasputina's here and we don't know how long for..."
"Peter, my mother is one of nine siblings. My Aunt Rosalia has eight kids. Big families are expected. My mother was strange because she only had three. It's just natrual for me to want a lot of children running around."
"Aly, we don't live near your family. They all help each other out with the kids, which is wonderful, but we're in London-"
"My parents are here and you know they love watching the kids," Aly interrupted defensively.
"I know, but we can't just fob them off on your parents all the time. And you don't have-" he had been about to say she didn't have siblings to help, Aly was sure. And she was glad he changed his mind. She didn't need him to remind her that her brothers were both dead, even if she wasn't so very broken up about Brian. "-other family around. Other than Isabella-"
"Who loves watching the kids too and she's right next door," Aly interjected again. "Peter, this is why I wanted to have an actual conversation about it instead of springing it on you in the bedroom."
Peter made a face and he hugged Lauren to him. "I'm just...a little hesitant..."
"You love babies," Aly said with a frown.
"Yes," Peter agreed, because he rather did. "Aly, I'm not saying I wouldn't love any child we had together. I would. But there's potty training times four and learning to talk times four at the moment and it's just a little...tiring."
Aly thought she understood. Mostly. Peter did have to occasionally jaunt off to horrible places to save random people he had never met, simply because he had visions of them and Peter couldn't let people suffer if he could stop it. But dammit, she wanted more kids. "Promise me you'll think about it," she said firmly.
"Oh, trust me, I don't think I'll be thinking about anything else," Peter whispered.
"Perfect! I'll go talk to Anna about breasts!" Aly founced out of the room, and as she left, she heard Peter say, 'oh goody....'. He would come around, she just knew it.
"And why is that?"
Peter entered the room and he crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall in a 'I'm totally relaxed, man' pose Aly wasn't even looking at. "The blond one wants to talk about boobs."
Aly chuckled then and she picked Lauren up, half-dressed, because Peter was priceless when it came to anything of a 'girl' nature. It was to be expected. He had been a member of the clergy for a long time. "And you can't talk to her about boobs?"
Peter gave Aly a scathing look. "She wants to talk about size, Alyona! What am I supposed to say, 'why yes, your breasts are just fine' that would mean I not only have to acknowledge that she has turned thirteen, which I haven't done okay, and that I was somehow appraising her....Aly don't make me do it! he said, turning red. "You married me, which means you promised to talk to all the girls about boobs and...you know...that thing."
"That thing?"
"The thing! The thing that happens once a month which I am not going to talk about ever, ever, ever!"
"And just why should I take on the responsibility of that! We have more girls than boys!" Aly said, though she was joking. Of course she would.
"Be...because I have to talk about erections and penises and why sometimes you feel a bit funny when your pretty teacher bends over to help you with your mathematics, and naughty dreams, and I'm fairly sure it would be a good idea to inform Tommy that I probably passed down my incredible ability to impregnate anyone anywhere and he should be really, really careful..." Baby Thomas was Peter's only biological son, though the pair was raising Aly's son from her first marriage, as well as Aly's brother David's son, now that David had passed on. "Anyway, Lydia and Tasha already know all that...girl stuff. You only have Anna and Lauren."
"Do you really want Svetlana explaining adolescence to Rasputina?" Aly asked pointedly.
"Heh...right. Probably not." And then Peter leaned up off of the wall. "Alllyyyyyyyyy. Do it for meeeeee!"
Aly laughed and she crossed the room, handing over their daughter. "Fine, you pussy. Finish dressing Lauren and then she gets breakfast. Tommy and William are with Lydia and Rasputina is still sleeping, miraculously."
"Thank you!" Peter said quickly, bouncing Lauren in his arms.
"You're welcome. But this means you have to promise me to have a conversation about something."
"Anything," Peter said, carrying Lauren back over to the bed. Once there, he started putting her shirt on. "What is it?"
"Now that I'm not sick any more, I want to think about reversing the tubal ligation I had."
There was silence in the room as Peter froze. Their poor daughter had her shirt half on, and Peter was holding her arm in the air and there it stayed.
"Peter?"
"Hmm?" Peter looked down when Lauren started to fuss about the shirt blocking her view, and he jumped to action. "Oh, I'm sorry, tiny angel! Here you go!" He finished pulling her shirt on and then he turned to Aly. "I'm sorry, uhm...did you just say that to see my reaction?"
"No, Peter!" Aly shook her head and she laughed. "I'm not sick any more, there's no reason not to have more kids!"
Peter's eyes widened and Aly believed she was able to see his heart pounding through his shirt. "Uhm...really!?" Peter asked with his head cocked to the side, his voice high-pitched and he sounded dumbfounded. "Because...we're raising eight kids, Aly..."
"We're raising six," Aly corrected. "Tasha is twenty-one and more than capable of taking care of herself. And Rasputina is usually with Svetlana." She wasn't at the moment, while Svetlana tried to avoid being arrested by her former foster-brother, but the little girl did usually reside with the Russian demon. "And Lydia is almost fifteen. And we have Angie to help us." Angie was the nanny they had hired when Peter had had brain cancer. The family loved her so much, she still lived with them, even though Peter had a deep-seated hatred for hiring people to do what he felt parents should do as he had been raised by nannies and not his own parents. Angie's role was more ceremonial than actual nanny. She was just another adult around who could help out, and they all adored her. There was no way Peter could refute that her presence did help, even if Peter and Aly did do 99% of the actual parenting themselves.
"And then we have three children under three!" Peter screeched. "It was busy enough before William came to live with us!" And then Peter hurried to explain that because Aly had glared at him and David had sworn inside her head. "I'm glad he's here! I love William, and I wouldn't want him to be anywhere else, but it is hard sometimes raising three tiny kids. And now Rasputina's here and we don't know how long for..."
"Peter, my mother is one of nine siblings. My Aunt Rosalia has eight kids. Big families are expected. My mother was strange because she only had three. It's just natrual for me to want a lot of children running around."
"Aly, we don't live near your family. They all help each other out with the kids, which is wonderful, but we're in London-"
"My parents are here and you know they love watching the kids," Aly interrupted defensively.
"I know, but we can't just fob them off on your parents all the time. And you don't have-" he had been about to say she didn't have siblings to help, Aly was sure. And she was glad he changed his mind. She didn't need him to remind her that her brothers were both dead, even if she wasn't so very broken up about Brian. "-other family around. Other than Isabella-"
"Who loves watching the kids too and she's right next door," Aly interjected again. "Peter, this is why I wanted to have an actual conversation about it instead of springing it on you in the bedroom."
Peter made a face and he hugged Lauren to him. "I'm just...a little hesitant..."
"You love babies," Aly said with a frown.
"Yes," Peter agreed, because he rather did. "Aly, I'm not saying I wouldn't love any child we had together. I would. But there's potty training times four and learning to talk times four at the moment and it's just a little...tiring."
Aly thought she understood. Mostly. Peter did have to occasionally jaunt off to horrible places to save random people he had never met, simply because he had visions of them and Peter couldn't let people suffer if he could stop it. But dammit, she wanted more kids. "Promise me you'll think about it," she said firmly.
"Oh, trust me, I don't think I'll be thinking about anything else," Peter whispered.
"Perfect! I'll go talk to Anna about breasts!" Aly founced out of the room, and as she left, she heard Peter say, 'oh goody....'. He would come around, she just knew it.