A/N:- Just in case anyone didn't know, I went back and tweaked the previous chapter slightly, because, well, I went back and realised I wasn't 100% happy with it :(. Oh, well. At least I am now :). More or less :P
You should be happy to tell your mother that your wife is pregnant. It should be a joyous occasion, not one that gives you a resigned feeling. You shouldn't be thinking that you should just get it over with, rip off the band-aid, so to speak, because your mother will just make assumptions, ones that you know are not going to be fulfilled, because it just doesn't sit well with either of you. Now Dimitri hadn't explicitly said that his mother would expect me to leave work, probably just in case he was wrong, but that was the impression I was getting. Of course, he wasn't dreading the big reveal, like I had been with my parents, but something told me he was expecting an argument. Granted, we thought that my mother wouldn't think it a good idea to have kids at all, but she was already buying onesies. His might surprise us too.
I was currently sitting on the sofa with my laptop, attempting to finish a propsal I wanted to make to the Guardian Council. Dimitri had just left to meet Mikhail at the garages, so they could go pick up his side of the family, who were visiting for Dimitri's thirty-first birthday. He would be gone for at least three hours, so that left me plenty of time to finish my proposal for the novice curriculum – I wanted to introduce something like a 'Carreers Day' for the sixth graders, where they shadowed a guardian from their school for a few hours. But, of course, instead of finishing my report – which no-one was expecting, so it's not like I had a deadline – I spent those few hours worrying about what Olena was going to say. Or, well think. I had a feeling that even if she didn't approve of my decision not to leave the guardians, she might not say anything. That being said, she really was one of the sweetest women I knew, so I was convinced that this couldn't go as badly as Dimitri was predicting.
When I'd been panicking about my parents, I'd been viewing my mother's reaction as a worst case scenario, but with Dimitri, it was more of a resignation. It was a sure thing: Olena was not going to like the fact that I was not going to retire. But, as Dimitri pointed out when we were telling my parents, everyone who's not happy, will get over it. Eventually. I'd been left alone with those unhappy musings for about an hour, tyring to simultaneously write up my report, when I heard the front door open, and Fane, a member of the Royal Guard, and one of our closest neighbours, walked in.
"Don't mind me, just need some milk," he called, waving a jug, as he strode into the kitchen. When he got it however, instead of leaving, he came into the sitting room, put his half-full jug on the coffe table, and sat on the sofa where I was sitting cross-legged, and looked expectant. He was an average sized, stocky twenty-eight year old, newest member of the guard, with hair blonder than Lissa's, and the thickest romanian accent I have ever heard. And I grew up with Emil.
"What?" I asked, when he did nothing more than look at me.
"Well let me see it," he said, as though it was obvious.
"See what?"
"The babies!" Fane said that, as though I really should have known.
"You saw the latest ultrasound yesterday," I told him, "I'll have nothing more recent until next week. Patience man, patience."
"I don't mean that," he said rolling his eyes, "Let's see the baby bump!"
"What?" I asked, in disbelief, "Why on earth would you want to see that? I'm not even showing yet."
"Because you showed Iosif and Harry, and they said it was cute."
"Okay, first of all," I said, shifting my postion slightly, "Those two have never said the word 'cute' in their lives. It's doubtful they even know what it means. Second of all, they walked in on me changing. I purposefully showed them nothing. And thirdly, why are you guys gossiping about my stomach?"
He shrugged. "Because I don't think any Royal Guard has ever had a baby. At least not one that has lived with them. I'm not even sure there's been a woman on the guard for at least sixty yeats. Miracle of life, and all that. You are growing people! Let us celebrate with you! Now lets see." He looked expectant again. I sighed, and pulled up my T-shirt, to reveal a tiny baby bump, only marginally bigger than it was three weeks ago.
"Happy?" I asked, pulling it down again.
Fane thought about it. "Fairly happy, yes. Can I feel them kick?"
"I felt them moving yesterday," I told him grinning. It had been an momentous occasion, one that had me laughing with joy. "But you won't be able to feel them on the outside for another few weeks. Sorry."
Fane was slightly dissappointed. We talked a bit more after that. Did we know the genders, when was my due date exactly, were they identical. We also discussed security for Lissa's upcoming trip to Alder Academy next month. Having him there really helped pass the time, and by the time he left, I only had about thirty minutes left to make myself worry about what the Belikovs were going to say. Ben, I knew, would be thrilled.
Finally, I got a text from Dimitri, saying that they had just pulled in at the garages, and they would be over in half an hour, once everyone was settled into the guest dorms. Christian came down a few minutes after that.
"So still worried about the mother-in-law?" Christian asked, sitting down in the armchair nearest the door. "When do they get here anyway?"
"I'm okay," I told him, putting away my laptop. "Dimitri hasn't really said anything, or warned me, so if his mom's not going to be happy, then I don't really think that I should worry too much." I shrugged. "Can't be that bad. And," I looked at my watch, "About twenty-five minutes or so."
"She can't really think that you'd leave work right, I mean has she met you?"
"I don't know," I answered, "Dimitri hasn't really said anything, so either it won't be terrible, or he just doesn't want to worry me. He really hasn't said anything to you?"
"I've just been picking up the same vibes as you," Christian responded shrugging. "Anyway, I only came down, because Lissa's got to meet with the Taurus prince, and can't make dinner. She'd tell you herself, but she's has to make some preparations for the meeting."
"How bad?" Upon closer inspection, Christian looked a bit tired, and disgust laced the word 'Taurus'.
His face turned slightly grim. "Remember the age decree six years ago? You know how Tatiana only approved that to slow down the pro-compulsion faction?" How could I forget. "Well, looks like he's trying to make some progress on that. Lissa wants to nip this in the bud as soon as she can, and that unfrotunately means cancelling diner. Oh, and I'd keep Olena and Dimitri's sisters away from him incase he tries to compel them into service."
