Souless666: Amber is the smartest of all the babies and yes, she will not be forgetting anything that happened any time soon. As for Cooper, he's completely deluding himself about this whole thing and given the way he is normally…well let's just say it's not about to get prettier any time soon. Esha Napoleon: Thank you! EternalxInsanity: The babies are all cute in their own ways. Amber though, is the one you never want to piss off-and James is on the top of her shitlist for what happened to Mindy. NeroAnne: We'll find out sooner or later if you're right. And you hit the nail right on the head *hands you cookie for it* BellaHickenbottom: LOL I can picture that too. And if you think Cooper is pissy now? Yeah, you've seen nothing yet.
…
As James sat on the couch with Chelsea in one arm and Elizabeth in the other, he couldn't help do anything but keep his eyes averted on the little girls because of the searing glare Amber was giving him. She stood there still, studying him with those Mindy-like eyes and just itching for him to say something wrong to her. He had tried to say hello, but she barely acknowledged. He couldn't turn to Mindy for help, because she was busy planning something with Connor and Tryg, holding Snoopy tight in her arms and looking at James mischievously while drumming up whatever evil plan she and the boys had. Scarlett and Thorn were jumping up to sit on the couch with Oxa excitedly.
"Daddy! Daddy!" they both shouted harmoniously at him until James dipped his head back to see both of them.
"Ladies?" he responded gently, getting Oxa's nose pressing against his quickly and Thorn cackled like a wild woman.
"GOT YA!" she shouted while kissing a smiling James's cheek and flopping off to grab Oxa and run, while Scarlett could only sigh and place herself directly behind James's head and rest her bare pedicured feet on his shoulders since Chelsea and Elizabeth only made it up to his chest the way he was holding them.
"Lay back, Daddy…" Scarlett sighed like a beautician and started gently running her fingers through his hair, leaning down and giggling at the way his hair smelled.
"What?" he smirked while making himself comfortable, wrinkling his nose as Scarlett leaned all the way over him and upside-down Eskimo-kissed him.
"Your hair smells like vanilla" she said it almost as if it were an accusation, making him snigger and nod.
"Wanna know a secret?"
"What?" she leaned down and asked excitedly, beginning to run her fingers through his hair again lovingly as he spoke.
"I like vanilla"
"Of course you do…!" Mindy's voice came from the kitchen, how the hell she'd overheard him he'd never know. "All boys do, sillybuns!" Scarlett giggled before sitting upright and flipping her lengthy pin-straight blonde hair behind her shoulders.
"You look stressed, Daddy…" Scarlett sighed knowingly while beginning to massage his scalp with the tips of her fingers, "You need beauty sleep, exfoliating pore cleansers, avocado masks, and body butter…" he didn't look like himself that was fact, but what was even more astounding to him was that she knew all that shit at four years old, "Mommy's slacking with your skin, you are so handsome and she made you look terrible"
"Piss off, Scarlett Amy Lawson!" Mindy's voice boomed from the kitchen yet again and she could only shake her head as James's eyes widened.
"But don't worry…" Scarlett carried on carelessly while moving her fingers from his scalp to his temples, "Mommy taught me very nice how to give massages."
"Mhm…" he snickered, his mind going off to dirty places, "Mommy knows all kinds."
"Oh, seriously Dad?" Cooper's irritated whine made James suddenly become cross, "We understand enough that you're disgusting, do you have to give innuendos to the fucking kids too?"
"Hey, you watch your fucking language around the babies!" James sat up much to Scarlett's disappointment and shouted, making the three in the kitchen exchange glances worriedly as Cooper stared daggers at James.
"Who the hell do you think you are speaking about Mom that way?"
"Excuse me?" gently lowering Chelsea and preparing to hand Elizabeth off to Scarlett before charging Cooper, James scowled. "Wanna run that by me again?"
"Gladly! Mom's your wife, not some fucking slut in one of your movies! She's a human being not a machine!"
"Cooper!" James's teeth barred and he actually growled at him, "I'd quit right now if I were you before I give you a reason to bitch about me even more"
"Jamie…" Mindy frowned upon reentering the room, gently removing Elizabeth and kissing her forehead.
