Mini Anderson's
Hey guys, this is a prequel to my story 'Meet The Anderson's', they should make sense in any order though. Hope that you enjoy them this and let me know what you think :)
Welcome To The Family
"They look like wrinkly, angry red blobs."
Cooper quirked an eyebrow at the hushed whisper, his cool blue eyes flickering over to the door where his newborn baby brothers' should have been sleeping in peace. Shaking his head with a small smile the thirteen year old gently pushed open the door, watching Pippin support Jude while he climbed up on the side of the crib, Reed clinging to Austin's back, one thumb jammed in his mouth as they peered over the other side.
Clearing his throat, the eldest Anderson chuckled softly in amusement as the four younger brothers spun to face him, terror written on their faces.
"Coopy!" Reed cried, waving both hands towards the teenager so that Austin squeaked and just managed to fling his arms up to catch Reed to stop his younger brother from toppling backwards into the crib with the snoozing babies.
"Shhh, shh," Cooper murmured, striding into the room and grabbing the two year old from Austin's back, the five year old visibly wilting in relief.
"What are you guys' doing in here?" Another voice hissed from the doorway, the brothers' each turning in shock to find Elijah walking into the room with an armful of clean laundry, Noah and Lucas hot on his heels.
"We just wanted to see the babies," Jude murmured quietly, his childish innocence and curiosity shining in his emerald eyes.
"Yeah, they're our brothers too and we're never allowed to look," Pippin pouted, leaning into Noah's arm when his older brother got closer, gazing interestedly into the crib himself.
"Well don't say that I didn't warn you when Nanny Penny comes in and throttles you all," Elijah whispered, placing the laundry on one of the unused rocking chairs and edging closer himself. "I can't believe they're four weeks old and I think this is the first time I've actually seen them up close."
"I wanna see too," Lucas squeaked, stamping his foot and glaring, somehow managing to look about as intimidating as a puppy.
"Come over here then Champ," Cooper chuckled, sitting Reed on the edge of the crib and grabbing the eight year olds arm to hurry him closer. The eight older brothers' stared down in wonderment at the two tiny new lives in their family, pure glee covering each of their faces.
"We gots to protects them right Coopy?" Jude asked, his big green eyes turning to his oldest brother as Elijah sat him on the crib in the way that Cooper had sat Reed.
"Yeah we do." Cooper murmured, his shining sapphire eyes never leaving the two tiny bundles in the crib.
"Is nobody gonna answer my question?" Austin huffed from where he was swinging on the crib to the side of Cooper and Reed.
"Going to." Elijah corrected automatically, ignoring Austin's eye roll. "And what would your question would be?" The twelve year old chuckled, one eyebrow raised as Cooper burst into silent laughter.
"He wanted to know why they're all wrinkly, red and angry looking."
"Oh god." The currently taller, yet younger brother shook his head, giggling slightly, feeling the six pairs of eyes from his younger brothers' on him, "That's just what all babies look like when they're newborn. They're just sleepy, not angry." Rolling his own brown eyes, Elijah instructed Noah to thump Cooper on the back when he couldn't catch his breath due to laughter, the young brunette teenager shooting him a thumbs up when he regained his composure.
"I didn't look like that!" Pippin yelped, looking confused.
"Yeah, you're right, you looked worse because you were bigger," Cooper cackled, Elijah dropping his forehead into his hands and muttering in despair.
"Well that's just mean," Pippin muttered with all the seriousness of a five year old before turning away with a sniff, Cooper now howling with soundless laughter and blatantly ignoring the seriousness with which Pippin was making the accusations.
Rolling his eyes once more, Elijah pulled a tissue from his pocket and held it in front of Pippin's nose with a slight grimace, "Blow kiddo." Pulling a face when Pippin had finished blowing his nose, the pre-teen quickly scurried across the room to put it in the bin, a giggling Jude still in his arms. "The things we do for you lot," He muttered, blowing a raspberry on Jude's cheek.
A stirring from the crib had every brother's head whip round, Jude scrambling out of Elijah's arms to take up his position beside Pippin, watching as one of the babies stretched his arms up above his head, his little hat falling off and black curls appearing in little wisps. Cooper grinned when the little boy's eyes hazel blinked open, gazing around all of the faces surrounding the crib, a soft little cooing noise flowing from his mouth.
"He's singing," Jude cried excitedly, Lucas steadying him with a beam when he off balanced, almost falling from the crib.
Laughing, Cooper handed Reed to Elijah with a smile before leaning into the crib.
