Just so you know, in this story, I made Grant fifteen, Joey twelve, and Rose seven. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy my attempt at mindless family fluff!
Twelve-year-old Joseph Wilson grinned in satisfaction at the sight of his last present being wrapped. It was Christmas Eve, and finally everything was done.
"Joey!" The mute turned to see his seven-year-old sister running into his room, her long platinum blonde hair whipping out behind her. "Who are those for?" she inquired, pointing to the pile of brightly wrapped boxes in front of him.
"You'll find out tomorrow," he signed, a smile gracing his lips.
"Hmf." His half sister pouted. She was such an impatient child…
"Wanna go check on Grant?" he suggested, changing the subject. "Mom is busy cooking, and Dad still hasn't come home yet."
"Grant is probably still playing those war video games of his. He really likes them, despite how much Mom and Dad don't," Rose remarked, following Joey to their brother's room.
They intruded without so much as a warning, and, due to his distraction, Grant didn't even notice until the Rose tapped him on the shoulder from behind.
"Eh—what?" the fifteen-year-old jumped in surprise. Then, yelping, he turned back to his game. "Man! I nearly beat the high score, too!" he moaned. He'd been startled by the two, which had made him lose concentration, leading to a complete and utter defeat once he'd returned to his virtual world.
"What gives?!" Grant demanded.
Rose shrank behind Joseph. "Um… we were just… um…"
"You've been in here for hours. We came in to check on you," Joey finished as he and Rose sat down next to him. "No need to get angry."
Grant smiled apologetically. "Right, right. Sorry."
"What's so interesting about these games, anyway?" Rose asked, curiously picking up one of the cases.
"Well, I want to go to the academy when I turn seventeen," Grant said, quickly plucking the plastic cover from his younger sister's fingertips. He didn't exactly want her innocent eyes seeing the graphic images printed on the back. "Before then, I need all the education I can get."
"Admit it, you're just passing the time until Dad can come back and train you," Rose stated bluntly. Joey couldn't resist a smile. Judging by Grant's expression, she'd hit hammer right on the nail.
Joey's eyes scanned the numerous colored cases scattered across the floor. His emerald orbs stopped on one. Reaching out, he picked it up.
"You still have this?" his free hand motioned.
"Why would I get rid of it?" Grant snatched it back. "You and I used to play that sometimes."
"Oooh, can I see?" Rose's eyes lit up, her tiny hands outstretched. "Better yet, could you guys show me?"
"Uh… sure." Grant blinked in confusion a few times, but he'd do anything to keep her from asking any more about his choice of hobby. "Joey?"
"I wouldn't mind a few rounds," the blonde consented and grabbed a spare controller while Grant popped out the war disk and replaced it with the new one. It was a fighting game that was censored with no cursing and no blood. Perfectly fit for children to see.
After the intro, the character choices came up, one of which was a very scantily clad woman with a sword.
Well… mostly anyway.
Grant's cheeks bloomed red as he hastily selected a modestly dressed character and pressed the start button. Joey did the same, but with a burst of silent laughter. Poor Rose looked so confused.
"I've only seen Mommy dress like that when we go to the beach," Rose remarked, her mind still filled with the image of the animated woman. "Is that lady going to the beach, too?"
Grant coughed, and Joey continued his silent laughter. "Y-yes, Rose, yes she is," her eldest brother stuttered, still blushing.
The first round Grant won, and the second time Joey managed to win by the skin of his teeth. The third time, Grant and his endless hours of gaming paid off when he effortlessly beat his brother's character into the ground.
The fifteen-year-old smirked. "Ha! Beat that, Joey!"
The mute boy frowned. "Rematch," he signed.
This continued for a while, and, after many matches and numerous character changes (and making sure to avoid that "beach" woman), Joey managed to dominate his brother three to zero.
Joey gave a noiseless yell of victory, throwing his hands into the air while Grant glowered.
"That was only because I played as a weak character!" he argued.