"No" James shook his head at her before glaring at Cooper, "I want to know what the FUCK is wrong with you, and I want to know right now."
"Why bother?" Cooper shrugged while walking towards the back door, "You're such a fucking hedonist anyway what the fuck would you care if I said something was wrong? You have robot wife" he motioned to Mindy which not only made her jaw drop, but James lunged for him as well and he went right out the back door.
"Jamie, no!" shaking her head and moving in front of him with Elizabeth to calm him down, neither of them even caught Amber slipping out behind Cooper and running after him as he curled in a corner with his head between his knees. "James…" Mindy pleaded and held a hand to his chest before he darted out there after him, "I called you 'James'…" she pouted a moment before shrugging and looking up at him, "Is that enough to clue ya in?" Wordlessly he clamped a hand in her hair and kissed her before hugging both her and Elizabeth close, craning his neck to try and see what the rest of the kids were doing, and they all seemed to be pretty stunned at their oldest brother.
"Daddy…" Connor frowned while walking out of the kitchen, "what's wrong with Coopy?"
"Good question" James hissed before sitting on a couch with Mindy in his lap and burying his face in her hair making himself small, and before he knew it Scarlett was right behind him on the couch again, kissing his hair and wrapping her arms around him tight.
"I'm disappointed in you, Mommy…" Scarlett sighed as if nothing had happened between James and Cooper while shaking her head at Mindy, "Daddy was the handsomest guy ever and you let him go to shit." The couple's eyes got so wide, once they exchanged horrified glances they didn't know whether to double over laughing or scold her.
…
Cooper sniffled and dug a hand into the earth, damning himself and everything around him for daring snap at James like that and insulting their marriage, but he couldn't help it. James was fucking self-centered and all his pretty young wife did was feed that fucking ego of his. He didn't mean to dehumanize Mindy like that it wasn't out of contempt; it was actually out of pure love and adulation. He wasn't stupid he knew his dad's libido, and Mindy was such a fucking slave to him she'd go without sleeping for days just to please him. The way he talked about her though…he shivered at that thought she must despise him for that comment and there was nothing he could do. How could he relay that he was just so terribly in love with her the words came out blind out of contempt for his own father?
"Are you okay?" Amber's slightly raspy voice caught his attention and he smiled thinly to see her standing there in front of him. He took a moment to shake the pain off (externally at least) before beckoning her towards him.
"What's up, Amber Rose?" he sat her next to him and held her under an arm, rubbing the beige skin and allowing her head to drop onto his side.
"Daddy put all those marks on Mommy, didn't he?" she asked coldly, staring at the ground hatefully because of what she had seen on her mother's beautiful face. The kids could pretend whatever they wanted; Mindy had a big ugly burn that wasn't going to go away for a while. The redness was gone and now it was simply singed skin that had to all flake off so her new skin could grow underneath, but regardless she felt horrible for her.
Cooper took a moment to contemplate what to say to her, he could deny it and set everything straight…but then again, Amber was Mindy's oldest child. If she held any power in her mother's decision-making skills, and he knew she did, maybe if he kept her pretty little blonde head exactly where it was he could possibly gain points for himself as James went further down Amber's totem pole. As it was Amber's opinion of James was extremely fragile and likely to change with the wind, so maybe if he gave her a little proper nudge she'd blab it to Mindy to the point that she would seriously consider her options between James and Cooper. Caroline or not, James had pulverized Mindy and he fucking knew it. He knew it yet he was acting like nothing was fucking wrong. Those marks didn't come from him and poor Mindy was supposed to just keep fawning over him, exactly like Crispy had done. If he could manage to get Amber to pick up the pattern, and she would the kid was smart as a whip, things would certainly turn around once she confronted Mindy with it.
"Yes."
…
Standing by the register at the Cold Stone Creamery with James in her hand and all the kids shouting their orders at the poor employees to make their ice creams exactly as they wanted them, Mindy frowned once she noticed Cooper was lagging behind in the corner. James caught it too, and he shot Cooper an icy glare to stay away before shaking his head and wrapping his free arm around Mindy's waist and through the belt loop on the back of her jeans. Elizabeth was lying comfortably in a carrier simply happily watching everything around her as Julie stood outside with both Oxa and Snoopy as the kids all placed their orders.
