Love (Peter, family)
This should be backdated a bit but I don't know how much!
As much as Peter hated flying, he loved going to the airport when it meant picking up someone he loved. His family was returning from their vacation in Spain and Peter could barely keep still while he waited in the international arrivals lounge of Heathrow airport.
He grew even more impatient as he watched the arrivals screen. The flight from Valencia flicked to landed and Peter's eyes went from staring at the minutes ticking by and the closed doors that his family would eventually come through.
He had been watching the damn door for forty minutes and trying to ignore the happy families greeting each other around him when his sixteen-year-old daughter Lydia moved through the doors first, followed by the rest of his family herded by his wife Aly and his wife's cousin Isabella.
Lydia charged over to Peter, throwing her arms around him first. Peter embraced her warmly, planting a kiss on the top of her head. "Hello, Little Girl. How was your trip?"
"Oh my god it was awesome," Lydia grinned, pulling away. "And I was so good, but Anna spent her entire trip in her room listening to stupid music and sulking because she's ridiculous."
"Lydia," Peter chastised her as he hugged Anna who did indeed seem sullen. But she was thirteen and she had been sullen for about six months, so Peter was hardly surprised. "You didn't want to go to the beach, Anna?"
"It smells," Anna said, wrinkling her nose and moving aside so 11-year-old Caleb could hurl himself into Peter's arms.
"Ooof," Peter breathed out. "Hi, Caleb!"
"Hi, Daddy! I dug for dinosaur bones on the beach and I didn't find any, but I did find a dead crab!"
"That's...gross, but good for you," Peter said, hoping Caleb washed his hands after handing said dead crab. Caleb did like to get dirty.
"Uncle Peter!" little William called, and Peter leaned down to hug both William and his son Tommy who were both four and who had become inseparable. "Daddy, I has sweeties!" Tommy informed Peter.
"Yummy!" Peter grinned at him, and then he straightened up. Isabella moved to break up a fight between Anna and Lydia who rarely spent any time together not at each other's throats these days. Aly gave Peter a tired smile and Peter reached out to take his daughter Rasputina into his arms before kissing his daughter Lauren who was in Aly's arms. Then he finally kissed his wife.
"Missed you," he said with a small smile.
Aly laughed quietly. "You didn't revel in the silence?" she asked, surveying their incredibly loud mob of children which had increased the sound level in the arrivals lounge by two times at least.
"No," Peter said honestly. "Are you kidding? Silence is terrifying." And indeed when one was used to being surrounded by seven children from age 16 to age 3, silence was as rare as finding gold in your drinking water. "You look like you need a nap."
"Or twelve," Aly said with a nod. "It was a good vacation but I am so glad to be back."
"Come on," Peter said warmly. "Let's get you home."
"And when the kids are in bed, you are taking a bath with me," she informed him.
Peter covered Rasputina's ears unnecessarily and then he said, "I was hoping you'd say that."
As much as Peter hated flying, he loved going to the airport when it meant picking up someone he loved. His family was returning from their vacation in Spain and Peter could barely keep still while he waited in the international arrivals lounge of Heathrow airport.
He grew even more impatient as he watched the arrivals screen. The flight from Valencia flicked to landed and Peter's eyes went from staring at the minutes ticking by and the closed doors that his family would eventually come through.
He had been watching the damn door for forty minutes and trying to ignore the happy families greeting each other around him when his sixteen-year-old daughter Lydia moved through the doors first, followed by the rest of his family herded by his wife Aly and his wife's cousin Isabella.
Lydia charged over to Peter, throwing her arms around him first. Peter embraced her warmly, planting a kiss on the top of her head. "Hello, Little Girl. How was your trip?"
"Oh my god it was awesome," Lydia grinned, pulling away. "And I was so good, but Anna spent her entire trip in her room listening to stupid music and sulking because she's ridiculous."
"Lydia," Peter chastised her as he hugged Anna who did indeed seem sullen. But she was thirteen and she had been sullen for about six months, so Peter was hardly surprised. "You didn't want to go to the beach, Anna?"
"It smells," Anna said, wrinkling her nose and moving aside so 11-year-old Caleb could hurl himself into Peter's arms.
"Ooof," Peter breathed out. "Hi, Caleb!"
"Hi, Daddy! I dug for dinosaur bones on the beach and I didn't find any, but I did find a dead crab!"
"That's...gross, but good for you," Peter said, hoping Caleb washed his hands after handing said dead crab. Caleb did like to get dirty.
"Uncle Peter!" little William called, and Peter leaned down to hug both William and his son Tommy who were both four and who had become inseparable. "Daddy, I has sweeties!" Tommy informed Peter.
"Yummy!" Peter grinned at him, and then he straightened up. Isabella moved to break up a fight between Anna and Lydia who rarely spent any time together not at each other's throats these days. Aly gave Peter a tired smile and Peter reached out to take his daughter Rasputina into his arms before kissing his daughter Lauren who was in Aly's arms. Then he finally kissed his wife.
"Missed you," he said with a small smile.
Aly laughed quietly. "You didn't revel in the silence?" she asked, surveying their incredibly loud mob of children which had increased the sound level in the arrivals lounge by two times at least.
"No," Peter said honestly. "Are you kidding? Silence is terrifying." And indeed when one was used to being surrounded by seven children from age 16 to age 3, silence was as rare as finding gold in your drinking water. "You look like you need a nap."
"Or twelve," Aly said with a nod. "It was a good vacation but I am so glad to be back."
"Come on," Peter said warmly. "Let's get you home."
"And when the kids are in bed, you are taking a bath with me," she informed him.
Peter covered Rasputina's ears unnecessarily and then he said, "I was hoping you'd say that."