Surprise to Start a New Year
She had not been able to get what she wanted for him before Christmas, so she had given him other things. However, when the searched for items finally arrived, Ryan was as excited as a little kid, bouncing around until everything was just perfect
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"Devotchka moya..." The voice that came from the door made her turn, and her green eyes, so like his, widened. He came! All the way from whatever South Pacific island he had been living on, Alex had come to see her married.
"Alex!" Ryan ran over to throw her arms around him, and Alex twirled her around several times, laughing with her. "I can't believe you came! Did Cassie or Mike or...anyone...come with you?" He put her down and her question, particularly the last, unspoken part, made him lift his brow.
"No...no one came with me. No one else is in town...I made sure of that." He spoke low, brushing her nose with his finger. It was one gift that Alex could give her, sending Frankie off on some task, halfway around the world. "Now...where is this young man?"
Ryan pulled Alex over to where everyone was waiting, and after Nick, Bane, Sergei, Caro and the kids had all greeted Alex, Ryan took Altaaf's hand, gesturing to her uncle. "Alexandr Romanov Krycek, I would like for you to meet my husband, Altaaf Khan, and our son, Kamil. Altaaf, Kamil, this is my uncle, Alex."
To his credit, Alex's face remained smooth, at the 'uncle' title, as they had been so much more over the years. His cool green gaze looked over the young Kashmiri, liking what he saw, on more than one level. He had torn apart all of the data on the man, even questioning Ryan's bodyguards. He was satisfied that, finally, Ryan had found someone who could give her a life of love and joy, but not so boring that she would grow restless. The man had been a trained terrorist, so he could weather the storms that came with marrying a Jacks woman.
'My pleasure to meet you. I heard a great deal about you...and your recovery of your boy." Alex's tone was smooth, but he was clearly letting Altaaf know that he was fully aware of what had transpired. There was no disapproval. In fact, Alex was pleased that they had used his name, as he did have a healthy ego. Alex knelt, and shook the boy's hand, greeting him in his native language, perfectly accented. It was one of the twelve languages that he had mastered.
"Now, devotkcha, I must leave." Alex kissed both of her cheeks, overriding her protests and those of his nieces and nephews with a wave of his hand. "I am going to New York, on business. I made a special stop. But, I will stop by next week, and bring presents." The Jacks kids all cheered, because Alex bought them ridiculously extravagant gifts. "Perhaps an Elmo doll for Sara?"
"Nono." Sara scowled, "Elmo bad."
"How could I forget?" Alex teased. "Oh, speaking of presents..." He handed Altaaf an envelope, and Ryan a wrapped box. "I will see all of you, later. And...as for you..." He glanced at Altaaf, his gaze suddenly serious, and not at all teasing. "...take care of her." It was a simple sentence, but it was full of Alex's special brand of threat and promise. It was his way of doing his duty, as he saw it, since she had no father to make such dark warnings.
He was gone, just as fast as he came, and Ryan just stood there in shock. Krycek was a force of nature, wherever he went. When she opened the box, it was a beautiful crystal and gold carousel horse, decorated with pearls and jewels. It was very old, and probably worth a fortune. The envelope held cash, of course, as was Russian custom. One hundred thousand was a tidy little sum, especially since they would be buying a new home.
"Time for the bride and groom's first dance!' The DJ spun a record, and Ryan stopped thinking about Alex or gifts or anything but the husband right there, and she put her arms around his neck as the sound of 'Unchained Melody' began to play. Everything and everyone faded from her thoughts and her view, just Altaaf, and the words of the achingly beautiful, romantic song.
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"Sometimes a little Krycek can grease the wheels just right." Ryan teased her uncle, who shook his head at her. Theirs was an easy affection, which had taken time to settle. Alex could be a jerk, at times, so she did love when he was being sweet.
"Exactly." Alex smirked. When Altaaf made his promise to protect Ryan, Alex looked sharply at him, head tilted to the side, nodding slightly. "Yes...I think you will."
"We will protect each other." Ryan smiled. After Alex left, and she was dancing with her new husband, Ryan chuckled softly at Altaaf's statement. "Alex loves to intimidate people. Seriously, though, if you want to meet someone really, really intimidating, you wait till you meet his business partner, Evan Kasparov. That guy is just huge! He could scare anyone, except Sara, who isn't at all nervous with him."
