original: "Great Big Happy Family" (slash)
So, Aaron and Jamie's extended "family" is such a crazy mess. I'm attempting to fashion some sort of family tree for them, but it involves so many different lines denoting actual blood-relation versus symbolic family ties and genetic parents versus adoptive parents it's a bit ridiculous. Suffice it to say, Dane is Aaron's godson, so this baby isn't technically his biological granddaughter, but nobody cares so she might as well be! Also, Cale is transgendered, hence the surrogacy. Again. Ridiculous.
Same boys as can be found in these three fics (also featuring the two from this one), but Aaron and Jamie are in their 50s now.
This is a little less romantic, but I think it makes up for it in sheer fluffiness.
--
Aaron hung up the phone and literally squealed. Jamie stared at him for a few seconds before jumping up from the couch to join him.
"When are they coming?"
"Tonight! Right now, actually. I told them to get their asses over here or I would throw a fit."
Jamie grinned. "Like you haven't been having fits for the past two weeks already."
"Hey," Aaron said, quirking a graying eyebrow and poking a finger into his husband's chest, "I didn't get to see her at the hospital and you did. That's entirely unfair. Those fits were justified."
"Hey, I'm not judging," the redhead dragged his husband back down to the couch and pulled one of his hands into his lap. "I think it's cute." Jamie gave him a quick peck on the lips. "So," he continued, "are they going out, or something?"
"I have a feeling Dane's going to want to make use of his old room."
"Good thing we upgraded to a double bed in there."
"In hindsight, it might've been worth it to sound-proof the thing."
They shared a look, then laughed.
--
When the doorbell rang, Aaron leaped up like he was thirty years younger and very nearly ran to open the door.
"Hi!" The older man grabbed his godson in a fierce hug and squeezed before backing up to let him into the house.
Jamie, who had followed his husband at a much safer pace, grinned at the blonde standing behind Dane.
"So," he said, "you'd better hand her over before Aaron explodes."
"It's good to see you, too, Jamie," Cale replied with a roll of her eyes, but she was already extracting her newborn daughter from the sling hanging off her front. "Here you go, granddaddy."
Aaron froze. Blinking down at the tiny ball of olive skin and dark brown curls, he was instantly taken back to the first time he'd seen a child like this, held him in his arms. Before he even noticed, he was blinking back tears.
"Dad," Dane admonished softly, "just take her. We can get all gooey and mushy about it later, if you want."
"But right now, all they want to do is go have sex and sleep for a few days, right?"
Cale blushed and Aaron shot his husband a half-hearted glare; Dane just laughed.
"No, really, I get it," Jamie continued, taking the diaper bag from Dane and leading them all into the living room. "When you were born, I didn't get any for weeks."
Aaron rolled his eyes, but managed to take the infant from his daughter-in-law's arms without any more debilitating waves of nostalgia. Her burden unloaded, Cale happily flopped down on the couch into her husband's arms, but Aaron stood in the hallway for a moment longer.
The baby was fast asleep, and had come a little uncurled from her ball in transit from the sling, but Aaron hadn't forgotten how to hold an infant and she huddled contentedly in his arms.
"Hello, Victoria," he mumbled to her, stroking one little fist with a thumb.
By the time he made it into the living room, Dane and Cale were practically asleep on each other.
"There you are," Jamie exclaimed. "I was beginning to think you'd run off with the thing."
"He can keep it," Cale declared into her husband's shoulder (who gave her a little slap on the back of her head in response). "I'm exhausted."
Aaron smiled. "You two go get some sleep." He nodded at Dane, "This one turned out all right; I'm sure we can handle her for one night."
Dane grinned. "Thanks, Dad."
"You know where the guest room is."
"And try to keep it down-we're not as young as we used to be."
Dane gave Jamie a whack on the arm in Aaron's stead, and the young couple gladly made their way up the stairs hand-in-hand.
Aaron finally sat down, his husband cuddling up with an arm around his waist. He couldn't stop staring at the child in his arms.
"She definitely got Dane's coloring, but it's a little creepy how much she looks like Christi when she was born."
"She does. God, I can't believe it's been over twenty-five years since then."
"You can't believe it? She's my baby sister's kid. You know, one of her sons is getting married next year, too. Crazy."
Aaron stared down at his granddaughter, and Jamie at his grand-niece. Christina had jumped at the chance to be Dane and Cale's surrogate; she had the same parenting instinct as her mother, but not nearly as much luck in love. She still wanted her own children someday, but she would have a role in this child's life as well. Cale had insisted upon giving her daughter Christi's middle name-Rose.
"We are getting old," Jamie mumbled, reaching over with his free hand to brush at the baby's curls.
Aaron just smiled.
The redhead looked up at his husband from the corner of his eye. Aaron loved children, it was obvious in the way he looked at little Tori, and Jamie had known it from the moment he'd first held Dane. He'd always been happy to babysit for Izzy, and took such joy in playing with the kids on Christmas. He'd never brought it up, but Jamie had always wondered....
"You know," he said softly, "it's never too late. We could adopt, if you wanted."
