Now peace is so hard to find
We're terrorized and victimized
But that's when I close my eyes
And think of you to ease my mind
You take me to another place
There's no more war
Just love and grace
Baby you restore my faith
I know the struggle's not in vain
When it's cold outside
There's no need to worry
cause
I'm so warm inside
You give me peace
When the storm's outside
Cause we're in love
I know
It'll be alright
Alright
It's alright...
Refuge (When It's Cold Outside) – John Legend
-o-
Chapter 52: The Day was Beautiful
The day was beautiful and sweet, the sun shining beyond a few pale wisps of clouds that were pushed along by the cold breeze. The surrounding trees, mostly bare of their leaves, had a few stubborn leaves that danced upon the gentle prodding of the same breeze. Down below in an open sloping field, on the leaf covered grounds of a grand estate, a small group of people were standing around two stone slabs in the ground. It was close to three other stone slabs, two of them bearing the name of the Dupont clan and one of Brandt.
The day, as beautiful as it was, seemed to be mocking those gathered around the grave markers, their heads bowed in solemnity. For despite how sweet the day, it was a day of pure sorrow. Those who were gathered were closest to the ones who had passed. A true family.
Sidonie Brandt nee Dupont was buried near her parents on the grounds of their estate in France. She was beside the first love of her life: her husband who had died of an illness many years before. Yannick, (known as Yann), who had been Sido's bodyguard in the public eye and her lover behind closed doors, was given the honor of being buried on the right side the woman he loved, to guard her in death as he had in life.
The small group of people were paying their final respects, a last hurrah before a new chapter was to begin. The couple who stood at the head of this small group had their hands intertwined, the woman's round belly showing that she was very heavy with the life she carried inside her. The lives that had been lost had not died in vain and they would not be forgotten.
Bruce would make sure that Ana would be all right…
-o-
Ana was sitting on a stone bench that was nestled among some bushes, her gaze focused on the fountain that spouted in the middle of the lily pond some distance away. The last time she had been here, it had been a joyous time. One in which her aunt had moved on her own for the first time in a long time, where her love for Bruce had been brought to seed within her womb, where her mother had been alive…
She absently rubbed her belly, feeling the rolling movement of one of the twins reacting to her touch. She allowed a soft smile to tilt her lips upwards and she glanced downwards, her deep brown eyes filled with a wistful sadness. "Hello mon petit," she said in response to the movement. "Which one of you was it that moved? It's hard to tell..."
It had been a month since the funeral.
How the time had passed, Ana did not know. She only knew that each day had bled into the next. An endless stream of hours that didn't register with her grief stricken mind. She wasn't the only one to have fallen into such a state. Her Aunt Jenn had locked herself away in her room the day after the funeral and refused to move an inch. She didn't eat or drink anything, she refused whatever aid that was offered to her. Thankfully, she was still connected to Jarvis. Tony had issued commands to the AI to take full care of the quadriplegic woman. The end result was that Jarvis had taken full control of her suit, ensuring that she got the vital nutrients and movement her body required to keep from failing.
Jenn had not said anything or done anything in response. She didn't refuse the AI's help but she certainly was not being an active participant in her own well being. It seemed the only one she wanted close to her was Jarvis. And Ana of course…
She was completely catatonic save for the time Ana was with her. This past month meant that Ana had been spending day in and day out with her aunt, making sure that she was at least responsive to another human on a regular basis. If Ana had not been so concerned about her own unborn children, she was sure she would have fallen into the same deep, dark abyss of grief that her aunt was currently in and her own health giving way…
However, she didn't and she couldn't.
For her own grief, Bruce had been her anchor. He was there with her through every moment of the day and night. Holding her when she cried, being calm and patient when her own irrational anger flared thanks to the grief mixed with the pregnancy hormones, loving her when she was about to drown in her own tears and craving something tangible to keep her afloat…
Her husband had taken his vows to heart and he was doing all he could to ensure his wife did not lose her own sanity in the process of trying to be an anchor for her aunt.
This past month had been trying emotionally and physically for the family. Thankfully, Tony Stark and Pepper Potts had been there to handle everything else. They had taken care of overseeing the pharmaceutical company the sisters owned but it was Pepper who had overseen the details of the funeral and the reading of the will. Of course, Ana had inherited Sido's portion of the business but recent changes had been made to the will about a month and a half before Sido's death.