I rolled my eyes. This faction had resurfaced three years ago, and Lissa had shot down their movement pretty quick. "Lets hope she can get rid of them again," I said to Christian grimly, "Guardians might be loyal to moroi, but if any of them tried forcing their sisters and cousins into service, there would be a revolt. The moroi would end up with no guardians at all."
Christian nodded, and left just then, telling me that he'd suggested Lissa compel prince Taurus, and see how he liked it. "She didn't go for that suggestion for some reason," Christian remarked in mock confusion on his way out the door. A few minutes later the door opened again, and I heard a cry of "Aunt Rose!" before six year old Zoya came tearing into the sitting room, the soon-to-be-six Rurik hot on her heels. They jumped on me, but I managed to catch them in a way that protected my stomach.
"Hey guys! Oh, let me get a look at you two, you've gotten so big..." After kissing the pair of them to death, they went to play in mine and Dimitri's room, and I got to greet everyone else.
"Whoa," I exclaimed, catching sight of Paul. Everything was being said in russian. "Are planning on stopping growing anytime soon? Because I already feel like a midget with everyone, you're just making it worse." At fifteen, Paul was nearly unrecognizeable as the little boy I'd first met six years ago. He was catching up on his father, Dimitri and Ben height-wise, already passing out his step-father, and Savva. He just shrugged, and flopped down on the sofa.
"Not my fault you're tiny."
"Paul," Saveliy scolded playfully, "It's not nice to remind people of how miniscule they are."
"Gee, thanks," I said, giving him a hug. I then put my hands on my hips. "Oi, nephew of mine. Where's my hug? Or are you too cool to hug your aunt?" Paul sighed, before giving me a huge hug, then flopping back down on the couch.
"Of course I'm not too cool to hug my tiny, tiny aunt."
After a few more greetings, and hugs, and jokes about how everybody but Yeva was taller than me, we all sat down, twenty-one month old Yulian playing on the floor with Paul. For a teenage boy, he was really good with his sister and cousins.
"So, what's your big news?" Viktoria asked from her place next to her mother on the loveseat. Ben was sitting on the arm next to Olena. Yeva was in the armchair closest to the door, with me on Dimitri's lap in the other armchair. Saveliy had grabbed a chair from the dinning room, with everyone else on the sofa. I looked at Dimitri accusingly.
"What did you say?"
"I only said," he told me slowly, "That we had big news. I did not, though I was interrogated for the entire car journey, tell them what the news was." Ben, who knew full well what our news was, looked ecstatic.
"Calm down, Rozochka. You're probably just hormonal," he pointed out grinning.
"Why would she be hormonal?" Sonya asked confused. Everyone else looked just as confused, except Yeva, who looked suspicious, and Yulian, who had no clue what was going on.
"Well," Dimitri began, glancing at me and grinning, "Pregnant women tend to be, if memory serves." Silence. Complete and utter silence, except for Ben, who clapped his hands together, and Yulian who was making 'vroom-vroom' noises. Karolina recovered first.
"Um, how exactly did you get pregnant?"
"Well mom," Paul said, turning to her, "When a man and a woman love each other very, very much, they hug in a special way – "
"Yes, Paul, thank you," she interrupted sharply. She turned back to me and Dimitri. "How did you get pregnant, if you've claimed to only have ever slept with my brother? And why are you happy?" That last part was directed at her father.
"Because Dima told me what they were doing before they went," Ben answered her.
There was a chorus of "Went where?" from nearly everyone. Dimitri and I glanced at each other again.
"Did you know," I said, "That the moroi have a sperm clinic."
"A sperm clinic," Viktoria repeated slowly. "You went to a sperm clinic. So you haven't..." I shook my head, I knew what she was insinuating. There was a pause, before she said "A sperm clinic. That's strange, even for you two."
There was a few more minutes of silence before Ben jumped up exclaiming "What is the matter with all of you? Dima and Rose are about to have a baby! We should be happy for them!" He strode over, and shook his son's hand, before kissing me on the cheek. "Congratulations."
As before, Karolina was once again the first to recover, "You're going to have a baby." She turned to her brother. "Dima, you're going to be a father!" She stood up, laughing slightly, and came over to hug the two of us. "This is fantastic! When did you go? When are you due? Isn't this amazing?" She turned to the rest of her family.
"Only if you pay me better than Viktoria and Sonya for babysitting," Paul said, standing up to congratulate us. After that, everyone else seemed to realise that this was a good thing, and folllowed suit. Pretty soon everyone got over the shock. More or less.
"I can't believe you knew what they were planning, and didn't say anything!" Olena said to her husband, elbowing him, after we all say down again.
"I was sworn to secrecy," Ben said. "I didn't even know they went, until Dimitri said they had big news." He looked at Dimitri and me, smiling. "This really is wonderful. So, tell us, tell us, how far along are you? When are you due?"
"Fifteen weeks, as of two days ago, and the end of January," I told them. Yeva started doing some mental math.
"You got pregnant in the beginning of May, correct?" she asked. We nodded. "Then you should be due at the end of February, not January."
"True," Dimitri said, "But twins are normally born at around thirty-six weeks, not forty."
"Twins?" Savva exclaimed. We nodded again.
"It's IVF, what did you expect?" I pointed out. Everyone turned out to be really happy for us. They were really happy when they found out about the twins. There was no mention of my having to leave work, or take a nine-to-five desk job, for which I was grateful. Looked like Dimiri's forbodings came to nothing. Olena didn't seem to be concerned about my work at all. This was great, this was wonderful, knowing that we had the full support of both of our families. Well, I thought we did. Turns out, I really should have waited for dinner before I started celebrating.