Fic: Everything He's Ever Wanted
Title: Everything He's Ever Wanted
Author: Mary (stillxmyxheart)
Beta: Lindsay (rowofstars)
Rating: G
Genre: Friendship, Family, Romance, smidgen of Angst
Word Count: 3,232
Characters/Pairings: Chris, Kari, Hannah, Eli, Nicholas, Angela (Chris/Kari, Hannah/Eli)
Hannah smiles as she looks over at the blue-clad bundle in Chris's arms, and then looks down at the baby girl she's holding.
"I still can't believe you guys had twins. They're both so beautiful."
"Yeah, who would've thought Chris could make cute children?" Eli jokes from where he's perched on the edge of Kari's hospital bed, earning a half-hearted kick from Chris and a tired laugh from Kari.
"Okay, so what are their names?" Hannah asks.
"Haley Arya, and Nathaniel Jay," Kari replies.
Eli gives Chris a look, and Chris groans. "Baby, tell him I didn't name my daughter after a Game of Thrones character."
Kari laughs again. "No, their middle names are Indian. Arya means 'noble', and Jay is a shortened form of 'Jaya', which means 'victory'."
"I like that," Hannah murmurs, smiling as she looks down at Haley again.
"I wanna see, Mama," Nicholas says, tugging on the sleeve of Hannah's dress.
Hannah glances at Kari, who nods, and then looks up at Eli, who comes to carefully take the newborn from her arms.
"You can hold her, buddy," Eli begins, raising his eyebrows down at his son, "but you have to sit very still, okay?"
Nicholas nods, scooting back on the daybed until his back is against the railing, and Hannah reaches for his hands.
"Spread your arms like that, and Daddy will put her in your lap."
Nicholas obeys, and Eli bends to gently set Haley in his lap, her head towards Hannah so that she can support it with her hand.
"You got her, Nicky?"
"Uh huh," Nicholas says, nodding, and Eli smiles a little as he steps back.
Nicholas stares down at the baby, and then looks up at Hannah. "She's so pretty, Mama."
"She is," Hannah agrees, smiling too.
"And just think, kiddo," Eli adds, "pretty soon you'll get to hold your baby sister just like that."
Nicholas grins as he looks up at Eli. "I'm excited, Daddy."
Eli laughs. "Me too."
Nicholas holds the baby for a few moments, and then Chris clears his throat.
"Okay, I want to hold my little girl now."
Eli smiles and nods as he steps forward. "Okay, Nicky, let's let Uncle Chris hold his baby now."
Nicholas nods a little reluctantly, and Eli bends to lift Haley into his arms.
"You want Han to take Nathaniel?"
"No, I want to hold them both."
"Chris -" Kari says, sounding apprehensive.
"I can do it, I promise. I've got a whole arm here, I'm sitting down, it'll be fine."
Eli turns to look at Kari, and she sighs. "Just... hover around him."
Grinning, Eli turns again and lowers Haley into the crook of Chris's free arm, making sure he has both her and Nathaniel before straightening.
Chris grins broadly, looking back and forth between the babies, and looks up when Eli says his name. Eli snaps the picture with his phone, smiling at how proud Chris looks, and promises to send the picture to everybody before anybody can ask.
Hannah and Eli visit a little while longer, and then Hannah sighs as she pushes to stand.
"Okay, it's almost dinner time, and, quite frankly, I'm exhausted. Seeing you post delivery brought back memories, and thoughts of the extremely near future."
Kari laughs softly. "I half expected you to go into sympathy labor."
"At least we're in the right place for it," Eli mutters.
Hannah snorts, and Kari waves a hand at Eli. "Before you go, help Chris put the babies back in their bassinets. Better to have you do it than have to call a nurse after you leave because Chris is basically like a turtle on his back right now."
"That is a very apt description," Eli says as he moves to take Haley from Chris.
Once the babies are safely settled, hugs and goodbyes are exchanged, and like that, the room is suddenly quiet.