Joey grinned. "Admit it, I'm getting the hang of this!"
"That looks like fun!" Rose crawled in between her brothers and grabbed a third controller. "Can I play, too? From watching you guys, I think I understand the basic idea!"
Her innocent face and sweet little smile were too much for either boy to resist.
"Fine," Grant gave in, plugging in her controller. "Just don't start crying if we win, okay?"
"I'm not that childish!" Rose frowned, selecting the "beach" woman.
Grant and Joey exchanged nervous glances, both praying that their mother wouldn't pick now of all times to check on them.
By the end of the match, both boys' jaws were on the floor. Rose had just flattened them both mercilessly on her first try!
"Wow, this is fun!" Rose exclaimed.
"Nothing more than beginner's luck!" Grant declared, pounding the start button with his thumb for another battle.
Adeline, who had heard much yelling from her place down in the kitchen, dashed up the stairs to see what was wrong. Had Grant and Joey gotten into a fight? Or maybe Rose…
Slipping behind the nearest wall, the former military woman cracked open the door to Grant's room, where she'd heard most of the noise coming from. Peering in, Adeline breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God, no one was in trouble…
All three of them were curled up together playing video games. They were a bit too close to the TV screen for her liking, but, since she didn't want to disturb them, she'd let it go for the time being. The yelling she'd heard had been Grant's cries of despair at Rose's natural gift for video games. Joey didn't seem too happy about it either, but it wasn't like he could yell.
Adeline smiled to herself and crept away from the room, trying to ignore Rose's triumphant taunts. She was such a lively thing for a seven-year-old…
Although Rose wasn't hers, Adeline still treated the girl like her own daughter. It hadn't always been this way, though. Rose had come to live with them at the age of three. Slade had found out about his unexpected child after the mother, some woman named Lili Worth, had died in a car accident. She and Slade had only been back together for half a year at the time, and it had taken quite some persuading on her husband's part to convince her to take in the three-year-old. At first, she'd treated the girl horribly because she'd been bitter about her husband's unfaithfulness. It had taken until Rose's fifth Christmas for Adeline to finally warm up to her...
It had been Christmas morning, and, as usual, she'd been about to scold Rose for something utterly pointless that she'd never yell at either of her sons for. Her hate for this girl had been intense. Her mindset back then had been that Rose was Slade's illegitimate child, yet she was stuck raising her. Her husband was never around because of his new job (that she regulated very closely), and she was just fed up with raising three kids by herself.
But, before she could take in a breath to begin her rant, Rose, who hadn't even gotten half as many presents as either of the boys, had looked at her with those huge, innocent blue eyes to express her gratitude for what little she had received.
"Thank you so much, Mrs. Wilson," she said, her sapphire eyes sparkling and genuine, the complete opposite of her hazel ones. "You're not even my Mommy yet you're still so kind to me!"
At this, Adeline felt an overwhelming pang of shame assault her conscience. What was this girl thinking, didn't she remember? She'd never treated this girl the way a mother or even a stepmother should. Adeline didn't want to admit it, but she'd judged her by how she'd been born and who her parents were, not by who she was. It was wrong, but she just hadn't wanted to believe that. She'd even forbidden the five-year-old from calling her "Mommy" and had limited her to "Mrs. Wilson." Even then, that been a stretch for her at the time.
"I'm sorry I have no way of returning the kindness …" The little girl glued her gaze to the ground while Grant and Joseph were preoccupied with their toys. "C-could I at least hug you?" she stuttered, giving the woman a nervous stare. Rose may not have realized it, but Adeline knew her subconscious was expecting some sort of angry words at this request.
Her pent up guilt finally flowed freely—tears began streaming down her face in uncontrollable amounts. Trying to hide it, she dropped to her knees in front of her stepdaughter right then and there and hugged her tightly, whispering, "How can you be so happy?"
After all she'd been through, how could this little girl still smile the way she did?