They danced around, just holding each other, until Carolina and Nick joined them, and then Sergei danced with Elizabeth and Bane with Sara. The younger three just kind of twirled around. Finally, Carolina called them all over for the cake and punch. Thoughtfully, Carolina had not provided champagne, not with Altaaf's religious restrictions or Ryan's suspected pregnancy. Instead, there was a light, citrus punch with fresh strawberries floating in the bowl and cups. The cake was lovely, and the photographer took snaps of them holding the large knife together, to cut the first slice. All of them sat down to enjoy the light cake and punch, for a bit longer. Ryan sat beside her new son, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek. "Are you having fun, Kamil? Do you like the cake?"
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Ryan turned and caught her new husband watching her with the boy, and she smiled at him, happy to be able to give them both a new life that would have been unthinkable to them both, not so long ago. She wished that Sufiya had lived, of course, though it would be different, but she respected the sacrifice that a mother made for her boy, and she would keep the woman alive in her son's heart, forever.
But, now, it was time to go have a mini-honeymoon with her gorgeous husband, and they could definitely use some grownup romantic alone time. She anticipated his reaction to the sexy, but innocent, lingerie under the dress, and knew that the room was prepared with candles and cider and all kinds of lovely things to make their night very special. Ryan knelt down to her stepson, after his father kissed him, and gave him the softest kiss on his brow. "Sweet dreams, Kamil, fly those unicorns and see the stars." Bane would carry the little man to Caro's, and she had a huge pallet prepared in the living room of their suite, for all of the kids to snuggle up together. Ryan felt a twinge of concern, but forced herself to relax. If anyone knew how to handle a toddler, it was her aunt and uncle. "Call us if there is any trouble." Bane just nodded and winked, and with a last hug for Carolina, they headed up to their suite, guarded by Sergei.
At the door, she waited until the bodyguard had opened it and swept the room quickly, then he backed out and headed back to the party room. Ryan turned to her new husband, and she twirled, her dress rustling a little, and then held out her hands, expecting him to do the old tradition of carrying her over the threshold. It suddenly occurred to her that maybe he didn't know that, so she cocked her head, waiting to see. "Finally...just you and me...husband."
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There was something so sexy and comforting about having a man who could sweep you up in his arms and carry you. That might not be feminist, but Ryan didn't care. She put her arms around his neck and smiled up at him, feeling him ease a little. "Ya Tebla Lyublyu." Ryan smiled, kissing him back and responding in her family's native tongue. When he sat her down and asked about her name, Ryan blinked, in surprise. Honestly, she really had not thought too much about it. "I think that for business, I will use Jacks - Khan. But for home, I think Khan would be great, give Kamil a very solid home." Ryan had gone to school with kids who married and divorced and remarried, and they couldn't keep all of the names straight.
His beautiful eyes were saying a lot without words, and Ryan felt beautiful. That was what the fancy dress and veils and all of the finery was for, really, giving a woman a sense of being her very best for this man. His kiss made her tingle, all the way to her toes, and she did feel a bit swooned, and then a bit more. She felts a bit warm and dizzy, and she broke the kiss gently, putting her hand up to her brow and laughing, softly. "I think I should get us a drink...that room was so warm in there, wasn't it?" She went over to the side table, thoughtfully ready with lots of fruit, cheese, crackers and sparkling cider. There was also plenty of bottled water, so she opened one, took a sip, and set it on the bedside table. Then she poured some of the crisp, bubbly cider into the flutes, bringing one to him.
Ryan didn't know when to tell him. Now? Would he be happy? Would he feel overwhelmed? Would he run screaming into the Las Vegas night? "To the man I love more than anything in the world...who I trust, and I believe in...my husband...thank you for making me your wife, and for sharing your son with me. I have always dreamed of having a family where love ruled, with no games and no lies...just love..." Ryan touched her glass to his, looking down at her flat belly, then back up into his eyes. She knew, then, that she should tell him the truth, and trust in him. He would not let her down. "...and the four of us are going to be very happy forever."
Her green eyes looked into his hazel ones, hoping he would see what she was trying to tell him.
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Ryan loved his reaction, it was just what she had hoped for. "Well. it isn't super official, I haven't been to the doctor, but the test was positive. I have been having symptoms, for a while, I just thought it was all of the stress and everything, getting Kamil back. I should be about two and a half months, though it might be off, the nanogens and stuff." She took a long sip of cider, and hurried to put his mind at ease. "Yes, don't worry about those, it doesn't hurt the baby at all. If anything, they tend to kind of fix anything that might be wrong with babies. It's complicated, but totally safe." She kissed her new husband, softly, and whispered against his lips, "I have to admit I am kind of hoping for a little girl...you and Kamil will be so overprotective..." Ryan laughed, again, at his new toast, raising her own glass. "To our family."
