This chapter is extra long and full of big surpises for everyone!!! We're really getting into the heart of the drama now...please tell us what you're thinking. It's very important that we know if you like what you're seeing or not! You guys really slacked last chapter, tsk tsk! Hehe, we'd appreciate a review this time! Especially with so much content and romance :D.
Have a lovely weekend,
Marina & James
Kitty had purposefully not called Romany this morning. It wasn't an act of malice or anger...she just wanted to girl to be surprised. The morning hours had been spent packing up the rest of their things from the bridal suite and loading them into the rental car to be transported to the new apartment Peter had bought. Money couldn't buy everything...but it could get an apartment ready in less than twelve hours. At seven in the morning it started, furniture was brought into the rooms; every kind of electronic gadget Kitty had ever seen was installed promptly. The kitchen was fully stocked, the beds made and the rent paid for four months. Everything was perfect...all they needed was Romany. Changing into a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt that belonged to Peter, she rapped her knuckles on the bathroom door. "Come on, Peter, she's going to be a wreck if we don't get there soon! She knows that we went on that mission yesterday. Shake a leg!"
Peter opened the bathroom door and stepped out with a towel over his shoulders. He was dressed except for his shoes and tie, and his hair was still wet from the morning shower. Holding his hands over his head, he brought up heat to make the water evaporate in a rush of steam. He grinned at her and walked over to put his shoes on. "I'm comin'. Keep your knickers on," He looked up at her with a wink, "Or don't. Either way, it suits me fine." In moments he was ready and walking to the car with Kitty. "Alright, let's go spring a legal jail break."
Grabbing her purse she was halfway out the door when she yelled, "I'm not wearing any knickers!" Peter had embarrassed her something terrible this morning when he asked the landlord if the rooms were soundproof—it seemed because of the thickness of the walls, they practically were. Peter had remarked he didn't want his sister hearing them make love...right in front of the landlord. She'd punished him thoroughly by making him be on the bottom the rest of the morning. Opening the car door, she smiled as they took off. "I feel like I've waited for this day forever...and I've barely known her a month."
Peter grinned at Kitty and took one of her hands in his own as they sped down the road. "That's the effect she has on people. You can't see her and not want to help. I almost fear for her when we finally return to America and Jubilee meets her. Romany won't know what hit her." He grinned and kissed Kitty's knuckles. A few minutes later they pulled into the parking lot of the institute and Peter got out. "We have to go to the office first and sign her discharge papers. Then we can surprise her."
Procedure was mandatory, she knew that. Still, it seemed to take forever as they stood at the glass window filling out form after form, getting Romany's prescriptions, paying her final bill, and finally getting Nurse Terry to sign saying that she was able to leave with them. Kitty's heart pounded in her chest as they began to make their way up to the third floor, "I can barely control myself," She laughed, wrapping her arms around her waist tightly, "I'm edgy and I don't even know why!"
Romany had been eyeing the phone nervously since yesterday. She'd barely slept at all, wondering if Kitty and Peter were okay. To top it off, Kitty was late with her daily call. That made Romany worry even more. Nurse Terry had said they'd seen something about Kent on the news, but she couldn't remember the specifics, and Romany found herself close to tears when the door opened. She spun around at the sound of the voice that spoke.
Peter strode into the room holding a pile of papers and casually read off from the top one, "Bill of Mental Health. This document is to certify, by the undersigned, that Romany Wisdom is of sound mind to be released from St. Michael's Institute of Mental Health, back into the care of Peter Wisdom. Signed by Terry Bradshaw, RN and Bill Landon, Director of Mental Health," He looked at Romany and smiled, "Ready to go home, Romany?" His answer was the girl rushing across the room and tackling him to the floor to kiss him and cry all over his shirt.
Kitty was crying before they even opened the door to Romany's room...her former room that was. One arm gripped onto Peter as Romany came flying across the room to literally deck Peter. The assassin went sprawling to the floor, his sister sobbing and laughing on him. Sniffling, Kitty pulled out a brand new baby blue duffel bag for the few possessions Romany had with her, "I'll start packing and give you two a minute." Wiping the tears running down her cheeks, she very gently picked up the few pictures she had on the bureau, her stuffed teddy bear that had seen better days and the few articles of clothing she had, including the dress she had given Romany. "We're ready to go when you are, sweetheart...but maybe we ought to change into something a little nicer than that awful hospital gown. Take pleasure in knowing you'll never wear it again..." Pulling a pair of her own jeans out of the bag, she also brought a sweater for her to wear. "Let's get changed."
Romany ran her hands over Peter, and lifted up his shirt, checking for injuries of any kind. She might regress to a little girl at times, but she was still older sister and she still wanted to make sure her baby brother was alright. Peter laughed as her hands tickled him before she finally got up and allowed him to stand. "Short of it is, we got him. He won't bother us again, got all the money back plus some, and got a flat in Derby. You and Kitty are gonna be staying there while I get us a more permanent home set up..." He saw the excitement in her eyes and leaned in to whisper, "The Chatsworth House," in her ear.
At the mention of the place they were going to live, Romany squealed with delight. She jumped on Peter once more, and he held her off the ground while she planted a sloppy kiss right on his lips to embarrass him. As soon as he let her down, spluttering about excitable girls, Romany turned toward Kitty and fixed her with a hard stare, hands on her hips. "YOU!" The stern look was foiled when her lips kept twitching upwards in a smile. She rushed the girl and jumped her much in the same manner she'd done to her brother moments before. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you," she kept repeating over and over so quickly it was almost unintelligible.
Wrapping her arms around the girl, she held her tightly. Kitty managed to stay upright only because she fell back into the wall, "Oh Romany, I'm just glad we're getting you out of this awful place. When we leave here everything we will wonderful, I can brush your hair every day and we can do fun girl things...it'll be everything you've ever dreamed about. Just you, me, and Peter." Noting the appearance of a pudgy, middle-aged woman they called Nurse Terry in the hallway, Kitty looked over at her.
"I came to tell you that we've cleared a way for Romany, if you're ready it would be best if you left now. Most of our patients are eating breakfast so you won't have a problem."
Kitty smiled and nodded, "Thank you...for everything." Turning back to the girl, she hurried her into the little bathroom off to the side, "Come on Romany, let's get you changed and go home!" It seemed the girl was more than a little excited, she dressed at lightning speed and was practically running down the hall as Peter and Kitty followed behind, laughing softly to one another.