"I promised you ice cream, didn't I?" James let Mindy pull his wallet out of his pocket since he was holding both her and the baby before simply handing the chick at the register her credit card and receiving her and James's Banana Split Decision sundae they were sharing which was made of sweet cream ice cream with bananas, almonds, strawberries, whipped cream, and fudge.
"Thank you, Daddy!" they all shouted one way or another before walking off with their ice creams except for Chelsea, who simply stared at him lovingly before extending the arm with her sprinkled waffle cone filled with Birthday Cake Remix. He grinned a bit and bent to her level before rubbing her cheek with the back of his hand.
"What? I want YOU to eat it for me" he tried, but of course Chelsea would have none of it.
"Daddy!" she accidentally moved it too far forward and got some on his nose, which made Mindy laugh loudly as well as all the kids.
"AWESOME, Chels!" Tryg laughed while digging into his ice cream at the table across from Connor, "You made Daddy a mess!"
"No matter" quickly bending Mindy actually bit James's nose and licked Chelsea's slight blunder off him, and then he took a lick of his daughter's ice cream and nodded.
"Thank you" he nodded to her before pulling her close and kissing her forehead, "I love you very much."
"Me too" Mindy nodded while waiting for James to lift Elizabeth's carrier and actually lift the baby out because he didn't want any germs getting at her on the floor. "Too bad she's too young to eat it" Mindy frowned while sitting across from James and handing him a spoon so they could dig in, "Thank you" she blushed a bit before leaning across the table and giving him an affectionate kiss, Scarlett and Thorn giggling at them while Amber rolled her eyes. Cooper scowled too, and James caught it as much as he didn't want to. They began to dig into it and Mindy returned Elizabeth's smile before reaching and holding James's wrist. "How are you feeling?" He stopped eating to look her in the eye for a moment before frowning and shrugging.
"Depends on my mood I guess…" his eyes narrowed at Cooper though he tried not to make it too obvious, "Out of nowhere someone feels like driving a nail up my ass"
"Jamie!" Mindy giggled and shook her head, "Cooper's just in a bad mood right now…"
"Did you talk to him?" he frowned and she cringed, shaking her head meekly, "That's fine; you wait until you're ready. He's got nothing but time for you it seems…"
"Oh Jamie, no…" she shook her head in denial and waited for him to drop his spoon before squeezing her hand in his, "Maybe seeing Mark freaked him out"
"Bullshit" he shook his head while petting her hand, "Whatever his fucking problem with me is, I'd like it to be known before he's got such a fucking grudge against me not all the fires in emo hell can-"
"Jamie" was the warning to stop before Cooper heard him, "Ambie's been weird too"
"And I bet it was entirely that bastard's doing" he nodded stiffly while trying to focus on both Elizabeth and their sundae, "I haven't so much as said a word to her, she thinks I'm gonna take her head off."
"I'll work with her" she sighed before switching her gaze to Julie outside with the pets, "We've had Julie problems while you were gone."
"Oh?" his eyebrow raised, "Elaborate?"
"Well" she cringed and shrugged, deciding to omit what was said about her to Annabelle before jumping to what could be Cooper's source of angst, "she and Cooper got in a couple a' fights and they were really really ugly."
"Over what?" he frowned, "There's no Mark anymore to freak over"
"I…" her face fell and she cringed, "it was the first time I wented to the hospital. I don't remember what they were fightin' over."
"That's nothing I'm honestly surprised by to be honest, Baby Doll…" he frowned and swallowed hard, "I don't think that's what's it. What would that have to do with a vendetta against me?"
"He loves you" she defended Cooper gently, "He loves you so much Jamie"
"Well the brat's got a funny way of showing it" he replied tensely before purposely leaning over the table to kiss her, indirectly marking territory. "Is everything alright with him and Jeff?" Mindy shrugged with a furrowed brow.
"I thought so…" she mashed her teeth and shrugged; "now I can't vouch for shit, but before I thoughted they were fine."