She had officially claimed Bruce as one of her beneficiaries with a few stipulations that had come into effect thanks to a life changing decision he had made. Even if they were to have never married, even if life had been crueler than it had been and they had never made it as a couple, Sido had been thankful to the man for bringing her daughter the type of love that Ana never would have truly known with anyone else.
He would have been financially well off and would have had no need to ever be around any other human while struggling to keep his calm day to day. He would have been able to live in relative peace away from everyone and everything just because he would have had everything he needed to see him through. However, because he had married Ana, he now had gained even more of the inheritance of the Dupont-Brandt family fortune. He now owned thirty percent of the portion of the inheritance Ana had gained and was in possession of some incredible stock, bonds, and other investments within the company. With the company merging with Stark Industries not too long ago, that inheritance was a considerable amount. Not Tony Stark rich, but he was very well off.
This had no bearing on anything though.
Bruce's only concern was for the woman he loved more than his own life and for his children that she carried within her. He didn't care about wealth. He only cared that his family would be taken care of. The matriarch of the family had seen to it that his family would never want for anything, for which one could say he was very grateful for…
"You are… crying…"
The deep voice that spoke reached through the cloud of grief that hung over Ana's senses. She had paused in her ministrations of rubbing her pregnant belly, being twenty two weeks pregnant with twins a fact she was still getting used to. She raised her eyes and focused her gaze on the tall, russet-skinned man with the long, frazzled dark hair. He stood a yard away from her, his deep blue eyes studying her with a look that was a mix between longing and caution. He was dressed in beige slacks and a red polo shirt, his large hands were clenched at his sides as if he were trying to keep himself from reaching out.
Ana gave a small but very warm smile to the man who was Cin's- Erin's- twin brother. By extension, he was her half brother, since they shared half the same DNA. The past month had given Ana and Erai some time to get to know each other, though it was rare they had a moment alone. However, it helped that Cin was remembering her time from a life gone by and the love that overflowed from the depths of her heart for her twin rivaled that of her love for Hulk. Ana couldn't help but be affected by such love between the twins and her own love for Erai had been quick to grow. She sometimes wondered if her own twins would have such a connection. From her understanding of Lyttans and Pyragians, there was always a strong mental link among the pack, the family. When it involved twins though, the mental link between them was the strongest of all.
Wiping the tears from her cheeks, she let out a shuddering sigh. "I do not mean to but I can't help myself it seems. The hormones..." she said, trying to explain but not being able to find the words. She fell silent when she caught the understanding look in Erai's eyes. Of course he would know; he would understand better than anyone. He had a mental connection to her and could feel what she felt. It still took some getting used to.
Calming her troubled emotions, she moved along the bench and reached out to pat the empty space beside her. Something inside of her had shifted at that moment, whether it was from the longing she had seen in his blue eyes or the pulse of heat from the base of her neck which spread throughout her body, the deep feeling of mutual longing overcoming her, she gave in to the feeling. A month had passed and they had not had true time alone together, to truly get to know one another. "Come on then, sit down, mon frère."
He didn't move at first, his blue gaze studying her a moment longer before he finally took the first step. He took another and another until his hesitant steps finally bought him to the bench. He was slow in his movements, as if he were afraid he would startle her, as he turned around and sat down on the bench beside the woman who was (and wasn't) his sister. The silence between them was uncomfortable at best and the Lyttan man wasn't sure how to proceed. This was his sister and yet…
Ana decided enough was enough. She reached out and took his large hand in her own. The moment their hands clasped, red veins flowed down the length of their arms, wrists and fingers. Their bodies had recognized each other as they did so many years ago and all at once, the uncomfortable silence melted away to familiar comfort.
-o-
During the month that had passed, SHIELD had been working closely with Stark Industries in the hopes of locating those that called themselves the LIFE Foundation. Despite their best efforts, the group was very good at hiding themselves. Like Ana's group, they had a way of staying completely off SHIELD's radar and it was something that those closest to the family were not happy with. Thor had to once again leave Earth to return to Asgard, summoned by his father to deal with recent skirmishes that had been building up in the other realms. He was going to bring the news of the attack upon Ana and her family, the attack against a member of the House of Odin, to the All Father.