"Mommy?" The name escaped her lips out of habit because she hadn't been thinking. But, remembering this woman's reactions to the other times she'd uttered that word, "I-I mean—!"
"It's fine, Rose…" For the first time, Adeline actually called the girl by her name of her own free will. "I… I would be honored if you would call me that." A sob was lodged in her throat, but, thanks to countless years of training, she held it back—it was the tears that she couldn't stop.
"O-okay then, Mommy…" Rose sounded uncomfortable as she tentatively placed a hand on the woman's back. "Did I do something wrong again?"
Adeline merely shook her head, finally releasing the child from her bear hug. "No, Rose," she ran a manicured hand through the five-year-old's pale locks, "you never did anything wrong."
"Is Mom okay?" Grant nervously whispered to his brother. Being an adolescent male, he had no way of even beginning to understand the deep emotional moment between the two females.
Joey replied with a mute shrug. "Beats me," he signed, and the two blondes returned to their toys.
From then on, she and Rose had gotten along. She hadn't minded that this girl wasn't hers, and Adeline had even found herself becoming just as affectionate to her as she was with the boys. Sure they had their moments, but didn't all mothers and daughters?
Hoping to remain unnoticed, Adeline tiptoed down the stairs, and returned to the kitchen to continue preparing the evening meal. It had taken two years for her to figure out that a child didn't need to be blood-related for you to be their parent. It was the relationship that you chose to have with them that mattered. She loved her sons to death, but now Rose had been added to that circle of family. The only person that had yet to join in was her husband, who was growing farther and farther away from them every minute he was away. It was sad to watch and she hated seeing her children, all of them, grow up without knowing what it really felt like to have a father. Adeline knew she couldn't play both roles—she had her hands full with the duties of a mother alone! But she was still trying—she could only hope that Slade could honestly say the same thing…
"That's it, Rose!" Grant exclaimed, tossing his controller to the ground before playfully tackling his younger sister, grabbing Joey by the shirt collar to bring him with them, thus beginning yet another family wresting match with everyone using every nonfatal move that Slade had taught them to dominate.
As usual, Rose and Joey teamed up against Grant, knowing that he was older, stronger, and more experienced. Of course, Grant went easy on them because he didn't want to hurt anyone; and Joey definitely held back a bit, too; but Rose had yet to learn control. When Grant pinned her, the little girl was like a wildcat caught in poacher's trap. He managed to hold her down with his unnatural strength for a fifteen-year-old, but she was still putting up one hell of a fight.
Then, Grant felt another pair of abnormally-strong-for-his-age arms pull him off of Rose. It was Joey, who wasted no time in attempting to pin him down.
Ever since their parents had gotten back together, Slade had instituted merciless training regimens for both of his sons, and he'd only just started with Rose, giving her lighter and more simple routines for the sake of her age. The training for Grant and Joseph was at least ten times worse than it had been before their parents had split. But it was understandable to the two boys: their father was determined to ensure that the tragedy that had happened with Joey would never repeat itself, therefore making him their own personal instructor from hell. Joey never complained, his motivation the same as Slade's; meanwhile, Grant was just determined to get stronger. He wanted to surpass his father and become strong without the use of superpowers. Rose was also interested in combat, and was already showing promise with a bo staff. But, she was still too young to find out why one of her brothers couldn't talk. However, Grant and Joey had already planned to tell her when they thought she was ready if their parents didn't.
Now a jumbled mass of limbs, pajamas, and various shades of blonde hair, the three Wilson siblings panted in exhaustion from their skirmish.
"You two make a great team," Grant grinned, ruffling both of his siblings' already tousled hair. In the end, he'd let them win, so he was currently on the bottom with Joey and Rose on top. Most of the time, Grant demanded to be the one in charge; but, in this case, he didn't really mind being on the bottom.
"Grant, Rose, and Joseph Wilson what do you think you're doing?" The three looked up to see their mother's reproaching face, which, because of their positions, was upside down.