"Visitors are nice," Kari begins softly, "but you sure do cherish the silence when they leave."
Chris laughs and nods as he pulls a chair up close to the bed.
"How are you?" he asks, taking her hand in his.
"Not bad. Exhausted beyond belief, but the babies are perfect and healthy, and I'm happy for that. Happy they're in the world."
Chris nods, glancing over at the bassinets, and murmurs, "Yeah, me too."
They're quiet for a moment, Chris's thumb rubbing idly over the side of Kari's hand, and then she notices the tears in his eyes.
"Baby? What's wrong?"
He gives a short laugh and shakes his head. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong. Everything is literally perfect. I'm just thinking about how... for so long I've wanted my own family. I wanted a wife, I wanted kids, I wanted to settle down and do all of that stuff. And now I have it. I have you, and I have the twins, and in a couple days, I'll get to take you all home to our brand new house, and I'm just really, really happy."
He lifts his other hand onto the bed, clasping hers in both of his, and smiles. "Thank you for letting me have all of this. For loving me, for giving me my children, for everything. I love you so much, Kari, and I'm so grateful for everything you've done for me."
"I love you too, Chris," she replies, smiling back at him, tears shining in her eyes. "And it goes both ways, everything I've given you, you've given back to me, and I'm grateful to you too, for everything."
Chris stands to kiss her, lingering a moment before resting his forehead against hers as her hand comes up to the back of his neck, her fingertips lightly stroking his hair.
A beat later he straightens and laughs quietly. "It's a good thing I get to stay here tonight, because there's no way I could go home."
Kari laughs too, taking Chris's hand again as he sits back down. "I'm glad you get to stay too. I'd miss you if you weren't here."
Chris smiles, squeezing her fingers, and then says softly, "I wish Tony could've been here to see the twins. I know it's been a few months, but just... seeing everybody come by today to visit, all of our friends, it made me really miss him."
"I know, baby," Kari whispers, sweeping her thumb over the side of his hand.
"I don't want to get all mopey, today has been too good a day to feel sad, but I just had to get that out."
Kari smiles. "I like to think he can still see them, wherever he might be."
"Yeah," Chris murmurs. "That's a nice thought. Hanging out on a cloud somewhere, watching the babies sleep."
Kari's smile widens as she nods, and Chris stands to kiss her again.
The next morning, Kari's parents come back to visit, and are joined shortly after by Chris's mother.
Angela comes to sit next to Chris on the daybed, noticing his thoughtful and vaguely troubled expression, and after a moment, she reaches over to pat his knee.
"You okay, kitten?" she asks softly, so only he can hear her.
"Yeah," he replies, smiling over at her. "I'm fine."
"Are you sure?"
He looks at her, and then over at Kari, and then shrugs, like he can't say what he wants to say in front of his wife, or maybe doesn't know how to.
"C'mon," Angela says, patting his knee again as she stands. "Kari, honey, I hope you don't mind if I borrow him for a little while."
"Not at all. He's probably itching to get out of here anyway," Kari says with a grin.
"Only for a little while," Chris says, smiling as he bends to kiss her.
A few minutes later, Chris and Angela are outside in the cool late October air, and Angela looks over at him.
"So, what's up? You were so happy yesterday, and now you seem... distracted. Is everything okay with Kari? The babies?"
"Yeah, they're fine, it's just... for some weird reason, I keep thinking about Dad."
Angela frowns. "How do you mean?"
Chris shrugs. "I don't really know. I don't even know why he's on my mind, I haven't thought of him in years. I doubt he'd even care to know that he's a grandpa now, and I honestly don't care for him to meet Kari or the twins."
Chris bows his head, pacing in a small circle and kicking a pebble with the toe of his shoe, and then takes a breath.