Ryan took Altaaf's glass, and set both of them aside. "I suggest that we enjoy our grownup fun time, before we have two little people demanding all of our time. We have plenty of time to be Mommy and Daddy..." Ryan stood, and reached behind her to unzip the delicate lace gown. It slipped to the floor in a whispered puddle of lace and silk. She was standing there in a very pretty blush corset, with stockings and panties that tied on the sides with little ribbons. It was definitely the most sexy lingerie she had ever worn for him, but she figured she might as well, before her body changed. Her high heels gave her more height, and she reached up to pull off her veil and let out the pins, so her hair fell down past her shoulders. Ryan had never thought of herself as beautiful, before. Cute, yes. Perky, perhaps. But, when one grew up in Carolina's shadow, one knew that the comparison was not one that favored her. However, what she saw in Altaaf's eyes gave her a confidence that she had not experienced before, not even with Frankie.
"Let's play grownup games..." She whispered, breathy, as she began to undo his tie and shirt. Her new husband was the truly beautiful one, his body and face like that of a Greek god, or so Caro once said. Neither of them knew that in the top penthouse of the hotel, the plans of Carolina and Nick were not going as well as they planned.
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"I love you." Ryan whispered against his lips, her hands roaming over the hard muscles of his chest. She pulled him with her, silk to skin, as they climbed onto the bed. Her kisses were deep, and long, as he laid over her, and she bent a silk stockinged leg up to tease along his hip. Married sex was probably no different than single sex, for them, but it felt special, this night. They were consummating a sacrament that they both held precious. Ryan had never considered the idea of marriage, until she met the Kashmiri, but now it felt so incredibly natural.
Hot, deep kisses were growing far more intense, and Ryan's body was responding to his touch. It was so good, and she was so into it, that she almost didn't hear her cellphone ringing, over on the dresser. Who the Hell would be calling her on her wedding night? Ryan caught her breath as Altaaf was kissing down her neck, and the phone went silent. She figured it must have been a wrong number or something like that. "My husband...hottest guy alive..." Ryan teased him, arching up so the silk of her panties rubbed nicely against his hard erection. After all, married sex could be fun sex, too!
The room phone began to ring, and Ryan groaned, her head falling back against the pillows. "This...cannot...be...happening..." With a heavy sigh, she reached over and picked up the receiver, and blinked when she could hear Kamil's nearly hysterical crying before Carolina spoke.
"Ryan, I am so sorry." Carolina felt terrible, knowing how special this night was. She quickly related what had happened earlier, and how Bane had even tried to calm and soothe the boy. "I would not call you guys, if I didn't think it was necessary, but he is asking for his mom and..."
"We will be right there. It's okay, Aunt Caro. It is still soon after her loss, there isn't anything you could do. Tell him we are coming to get him." Ryan hung up, and looked up at Altaaf, shaking her head. "Kamil is hysterical, babe. He was fussing earlier, they got him back to sleep, but now he is asking for Sufi and crying and even Bane can't calm him." She put her hands on each side of his face, and kissed him. "Our son needs up, my love. I guess playtime is postponed."
Ryan sat up, and reached for some pajama pants and a T-shirt. All that lingerie, the waxing and prepping and all...but this was parenthood.
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Inside the suite, Sara was sitting on the couch with her hands over her ears, just shaking her head. The littler ones could sleep through a hurricane, and Elizabeth was desperately trying to soothe the sobbing little boy. Kamil did calm, a little, when Altaaf picked him up, but he was still so agitated and anxious, Ryan felt her heart break for the little boy. By day, things were fairly normal, but the night could be a scary place, especially after such trauma. "I would recommend that you two get him in with a therapist, Ryan. I did it for the girls after their kidnapping, and it was a big help." Carolina spoke softly, before handing Ryan some wet wipes for Kamil's little face.