"Uh… training?" Grant offered.
"Bonding," Joseph corrected with a smile, hugging his contented sister tightly.
"Weren't you playing nonviolent video games?" Adeline planted her hands on her hips, not buying it.
"Grant started it! He tackled me 'cause I kept whooping his butt," Rose tattled, pointing an accusing finger at her eldest brother.
"Oi, shut it, squirt!" Grant hissed, but she childishly stuck her tongue out at him while Joey tried to get both of them to calm down.
Adeline sighed. "Since it's Christmas Eve, I'll let you slide."
Grant retorted by sticking his tongue out at Rose. Adeline suddenly felt appalled at her son's lack of maturity, and delivered a swift kick to the side of his head.
"What gives?" he winced, rubbing the spot where she'd hit him. "She started it!"
Adeline palmed her forehead. "Joseph, when your father gets home, remind me to tell him that these two were raised by wolves!"
Her middle child laughed silently. Adeline felt a sudden pang of sadness at the reminder of her son losing his beautiful voice. She'd probably be scolding him too if it weren't for that…
Rose and Grant continued arguing while Joey unsuccessfully tried to play peacemaker.
Well, I guess if Joseph had never lost his voice, I wouldn't have Rose… Adeline reasoned, knowing that no matter what, everything always happened for a reason.
"Well, dinner's ready," she said in a commanding tone, "so if you want any, I suggest the three of you untangle yourselves this instant and come downstairs."
A chorus of, "Yes, Mom" was echoed back. Satisfied, their mother nodded and marched back downstairs.
"Speaking of Dad, when do you think he's coming home?" Joey inquired.
Grant shrugged. "My guess is as good as yours."
"I can't wait to see him!" Rose cheered while Joey helped the seven-year-old to her feet. "This means we get more tips for training!"
Joey and Grant simultaneously groaned.
"What? I for one like training with Dad!" Rose frowned. "It's way better than only having you two."
"You've got it easy cause of your age, squirt. Joey and I get the uncut military version of Dad's 'instruction,'" Grant informed, looking down at his sister with piercing blue eyes.
"It's enjoyable in a twisted sort of way, though," Joey admitted. "But before we start getting carried away about our progress, shouldn't we go downstairs before Mom returns to murder us with a rusty carving knife?"
"Right," Grant agreed with an uneasy look.
Soon enough, their mother's scrumptious-looking Christmas dinner was being shared between the four of them. During the meal, they chatted idly about school, training, life… their mother teased them about various things, and, for once, they actually felt like a family, even without their father around. Rose felt included and accepted, and everyone stopped talking and watched Joey whenever he moved his hands to communicate. Grant was his usual loud and boisterous self, while Adeline tried to make all of her children feel at home and comfortable.
"So, Mom, what have you been doing all day?" Rose questioned.
"Not wrestling with my brothers, that's for sure," the woman answered with a playful frown.
"Are you still mad about that?" Grant sighed. "Joey said so himself! It was sibling bonding!"
Said blonde wore a look that screamed, "Don't drag me into this!"
"Sure." Her frown had turned into a sarcastic grin.
"Women," Grant muttered.
"Come again?" Rose glared death at her brother for this comment.
Their conversation continued, but one subject was explicitly avoided. Each child knew that Slade had promised to come home tonight; but, through years of previous experience, they knew not to get their hopes up, which disappointed Adeline beyond what words could describe. Everyone, especially Rose, had lost faith in Slade at such a young age.
After dinner, the three siblings returned to their video games. Adeline decided to leave them alone for a while longer and allow them to just have fun. Anything to capture their attention and keep them from asking her about him…
Where are you, Slade…? Adeline wondered with a longing look out the window. It was snowing, covering the ground in a fluffy wool-like blanket—one of her favorite Christmas presents from nature.
Adeline turned her attention back to her after-dinner coffee, which had a bit of alcohol mixed with it to celebrate the season.