"Are you in any pain?" he reached over and touched her throat worriedly, "I brought Advil just incase you need a painkiller"
"Jamie…" she giggled and touched his cheek lovingly, "I'm fine, baby. Thank you." Moving her eyes to Connor and Tryg for a moment, Mindy pouted her lips in thought before she gave herself a reminder and looked him in the eye once more, "Oh! Remind me to talk to you about something later" a glaze coated his eyes and she poked her tongue between her teeth before kissing his fingers, "it's not bad, don't sweat it." She shook her head and sighed while stroking his face, "God knows you got enough a' that shit goin' on right now."
"Does he really hate me?" he couldn't get over the way Cooper was just staring at him like he'd shot his best friend when Mindy tried to move his eyes off the younger man and stood off the chair to sit in his lap opposite Elizabeth and kiss him.
"Hell. No. Let me talk to him, alright?"
"Why?" he asked against her mouth and caressed her jaw, "What's it about?"
"I'll tell you if it gets bad" she nodded before pressing a long kiss on him, "Girl stuff." She'd used that excuse on him before so he frowned.
"But he's a boy!"
…
"Cooper…" Mindy sighed while lingering in his doorway in his bedroom, extending an arm out from him and he took it, reeling her close and pulling her onto the bed with him, "what's wrong with you?" He stared at her incredulously for a moment before standing and closing the door behind him.
"Nothing you can fix alone…" he shook his head before sitting on his bed next to her and holding her close, "I'm fine, Mommy"
"Not the way you have been looking at Daddy" she said wisely while holding a finger to the tip of his nose, "What is wrong, darling?" He kissed the tip of her finger before gently moving her wall of raven hair behind her, actually welling up as he gazed at her and he clutched her close, burying his nose in her neck and starting to place kisses on her flesh when she attempted to pull back, but that collided her with the headboard on his bed and right on top of her he positioned himself. The kissing of her neck transitioned to gentle nibbling and sucking when she shook her head and weaved a hand in his hair to try and ease him off, "Cooper, Cooper please!" her voice rose as his head picked up and he kissed her on the lips, "Please Cooper, stop!" he didn't listen, he just kept going so she short-circuited and literally moved him backwards, "You're going to get hurt!" that spike of her voice really snared his attention, "This…" she shook her head and motioned to the two of them, "this is NO, baby! I can't do this, I married your father, you know better than that!"
"So fucking what?" he hissed while continuing to kiss and hold her, "Dad had fucking Calaway around at the same time as you"
"And he left him for me" she reminded him quickly, "Not every case is me and Daddy's. That only happens once in your life and when it does-"
"Mommy!" he begged when she shook her head vehemently and shook her head quickly.
"This is my fault, I know it is"
"FAULT?" he shook his head incredulously and kissed her once more, "You're putting FAULT in the fact that I'm so fucking in love with you I can't see straight? I can't even look at Jeff anymore-"
"Baby!" she gasped, but he just kept going.
"Without thinking of you and how fucking desperately I want that to be you…I need you, Mommy! I need you to breathe"
"And I will ALWAYS be here as your mommy and best friend, sweetie" she nodded while touching his cheek, "I just don't wanna get your hopes all up and hurt you. I already telled you a million times"
"Dad fucking brainwashed you, I know he did! Because I KNOW you fucking love me"
"And I do"
"SEE?" he yelled and grabbed a hold of her shoulders, "but even YOU can't deny it! Mommy…" his breathing quickened and his heart was fluttering all around his stomach, "I'm so fucking in love with you, there's not a thing anyone can do to-"
"Shhh…" she hugged him close and tried to rock him a bit, but even now with one comfort hug she was hoping no one came in and killed him off. "Do you understand why I am only with Daddy and no one else?"
"Because he fucking beats you and-"
"I LOVE you" she nodded while holding his face, "but I am IN LOVE with Daddy! I will be in love with him for the rest of eternity no matter what anyone says…you should be that way about Jeff! It is OKAY to love me baby; you are supposed to love me! But you cannot ever be with me the way I am with Daddy, not even in a perfect world"
"You mean without him, right?" he was blind to how round her eyes had gotten with horror, "By a perfect world you mean just me and you"
"Actually…" she sat up and tried to get further away from him on the bed, "by perfect I meant not as what would be perfect for me, but for you. I AM perfect right now except the way you and Ambie are being to Daddy. He tries so hard for you guys"
"Mommy…" his voice dropped dangerously and he tried to reach for her, but she shook her head worriedly and went to open the door, James already moving off the door because he knew she was going to open it and he didn't want her to think he wasn't trustworthy of her, because he was entirely. It just wasn't Cooper who he didn't trust.