Ryan came over and gently wiped her new son's face, getting the snot and tears, and hoping the cool cloth would soothe him a little more. "Goodness gracious, sweetie, I think they heard you all the way to the moon!" Ryan gave the little one her softest, most encouraging smile. "Guess what I brought you, honey." The shawl that Altaaf had grabbed from Sufiya's home was very comforting to Kamil, so she wrapped it around his shaking shoulders, making no attempt to dislodge him from his place in his father's arms. "There, that is like a hug from ammi, isn't it?" Ryan gently led her son and husband to the balcony, and the warm Vegas night, where the stars glittered as bright as the lights on the strip. "Kamil, I know how sad you are that ammi cannot be here with you. My ammi is in Heaven, too, with my grandma. Sometimes, I look up at the stars, and talk to them, especially when I am sad or scared." Ryan put her arm around them both, looking at the twinkling stars. "But I am not scared or sad, because I have your abba, and I have you." So, so softly, she kissed his warm cheek, and made sure the shawl wrapped around him. "I love you, Kamil, and I am always going to be here for you. It is okay to be sad, but your ammi will always be your special angel, and she will stay in your heart forever and ever and ever...."
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"Oh, Aunt Carolina! What a lovely idea!" Ryan looked to her husband, nodding. It was inspired, really, a family bonding and magical memory, plus, it would help them be close.
"You can leave tomorrow, take the jet, and just spend time, the three of you." Carolina winked at Ryan, who glanced at her new husband.
"I told him." Ryan kept it low key, because now was maybe not the time to tell the upset little boy that he would be a big brother.
"Congratulations, Altaaf." Nick joined them, bringing Kamil a little juice sippy cup. All that crying probably had him dehydrated.
"I think we are all pretty beat. Kamil, would you like to come back to our room and be with Abba and me, tonight?" Ryan stroked his damp curls back, and kissed his cheek.
"I have something lovely for you to watch..." Carolina held a disc out to Kamil, in a case. "Kamil, this is my special gift to you. This has a video of your ammi and abba, dancing and singing together. It was a practice, but they filmed it. When I was looking for things, for the trip, I found this. I know that your ammi is an angel, your special angel, but it might be fun to see her dance and sing?" Carolina looked to Altaaf, hoping it would be a good, comforting thing, where father and son could, over the years, share the video and talk, and remember the very special lady who loved her baby boy enough to die, saving his life. As a mother, she could think of no better way to honor the young mother.
"Oh, Kamil..." Ryan looked at the disc, tears in her eyes, and looked to her husband. Soon, they would tell the little boy he would have a baby brother or sister...or more, since multiples ran so heavy in their family. Her cousin Grace had triplets. But on this wedding night, they could celebrate family, and include one not there. It could be just what the little boy needed, for sure.
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The therapist idea was an excellent one, and Ryan softly kissed her husband's cheek when he dropped what he was saying about his own trauma. They could use family therapy, most likely, and help both father and son recover from the horrific violence they had born witness to. It would help them all be ready when the new baby arrived.
"There is a song, about holes in the floor of Heaven, and that this is what stars are showing, our loved ones watching over us." Ryan looked up where her new son was pointing, nodding. "Kamil, see that bright star, there? It is twinkling at us? That is ammi, letting you know that she is watching you, and that she is shining, with no pain or fear, just free and bright in the sky. My ammi and abba, and Abba's ammi and abba...all there, and they are watching us, so we will never have to be afraid." Ryan brushed away his damp curls, and stroked his cheek. "I promised your ammi that I would be another ammi for you, and that I will love you for all time. I love you, Kamil, and I won't leave you."
Ryan was excited about the trip. The castle suite was luxury to the nines, and very private. They could enjoy the parks and have escapist fun, and just get to where they were comfortable together. It was perfect, really. Then, they could find a new home, and Kamil could have a part in decorating his own room. It would help the boy settle in, and feel more in control of his world.
"I love you, too." Ryan mouthed back, loving the hug. "How about we go back to our own room, and we can get all comfy in the great big bed, and have yummy snacks, watch the video and then guess what? I got the new Minion movie!" The Minions had become a huge favorite of Kamil's, and he loved to imitate their little voices. The first two movies had been watched over and over, and he loved them. "We can get a little sleep, and then go to Disneyland in the morning, is that okay?"
Once they had said goodnight, and gone back to their suite, Ryan bustled around getting the bed set up less for hot honeymoon sex, and more for a family sharing time. She put snacks and strawberries, and cider, on the bedside tables, and piled lots of pillows, so they could snuggle up and watch the videos. First up, they put in the Bumblebee song, and Ryan kept it very upbeat and happy, a celebration, clapping along and encouraging Kamil to join in dancing with his Papa, if he wanted.
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