A/N: Hope you guys like the plot twist and Vause-Chapman family cuteness in this Christmasey chapter...hopefully I'll get the Christmas chapter up before the weekend...I'm also working on a post-S7 Christmas three parter plus bonus chapter and epilogue (set in a different but similar post season 7 universe to my other story...and it could potentially have a longer sequel if you like the OCs and plot) I hope to have it up in the next few days...I just want to finish it before I post it.
We walked into the auditorium of the elementary school attached to Geo's preschool. It was decorated with red and green paper and Santas with cotton ball beards. We looked around until we found two middle aged women waving us over.
"Mom! Grandma," we both screeched as we threw our arms around Diane and Celeste.
"Babies! They really did this place up nice," Diane said excitedly, "I brought flowers. I don't know if boys even appreciate that. I know you loved it the one year my co-worker found out my six-year-old daughter was having her first school recital and offered to cover the last two hours of my shift."
"If he doesn't love them you know we will, mom," Alex replied.
"Did you guys have any trouble getting in," I asked my grandma as she held me tightly.
"Just the normal traffic but I made it to the restaurant on time," Celeste told me, "Diane and I had a fabulous lunch. I'm really glad you brought her into my life, she's an exceptional woman. How did your appointment go?"
"Yeah we were worried when we didn't hear from you yesterday," Diane added as she pulled away from Alex, "Good or bad your family is always here for you. If something is wrong with the baby, you can tell us."
"Well, we do have some news, we've just been taking a little time to process it. It's nothing bad it was just a major shock. And everything is healthy. We'll tell you guys after," Alex told the women as we settled into our seats and the program began. Geo sung three songs, Frosty with his class, Up on the Housetop with the whole preschool and the Dreidel Song with the Jewish kids from the preschool and kindergarten classes. We had fought to get the school to allow him after he asked, since we had fallen into a group of Jewish lesbian mothers he had become more curious about Jewish culture and identity and our new friends always made it clear we were welcome, the same couldn't be said for some of the Jewish families at Geo's school who told us we would never be like them or know their experiences. Luckily, the school had a few international and intercultural adoptees so they were used to creating spaces that encouraged students to maintain connections to their birth cultures despite their parent's identity. After the show we found where Geo's teacher was releasing her students to their parents.
"Hi ladies! Are these Geo's grandmothers," she asked as Geo galloped up to Diane and smiled when she handed him the flowers, "If you don't like them, we can get you something else." "Don't be silly, Nana! They are so pretty!" We smiled at her and I told her, "That's Alex's mom, Diane, who is currently snuggling Geo. Those two are best friends and it is literally the sweetest thing. And this is my grandmother, Celeste," I told her as I pulled the woman over and the two introduced themselves.
"How's he doing? Has his speech improved?"
"Yes. He's doing great and socializing better with the other children. He has been telling kids his mommies are having a baby. So it seems he may be doing some attention seeking behaviors and telling stories to fit in with the others."
"I didn't even think he knew," I answered with my mouth agape.
"Well, our son is an extremely bright, precocious child like his mothers. He probably heard us talking or he saw Mommy's little bump and he's seen other women have babies so he figured Mommy is in love and that's what people do after they've been sharing the same bed for a year. And it's not like he knows the differences between mommies and daddies and two mommies. He's still fine with just knowing sometimes women fall in love and make babies. I'm sure he's going to have questions soon enough," Alex added.
"So you guys are?"
"Yes. It's still early so we haven't been telling people and we wanted to wait to tell Geo but we can't help talking about it. We just had our first prenatal appointment yesterday and we got some unexpected news," Alex answered, taking the lead as she always did when she could tell I was nervous.
"So I'm assuming you are the pregnant one, Piper?"
"Yes," I tightened my blouse over my bump, "There's not much to see but I'm pretty thrilled about it."
"Well, let me know if there's anything I need to be concerned about or if I can help you any."
"I was going to mention that Geo is going to be taking an extra week for winter break. We're going to surprise him with a trip to Europe over New Year's, we're going to be there for eighteen days. Alex hasn't been able to see her friends in a year, it's the longest she's gone and now that I have full custody, I can take him out of the country. She always goes this time of year, for over twenty years she went to Europe every winter and gave that up for me. I'm not sure we aren't crazy but it should be fun. I'm a little nervous that they're going to scrutinize why this kid is traveling with his mom and some other woman."