When they got out to the car, Romany nearly gushed. She'd never seen this car before because of the parking lot being in front of the building where visitors came in and left. But now that she saw it, she was practically pawing it. "Oh my god, it's beautiful. How fast does it go? Do they come in red? Can I drive it?" When Peter opened the door, Romany hoped in the driver's seat and acted like she was driving a race car. She made little engine sounds and screeching noises while she turned the wheel this way and that.
Peter chuckled at Romany's antics. "Yes, it is beautiful. It goes as fast as the speed limit is. It does come in a maroon red, and no, you can't drive it." As she pretended to be angry, he chuckled more and nudged her with the keys. "Get your pretty behind in a different seat or I'll have Kitty paint your toenails lime green." Romany made a nasty face and a 'bleh' sound. She glared at Peter with a 'you wouldn't dare' look. "Oh yes...I would." She quickly got out grumbling like a little kid who wasn't at all happy about this arrangement and made her way to the other side of the car.
Kitty watched the girl, tears still running down her face. It was so beautiful, this sight. The girl was free to do as she wished now; she was on the road to recovery more so now than ever. Getting into the car, she laughed, "Don't worry Romany, even lime green isn't that bad when you have the right outfit to go with it!" Leaning over the seat slightly, she winked at the girl, "And at the new house, I'll teach you to drive. If the grounds are as big as Peter says there'll be plenty of space to learn!" Leaning over, she gently nudged Peter in the side, "Let's go home, love."
Peter pulled out of the driveway and started toward the flat they were using. "You say that now Kitty, but just wait until you try to get her to wear lime green. She hates that color much in the same way as I hate orange." Sighing Peter conjured a hot knife, "Alas, my curse is to have my power the same color as my least favorite color." Shaking his head he let the blade die out. When they got to the flat, Peter made sure there were no guys on the route to their residence so Romany wouldn't be scared, "All clear."
Just so Romany wouldn't feel so bad, Kitty and she had a race up to the apartment. Romany, of course, won and was in the apartment before anyone even moved a muscle. Setting the duffel bag on the brand new couch, Kitty slumped down on it, "Home at last...do you like it Romany?" Peter locked the door behind himself when he came up, tossing the discharge papers on the table. "I, for one, happen to be starving. What do you say we order some food to celebrate? We should make this a real celebration...I thought I spied a bottle of champagne in the fridge just for this occasion!"
Romany practically bounced on the couch with anticipation. "I want pizza! Cheese with extra pepperoni!" Turning to Peter, she gave him her best pouting face. "Can we have pizza, Peter?" Of course Peter was putty in her hands and nodded saying it was okay as long as Kitty was alright with it. He remembered she was Jewish after all, and had certain...restrictions.
At the mention of champagne, Peter shook his head vehemently. "Maybe for you and I, Kitty. But Romany has to stick with milk, water or soda. Doc said that alcohol will mix bad with two of her meds, remember?" He grabbed a chair and pulled it up, spinning it around and straddling it. "So, is it pizza then, or something else?"
"That's why I got sparkling cider for her," Kitty smirked and rested against the couch. She was touched that Peter remembered she was Jewish and kept kosher. Smiling, she shook her head, "Today is Romany's day and of course we can have pizza!" Kitty leaned over and kissed Peter's cheek as he sat down, "I can just pick the pepperoni off mine and that way Romany can have even more on hers!" It seemed like an agreeable solution to everyone. While Peter ordered, Kitty set about getting the drinks ready. All they had was paper cups at the moment, since they hadn't gone shopping for china or anything of the sort. In a cup with flowers on it, she poured Romany's sparking cider and in plain white cups, she poured champagne. "Rom, don't drink out of the plain white cups, I don't want you getting sick." Sitting down next to the girl, she smiled, "I'd like to propose a toast, to Romany!"
Peter sat down and smiled at Kitty. "Okay, pizza will be delivered in half an hour. I made sure to tell them only a female driver, no men allowed." He grabbed his cup and handed Romany hers with a smile. "I agree. A toast to Romany is in order. To Romany and freedom...for all of us," With a gentle tap on Kitty's cup and then on Romany's, Peter downed his champagne in one swallow.
Romany giggled as Peter made her cider splash a little and it landed on her hand. She quickly finished the toast and set about licking her hand for a couple minutes to get all the bubbly drink off. When she was finished she grinned at Peter mischievously. "Slobber hand!" She lunged at him and proceeded to try rubbing her hand all over his face, while he tried in vain to get away. Between laughs she managed to shriek out, "KITTY, HELP! HE'S GOT ME!"
"I'll save you Romany!" Kitty said in her best mock-impression of Superman. Rushing over to join in the fray she began tickling Peter with the same intensity he was tickling Romany. Laughing heartily, she wrapped her arms around Peter, "Come on Romany, we can make him beg us to stop!" Continuing to tickle him, she laughed so hard she nearly fell over, "Say the word, Peter and we'll show you some mercy!"
Peter let out a gasp as the two girls ganged up on him. "ACK! A mutiny!" He rolled around trying to get the two off of him. When Kitty demanded his surrender, Peter burst out between fits of laughter, "NEVER!" This, of course, resulted in more tickling. Peter finally grabbed a hold of Romany and tickled her with one hand while reaching around to alternately tickle Kitty and pinch her bum to keep her off guard. "HA! You two are no match for me!"
The slight pinch on her bottom had no effect but Kitty was very ticklish. She was a puddle on the floor the minute his hands touched the spots he'd found to be so ticklish over the last few weeks. Collapsing on top of him, she gave Romany a wink, "I can stop you!" Grasping his face between her hands she kissed him hard on to mouth until all the fight seemed to drain out of him. "Ah," She said softly, "Much better."
Romany giggled as Kitty kissed Peter into submission. "Aww...you two are so cute together. I want a picture! Where's a camera?" Peter motioned over toward his computer where a digital camera sat. It took Romany a few minutes to get it opened and ready. When she looked back at the pair, they were still kissing. She giggled as she snuck up and got more than one picture. When they finally broke apart, Romany poked Peter in the ribs. "And to think...big, bad, tough Peter Wisdom is such a softy." She shrieked and ran for it when Peter bolted after her, the two laughing the whole way.