"I don't know, I guess I just keep thinking about how he left. How he didn't want me anymore. And it's not that I'm scared to be a dad or anything, I've wanted this for so long, but it's like... I feel some stupid need to prove that I'm not him. That I'm not going to leave. And it's stupid to even think that, because I've never once felt like I didn't want to be with Kari. I love her more now than when we got married, and now we have these beautiful babies, and I just - I guess I want to prove myself as a really good husband and father, even if I'm the only one I have to prove that to."
"You're already a really good husband," Angela says. "I think that's always been pretty obvious, even before you and Kari got married, even before you met her, really. You've always been loyal and kind and loving to the people you care about, both your girlfriends and your friends. You only ever leave to protect yourself from getting hurt, and Kari loves you so much, and you two are so happy together, and I don't see that ever changing."
Angela shrugs. "And as for being a good father, I wouldn't worry. I think you're going to be a wonderful father, sweetheart. You love those babies so much already."
"I just don't want to screw up."
"You're going to screw up, Chris. It's part of being a parent. What makes the difference is how you handle the screw ups."
Chris smiles and nods, and Angela sighs.
"I still don't know why your father left. I don't know if it was me, if he got bored with having a family, if he was having an affair, I just don't know. I don't really care anymore, because you and I got along just fine without him, but at the time, what hurt me the most was seeing how much it hurt you, especially after he stopped visitation. You wanted a dad so bad, and sometimes I felt so guilty that I couldn't give you that. I just wasn't interested in dating after your father left. I had you to worry about, and I wanted to make sure you were okay, that I was raising you right, that I was giving you everything you needed."
"You were, Mom," Chris murmurs with a smile.
"I know. I raised a pretty damn good man."
Chris laughs. "Are you willing to share some of the credit with David? Because he definitely had a hand in who I am today."
"Yeah, I can give him some. He's been a good role model to you, and I'm really glad you met him. So I'll say it's like... 99 percent me, and 1 percent him."
Chris laughs again and pulls her into a hug. "Nobody tops my mom."
Angela squeezes him. "I love you, kitten."
"I love you too, Mom."
"And listen," she says as they pull apart. "It's normal to worry about the things you're worrying about, being a good husband and a good dad and all of that. It just means you care."
Chris nods. "I know. It was just something that was in my head when I woke up this morning, and it was weirding me out. I didn't want to mention it to Kari, because it just seemed so silly, though I'll probably tell her about it later. I don't like keeping things from her."
"See, that right there proves you're a good husband."
Chris nods again, a small smile curving his lips, and Angela slides her arm around his waist.
"Come on, let's go grab some lunch. Maybe get your lovely wife a present."
Chris's smile widens, the thought of surprising Kari with something lifting his spirits a little, and he and Angela start for the sidewalk.
Chris is able to bring Kari and the babies home the next day, and spends the next two weeks getting to know the twins, and helping out around the house.
"Out like a light," Chris whispers the night before he has to go back to work, staring down at Nathaniel cradled in his arms.
"For now, anyway," Kari says quietly, and Chris grins as he nods and lowers Nathaniel into his crib.
"This one isn't so willing," she adds, smiling down at Haley, who stares back at her with wide gray eyes. "I can't wait to see what color her eyes end up being. They might be green like yours."
Chris smiles. "Well, we already know Nate has your eyes. It's going to be interesting, seeing who they take after most. That was always part of my excitement about having kids one day, seeing who they would take after."
Kari nods. "Either way, I think we're going to have some very attractive children."
Chris laughs quietly, covering his hand with his mouth to keep from being too loud as he nods, and Kari grins.
"I'm gonna go clean up the kitchen," he says a moment later, leaning down to kiss Haley's head, and then Kari's. "Let me know if you need anything."
Kari nods again, and Chris shuffles from the room.
A short while later, Kari joins him in the kitchen, wrapping her arms around his waist as she presses against his side.
"Hey," he murmurs, lifting his arm around her shoulders. "Haley out?"
"For now."
Kari tips her head up for a kiss, and Chris smiles as he obliges. She rests her head against his chest when the kiss breaks, and he kisses the top of her head, rubbing his hand along her arm.