"Coop, is this really a good idea?" Elijah muttered, his wide eyes shooting between the door and his big brother.
"It's fine, we've been carrying Reed around since he was this age."
"Yeah but Nanny Penny is scary," Noah whispered, his own eyes trebling as Cooper gently lifted the baby from the crib.
"All of our Nannies have been scary," Cooper grinned, "We're just waiting for the twins to scare this one off too." He chuckled as everyone turned to Austin and Pippin, now stood side by side and wearing matching looks of innocence.
"Who us? We're angels." They quoted with matching grins before high fiving each other.
"That gets creepier the older they get," Elijah murmured. He tenderly placed Reed down on the floor, letting him race to where Cooper now sat, his back to the crib, cradling the baby boy close to his chest as he continued to coo quietly to himself. Smiling, Cooper stretched out his spare arm, just managing to catch the hurtling two year old with one arm.
Reed's head fell automatically to Cooper's shoulder, his little feet kicking against the floor as his hair flopped into his eyes. "Baby," He giggled, one hand playing with the edge of the baby's blanket.
"What's his name Coop?" Lucas asked, wide eyed as he dropped down beside Cooper. Gently he took hold of the baby's hand, grinning when tiny fingers wrapped around his pinky.
"Did they not even tell you that before they left again?" Cooper stuttered, a horrified look crossing his features.
"Nope," The six younger brothers' chorused, Elijah muttering under his breath about incompetent parents and Nannies.
Lucas shrugged slightly, dropping down beside Cooper's feet and crossing his legs as he tried to peer over the blanket. "Mama said it was nothing to do with us and Nanny Penny just keeps telling us to leave them alone before we corrupt them too." The tanned boy frowned slightly, glancing to his older brother, "What does that mean Coop?"
"That we have suckish parents and a worse Nanny."
"Well duh," The twins chorused, Cooper smiling woefully at them before turning his attention back to the small bundle in his arms.
"This boys' is the our youngest brother, Blaine Devon Anderson."
"How can you tell? Aren't they identical?" Noah queried, collapsing beside them as the other brothers' swarmed closer.
Cooper grinned, flicking the edge of the navy blue blanket the baby was wrapped in over to show the red stitching on the edge. "It's on his blanket, and I know Blaine's the youngest. Plus he's slightly smaller"
A gurgle from the crib made them all jump, the other baby clearly awake as Cooper motioned for a nervous Elijah to pick him up. Taking a deep breath, the twelve year old did so warily, before he fell to the floor beside Cooper.
"And this is his slightly older twin brother Bentley Darren Anderson."
"Wait, but who's older out of me and Austin?" Pippin questioned, forehead creased in concern.
"Duh, we're twins, we were born at the same time." Austin answered with an exaggerated sigh.
Pippin raised an eyebrow, "Well they're twins too."
"Oh well they're just not as good twins as we are then."
"Okay, that makes sense," Pippin nodded thoughtfully, failing to catch the amusement on Cooper, Elijah and Noah's faces.
"They're so little," Lucas breathed quietly, unable to tear his gaze away.
Noah smiled, playing gently with Bentley's fingers. "Do you not remember when Reed was this size?"
"Me?" Reed squealed, one finger jabbing his own chest as his brothers' laughed at him lovingly.
"PIPPIN JAMES ANDERSON, AUSTIN JEREMY ANDERSON WHERE ARE YOU?" A voice thundered from up the hall.
"What'd you do?" Noah yelped, all of the brother's eyes fixed onto the doorway.
"We put Jam and Igor in her bed," The twins answered in unison.
Cooper spluttered slightly, "The tarantulas?"
"Yes."
"Oh god, we're dead. Like we're actually dead this time, I mean this one's going to kill us all," Elijah groaned.
Hearing the footsteps Cooper shut his eyes standing with Blaine in one arm and Reed in the other. "Closet. Everyone, now, move it." Ushering the twins forward, he watched Elijah push Jude and Lucas towards the door before he turned to his older brother.
"And the babies Coop, what do we do with them? We haven't got time to settle them in the crib again."
"They're our brothers' aren't they?" Cooper grinned, "What better way to get them started." He chuckled quietly as Elijah groaned, following him closely into the tightly packed closet. "Okay, bad idea, I cant breathe." Eyeing the top shelf, Cooper carefully placed Blaine in Elijah's free arm before lifting Reed, Jude and Lucas up to the top, tasking Lucas with keeping the other two still.