A sharp rapping on the door alerted them to the fact that the pizza was finally there. Rushing over, she looked through the peephole to make sure that it was a woman there and, despite her slight moustache, Kitty was sure it was a woman. Taking the pizza and handing her the money, Kitty set the pizza on the table, "Lunch is served!" She found herself smiling as they all amassed around the table to get food while Romany showed her the pictures she had taken. "These are wonderful, Rom," Kitty said with a smile, "I'll have to get these developed and we can put the picture in a frame. That way you can see Peter and me smooching whenever you want." Laughing, she leaned over and captured his lips again, "Or you can just look over in our direction."
Peter had pinned Romany to her bed and was busy tickling her mercilessly when the pizza arrived. Like any good brother, he got up and picked his sister up over his shoulder and carried her to the table before setting her down while she giggled. "Alright, wash your hands then let's eat." While they ate, Peter joined Kitty in looking at the pictures and smirked. "It's nice, but I much prefer the real thing to a picture." He returned Kitty's kiss with equal passion until Romany's giggling broke them up. Peter gave his sister a questioning look, the only response he got was, "You two got it bad!"
"I quite like this disease we call love," She said, supervising Romany as she watched her hands and then cleansing her own. Sitting down across from Peter, Romany to the side, Kitty let out a hearty sigh, "This is wonderful, we're so blessed." Serving Romany a slice of pizza, she carefully picked the pepperoni off her own pizza and put it on hers, "Rom, do you want me to cut it or can you pick it up? And be careful, it's hot." Taking her own piece, she took a bite, "Oh, this is good...I haven't had pizza in so long."
Romany gave Kitty an incredulous glare. "Of course I can pick up my own Pizza!" Her own slice quickly found its way to her mouth, and some of Kitty's pepperoni quickly found their way into Romany's lap. She almost shrieked and set the pizza down while she picked at the offending slices. How dare they ruin her moment! She gave each individual one a nasty look before eating them to show them who the boss was. She then looked down at the little pepperoni and pizza sauce marks on the dress Kitty had let her borrow, "Oh no!"
Stifling a laugh, Kitty just smiled as the pepperoni fell onto her lap. "Okay, whatever you say Romany." She'd let the girl do what she wished, it would make her so happy after not making any choices for so long. But when she saw the grease stains, she looked up at Kitty with those sad eyes. Smiling, Kitty patted her arm gently, "Don't worry, this dress is washable. I need to do some laundry and I'll put your dress in too. It'll be good as new by tomorrow morning."
Peter chuckled and shook his head at the two. They got on like real sisters. It was comforting to watch. As he wolfed down his third slice of pizza, Peter spoke, "Alright, so tomorrow, Kitty's gonna call America and get things set up to get the rest of her stuff, and to get Jubilee's help in getting some clothes for Romany, right?" He waited for a moment and then continued. "I'm going to get in touch with me friend and see about purchasing the Chatsworth place. Shouldn't be too much trouble, but I'll let you both know if I can't come back tomorrow night. I might have to be out of town to meet with the current owners and my friend."
Kitty nodded, "Yeah I'll call Jubilee and she can send all my clothes and the ones she wants to get rid of. She donates all her clothes to charity at the end of the season and buys new ones; she won't mind giving the old ones to me." Smiling, she nibbled at the pizza but she found that it was a little too greasy for her. "Peter you might want to call the professor, he could help you buy the place too."
Peter shook his head. "No, my friend can get it just fine for me. If too many people are speaking on my behalf about getting the place, then the owners and the government are going to want to know where the money came from." He gave her a pointed look, casting it sidelong at Romany. His sister knew nothing about his job other than what he told her; which was, that he worked in acquisitions and terminations which was a polite way of saying spying and assassinations. "We don't need questions about the money."
"I understand," Kitty said with a smile. "And Romany and I can keep busy while you do that." Looking over at the girl she noticed that she was yawning, "Looks like someone is tired!" Kitty gently ran her hand down Romany's back soothingly, "Come on, I'll let you borrow my nightgown and you can take a nap." It wasn't like she would need her nightgown anyway...Peter was always pulling it off her. "And when you wake up we'll do something fun as a family."
Peter watched as Romany let Kitty take her away for the afternoon. He smiled and ran a hand through his hair before heading into the bedroom he was sharing with Kitty. He set up his computer and started to update the information on it, mainly about his accounts and everything. He also needed to finalize the repurchase of the Kent House tomorrow before he went to talk to his friend about purchasing Chatsworth. That would drain a lot of his funds. Once he was finished he lay back on the bed fully clothed to wait for Kitty and see if she needed anything tomorrow.
After tucking Romany into bed and watching the girl curl up under the blankets, Kitty made her way back into her own bedroom. She was feeling kind of tired herself. Peter was laying there, waiting for her and she climbed onto the bed, lying down next to him. "This is so wonderful...I love you Peter." Resting her hand on his chest and her head on his shoulder, she let out a heavy sigh, "I never thought I could be this happy."
Peter wrapped an arm around Kitty and smiled. "Yeah, It's a little surreal you know? Finally having her out and with me...with us. For a while I thought this day would never come." He took a deep breath and then looked down into Kitty's eyes. "So, tomorrow, you need anything from town while you're cooped up with Romany?" He felt a little bad for Kitty. She was going to give up her time to take care of his sister. She wouldn't be able to go outside, as there were bound to be guys walking around outside which would make Romany upset. He wanted to make sure they were both taken care of while they were cooped up.
Thinking for a moment, Kitty shook her head, "No, I think we've got everything we need. Although I want to get some dishes and cups around here, I don't want to use paper for the rest of our lives. Plus I think it'd be good to teach her things like how to wash dishes and do laundry, even to drive. Those little things will give her independence." Smiling, she kissed his cheek, "And she needs some of that." Peter merely nodded and held her tighter...if he said anything after that point, she didn't hear it. Kitty was out like a light...it seemed that lack of sleep was starting to catch up with her! And they did have their whole future in front of them.
Negotiations had been going really slow. It seemed that the current owners of the Chatsworth house were determined to sell it at top dollar without making any of the necessary repairs. Well Peter wasn't having it and he'd been practically living in the real estate broker's office...when he did come home it was long after Kitty went to bed, as she had been going to bed early, and he was up hours before Romany came in and woke her up. She missed him terribly...and she hoped they would be able to move soon.