"C'mon," she says after a moment. "Let's go to bed. I know you're tired, and you have to get up for work tomorrow."
Chris nods, and they turn out the lights and check the doors before heading into their bedroom.
Chris brushes his teeth and changes for bed while Kari takes a quick shower, and he's sitting against his pillows when she emerges from the bathroom, a small black box in his hand.
"And what's that?" Kari asks, a smile playing on her lips as she climbs into bed beside him.
"The reason it took me a little longer to go the store on Friday afternoon," he replies with a grin as he hands her the box. "They called while I was out to say it was in, so I went to pick it up."
Kari's smile widens as she opens the box, and she tips her head to the side as she pulls the necklace out.
"Baby, it's beautiful," she murmurs, running her thumb over the pendant. It's a circle of diamonds, with four colored stones positioned around it like compass points: a light blue stone at the top, a dark red one at the bottom, and two pink stones on either side.
"Aquamarine is my birthstone, and ruby is yours... what are the twins, again? I know opal is one October birthstone, but this isn't that."
"The jeweler said it was tourmaline."
"Oh, okay," Kari says with a nod, and then smiles as she looks up at Chris. "Thank you so much, this is gorgeous. I was kind of thinking I wanted something like this."
"I thought about getting a ring, but figured you could wear the necklace easier at work."
Kari nods again, still smiling as she leans over to kiss him.
"I wish I didn't have to go back to work tomorrow," he says as she twists to carefully set the box on her nightstand.
"I know, baby. I have to admit, I'm a little nervous about being home alone with the twins all day."
"If you need to, you can always call Mom. She'd be more than happy to come over and help you out."
"I probably will, but I do want to try to get used to handling them on my own."
"Yeah, but you're just one person, and they're still so little. I don't want you trying to do too much. At least have Mom here as a safety net."
Kari laughs and nods. "I will, I promise."
Chris smiles, satisfied, and looks down at his hands before taking a breath.
"Do you remember the day after the twins were born, when your parents and my mom came to visit, and Mom and I left for a little while?"
Kari nods, her expression curious, and Chris shakes his head.
"Mom and I talked about it while we were out. I wanted to talk to you about it, but I couldn't figure out how to really say it, but like - I kept thinking about my dad -"
"Honey, you're nothing like your dad. I mean, not in any of the bad ways. The 'leaving your wife and abandoning your child' ways."
"I know, but -"
"But you still worried." Chris nods, and Kari shrugs. "You're an amazing husband, Chris. You and I have been together for almost four years, and never once have I felt like you don't want to be with me. Honestly, I think you and I are closer now than we've ever been. And you're going to be an amazing father, too. You've wanted kids for so long; I can't imagine that changing now that we actually have them. The twins are so lucky to have you as their father."
Chris smiles, reaching for Kari's hand and weaving their fingers together, and then he sighs.
"I'm not really worried about wanting to leave, I really can't see that ever happening, but I think part of me just kind of wishes I could prove to my dad that I'm not like him. Which is a little stupid, because I have no desire to ever see him again. So I guess I just mostly want to prove to myself that I'm not like him. That I really can be a good husband, and a good father."
"I get that," she murmurs, scooting closer to him and reaching over to rub his arm. "Just don't think you ever have to prove anything to me, okay? I already know how good you are."
Chris grins and nods as he leans over to kiss her. "I love you."
"I love you too. Now let's go to sleep, the twins'll be up in a few hours, and you have to go to work tomorrow."
"Mmm," Chris hums as he reaches over to turn his lamp off. "Now I'll be Zombie Special Supervisory Agent Chris Tyler."
Kari giggles as she settles against him, laying her head on his chest. "You're not dead, just sleep deprived."
"Same difference, really."
"So sleep," she mumbles, poking his side.
"Okay, okay."
Her arm slides around his middle, and he smiles as he turns his head to kiss the top of hers, closing his eyes to sleep with his head resting against hers.