"It'll be fine and just send him to school with a scrapbook that includes stories and we'll call it even. He or you can do a presentation and you are welcome to bring the class some European treats. I'll also send him home with a homework packet. At this school, most kids miss at least a couple of days in January or February because their wealthy parents put skiing ahead of education so I'm used to it. My first year here it got to me but now I just accept that at least these parents are trying to create family memories when they can. So you enjoy your time together as a family and try to do something educational."
"We're planning on it," I answered as Geo came running up to me and I lifted him onto my body and he threw his arms around my neck and his legs around my ribs, "How'd I do, Mommy?"
"You were amazing. You were the cutest one of all. I'm so proud of you for getting up in front of all those people and singing."
"Yeah, cause Mommies don't like to sing in front of anybody! But I think you sound pretty."
"Don't go starting any rock bands, though," Alex joked as she kissed our son's head, he was still years away from understanding everything wrapped up in that statement.
"I don't want to be famous! I want to help people and build things!"
"You already do all that, baby boy," Alex whispered in a tone only audible to Piper, who smiled warmly in response.
"Want to go get pizza with your favorite grandmas," Piper cooed to her son in Alex's arms.
"And Momma too, right," he squealed with a look of both excitement and worry.
"Where else would I go, baby," Alex asked as she left a red lipstick stain on her son's forehead and he squirmed and giggled in her arms but Alex didn't loose her grasp of the toddler for one second.
"Work?"
"Momma got the afternoon off cause her little boy is the most important person in the world to her. Everybody wants to see a video of you and I took lots of pictures for them.
"Can we go bowing arcade?"
"Of course. Babe, you ready?"
"Yeah. Diane? Celeste? You guys okay with going bowling?"
"I'm not very good but sure, Piper," Celeste replied.
"As long as I don't have to play on a team against my daughter, she's savage when she's doing anything remotely competitive," Diane added as the group left the auditorium and Alex gave the two women directions to Geo's favorite pizza place. They spent a couple of hours talking and laughing as they demolished two x-large pizzas. They then went to Chelsea Piers and let Geo play whatever he wanted. Alex and Diane had a few beers at the snack bar and Piper got a craving for boneless buffalo wings and polished off two complete with celery sticks, except for a couple of sauce-covered red-orange nuggets that Alex managed to steal at great risk of losing a finger. Once even Geo was out of energy, they all headed back to the penthouse, Geo fell asleep in the car and Diane volunteered to carry him from the car to his bed.
"You have got to show me how you did that," the couple responded with shocked expressions.
"It's not that hard and they are only this little for a little while. You gotta enjoy it as much as you can. They love being teleported, I remember how you used to be, Ally, when you would fall asleep somewhere other than our bed and wonder how you got there. Every child should experience that magic."
Diane came back about half an hour later, pronouncing Geo as being completely fast asleep, "So, what's going on with my new grandbaby?"
"Do you want to tell her or should I," Alex asked as we exchanged a knowing glance and smiles brimming with joy.
"She's your mother."
"It's your pregnancy."
"Just stop, girls. Why don't you both tell me at once, I know you two are capable of speaking on the same wavelength," Diane snapped as her patience with us wore thin.
"We're having identical twins," we replied with more noise and excitement than we should have with a child sleeping in the closest bedroom to the great room. Celeste and Diane both shrieked and threw their arms around us, "We're going to have two baby girls! The embryo split! They didn't find it on the first ultrasound, they think Baby B was just too tiny to show up but she sure made her presence known on this one. That's why I've been experiencing things so much earlier and stronger with this pregnancy."
"Are they healthy," Celeste asked with a worried expression, "I've heard identical twins are really risky."
"Well, the doctors believe that they split late so they do share a placenta, Piper got a referral to a high-risk OB who will monitor the twins for TTS. Luckily, they are in their own sacs so we don't have to worry about all the risks of MoMo twins and cord entanglement."