We can only wait for you for so long…
Adeline waited until eleven before she marched upstairs and demanded that the three gamers go to bed. They protested both verbally and in sign language, but obeyed nonetheless. It was eleven twenty by the time she'd tucked in the last child and nearly midnight when she'd finished all the preparations for the following holiday. Alas, Slade still hadn't returned... Sighing, Adeline grabbed one of her favorite books off a nearby shelf and curled up on the living room couch, telling herself that she'd at least read a good chunk of her novel before giving up.
Halfway through the fourth chapter, Adeline felt her eyelids becoming heavy. She fought it for the next chapter and half, but the alcohol from earlier certainly wasn't helping. Before she knew it, the mother had succumbed to the world of slumber, safe and warm in front of a dying fireplace.
Hours later, Adeline awoke with a start at the sound of a dull thump. Shooting into a sitting position, she was relieved to find that the thump had only been her open book falling to the floor.
Glancing at her watch, Adeline found that it read two thirty.
Slade's still not home… she sighed again. That unreliable liar…
Glancing down at herself, Adeline then noticed that she was covered with a warm green blanket. Funny, she hadn't remembered…
All thoughts promptly left the building at the sight of a silver-haired head and a muscular back that belonged to a man standing in front of her window, staring out at the snow. He turned around at the sound of her stirring, his stunning blue eye staring her down, scanning her while that eye patch concealed the grotesque remains of his left eye.
"Slade…" her lips formed his name. Was she dreaming? Was this just a sick fantasy that she wanted so badly to come true?
He walked over to her, slowly at first. There was still snow mingled with his equally pale hair. He must have just come back…
Just to make sure this wasn't a mirage, she reached out and touched his face. He felt cold, like a block of ice. They stood there in silence for a brief minute.
"I'm home, Addie," he said quietly, and she felt his hands creeping up to her waist. If this was a dream, she never wanted it to end.
Without further hesitation, she kissed him passionately. His lips also felt frigid, but in due time she'd make sure they were warm again. This couldn't be a dream—it felt too real.
Only when her lungs felt like they were going to explode from lack of air, they broke apart, both panting.
"I should leave more often." Slade smirked. Adeline glared at him—she couldn't remember the last time she'd wanted to smack that smug expression off his face so badly.
"Oh, don't worry, you do," Adeline said flatly, prying his hands away from her middle. "Just so you know, the kids are already asleep. And they really wanted to see you, too."
"Are you sure about that?" Slade's eye flicked toward the stairs, and Adeline heard a gasp followed by the sound of someone smacking their hand over said gasper's mouth.
"Grant, Joseph, Rose, you can come out now," Slade called, and the three Wilsons reluctantly revealed themselves.
"We can explain," Joey signed, exchanging nervous glances with his siblings.
"No excuses, get over here, you three," Slade commanded. Sheepishly, they obeyed.
Before anyone could so much as protest, their father had enveloped all of them in a loving embrace.
"Sorry I'm late."
Joey was the first to squeeze him back, and Rose and Grant soon followed. Then Adeline was dragged into the mix, and the embrace turned into a full-out group hug.
It was then that Adeline noticed the scratch on her husband's left cheek.
"Where did this come from?" Running a finger along the cut, her hazel eyes narrowed at the man holding her while her children did their best to ignore her.
"Someone didn't like what my company had to say and attacked us. They had a knife, but I took them down," he shrugged, but his wife's eyes remained narrowed.
"Without killing them, dear."
"Mom, Dad," Rose interrupted before her mother could reply, and both parents turned to the little girl.
"Yes, Rose?" Adeline said.
"Can we have Christmas now? Since everyone's here?" she requested with big, pleading eyes. "Besides, I wanna see what Joey's been hiding in his room!"
Her brother sighed silently, but everyone else grinned.
"I wouldn't be complaining," Grant added, and this time Joey nodded in agreement.