Author: Mary (stillxmyxheart)
Beta: Lindsay (rowofstars)
Rating: G
Genre: Friendship, Family, Romance, smidgen of Angst
Word Count: 3,232
Characters/Pairings: Chris, Kari, Hannah, Eli, Nicholas, Angela (Chris/Kari, Hannah/Eli)
Hannah smiles as she looks over at the blue-clad bundle in Chris's arms, and then looks down at the baby girl she's holding.
"I still can't believe you guys had twins. They're both so beautiful."
"Yeah, who would've thought Chris could make cute children?" Eli jokes from where he's perched on the edge of Kari's hospital bed, earning a half-hearted kick from Chris and a tired laugh from Kari.
"Okay, so what are their names?" Hannah asks.
"Haley Arya, and Nathaniel Jay," Kari replies.
Eli gives Chris a look, and Chris groans. "Baby, tell him I didn't name my daughter after a Game of Thrones character."
Kari laughs again. "No, their middle names are Indian. Arya means 'noble', and Jay is a shortened form of 'Jaya', which means 'victory'."
"I like that," Hannah murmurs, smiling as she looks down at Haley again.
"I wanna see, Mama," Nicholas says, tugging on the sleeve of Hannah's dress.
Hannah glances at Kari, who nods, and then looks up at Eli, who comes to carefully take the newborn from her arms.
"You can hold her, buddy," Eli begins, raising his eyebrows down at his son, "but you have to sit very still, okay?"
Nicholas nods, scooting back on the daybed until his back is against the railing, and Hannah reaches for his hands.
"Spread your arms like that, and Daddy will put her in your lap."
Nicholas obeys, and Eli bends to gently set Haley in his lap, her head towards Hannah so that she can support it with her hand.
"You got her, Nicky?"
"Uh huh," Nicholas says, nodding, and Eli smiles a little as he steps back.
Nicholas stares down at the baby, and then looks up at Hannah. "She's so pretty, Mama."
"She is," Hannah agrees, smiling too.
"And just think, kiddo," Eli adds, "pretty soon you'll get to hold your baby sister just like that."
Nicholas grins as he looks up at Eli. "I'm excited, Daddy."
Eli laughs. "Me too."
Nicholas holds the baby for a few moments, and then Chris clears his throat.
"Okay, I want to hold my little girl now."
Eli smiles and nods as he steps forward. "Okay, Nicky, let's let Uncle Chris hold his baby now."
Nicholas nods a little reluctantly, and Eli bends to lift Haley into his arms.
"You want Han to take Nathaniel?"
"No, I want to hold them both."
"Chris -" Kari says, sounding apprehensive.
"I can do it, I promise. I've got a whole arm here, I'm sitting down, it'll be fine."
Eli turns to look at Kari, and she sighs. "Just... hover around him."
Grinning, Eli turns again and lowers Haley into the crook of Chris's free arm, making sure he has both her and Nathaniel before straightening.
Chris grins broadly, looking back and forth between the babies, and looks up when Eli says his name. Eli snaps the picture with his phone, smiling at how proud Chris looks, and promises to send the picture to everybody before anybody can ask.
Hannah and Eli visit a little while longer, and then Hannah sighs as she pushes to stand.
"Okay, it's almost dinner time, and, quite frankly, I'm exhausted. Seeing you post delivery brought back memories, and thoughts of the extremely near future."
Kari laughs softly. "I half expected you to go into sympathy labor."
"At least we're in the right place for it," Eli mutters.
Hannah snorts, and Kari waves a hand at Eli. "Before you go, help Chris put the babies back in their bassinets. Better to have you do it than have to call a nurse after you leave because Chris is basically like a turtle on his back right now."
"That is a very apt description," Eli says as he moves to take Haley from Chris.
Once the babies are safely settled, hugs and goodbyes are exchanged, and like that, the room is suddenly quiet.