"And for those of us who didn't go to med school," Diane fired back at her daughter.
"They're as healthy as could be expected right now and they are being well monitored by some of the best OBs at one of the best hospitals in the world. In a perfect world, they would have two placentas but they don't. It's like they're sharing a room but have their own separate beds. Not ideal but the doctors are optimistic that Piper can carry to at least 34 weeks, if she makes it past that point they'll schedule delivery just before 37 weeks."
"What a blessing," Celeste added as the news fully sunk in for Diane, "If I can help in any way let me know. I know you guys don't need money, Alex is richer than even I'll ever be but if you need me to come help when they are born or advice on baby stuff, let me know. Nobody in our family has ever had a set of twins! And girls too!"
"There have been three recorded surviving sets in the Vause family, two that didn't make it and a handful that we believe started out as twins," Diane added matter of factly.
"You couldn't have warned me about that before I let a Vause embryo loose in my uterus?"
"You didn't ask about Vause family traits before you decided to carry a Vause baby. I woulda told you, not that you woulda listened. You and Alex are just the same that way, when you make up your minds, you are immovable. But I guess you both have had to be that strong to get to where you are. And those little girls are going to grow into amazing, strong women. And of course, your son will grow into a great man being surrounded by so many women."
"Hopefully, he'll get a brother eventually. We still want to have a son together and hopefully, one more if we get luckier than any couple of godless queers deserve to be."
"So could you tell if they resemble Alex or the donor more or is it still too early?"
"The doctor said we'll get a better idea about physical characteristics at our four month ultrasound but they seem to totally have Alex's lips and they are going to be tall like her, they are measuring big for a singleton but the doctors say especially since I've had a baby before I should be able to carry them to eight months at least. I just have to cut down my activity level drastically and stop running, which is going to suck but I'd rather not loose one of Alex's babies. I don't want to let her down or make her think she chose the wrong person to carry these babies that we both love. So I'll probably spend most of the next five months in bed but if I get to go to the hospital and have our daughters come home when I do it'll all be worth it. I am a little bummed I won't get the natural water birth I wanted, possibly ever if I end up having a c-section, but I'd rather have a house full of tiny Alexes and my sweet little boy version of me. When I saw those two heartbeats the dreams I had died but they were replaced by an even better dream of these two little redheaded twin girls. I'm scared to death about everything involved in bringing them into the world and what's gonna happen when they get here but I'm so happy."
"And I am too, even if the love of my life told me less than twenty-four hours ago that she wanted to kill me. It's not my fault her uterus was such a hospitable place that our embryo split, implanted and are growing strongly. I'm petrified, I've seen the worst when it comes to twin pregnancies and it was hard enough to watch a patient go through those things, but there's no words for how pained imagining those things happening to my soon to-be wife make me. I just hope this is the universe's way of showing me that there are twin pregnancies where everything goes as it should."
"You'll be in my prayers and when you are ready for everyone to know I'll put in a prayer request at my women's group and the church. I'll make sure you have a lot of people praying for you. I don't believe God hates gay people and would punish a lesbian couple for choosing to not just have babies but choose their own path that may not be the most natural but feels right," Celeste answered reassuringly, "I bet you ladies want to turn in for the night."
"Yeah, I'm exhausted but I had so much fun. I love that Geo gets to spend time with his extended family and have a lot of people love him as much as I do," I replied as I hugged my grandmother.
"Celeste, would you like me to put the air mattress in my office? You are welcome to sleep on the couch, whatever you are more comfortable with. Mom, I'm assuming you are going to curl up with your grandson?"
"I'm fine with the couch, sweetie. You spend as much time as you can with your partner, you both need this time together before your daughters arrive," Celeste answered as she hugged Alex tightly.
"You know it," Diane answered.
"Good, you'd break our little boy's heart if he didn't wake up in your arms in the morning," Alex asserted.
"Yeah, he's just like his Mommy, he pouts if he doesn't wake up in a Vause's arms," I joked as the two Vause women rolled their eyes and Alex giggled a little. Moments later, we all headed our separate ways. Alex and I turned on a Christmas movie and cuddled in bed under our heated blanket until we fell asleep.