Aaron blinked up at him with a startled frown. He looked thoughtful, glancing back down at the child in his arms before smiling back up at his husband.
"I think," he replied deliberately, "I already have as much family as I could possibly want."
Jamie smiled, pulling his husband against him for a kiss. He couldn't help but agree.
Same boys as can be found in these three fics (also featuring the two from this one), but Aaron and Jamie are in their 50s now.
This is a little less romantic, but I think it makes up for it in sheer fluffiness.
--
Aaron hung up the phone and literally squealed. Jamie stared at him for a few seconds before jumping up from the couch to join him.
"When are they coming?"
"Tonight! Right now, actually. I told them to get their asses over here or I would throw a fit."
Jamie grinned. "Like you haven't been having fits for the past two weeks already."
"Hey," Aaron said, quirking a graying eyebrow and poking a finger into his husband's chest, "I didn't get to see her at the hospital and you did. That's entirely unfair. Those fits were justified."
"Hey, I'm not judging," the redhead dragged his husband back down to the couch and pulled one of his hands into his lap. "I think it's cute." Jamie gave him a quick peck on the lips. "So," he continued, "are they going out, or something?"
"I have a feeling Dane's going to want to make use of his old room."
"Good thing we upgraded to a double bed in there."
"In hindsight, it might've been worth it to sound-proof the thing."
They shared a look, then laughed.
--
When the doorbell rang, Aaron leaped up like he was thirty years younger and very nearly ran to open the door.
"Hi!" The older man grabbed his godson in a fierce hug and squeezed before backing up to let him into the house.
Jamie, who had followed his husband at a much safer pace, grinned at the blonde standing behind Dane.
"So," he said, "you'd better hand her over before Aaron explodes."
"It's good to see you, too, Jamie," Cale replied with a roll of her eyes, but she was already extracting her newborn daughter from the sling hanging off her front. "Here you go, granddaddy."
Aaron froze. Blinking down at the tiny ball of olive skin and dark brown curls, he was instantly taken back to the first time he'd seen a child like this, held him in his arms. Before he even noticed, he was blinking back tears.
"Dad," Dane admonished softly, "just take her. We can get all gooey and mushy about it later, if you want."
"But right now, all they want to do is go have sex and sleep for a few days, right?"
Cale blushed and Aaron shot his husband a half-hearted glare; Dane just laughed.
"No, really, I get it," Jamie continued, taking the diaper bag from Dane and leading them all into the living room. "When you were born, I didn't get any for weeks."
Aaron rolled his eyes, but managed to take the infant from his daughter-in-law's arms without any more debilitating waves of nostalgia. Her burden unloaded, Cale happily flopped down on the couch into her husband's arms, but Aaron stood in the hallway for a moment longer.
The baby was fast asleep, and had come a little uncurled from her ball in transit from the sling, but Aaron hadn't forgotten how to hold an infant and she huddled contentedly in his arms.
"Hello, Victoria," he mumbled to her, stroking one little fist with a thumb.
By the time he made it into the living room, Dane and Cale were practically asleep on each other.
"There you are," Jamie exclaimed. "I was beginning to think you'd run off with the thing."
"He can keep it," Cale declared into her husband's shoulder (who gave her a little slap on the back of her head in response). "I'm exhausted."
Aaron smiled. "You two go get some sleep." He nodded at Dane, "This one turned out all right; I'm sure we can handle her for one night."
Dane grinned. "Thanks, Dad."
"You know where the guest room is."
"And try to keep it down-we're not as young as we used to be."
Dane gave Jamie a whack on the arm in Aaron's stead, and the young couple gladly made their way up the stairs hand-in-hand.
Aaron finally sat down, his husband cuddling up with an arm around his waist. He couldn't stop staring at the child in his arms.
"She definitely got Dane's coloring, but it's a little creepy how much she looks like Christi when she was born."
"She does. God, I can't believe it's been over twenty-five years since then."
"You can't believe it? She's my baby sister's kid. You know, one of her sons is getting married next year, too. Crazy."
Aaron stared down at his granddaughter, and Jamie at his grand-niece. Christina had jumped at the chance to be Dane and Cale's surrogate; she had the same parenting instinct as her mother, but not nearly as much luck in love. She still wanted her own children someday, but she would have a role in this child's life as well. Cale had insisted upon giving her daughter Christi's middle name-Rose.
"We are getting old," Jamie mumbled, reaching over with his free hand to brush at the baby's curls.
Aaron just smiled.
The redhead looked up at his husband from the corner of his eye. Aaron loved children, it was obvious in the way he looked at little Tori, and Jamie had known it from the moment he'd first held Dane. He'd always been happy to babysit for Izzy, and took such joy in playing with the kids on Christmas. He'd never brought it up, but Jamie had always wondered....
"You know," he said softly, "it's never too late. We could adopt, if you wanted."
Aaron blinked up at him with a startled frown. He looked thoughtful, glancing back down at the child in his arms before smiling back up at his husband.
"I think," he replied deliberately, "I already have as much family as I could possibly want."
Jamie smiled, pulling his husband against him for a kiss. He couldn't help but agree.