"Visitors are nice," Kari begins softly, "but you sure do cherish the silence when they leave."
Chris laughs and nods as he pulls a chair up close to the bed.
"How are you?" he asks, taking her hand in his.
"Not bad. Exhausted beyond belief, but the babies are perfect and healthy, and I'm happy for that. Happy they're in the world."
Chris nods, glancing over at the bassinets, and murmurs, "Yeah, me too."
They're quiet for a moment, Chris's thumb rubbing idly over the side of Kari's hand, and then she notices the tears in his eyes.
"Baby? What's wrong?"
He gives a short laugh and shakes his head. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong. Everything is literally perfect. I'm just thinking about how... for so long I've wanted my own family. I wanted a wife, I wanted kids, I wanted to settle down and do all of that stuff. And now I have it. I have you, and I have the twins, and in a couple days, I'll get to take you all home to our brand new house, and I'm just really, really happy."
He lifts his other hand onto the bed, clasping hers in both of his, and smiles. "Thank you for letting me have all of this. For loving me, for giving me my children, for everything. I love you so much, Kari, and I'm so grateful for everything you've done for me."
"I love you too, Chris," she replies, smiling back at him, tears shining in her eyes. "And it goes both ways, everything I've given you, you've given back to me, and I'm grateful to you too, for everything."
Chris stands to kiss her, lingering a moment before resting his forehead against hers as her hand comes up to the back of his neck, her fingertips lightly stroking his hair.
A beat later he straightens and laughs quietly. "It's a good thing I get to stay here tonight, because there's no way I could go home."
Kari laughs too, taking Chris's hand again as he sits back down. "I'm glad you get to stay too. I'd miss you if you weren't here."
Chris smiles, squeezing her fingers, and then says softly, "I wish Tony could've been here to see the twins. I know it's been a few months, but just... seeing everybody come by today to visit, all of our friends, it made me really miss him."
"I know, baby," Kari whispers, sweeping her thumb over the side of his hand.
"I don't want to get all mopey, today has been too good a day to feel sad, but I just had to get that out."
Kari smiles. "I like to think he can still see them, wherever he might be."
"Yeah," Chris murmurs. "That's a nice thought. Hanging out on a cloud somewhere, watching the babies sleep."
Kari's smile widens as she nods, and Chris stands to kiss her again.
The next morning, Kari's parents come back to visit, and are joined shortly after by Chris's mother.
Angela comes to sit next to Chris on the daybed, noticing his thoughtful and vaguely troubled expression, and after a moment, she reaches over to pat his knee.
"You okay, kitten?" she asks softly, so only he can hear her.
"Yeah," he replies, smiling over at her. "I'm fine."
"Are you sure?"
He looks at her, and then over at Kari, and then shrugs, like he can't say what he wants to say in front of his wife, or maybe doesn't know how to.
"C'mon," Angela says, patting his knee again as she stands. "Kari, honey, I hope you don't mind if I borrow him for a little while."
"Not at all. He's probably itching to get out of here anyway," Kari says with a grin.
"Only for a little while," Chris says, smiling as he bends to kiss her.
A few minutes later, Chris and Angela are outside in the cool late October air, and Angela looks over at him.
"So, what's up? You were so happy yesterday, and now you seem... distracted. Is everything okay with Kari? The babies?"
"Yeah, they're fine, it's just... for some weird reason, I keep thinking about Dad."
Angela frowns. "How do you mean?"
Chris shrugs. "I don't really know. I don't even know why he's on my mind, I haven't thought of him in years. I doubt he'd even care to know that he's a grandpa now, and I honestly don't care for him to meet Kari or the twins."
Chris bows his head, pacing in a small circle and kicking a pebble with the toe of his shoe, and then takes a breath.