Slade gave his wife a supportive glance. Oh, how was she supposed to win when it was four against one?
"Fine," she gave in. "But at least give your father a chance to take his coat off."
"I have to go get something!" Joey signed and dashed back up the stairs.
"Keep Grant and Rose company for me, Addie," Slade whispered, walking away to hang up his coat before heading in the direction of the master bedroom.
While the three remaining family members snuggled up on the couch, Joey returned with an armful of wrapped presents and no free hands to ask questions.
"Let me help you, bro," Grant rushed forward to take the packages from Joey, making sure to be careful so that he wouldn't accidentally break anything.
"Where should we put these?" Joey inquired to his mother.
"Over there," Adeline motioned to the adjacent room. "You should see the rest of your gifts there. Just set them down and we'll take care of who gets what later."
Soon enough, the only person they were left waiting for was once again Slade.
"Sorry to keep everyone waiting," Slade called, re-entering the room in more comfortable clothing rather than typical work attire. The three children at Adeline's side jumped off their resting place with hopeful looks, waiting for her to give them the green light to go open their gifts.
"They're all yours, Slade," Adeline sighed, exhaustedly tapping her forehead.
By the time she'd gotten to her feet, the first few gifts had already been torn opened. Smiling softly at every child's jovial grins, Adeline shuffled into the kitchen to grab another part of everyone's Christmas surprise.
She emerged with a tray of cookies in hand, clearing everyone away from a small table in the middle of the room so that she could set it down.
"Merry Christmas, kids," she said softly, and each child greedily snatched a cookie before resuming their gift opening—even Grant, who tried to make it known that he didn't much care for sweets (she knew he was just trying to be cool, though!).
Sitting down next to her husband on the sofa, Adeline felt him reach for her hand, and she reluctantly complied. He still felt cold as ice…
After everyone was done opening what their parents had bought them, Joey stole the final spotlight. Gathering up his wrapped packages, he began distributing them out to his family.
As expected, they were paintings, but what Adeline didn't expect was how much her son had secretly improved.
The first one was opened, Rose's. It was of a horse grazing in a grassy field. Horses seemed to be Rose's latest obsession, save for training and video games.
"I love it, Joey!" the seven-year-old exclaimed, joyously tackling her brother while one hand clutched the edge of the painting.
"You've gotten better since the last time I've seen your work," Slade remarked while Joey timidly smiled, savoring every second of his father's praise.
Now it was Grant's turn. It was another painting, except this one was of a soldier in uniform. The image was probably stolen from one of those video games of his, but it was breathtaking, nonetheless.
"Thanks, bro." Rather than hugging him, Grant gave the preteen's shoulder a firm squeeze to show his appreciation. Joey just continued beaming, happy to see that everything was going better than he could have hoped.
Next up was Adeline, who was eager to see what Joseph had drawn for her. Peeling off the paper, the artist's mother uncovered a beautiful illustration of a flower-filled vase sitting on a wooden table.
She was speechless. "Joseph, this is…"
"I hope you like it…" Her son nervously shifted his weight from foot to foot. "Most moms like flowers, right?"
Adeline found herself honestly smiling, unlike other mothers that sometimes had to force it when they received something that they thought was horrible, but didn't want to make their child feel bad—but with Joseph, she'd never had that problem. This child never ceased to amaze her. The shading, the colors, and even down to the smallest shadow… In all honesty, this painting looked professional.
"Who's that last package for?" Slade's voice rang out while Adeline continued to stare at her stunning gift.
Without signing anything, Joey picked up the final present and handed it to his father, a grin still plastered on his twelve-year-old face. "I hope you like it."
Slade's gaze never left his son's as his cold fingers tore away the paper before throwing it aside. Then, finally, his gaze dropped to the canvas in front of him.