Kitty was tired down to the very marrow of her bones. She'd been living in England now for just over two months and caring for Romany, doing household chores and the like was really taking its toll on her. Time was flying faster than she ever thought possible...Thanksgiving had come and gone and Chanukah and Christmas were right around the corner. It was a time to celebrate, but Kitty was almost too tired to move. That was not to mention that she seemed to be putting on some winter weight too, she'd had to give nearly all her clothes to Romany and had taken to wearing some of Peter's. But now even those were getting tight. Watching Romany as she watched a My Little Pony DVD that Belle had sent, she sighed heavily, "I'm starting a new diet today Rom. We've been eating very unhealthy." But that wasn't really the case; they ate a lot of vegetables, fresh fruits, and chicken. They rarely ate out...and that was what made it worse, "Do you want some eggs for breakfast, Rom?"
Romany was fascinated by the My Little Pony show. The art wasn't that great, but Romany didn't really know the difference to begin with. All she cared about was the story and the horsies. When Kitty came in wearing yet another of Peter's outfits, Romany eyed her up and down. "Yeah, diet might be good." He giggled a little and hoped up to give Kitty and hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Eggs are yummy. How about some toast too?" If Kitty was going to have to eat less on a diet, Romany wouldn't let her do it alone.
Romany hugged her tightly and Kitty smiled, hugging her back. "Eggs and whole wheat toast it is, I also cut some strawberries...you can eat those while you wait if you're hungry." Moving over to the kitchen, she fired up the gas stove and began scrambling the eggs. It didn't take long and she began toasting the bread as she spooned the eggs onto a plate, "There you go, love, eat up now." Taking a seat next to her, Kitty let out a grunt, "God, these pants are so tight...I'm going to be enormous by the time Peter comes back." All around her belly were red stress marks from the pants pressing against her belly. The red marks were even more obvious when she began scratching at them; the pants were just too tight and she couldn't stand it. "Well when I order you some winter woolies online today, I'll get myself a bigger size."
Romany grinned in a knowing manner at Kitty. She suspected what was going on, but she wanted to wait until asked. After all, just giving the information away took all the fun out it. She quietly ate her food and kept shooting glances at Kitty. Yeah that had to be it. "Thank you Kitty, this is wonderful." At the mention of shopping online Romany squealed. She loved to get new clothes; it had been so long since she'd had anything other than those blasted hospital gowns. "I want a pretty pink sweater...and it has to be large enough that I can make Peter wear it sometimes!"
Stabbing several pieces of egg, Kitty sighed. They were tasteless and she didn't really enjoy them but they were healthy and good for her. Romany was looking wonderful ever since they brought her home, she had a healthy glow around her; Kitty on the other hand looked sicker and more exhausted than ever. It wasn't that the girl wore her out; it was that she just didn't seem to get good sleep even when she did go to bed at seven in the evening. She chewed on her dry toast thoughtfully and nodded, "Sure, I think a big fluffy pink sweater will be a wonderful addition to your wardrobe." Deciding that she wasn't all that hungry anyway, Kitty turned on her computer. Jubilee had sent all of her things even if she was still sort of angry with her best friend. "Okay, let's see here. Oh great, sweaters are on sale! I'll get a few for myself, we can match!" Adding a couple of sweaters to the cart, one in small for Romany and one in medium for her, she also went to see what they had for jeans. "Well, they're full price but I can't walk around in my underwear...even that's getting too small." Ordering herself a size six, she finished up by paying with her own credit card. Peter insisted on paying for everything else, she could at least spring for some clothes. "They'll be here next week sometime."
Romany watched Kitty the entire time. Yup, that had to be it. She started to giggle a little and gave Kitty another hug, hanging on her for a moment while the younger girl ordered their clothes online. Seeing her pay with her own card, Romany wagged a finger at her. "You know Peter's not going to be happy when he sees that you paid with your own money." She was split herself, between the two. On one hand she understood Kitty wanting to pay; it was her money and gave her a semblance of individuality. But on the other hand, if Peter had all this money, why would she want to use her own and not splurge? "Next week? Okay, then."
Kitty leaned over and gave her a pretend angry face, "He won't know if we don't tell him!" Giggling again, she picked up the plate in front of Romany that was empty as the girl ate a few more strawberries, "You were hungry today, miss! That's good; I can tell Nurse Terry you're eating better." The hospital still called to make sure that Romany was getting proper care and Kitty was grateful for that. Peeking out the window, Kitty let out a giggle, "Look Rom, it's snowing!"
Romany practically flew from her seat to the window. She looked out and saw all the powdery white snow falling down. She stifled a giggle at some of the children running around to play in it. She bounced a couple times and clapped feeling an urge to run out and play herself. That thought was quickly thrown away when the father of one of the children came out to collect his kids. Romany gasped and took a few steps back to get out of view. She fiddled with the hem of her dress and then turned around to face Kitty. "It's pretty."
Blushing darkly, Kitty felt a curse sitting on her tongue as one of the fathers from downstairs ushered his kids outside. Closing the curtains, Kitty walked over and hugged Romany tightly, "You're safe here. You're safe with me Romany." Kissing her cheek, she grasped her hand and led her into her and Peter's bedroom. Up at the top of the room was a large octangular window, "We can watch the snow here, you can just see the sky." Diet aside, Kitty grasped her hands, "Do you want some hot cocoa and marshmallows? I'm going to make some for myself."
Romany gasped at the pretty sight of the snow in the high window. She never realized that Kitty and Peter had this kind of view. She was slightly jealous that her room didn't have this kind of view. But that only lasted a brief moment until Kitty asked about hot cocoa and marshmallows. Jumping up and down excitedly Romany grabbed Kitty's hands. "Can I help? I want to help!"
"Of course you can help! Come on!" Making her way into the kitchen she grabbed a cookbook she had bought. "Homemade hot chocolate...yum, this looks great. Okay Romany can you get the milk and cocoa powder out of the fridge? I'll get the vanilla extract and sugar out." Beginning to warm the milk, she added all the ingredients until a warm chocolate aroma filled the air. "I've been craving chocolate so badly...it's probably around my monthly time." Kitty stopped dead when she said it...when was the last time she had her period anyway? She'd always been irregular, that's why she had been on birth control in the first place. Since she was fourteen she'd been taking the pill and she'd only forgotten twice in her whole life...and she'd doubled the next day just like the doctor said. Taking the cocoa off the stove, she poured it into glasses, "Let it cool for a minute, Romany..."