"I don't know, I guess I just keep thinking about how he left. How he didn't want me anymore. And it's not that I'm scared to be a dad or anything, I've wanted this for so long, but it's like... I feel some stupid need to prove that I'm not him. That I'm not going to leave. And it's stupid to even think that, because I've never once felt like I didn't want to be with Kari. I love her more now than when we got married, and now we have these beautiful babies, and I just - I guess I want to prove myself as a really good husband and father, even if I'm the only one I have to prove that to."
"You're already a really good husband," Angela says. "I think that's always been pretty obvious, even before you and Kari got married, even before you met her, really. You've always been loyal and kind and loving to the people you care about, both your girlfriends and your friends. You only ever leave to protect yourself from getting hurt, and Kari loves you so much, and you two are so happy together, and I don't see that ever changing."
Angela shrugs. "And as for being a good father, I wouldn't worry. I think you're going to be a wonderful father, sweetheart. You love those babies so much already."
"I just don't want to screw up."
"You're going to screw up, Chris. It's part of being a parent. What makes the difference is how you handle the screw ups."
Chris smiles and nods, and Angela sighs.
"I still don't know why your father left. I don't know if it was me, if he got bored with having a family, if he was having an affair, I just don't know. I don't really care anymore, because you and I got along just fine without him, but at the time, what hurt me the most was seeing how much it hurt you, especially after he stopped visitation. You wanted a dad so bad, and sometimes I felt so guilty that I couldn't give you that. I just wasn't interested in dating after your father left. I had you to worry about, and I wanted to make sure you were okay, that I was raising you right, that I was giving you everything you needed."
"You were, Mom," Chris murmurs with a smile.
"I know. I raised a pretty damn good man."
Chris laughs. "Are you willing to share some of the credit with David? Because he definitely had a hand in who I am today."
"Yeah, I can give him some. He's been a good role model to you, and I'm really glad you met him. So I'll say it's like... 99 percent me, and 1 percent him."
Chris laughs again and pulls her into a hug. "Nobody tops my mom."
Angela squeezes him. "I love you, kitten."
"I love you too, Mom."
"And listen," she says as they pull apart. "It's normal to worry about the things you're worrying about, being a good husband and a good dad and all of that. It just means you care."
Chris nods. "I know. It was just something that was in my head when I woke up this morning, and it was weirding me out. I didn't want to mention it to Kari, because it just seemed so silly, though I'll probably tell her about it later. I don't like keeping things from her."
"See, that right there proves you're a good husband."
Chris nods again, a small smile curving his lips, and Angela slides her arm around his waist.
"Come on, let's go grab some lunch. Maybe get your lovely wife a present."
Chris's smile widens, the thought of surprising Kari with something lifting his spirits a little, and he and Angela start for the sidewalk.
Chris is able to bring Kari and the babies home the next day, and spends the next two weeks getting to know the twins, and helping out around the house.
"Out like a light," Chris whispers the night before he has to go back to work, staring down at Nathaniel cradled in his arms.
"For now, anyway," Kari says quietly, and Chris grins as he nods and lowers Nathaniel into his crib.
"This one isn't so willing," she adds, smiling down at Haley, who stares back at her with wide gray eyes. "I can't wait to see what color her eyes end up being. They might be green like yours."
Chris smiles. "Well, we already know Nate has your eyes. It's going to be interesting, seeing who they take after most. That was always part of my excitement about having kids one day, seeing who they would take after."
Kari nods. "Either way, I think we're going to have some very attractive children."
Chris laughs quietly, covering his hand with his mouth to keep from being too loud as he nods, and Kari grins.
"I'm gonna go clean up the kitchen," he says a moment later, leaning down to kiss Haley's head, and then Kari's. "Let me know if you need anything."
Kari nods again, and Chris shuffles from the room.
A short while later, Kari joins him in the kitchen, wrapping her arms around his waist as she presses against his side.
"Hey," he murmurs, lifting his arm around her shoulders. "Haley out?"
"For now."
Kari tips her head up for a kiss, and Chris smiles as he obliges. She rests her head against his chest when the kiss breaks, and he kisses the top of her head, rubbing his hand along her arm.