It was a sketch actually, but, even so, Slade was impressed. It was of their family. He was standing on the right with his left hand on Adeline's shoulder with Grant on his right. Joey and Rose stood in front of their mother, and the green-eyed blonde had a hand on his younger sister's shoulder. All of them were smiling, save for him and Grant. His oldest son looked at least remotely pleased in the drawing while he just stared straight back at himself with an emotionless gaze. It was somewhat unnerving, but incredibly accurate. Every detail, every line, and even down to the wardrobes—Slade recognized all of their outfits, and, to be honest, nothing looked out of proportion. And the shading—surely his son had to have had help with this.
"Sorry I didn't color it. I figured it might be ruined if I tried to," Joey admitted. "But—"
The boy's hands froze when Slade reached out to ruffle his hair.
"You're really getting good at this whole drawing thing. I'm finding it hard to believe that you do these by yourself." An evident look of approval shone brightly on Slade's usually critical face.
Grant and Rose were astounded. Adeline was still staring at her gift. Needless to say, Joey had successfully made everyone's Christmas.
A minute ticked by before Adeline cleared her throat, recapturing everyone's wandering attention.
"There're still cookies left. If you kids want, I could make hot chocolate, too," she suggested.
An enthusiastic cheer of agreement was heard in reply. She'd take that as a yes.
Hand still intertwined with Slade's, the two of them walked into the kitchen. Their fingers separated when she began making the preparation for the hot beverage.
"So," the brunette began, turning on the stove, "where did cut that come from?"
"What cut?" Glancing back at her husband's face, she found that it had vanished.
"The one your body's healed already," she scowled, dumping a few ingredients into a recently obtained pot before stirring it. "If you don't tell me, I will call your company."
"Like I told you, someone didn't like what we had to say and attacked us. I was the only one that managed to take him on."
"'Without killing him'?" his wife quoted, an expecting glint in her eye.
"I promise I'm not keeping anything from you, Addie. I never want to lose you again."
Her hazel eyes locked onto his only remaining blue one. He'd once said to her that an eye was a small price to pay for Joseph's safety, and he'd gladly give up the other one if it meant she'd love him again. But what she'd never told him was that despite the lies, despite nearly having her son killed because of him, in a sick, twisted sort of way, she'd always loved him.
"I believe you, Slade," she finally said, and to ensure that she meant it, Slade embraced the woman from behind, contentedly breathing in her sweet scent.
Call me paranoid… Adeline thought as she measured and poured the milk into the pot and continued stirring, her husband's arms still around her. But I'm calling his company tomorrow, anyway…
In due time, the cocoa was finished and distributed evenly, and thankfully neither of the tired parents had to deal with a child complaining that someone had gotten more than them—this was a pet peeve for both her and Slade.
They were all sitting down at the table now. Rose had climbed onto her mother's lap and only managed to finish half of her drink before falling asleep. Her platinum blonde head lolled against Adeline's shoulder while the brown-haired mother held her close. Their tender moment did not go unnoticed by Slade.
"It's almost four o'clock," Grant stated with a whistle. "You've never let us stay up this late."
Joey nodded in agreement. "Thank you for everything, Mom."
"Don't push your luck, you two," she said, speaking in a hushed tone. "But thanks for reminding me. It's time for bed."
Joseph sighed mutely and Grant groaned, which fortunately didn't disturb his sleeping sister.
"Come on, boys," Adeline insisted, carefully shifting Rose to her hip so that she could stand up without waking the little girl.
The two boys gathered up their things and followed their mother upstairs while Slade bid them goodnight and silently waited for his wife to return, mindlessly staring at the crumb-covered cookie tray and empty cocoa mugs littering the table. Despite the ungodly hour, it felt good to be home.
Adeline returned a few minutes later without a sleeping Rose clinging to her hip. It was a shame, really—that had actually been a sight Slade didn't mind seeing.
"You two seem to be getting along better," Slade remarked. His wife gave him a puzzled look in return.
"You and Rose."
"We have been for the past two years, Slade, you just haven't noticed." His wife frowned. "Or have you and you're just teasing?"