Romany eagerly ran to do as Kitty asked. She watched in fascination as the cocoa was made and served. She took a sip as soon as it was cool enough, even though she was impatient. Romany made a pleased sound as the hot drink warmed her up and tasted great. "Yummy. Thank you Kitty!" She hadn't been ignoring the girl so bad as to not hear what she said. Just more proof that Romany's suspicions might be right. "Back to the pretty view!" Romany grabbed one of Kitty's hands and led her back down to Kitty and Pete's room to watch the snow through the window again.
Kitty let Romany drag her back to the room. Setting their cups on the nightstand, she lay back, staring up at the window. "It is really pretty." The sky was a coal grey color, snowflakes drifting down lazily. "When I was a little girl in Illinois, I used to sit in my bedroom and watch the snow too. I used to pretend I was the snow queen!" Laughing, she took another sip of her hot cocoa, "What did you like doing as a little girl Romany?" Talking with the girl helped her open up more, but they'd never talked about before she was raped, always after. It would be a learning experience for sure.
Romany listened to Kitty's story about being the snow queen. It made her a little jealous that she never got to be the snow queen during playtime, but that was okay. She was too jealous. When Kitty asked about her youth, Romany eagerly piped in, "I used to get Peter to play house with me. Of course, most of the time he wanted to play knights, so usually it ended up being royal house, so I was a princess and he was a prince. He had a couple friends who would come over and they'd take turns being an evil king holding me hostage and the others got to be the knights who would rescue the princess!"
Kitty smiled, "That sounds fun! I didn't really have any friends...and I didn't have any brothers or sisters either. I always wanted them but...I was kind of lonely." Staring up at the snow, Kitty let her hands rest over her belly, "I bet Peter always saved you from the king, didn't he?"
Romany giggled and shook her head. "No, he liked to be the evil king and make the others fight him to save me. He was really good with the wooden swords they made, so he always made it a challenge to save me." She giggled more as the memories came back. "This one time, we found an old stray dog that loved us. So we took it home and dressed it as a dragon to help the evil king guard me. Of course it spent most of it's time licking me instead of guarding."
Laughing heartily, Kitty nodded, "Oh I can see Peter doing that. He likes to play big and bad but you nailed it on the head, he's really just a big old softy." The hot chocolate was really good, she had to admit. Since she took up cooking for Romany she'd really branched out from the meals she was used to and the girl loved to try all her new dishes. When she talked about the stray dog, Kitty smiled, "That sounds like a lot of fun." Sitting up just so, she looked over at the girl, "Would you like a puppy Romany? Once we move to the new house we could get one, there certainly seems to be enough room! I've seen the pictures of the place...I always wanted a dog."
Romany sat on her knees while Kitty talked about having a puppy. "I love Malamutes. Even though they're usually an American dog only, I just love 'em. They're so big and fluffy. And the way their tail curls." She gave an excited squeal. "Can we really get one? Do you think Peter would mind?" She hoped Peter would say yes. Of course, Romany had the magic touch when it came to him. All she had to do was pout was a little and beg and he was putty in her hands.
Dogs of any kind were fine with Kitty and if Romany wanted a malamute, she could have one. "They sound adorable! I'll look into getting us one once I talk to Peter...although I can't imagine he'd deny his favorite sister anything!" Smiling, she continued to scratch at her abdomen, "Jeez, I can't wait until those new clothes arrive!"
Romany giggled and playfully swatted Kitty. "I'm his only sister, which also makes me his least favorite." She gave a mischievous look to Kitty at that. She prided herself on being the real boss around here, even though Peter thought he was. It was almost too easy to get him to do as she wanted. When Kitty started to scratch her abdomen, Romany reached over to help. "Well, you don't leave the flat at all, so why not walk around naked? I'm sure Peter wouldn't mind."
"Romany Wisdom, I can't believe you just suggested that!" Kitty giggled, "I'm sure Peter wouldn't mind at all but I don't need to show off my fat butt!" Romany's fingers helping her scratch tickled her and she giggled, rolling onto her side. "I just need to stop all the sweets and go on a diet, although I do usually put on weight during the winter months for some reason." Something struck her though, Romany wasn't tickling anymore; she was just...poking. "Rom, what're you doing?"
Romany giggled at the fat butt remark. "You don't have a fat butt. Nurse Terry has a fat butt." She continued to scratch for a few moments before lightly poking on Kitty's belly. When questioned about it, Romany shrugged and tilted her head to the side, keeping her eyes on Kitty's belly. "Nothing, I'm just saying hello."
Chuckling, Kitty smiled, "Well my butt isn't as fat as Nurse Terry's but it's getting there." She was staring at Romany now in wonderment, "You're saying hello, Rom? What do you mean?" The girl was acting like she was pregnant or something. Suddenly the wave crashed over her head and Kitty was swallowed whole, "Oh shi—" Looking over at the girl, she swallowed, "Crap. Oh my god, Romany..." Scrambling to sit up, she reached over to grab her calendar, "I've been on the pill since I was in high school. I never forgot to take it!" Counting the days, she became more frantic as she did, "Oh god, Romany...I'm three months pregnant!"
Romany watched Kitty for a bit with a confused look. "Well of course you're pregnant. Jeez, even I saw it, and I'm not the one putting on weight like a wrestler at an all you can eat buffet." She giggled a little and pulled Kitty into a hug. "How can tell how pregnant you are? Don't you need a doctor to tell you that?" That's how it was when momma was pregnant with Peter anyway, they'd needed a doctor to know how far along she was.
What in the...Romany had noticed? "Why didn't you say anything Rom? I didn't have any morning sickness, I mean I'm tired but...that's it!" Grabbing her planner, she showed the girl the pages, "Okay that red mark is the last time I got my period...by that count, I have to be just less than three months pregnant." She must've gotten pregnant that night she and Peter made love seven times... "I do need to go to the doctor and make sure but..." She pressed her hand on the slight swell there, "I'm pretty sure." Standing up, she bit her lip...she couldn't leave Romany alone and she couldn't bring her with. "Do you think Nurse Terry would come examine me? I need to figure this out before I tell Peter...he's going to be angry with me!" The man was reluctant to marry her, how would he handle news of a child?