"C'mon," she says after a moment. "Let's go to bed. I know you're tired, and you have to get up for work tomorrow."
Chris nods, and they turn out the lights and check the doors before heading into their bedroom.
Chris brushes his teeth and changes for bed while Kari takes a quick shower, and he's sitting against his pillows when she emerges from the bathroom, a small black box in his hand.
"And what's that?" Kari asks, a smile playing on her lips as she climbs into bed beside him.
"The reason it took me a little longer to go the store on Friday afternoon," he replies with a grin as he hands her the box. "They called while I was out to say it was in, so I went to pick it up."
Kari's smile widens as she opens the box, and she tips her head to the side as she pulls the necklace out.
"Baby, it's beautiful," she murmurs, running her thumb over the pendant. It's a circle of diamonds, with four colored stones positioned around it like compass points: a light blue stone at the top, a dark red one at the bottom, and two pink stones on either side.
"Aquamarine is my birthstone, and ruby is yours... what are the twins, again? I know opal is one October birthstone, but this isn't that."
"The jeweler said it was tourmaline."
"Oh, okay," Kari says with a nod, and then smiles as she looks up at Chris. "Thank you so much, this is gorgeous. I was kind of thinking I wanted something like this."
"I thought about getting a ring, but figured you could wear the necklace easier at work."
Kari nods again, still smiling as she leans over to kiss him.
"I wish I didn't have to go back to work tomorrow," he says as she twists to carefully set the box on her nightstand.
"I know, baby. I have to admit, I'm a little nervous about being home alone with the twins all day."
"If you need to, you can always call Mom. She'd be more than happy to come over and help you out."
"I probably will, but I do want to try to get used to handling them on my own."
"Yeah, but you're just one person, and they're still so little. I don't want you trying to do too much. At least have Mom here as a safety net."
Kari laughs and nods. "I will, I promise."
Chris smiles, satisfied, and looks down at his hands before taking a breath.
"Do you remember the day after the twins were born, when your parents and my mom came to visit, and Mom and I left for a little while?"
Kari nods, her expression curious, and Chris shakes his head.
"Mom and I talked about it while we were out. I wanted to talk to you about it, but I couldn't figure out how to really say it, but like - I kept thinking about my dad -"
"Honey, you're nothing like your dad. I mean, not in any of the bad ways. The 'leaving your wife and abandoning your child' ways."
"I know, but -"
"But you still worried." Chris nods, and Kari shrugs. "You're an amazing husband, Chris. You and I have been together for almost four years, and never once have I felt like you don't want to be with me. Honestly, I think you and I are closer now than we've ever been. And you're going to be an amazing father, too. You've wanted kids for so long; I can't imagine that changing now that we actually have them. The twins are so lucky to have you as their father."
Chris smiles, reaching for Kari's hand and weaving their fingers together, and then he sighs.
"I'm not really worried about wanting to leave, I really can't see that ever happening, but I think part of me just kind of wishes I could prove to my dad that I'm not like him. Which is a little stupid, because I have no desire to ever see him again. So I guess I just mostly want to prove to myself that I'm not like him. That I really can be a good husband, and a good father."
"I get that," she murmurs, scooting closer to him and reaching over to rub his arm. "Just don't think you ever have to prove anything to me, okay? I already know how good you are."
Chris grins and nods as he leans over to kiss her. "I love you."
"I love you too. Now let's go to sleep, the twins'll be up in a few hours, and you have to go to work tomorrow."
"Mmm," Chris hums as he reaches over to turn his lamp off. "Now I'll be Zombie Special Supervisory Agent Chris Tyler."
Kari giggles as she settles against him, laying her head on his chest. "You're not dead, just sleep deprived."
"Same difference, really."
"So sleep," she mumbles, poking his side.
"Okay, okay."
Her arm slides around his middle, and he smiles as he turns his head to kiss the top of hers, closing his eyes to sleep with his head resting against hers.