…
After finishing up Elizabeth's final bottle feeding of the day and pacing about with her for a bit to lull her to sleep, James pressed a long kiss to the top of her head before laying her in her bassinet right next to his side of the bed. When it was time to actually fall asleep himself he'd pull her out and place her next to Mindy on his chest. Mindy lied backwards on the bed on her back with her head tilted all the way back to the point that she was watching TV upside down. He had heard the entire conversation with Cooper and was anything but pleased, especially because she didn't tell him right away like he'd wanted her to. Eavesdropping was bad, he usually didn't do it, but judging by the way Cooper was laying all over Mindy and literally jumping down his throat every step he took; it was a major cause of concern when he never behaved this way before. Taking a moment to watch Mindy just lie there upside down with her thick hair spilling over the edge of the bed almost to the floor made James smile thinly before finally removing his boxers and crawling on top of her so he too could watch this strange-ass movie she had on.
"Why the fuck are we watching Jungle Fever?" he asked with a wry grin, staring at the screen for a moment before using one of his forearms as a pillow for Mindy's neck so it wouldn't be strained watching from that angle, though it was ideal for him so he wasn't complaining.
"Because it is one in the fucking morning and I do not feel like going downstairs to grab a movie" he went to push off the bed and go get one for her when she wrapped her arms around his neck and shook her head, "and don't you go anywhere either. I said I was content watching Wesley Snipes try and court this ugly chick from Bensonhurst with this gay-ass dude dating her that the brothers are threatening him with his life if he gets her pregnant" she sniggered nasally, "but what they do not know is Miz Thang over there is actually interested in some dark chocolate, her boss Wesley Snipes." He nodded along while staring at the screen, watching the exact mixed couple Mindy was explaining talking with some heavy sexual tension before leaning down to start kissing Mindy's throat, which made her eyebrows raise and she poked the center of his lower neck, catching his eye. "You…"
"Me…?" he nodded along with puppy eyes, making her giggle and move to kiss the spot her finger was on.
"You have a big ol' beauty mark right here, did you know that?"
"I do?" he raised an eyebrow and tried to see it, and her eyes widened in astonishment.
"You've never noticed?"
"No…" he shook his head, "why is it really obvious?"
"It's pretty damn big and right smack in the center of your lower neck" her lips transitioned all over his neck and eventually onto his chest when he lifted her chin and they kissed until Mindy grabbed the remote and raised the volume of the TV as they made out.
"I guess I'm not very observant…" he said quietly before nuzzling her neck and tangling a hand in her hair.
"But its your own body!"
"I bet you didn't know you have three right here…" he kissed the three spots on her chest which bore beauty marks and giggling she drew his head up so they could kiss.
"Baby" she waited for his eyes to focus on hers, "I've been meaning to ask you something…" she frowned, "and you didn't remind me!" He cringed; she did remind him earlier but being an idiot he forgot.
"I'm sorry" he apologized innocently while continuing to kiss her, "I'm getting senile in my old age."
"Oh shut up" she waved him off and whacked a hand to his nose before blunting asking, "Connor's been askin' us for a goat for a really long time now…" His eyes widened, he already knew where this was going.
"And what the hell are we going to do with a goat, Baby Doll?" his eyebrow rose, "I'm pretty sure Oxa eats goats."
"So we'll make sure he stays with the boys at all times, but they really want a goat and I feel bad because I do have Cotton-"
"But Cottonball doesn't live in the backyard" he said pointedly and she nodded for a second before wrapping her legs around his waist and giving him a smooth tongue kiss, "Oh I see how it is…" he shook his head and tried to return the wet kiss she gave him.
"We can go pick him out ourselves, you and me!" she nodded with a giggle, "And then we can bring him home in a big bow and surprise the boys!"
"I still don't know what the hell we're going to do with a goat-"
"Pleaseeeeee?" she whined like a toddler, grinding her hips against his and licking his throat lasciviously, biting down on his neck and lightly sucking on the flesh until he finally gave in and started kissing her into the bed.