Romany giggled at Kitty's frustration. "Of course I knew. It's almost the same as when momma was pregnant with Peter. She started gaining weight," She ticked off one finger, "She had funny cravings...like the hot cocoa, although it'll get worse later on. She was always tired and sore. She started going to bed earlier and she had an itchy belly." Romany gave Kitty a look like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Nurse Terry doesn't do babies I don't think," She shrugged, "but you can try."
"If she can do a blood test and an ultrasound that's all I care about." Kitty said near frantically. Gently running her fingers over Romany's dark hair, she smiled meekly, "Thank you for helping me realize this, Rom. God only knows I would be nine months pregnant wondering why my diet was failing." How could Kitty have been so blind? Standing up, she grabbed the phone, dialing the number to St. Michael's by heart. The voice that picked up was, thankfully, Nurse Terry's, "Hello, Terry this is Kitty Pryde...no, Romany is fine, it's me who's having a problem. Peter's out on business and I-I'm pretty sure I'm pregnant...please, Nurse Terry, money is no object I just...I need to confirm it and make sure the baby is okay. "For several seconds she was quiet and then sighed, "I should be about two or three months...yes I know I should've known before, I've just been irregular my whole life. You'll come now? Oh thank you, thank you so much!" Hanging up the phone, Kitty lay back down next to Romany, "You get to see your old friend Nurse Terry; she'll be here in fifteen minutes."
Romany smiled and curled up with Kitty on the bed. "It'll be nice to see her again." She rubbed a hand over Kitty's belly and grinned. "So...do you think it'll be a boy or a girl? I'm personally voting for a nephew." She had always wanted another little brother, but she could settle for a nephew instead. It would be about the same to her. "When are you going to tell Peter?"
This was so surreal...how could this possibly be happening? She was pregnant… but how? Okay, so she knew how...but she was on the pill, she'd never once forgotten since coming to England. Romany's warm hand running across her abdomen made Kitty smile though; she was excited about this baby. But something shocked her, "Romany y-you want me to have a little boy?" She was always so wary about men, she wondered why this baby would be different, "I just hope the baby is healthy...I haven't had any checkups yet, I just hope he or she is okay." Letting her hand come to rest on the pert bump in her abdomen, she just sighed, "I have no idea Rom. I haven't seen Peter in a couple of weeks except out of a bleary eye when he comes to or leaves bed." Smiling softly, she gave the girl a grin, "Maybe it'll be his Christmas gift." They'd already decided to do a joint Chanukah/Christmas on Christmas day, just for Romany. "What do you think?"
Romany grinned and nodded. "Yeah I want it to be a little boy. I always wanted another little brother, but momma left after Peter was born, so that never happened." She shrugged and sat up quickly. "A nephew works just as well for me." She gently poked Kitty's belly once more. "The baby will be healthy. You eat like a health nut anyway, so there's no way it couldn't be." When she mentioned Peter Romany frowned. "He's spending too much time away on this house. He should just buy it and do the modernizing projects out of his own money. It's not like he doesn't have enough." When talk turned to the holidays, Romany grinned again. "That'll be a huge surprise for him." Her grin turned mischievously, "I like it."
"He'll be so lucky to have an aunt like you Romany; I bet you'll spoil him rotten!" Laughing, she carefully sat up in bed. "And you can help me feed him and rock him to sleep...and maybe I'll give you ALL the dirty diapers!" She teased. Kitty nearly stopped dead...she wanted this baby. She wanted this baby more than she'd ever wanted anything before in her life. "Okay, we'll make it our little secret...after all, Christmas is only two weeks away, I probably won't get huge in that time and that way it'll be the best Christmas he's ever had..." Or the worst, if he didn't want a baby. A short rapping on the door brought Kitty out of her thoughts, "Wait here, I'll make sure it's Nurse Terry." Bounding to the door she peeped through the hole to find the chubby middle aged woman carrying something heavy. Opening the door, Kitty smiled, "Thank you for coming." Immediately a bag was thrust at her.
Terry Bradshaw barreled into the room, closing the door behind her. "I don't have the resources to do a blood test but I brought a home pregnancy test. Go take it...I'll set up this ultrasound machine." She said sternly, but as she saw Romany in the bedroom she smiled broadly, "Well look at you!" She said brightly, "You look wonderful Romany, Sara and Mindy send their love."
When Nurse Terry addressed her, Romany's head snapped around. She saw the plump nurse smiling at her and jumped from the bed. Bounding over she hugged the woman in a tight hug. "Nurse Terry!" She held on tightly for a long time before finally letting go. She did a little twirl to show off the dress she was wearing, "Do you like it? It's one of Kitty's. How are Sara and Mindy? Tell them hello for me."
Kitty nodded and went into the bathroom. Pee on the stick, wait five minutes...easy enough. Washing her hands thoroughly she walked out, putting the cap back on the test as instructed. "Okay...now we wait."
Nurse Terry smiled, "I certainly will, Romany." Patting her back gently, she smiled, "My you look wonderful! It looks like you've been eating all your fruits and veggies; I haven't seen you looking so wonderful in ages." Casting a glance over at Kitty she smiled, "Come lay down on the couch, I borrowed this from a friend of mine. It's not the greatest machine money can buy but for twenty-five thousand pounds it does the trick."
Romany nodded to everything Nurse Terry said. "Kitty and Peter make sure I eat everything that I'm supposed to. Especially Kitty. She's the cook around here." Romany suddenly started to clap and bounce excitedly. "And sometimes, like earlier, she let's me help. And she's gonna teach me all sorts of wonderful things. And they have a Mercedes, and its super fast, unless Peter drives it because he doesn't really own it." It was like a dam had burst inside of her and everything came tumbling out all at once when Nurse Terry asked. Romany just couldn't stop until Kitty returned and they had to go about checking her out.
Smiling nostalgically, Nurse Terry made sure Kitty was lying down before starting her examination. "Why that's wonderful Romany, you've very lucky to have such a wonderful family." Pressing lightly on Kitty's belly and around her ribs the woman frowned slightly, "Well there's no doubt in my mind that you're pregnant...Romany would you bring me that test please?" The girl, ever eager to please, grabbed it and bounced over. Grasping the tip, Nurse Terry nodded, "Yes, you're most certainly pregnant. What do you girls say we take a look at the baby then?"