"I must be losing my touch."
"Must be…" Adeline said with a roll of her eyes, plopping down in the seat next to him. "Well, she's growing up quite fast. So are Grant and Joseph. Can you believe that Grant's fifteen already? It seems like only yesterday he was a whiny toddler!"
"It does, doesn't it?" Slade agreed, sitting back in his chair before noticing his wife bring up a hand to conceal a yawn. "Tired?"
She just glared at him. "It's four in the morning!"
"So?"
She looked ready to smack him. Couldn't say he didn't deserve it, though.
"You're too much," she finally said, a weary, yet playful look on her beautiful face. "Aren't normal people usually tired after long business trips?"
"Well, I'm not exactly normal, now am I?"
"That's it, we're going to bed," Adeline said flatly, but frowned at the look he was giving her. "And I mean sleeping!"
"Don't get my hopes up." Offering a hand to help the woman stand, the two of them silently made their way to the bedroom.
Once inside, the two parents flopped onto the bed in an exhausted heap, deciding to abandon their usual hygienic habits that night.
"Merry Christmas, Slade," Adeline murmured. He was a bit warmer now that they were under the covers, but she still felt a slight zing of cold whenever she touched him. Oh well…
"Merry Christmas, Addie."
Slade brushed a lock of brown hair out of his wife's face. She'd fallen asleep almost instantly; meanwhile he still had a little while before his body would obey his command to relax. It really was nice to be home. Addie was the perfect woman for him and so much more. Grant was maturing quickly and would undoubtedly be ready for the academy in two years. Joseph's artistic abilities seemed to be increasing every second he looked away, and he couldn't wait to see how much his second son's strength had improved. And Rose… she finally seemed to be finding her place in this family, her niche. She was an eager pupil and a loving child, like her brothers. He honestly couldn't ask for more.
Who knew where he would be right now had he and Adeline not resolved their differences and gotten back together. It had begun for the sake of their children, but it had soon been discovered that feelings of affection were still mutual. It had definitely taken some time, and some things were still being resolved, but, over all, Slade knew that somehow it was going to work out. Of course, he still had the animalistic killer side of himself to smother, but his family was certainly helping with that. Not to mention, his wife's constant jabs at him to tell her everything also succeeded in keeping him in line.
Now, he was an honest man (well, mostly), who cared about and supported his family. He'd train his children to be strong fighters when they were older, and he looked forward to seeing the people they would become. Hell, he was looking forward to seeing who he was becoming. Adeline seemed contented, too. Slade wished he could be there for her more, but the more free time he had, the more temptation there was to go back to being that cold-blooded murder his wife despised—the one that had contributed to the loss of Joseph's voice.
Exhaustion finally began kicking into his inhuman body. Immortal or not, he still got hungry, and, at the moment, he was tired. Closing his eyes, Slade drifted off to sleep with the image of Joseph's sketch burned into his mind. The only difference was that this time it was in full color and instead of an emotionless, uncaring Slade staring back at him, there was a loving father with a beautiful, forgiving wife at his side and three strong, high-potential children—and rather than a straight-lipped expression, there was a ghost of a smile creeping onto the corners of the father's mouth.
He was exactly where he wanted to be.
Hope you enjoyed! I loved writing this!
I know pretty much everybody seems OOC (especially Rose), but I really do think that she would have turned out to be a decent girl with proper upbringing. And as for Grant… well, there aren't many fanfics on the guy, so I was kind of guessing with his personality. Joey was pretty easy to write for, though!
As for Slade and Adeline, I just felt like writing a story where they'd gotten back together. I've read a few fics involving a "good guy" Slade, but I just wanted to try something of my own. Also, I haven't seen many stories that have all three Wilson siblings together as a family, and being the sucker for happy endings that I am, you get this little oneshot as a result of that desire.
Anyway, sorry for the long AN. I just felt the need to explain myself!
Review?