"I don't think you've been a very good girl lately to deserve a goat…" he checked their door to make sure it was closed before probing his hot flesh against her wet center, teasing her with his fingers and kissing her as her breathing heightened, "but I think you want to redeem yourself…"
"Mhm" she nodded with curled lips impatiently, "I'll pay you back in sexual favors, please get the baby a goat like he's been asking for-" he cut her off with a kiss and drove himself inside her, making her cry out and dig her nails into his back before reverting back to kissing him and raising the volume of the TV, "I'd rather the kiddies heard this bullshit than us." Smiling cutely James craned his neck to the basinet and dropped his head to Mindy's chest only for a second.
"Sorry, Lizzie Bear"
"Oh please" kissing him once he began to let her adjust to his size she waved him off, "It's how she got here, let her deal with it. She's lucky to have us and not your fucking parents" his eyebrows raised and he nodded mutely, only then catching how completely torn she was inside from when Caroline raped her and he cringed. Her whole little body was completely covered in god only knew what from her and he cringed.
"Did yours love each other?"
"Never stopped" she shook her head and took a deep breath before kissing him, "If I had been born normal like my Trisha none of this would have happened and I'd be all happy and shit."
"It's genetic" he reminded her with a kiss, "It came from them so it's their fucking fault…" he took a moment to feel her going back to giving him a hickey before beginning to finally slowly begin to thrust his hips into her, cringing at how diced she was inside before freezing up and shaking his head, "I can't…!" Her lips pouted and her eyes softened for a moment before leaning up and kissing him.
"Baby, what's wrong?" she shook her head confusedly, thinking it was her face when he shook his head and actually started whimpering.
"I can't…! I can't do it"
"You want to stop? I'll stop if you-"
"No…I don't want to stop, are you alright to-" he was kissed deeply before finally trying to get back to being himself, making her moan contentedly with each pump of his hips and then her eyes caught the TV and almost bugged out of her head.
"Holy fuck"
"What?" he panted and kept his eyes on her, getting too caught up in her to follow her eyes, but she was astonished.
"Holy fucking SHIT they're gonna kiss they're gonna kiss!" she pointed a little finger at the screen and they both watched with a grimace as the couple Mindy disliked began fornicating in their office.
"What kind of fucking movie is this?" he cringed and shook his head fearfully, "You know she's had a taste that means she's going to crave more of it and-"
"Ohhh!" she cried out in disgust as the white woman she hated sat on the desk and started boning Wesley Snipes.
"Ohh ewwwwww" they both stuck their tongues out and looked on in horror.
"That's fuckin' NASTY ew ew ew I fuckin' HATE when ugly people have sex stop stop stop!"
"Whatever boner I had it's completely killed right now…" he shook his head disappointedly and wrinkled his nose in disgust before shutting the movie off, "Fuck that shit. My eyes are burning."
"I fucking hate watching ugly people have sex" she cringed and shivered violently for a moment, "It's like…"
"Almost as disgusting as your son initiating competition with you for your wife."
Things got very quiet after that nasty comment.
"Any reason in particular why you didn't tell me?" he watched her frown and hug him close before snuggling his chest.
"I thoughted I could make it stop, but its not working. I tried-"
"I heard" he knew she was a bit miffed that he'd eavesdropped, "I trust you, but I didn't trust him. And now that I see what that little bastard is up to he better head for the fucking hills before coming near you when I'm not around."
"Jamie, he's our baby-"
"I detest" he shook his head sternly, "He's almost thirty fucking years old, he's a grown fucking man. I understand I baby the fucking shit out of him, but I could just as easily kick him out he's not my fucking son-"
"Hey! No Jamie, that's-"
"Living here with you and I is a privilege, not a right. God knows he's put me through enough god damn shit"
"Jamie, please…" she shook her head and kissed him, "you're being too hard on him. Why don't you sleep on it and then we'll go take Oxa tomorrow to get Connor's goat so we can see which one she gets along with the best and won't eat alive?" He took a moment to scowl at the mattress before kissing her and lifting the sleeping Elizabeth so he could lay both her and Mindy on his chest.
"Just what I need, another kid."