"She's going to find us. We're going to die at the hands of a psychopath Nanny that's just had to deal with two tarantulas." Elijah muttered, panic filling his face, glaring at the older set of twins shooting him angelic faces from where they were sat on an empty toy box.
Rolling his eyes, Cooper hit Elijah over the back of his head, much to the amusement of the younger brothers'. "Breathe Lij, we're going to be fine."
"Cooper, when are Mama and Daddy coming home?" Cooper glanced up to look into Jude's sad eyes hovering above him.
"Sit back kiddo," He murmured quietly, pushing his brother back until Lucas grabbed hold of him, pulling him close. "The answer is I don't know unfortunately. They're in Barcelona, I think," He muttered, glancing to Elijah for confirmation, taking Blaine back into his arms as he did so. "Apparently Mama needed some time to herself."
"She's always by herself though, 'cause she's never here," Pippin rolled his eyes, sulking slightly.
"Yeah, I know," Cooper sighed softly, running a hand through Pippin's wild midnight black curls, smiling when the boy leaned into the touch, his own cerulean eyes flickering up to meet Cooper's matching ones.
Stood in companionable silence, the brothers' all jumped when the door to the nursery slammed open. Jude and Reed whimpered, burrowing closer to Lucas, while Noah latched onto Cooper's side and each of the older twins grabbed one of Elijah's jean cladded legs. The eldest two boys' gently shushed the babies in their arms, neither of who seemed too pleased by the loud noise interrupting the quiet that had just about settled.
"Where are you boys'?" The elderly woman snarled as she moved into the room. Glancing into the crib, her face turned from one of anger to terror. "No, no, no, not again. I can't have lost babies again. They can't even move yet." Scurrying around the room, she looked under cushions, blankets and toys before running from the room muttering to herself. Cooper and Elijah shooting each other confused and slightly scared looks.
"Has she been drinking?" Elijah mouthed to Cooper when they were finally able to leave the closet, sure the Nanny was gone.
Cooper shrugged from where he was lifting Jude down from the shelf, "God knows. Mom and Dad apparently don't know how to hire normal people to take care of their children."
"She told us to find somefing to do 'cause she was gonna see her best fwend," Jude smiled, leaning against Elijah.
Elijah smiled at the little boy slightly, "Something, because, going to and friend, okay?"
Jude nodded sleepily, "Okay Lij."
Humming contentedly, the second oldest picked the little boy up, allowing Jude's head to fall to his shoulder as he passed Bentley to Cooper to place back into the crib with Blaine. "Now, did she say the name of her best friend?"
"Jack Daniels," The four year old yawned.
Cooper's head snapped up from where he was leaning over the crib, his eyes catching on Elijah's worried ones. Scooping Blaine back up, he sighed when the baby squirmed in his hold, quickly moving to place him in the car seat and wrap him up, following the same routine with Bentley once the youngest Anderson was settled. Kneeling down, he motioned for his younger brothers' to all come closer. "I need you guys' to stay away from Nanny Penny for me, okay?" Waiting until they all nodded, he smiled softly. "Come to me or 'Lijah if you need anything, anything at all, no matter what time of day or night it is. Now, why don't we go see what ice cream we can steal from Pierre and then go camp out on the trampoline with it?" Grinning when the boys' eyes all lit up, he raised a finger to his lips, "We've got to be super, super quiet though, Nanny Penny can't know about it." Waiting for them all to nod once more, he opened the door and let them all rush out, turning back to Elijah who was still holding a drowsy Jude.
"What do we do?" The younger brother whispered, eyes wide with fear.
Reaching for his younger brother, Cooper sighed softly pulling him in for a hug and kissing Jude's curls gently. "Same as ever Elijah, we keep them and each other safe until the twins drive her out or I can get in touch with Mom and Dad and get her replaced."
Elijah nodded slightly, sighing, "It shouldn't be like this."
"No, it shouldn't, but we have each other and we'll always have each other."
The younger snorted, "Have you been watching the Lifetime channel again Coop?"
"It's a great way to hone my acting skills by acting out the scenes."
"Dweeb," Elijah snorted, sweeping out of the room with Jude.
"Dingbat," Cooper called after him quietly, grabbing the two carry seats and following his brothers'. Laughing, he glanced down to the two sleeping babies with a grin. "Welcome to the family Benny and Blaine."
Hope that you liked this one, I have about fourteen of these in total, so let me know if you're interested in me continuing these. They'll be more like snapshots throughout the boys' growing up, focusing on Bentley and Blaine mainly.