A month was too long for the Asgardian to wait for SHIELD to deal with this problem, he was going to ensure that this matter was dealt with and quickly. Normally, the All Father would not bother in the affairs of Midgardians. In fact, he was quite against associating with that particular realm at all if it could be helped. However, he had accepted Ana and her mate as members of his House, which meant she was under his strict protection. The fact that she had been attacked would not go over well with the King of Asgard. It would mean that Odin would not hesitate in granting whatever his son wished to ensure that those who attacked the ones under his protection would be captured and brought to judgement.
With the Abomination back in custody, the LIFE Foundation had fallen silent once again, slipping back into the bowels of whatever hole they had crawled out of. It was a needed reprieve but those that were keeping watch over the family kept a close eye out for anything out of place. They were not going to be caught off guard again…
-o-
Being twenty two weeks pregnant meant another ultrasound to determine the growth and health of the babies. It also meant another thing: Finding out if the twins would be boys or girls.
It was a bright spot that Bruce and Tony had been looking forward to. The good doctor could admit that he was nervous. Finding out that his wife was carrying twins was one thing but finding out if he would have to worry about sports or scaring off boys was another thing altogether. Not to mention that they were not fully human… He was worried there was no doubt of that. Yet it was such a beautiful reprieve from the aching grief that had been constant with his wife the past month. Ana was excited about the ultrasound but so achingly happy it was infectious. Tony was a nervous wreck though he tried to play it off in his usual cool manner: Not caring either way.
For once in a rare moment, Jenn was active and aware. She was moving on her own and waiting with the rest of the family to find out what to expect in either potential nieces or nephews. Pepper was there, a close and much needed member of the pack with all that had happened. Erai was there, the uncle from Cin's side of the family, and Jane was there as both support to the Lyttan and standing in place for Thor, who could not make it for obvious reasons. Happy was there as well, mostly out of respect.
The woman who had done the ultrasound the first time around was there to check on the progress of her patients. She had been excited to be flown out to the beautiful country of France: An all expenses paid trip for her and a significant other. She had taken her only child with her, a young son who was seven. It was an adventure for the young boy to go out of country and spend time with his mom. In return for such an opportunity, Teresa was keen to make sure her patient and her family would be happy with the care she gave.
It was in the Dupont home, in Ana's bedroom, that the ultrasound was taking place. Teresa knew what to expect this time around and she was just as excited as the rest of the family to find out what the twins would be. She was proficient in her movements as she rolled the ultrasound wand over Ana's growing belly, her eyes studying the monitor as the image began to form. A few keystrokes and a few more rolls of the wand took place before the image solidified.
The twins could be seen embracing one another but they were side by side this time, their little areas bare for all to see. It was a perfect view from an ultrasound perspective and Teresa was nearly elated to tell the news to the mom and dad to be.
"You should be so proud!" she said, her smile growing with each passing moment. "Boys to pass on the family name..." She paused as she rolled the wand over once more, studying the image closely. "Girls to nurture the family name..." She looked at Bruce Banner and his wife, her smile was honest and genuine. "You will have the best of both worlds. A boy and a girl. A beautiful set to make a family like yours complete."
Bruce could feel the relief and the fear at the same time. He would have the best of both worlds…
Ana laughed with relief, her heart filling over with love. "A boy and girl… Just like their mother and uncle!" She looked over to Erai, her smile filled with joy. The Lyttan could only return the smile, his own heart filling over with love. Of course, the twins would be like the original twins, it ran in the family.
Ana was giggling as she settled her brown gaze to her husband. "A boy and girl, mon amant, can you believe it?" She took his hand and pulled him down for a kiss. He was more than happy to return the kiss though his thoughts couldn't help but focus on the fact that he would have to worry about both potential sports and scaring off boys…
"So… Names? I suggest Tony and Pepper Jr.," said Tony, his smile both smug and sweet.
Neither Bruce nor Ana said a thing to Tony's suggestion in names for their twins. They were still caught up in the fact that they were having both a boy and girl…
-o-
(a/n) A segway filler but much needed. I have my own baby at home and, with a full time job, writing isn't a priority at the moment as you can tell considering how long of an update it was, though I wish it were a priority. So my question to you dear readers still interested in this little fanfic: What names would you like the twins to have? I'll leave it up to you completely since you have been so wonderful. Leave it in the reviews: I'll keep tally and the most common names to pop up among the reviews will be chosen.
Also, as a fanfic writer asking those artistically skilled, would someone draw or paint something about this fic? I would love to post an original artwork as a thumbnail or cover art. Pretty please? -=clasps her hands and begs sweetly=- It would make me so happy!
Love you always my old and new readers!