Romany bounced excitedly and nodded. "Yes, let's look. I wanna see it. I told Kitty I was hoping for a nephew." She looked so excited it would be a wonder if she could refrain from telling Peter when he got home. But she was determined; after all she'd promised Kitty it'd be a secret so they could surprise him for the holidays.
"Come on then, come sit by me," Kitty urged, holding out her hand as Nurse Terry lifted up her shirt. For the first time she really looked at her belly...how had she not known? She had always been a thin girl and there was definitely roundness to her belly that had never been there before. The cold gel startled Kitty and she giggled, "Wow that's icy!" Slowly, the nurse began to rub the thick white wand over her belly until a muffled swishing sound could be heard. "Is that...is that the baby's heartbeat?" Nurse Terry smiled and nodded...Kitty couldn't believe it; she was hearing her baby's heartbeat for the first time. And all she kept wishing was that Peter was here to hear it.
Romany sat beside Kitty and watched in utter fascination at how this was done. When Kitty was startled by the cold gel, Romany couldn't but laugh at the look on her face. "You look silly." And when the heartbeat started Romany sighed. "That sounds like Peter's did when he was in momma. The nurse then said it was a strong heartbeat." She looked smugly at Kitty. "I still say it'll be a boy." Romany grinned and looked at Nurse Terry. "Is there a picture? When Peter was being grown they showed us a picture. I hope there is, then we can take it and show it to Peter when we tell him."
Terry laughed, "Well we won't be able to tell the sex of the baby for another few weeks. But boy or girl, this little one is coming along very nicely. Both mommy and baby are doing fine; you're in remarkable shape, Miss Pryde. Why, I daresay you have what looks like a textbook pregnancy! Just keep eating right and steadily gain weight...you'll do fine." When Romany spoke of a picture, she smiled and nodded. "Sure, I'll print one out. It's not as high quality as some of the hospital ones but until you can see a real obstetrician, this will be fine." Wiping the rest of the gel off Kitty's stomach, she gave the girl a look, "You need to begin seeing an OBGYN or a midwife. You're going to need prenatal vitamins and things of that nature. I'm not a doctor so I can't prescribe them...if you want I can refer you to my OBGYN, she'll do house visits for you and home delivery too so Romany can be present, if you like."
Kitty stared at the picture on the screen her eyes tearing up. Her baby was...small and oddly shaped...but so very beautiful. Suddenly everything Belle and Laura were saying was clicking...she understood everything they felt, all the joy and wonderment and fear. "That would be most appreciated. I want Romany to be an active participant in this. After all, she is the baby's aunt!"
Peter had a long day with his friend at the office to acquire the Chatsworth place. Well, actually, he'd had a long month there. The owners who'd had it being used for a tourist attraction and were renting it out for movies had been a bit on the stubborn side. They were eager to sell for what he was offering, but they didn't want to make the repairs, or modernize it with toilet facilities and the like. But they had never met Pete before; he was the king of stubborn when he wanted to be. Today they'd gotten the good news, the owners had finally agreed and the place would be ready just after the holidays. He had rushed home immediately to tell the girls the good news. When he got to the door he inserted his key and started to open it, "Girls! I'm home. I've got great..." His words trailed off at the site of Nurse Terry there with Kitty and Romany. "News...umm, hello Nurse Terry." He glanced between the three. "Did I miss something? Romany, you're alright...right?"
As soon as Romany heard the keys in the door she'd pushed Nurse Terry and shoved the machine into the fridge. "Hide it!" She said in just above a whisper. "It's a surprise. He's not supposed to know yet." When Peter entered, Romany nodded. "Of course I'm okay, Peter." She put her hands on her hips and fixed him with her best little girl 'don't be stupid' face. She then bounded over and gave him a hug and a kiss. "Nurse Terry just stopped by for a visit. She wanted to tell me that Sara and Mindy missed me and to make sure I was eating healthy."
Kitty scrambled to her feet as Peter started walking in. On today of all days he came home early! Romany was quick on her feet though; she grabbed the ultrasound machine, much to Nurse Terry's dismay, and put it in the refrigerator. Kitty sat down, pulling her sweater down around her belly and pretended to be reading a magazine...all the while her face glowed bright red. "Oh Peter!" She said after a minute, standing up she walked over, kissing him lightly...she was inordinately careful not to press up against him lest he feel the swell of her belly. "Yes, it's just as Romany said...Nurse Terry just stopped by to say hello." He wasn't buying it; she could see it in his eyes. Or maybe she was just paranoid...
Peter wasn't buying it at all. Not one bit. Nurse Terry had never stopped by to check on Romany before. It was always a phone call or they went to take her in to get checked on. He also didn't miss the little nuances in their voices. They were both lying to him, and from the nervous look on Nurse Terry's face, her eyes darting to the fridge at random times, Peter was certain something was up. But he could play it off. "Oh that's good. Well like I said, I have news." He set his stuff down and gave Romany and Kitty each a kiss. "We got a message today. The owners finally gave in and they're going to modernize everything for us at the Chatsworth house. It'll be ready right after the holidays." Romany squealed and hugged him fiercely. He returned it and then started toward the kitchen. "We can move in as soon as it's done. Blimey, I'm thirsty. I'm gonna grab a drink...Romany want to share a soda?" The girl almost tackled him to get him away from the fridge, but Peter dodged her. "Hey, calm down. It's just a soda. You can just say no if you don't want to share." He opened the fridge and stopped. What the hell? Pulling out the little machine, Peter held it up and turned to the three girls. "Someone want to explain what an ultrasound machine is doing in me fridge?"
"Peter that's wonderful! Oh I can't wait until we move! That way we can really get started on Romany's healing...we can cook there and do laundry, even learn to drive! Oh I can't wait!" But as he moved toward the fridge, Kitty nearly had a heart attack. She would've tackled Peter on the way to the fridge but Romany got there first...besides, in her current condition it probably was not a good idea. The jig was up...or was it? "Oh...well Romany was asking me about babies and where they come from. And since I-I wasn't sure what would be okay to help her I called Nurse Terry and umm...she brought the machine to show us. She even used the machine on Romany...good news, Romany isn't pregnant!" Yes, but I am...Kitty added to herself. Would he buy it or were they really in deep trouble?
It was very professional the way Nurse Terry handled everything. With a smile and a nod she grabbed the machine from the fridge, "If you need anything else, Miss Pryde, don't hesitate to call. I'm always here for Romany." With that she grabbed her coat and was out the door in a flash. The family needed time by themselves.
Peter looked at the girls curiously. He waved to Nurse Terry as she left and then stared at them. Yeah, something was up. He knew better, Romany was older than him, and he'd learned sex ed in school. That meant she'd learned it long before him, and already knew everything. He reached into the fridge to pull out a soda and spotted a little piece of photo paper. He pulled it out and saw what looked like a still forming baby and held it up. "Okay...then what's this?"
Kitty gave him a very serious look, "Well...that," She swallowed hard, "Is your Christmas present." Sitting back down on the couch, she waited for him to start screaming and yelling. Pressing her hand to her belly, she shook her head. "Peter I swear I didn't deceive you...I was just going about my day when suddenly I realized I hadn't gotten my period in a few months, I've always been irregular so..." Looking over at him she sighed, "I know you don't care about that. I just..." Running her fingers through her hair, she closed her eyes and sat back, "You're going to be a father."
The soda can that Peter had been holding dropped to the floor with a thud and started to spray soda everywhere. But Peter didn't seem to notice. His jaw hung open slightly as he watched his girlfriend and his sister, the latter who was smiling and nodding. He'd suspected when he saw the photo, but to have it confirmed...it was almost too much. He walked over to the couch and flopped down heavily on it. "Are you sure? I thought you were taking birth control?"
Kitty looked over at him, tears running down her cheeks. "I am...I mean I was taking birth control. I've been on it since I was fourteen I just...I guess your little swimmers were just too strong. I mean, we were doing it every single night...and not just once." Pressing her face into her hands, she let out a sob, "I'm sorry, Peter, I'm so sorry I...I just," She swallowed hard, one hand coming to rest on her belly, "I want this baby more than I could've ever imagined. I know I said that I wanted to wait until I was older, to live my life but...now that it's happened, I'm not sorry. I'm so happy..." Turning her watery eyes to him, she sniffled, "Do you hate me?"
Peter listened to her and glanced at Romany. The girl was giving him a look that clearly said if he didn't answer properly he'd probably wind up through the window. He turned back to Kitty and smiled. "No, I don't hate you. I just…it's a shock, you know?" He put an arm around her and pulled her into a tight embrace. "I would have been upset a month ago, two months ago but now…I'm not. I don't have to go back to work; I can live with you both on what I have saved up. Most of it is going into stocks and other investments, so it'll earn even more money. No need for me to ever return to work. I can spend all my time with you, and the baby, and not have to worry about leaving 'em without a father one day."
Wrapping her arms around him, she held onto him for dear life as she cried into his shoulder. "Oh god, when we were sitting here...all I could think about was how you were going to be so angry with me and upset." Holding him even tighter, she swatted the fat tears running down her eyes, "I'm three months pregnant Peter...all of it, when we were fighting Morph, when we were at the lake...I was carrying you child then. I can't believe I never figured it out..." Laughing suddenly she sat back and lifted up her shirt, "I was complaining how I needed to go on a diet because none of my...or your, pants fit me. Well now it makes sense." There, for his (and Romany's) eyes only, was the soft swell of her belly. "I can't believe that things have turned out like this..."
Peter looked at her belly for a moment and then placed his hand on it. "I'm surprised you're not upset. I mean...you did tell off Rasputin when he all but demanded you become a baby factory for him." He leaned over and kissed Kitty thoroughly on the lips. "I just...well I figured with that mentality on it you'd want to wait for a few years." He grinned as he saw Romany sneaking out of the room to give them some alone time. "You know, when we go back to America, he's going to flip out right? I got ten quid says he tries to accuse me of brain washing you."
Placing her hand over his on her belly, she smiled. Kissing him tenderly, she let out a heavy sigh. "I've come to the conclusion that I never really loved Piotr. I was in love with the idea of him...strong man, wanted to take care of me. But he didn't really care for me, he just wanted a willing woman to cook his meals, bear his children and warm his bed." Looking into his eyes, she smiled softly, "You love me. I can feel it in my soul. And I think this happened for a reason...I mean if you can fire through ten years of regulated birth control, I have to hand it to you." Running her hand over the swell there, she closed her eyes, "But it happened and we're going to be a family, you, me, Romany and this baby. And when I think about it that way, what does it matter if I get pregnant now or in five years? We're just extending the family sooner."
Peter grinned at Kitty, feeling a slight swell of pride that he had strong swimmers. That was quickly bashed aside when he thought about her having been on birth control at the time. Peter knew nothing about medicine other than basic battlefield care, which had nothing to do with babies. "You don't...you don't think that having gotten pregnant while on birth control will hurt the baby any do you? I mean...that's supposed to stop you from being pregnant, so...I mean…shit, I'm just being stupid and worrying. Don't mind me."
Kissing him again, she smiled. "I think you being the protective daddy is absolutely adorable." She said softly, resting her head against his shoulder. "Nurse Terry said I was very healthy and the baby is looking great...although I need to start seeing an OBGYN to get prenatal vitamins and the like. She recommended her own doctor and she said that the woman does home care and home delivery...you know, so Romany can be a part of this too." Everything seemed perfect, truly. Leaning her head against his shoulder, she sighed happily. "I love you, Peter."
Peter grinned and picked Kitty up. "I'm glad to hear it is all good." He carried her down the hall and into their bedroom. "I'm tired, long day and all with those people." He set her down on the bed and kicked off his shoes. He crawled onto the bed then and wrapped his arms around her, one hand falling onto her belly. "Wake me up in a couple hours, yeah?" He placed a kiss on Kitty's head and closed his eyes, sleeping taking him over in a few moments.
Kitty laughed heartily as he carried her into the bedroom, laying her on the bed as he settled himself next to her. One of his arms wrapped around her body, pulling her close to him, and the other fell to her abdomen, the place where his child grew within her. Smiling, she kissed his cheek, "Romany will wake us." And with that she let the exhaustion overtake her. Finally Peter was here with her, their baby between them and the future looking as bright as the snow drifting lazily over the English countryside.