Disclaimer: Mutant X and its characters are not mine. . .yet. Alexis and Isabelle belong to me.
Author's Note: I'd like to thank Sunstar2 for her advice on posting stories with formatting. Finally – I can italicise again!
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Chapter 3.
A few hours later.
"Merry Christmas, everyone!" Nicholas Fox, in an exceptionally good mood after returning from six months of travelling, called out his greeting as soon as Jesse had opened the hatch of the Double Helix, beaming at everyone (except Adam of course) as he entered Sanctuary. He hugged Shalimar tightly. "How's my baby girl?"
"Fine, Dad." Shalimar could barely breathe.
"So how are my granddaughters?" Nicholas asked eagerly. "It's been far too long since I've seen them."
They're in here." Shalimar led her father to the rec room where Alexis and Isabelle, dressed in adorable matching Christmas dresses of dark green velvet with crimson sashes, were playing quietly with their new toys under Brennan's supervision.
"Hi, girls." Nicholas crouched down gingerly looking from one little girl to the other. He looked up at his daughter with a quizzical expression. "So, who's who?"
"Izzy's the one cuddling her teddy, Lexi's the one trying to eat hers." Adam told him from the doorway.
The other man glared at him. "I asked Shalimar." He said pointedly.
Adam just smiled, not willing to get into another shouting match.
Lexi looked up at the new arrival, a dim cloud of recognition stirring in her memory but the identity of the smiling stranger eluded her. "Who dat?" She demanded, looking up at her mother.
"I guess it has been too long." Nicholas said apologetically. "I'm your Grandpa, sweetie."
Isabelle looked up, an expression of confusion in her chocolate brown eyes. She pointed to Adam with a chubby finger. "Dat Gwamp." She protested, not understanding why this stranger insisted on going by Adam's name.
The twins hadn't really been talking much when Nicholas had decided that it was time he saw more of the world and had left on his trip and, as a result, he had not been present when they had assigned names to everyone. Shalimar and Jesse had joked that Adam was the girl's honorary grandfather and the name had stuck.
Shalimar held her breath, waiting for her father to start raging at Adam for usurping his place but, miraculously, he held his temper.
"He's not your Grandpa, girls, I am." He tried to persuade them.
Lexi sighed with the air of a long-suffering parent trying to tell a stubborn toddler that the sky wasn't green. "You no Gwamp." She explained patiently. She pointed at Adam. "Dat Gwamp."
Izzy nodded firmly, determined to back up her sister.
Brennan, seeing that the twins were not going to be swayed from their arguments, came to his father-in-law's rescue. "This is your, er. . .other Grandpa." He explained.
"Oda Gwamp." Isabelle tried out the new name.
Alexis beamed, glad to see the situation resolved. "Hi, Oda Gwamp." She squealed, waving at the not overly happy Nicholas.
Adam could barely keep himself from smiling at the look on the other man's face.
"Oda Gwamp?" Izzy looked up at him with a shy smile. "Santa tame." She showed him her teddy bear. "'Ook."
"Wow!" Nicholas feigned astonishment. He pulled over two piles of gaily-wrapped parcels. "But look at what I've brought you."
Lexi grinned up at him, her eyes bright. "Toy?"
* * *
Later that evening.
With two playful infants present, this year's Christmas meal was louder, messier and far more cheerful than the previous year.
Lexi had taken a dislike to the Brussel sprouts that Emma had prepared and spent the meal lobbing them at the poor soul who had the misfortune to be seated opposite her highchair.
This happened to be Jesse and the poor man spent most of the meal ducking under the table, desperate to find cover. Lexi's aim was accurate and the other adults, including Shalimar who might have been able to put a stop to it, were laughing too hard to be of any help to him.
Little Isabelle, looking as though butter wouldn't melt in her mouth, waited until the attention of all the adults was focused on Alexis, then she slyly tipped her Brussel sprouts onto her sister's plate, doubling her supply of ammunition and sat back, smiling angelically, as though she would never have caused a moment of trouble.
Jesse waited until Alexis ran out of missiles before he dared to crawl out from under the table, sheepishly avoiding his dining companions' eyes.
Everyone had more or less finished the main course so Brennan and Emma cleared away the plates before dessert – a sumptuous chocolate mousse smothered in whipped cream and sprinkled with chocolate shavings – was served.
Shalimar caught sight of Jesse loading his spoon with food and taking aim.
"Jesse Kilmartin, if you throw that at my daughter I will beat the shit out of you!"
"Shalimar!" Her father scolded automatically. "Language!" it took him a moment to realise what he had said and he felt his cheeks grow warm. "That took me back." He chuckled. "I haven't had to say that in years."
Shalimar ignored her father's interruption and continued to glare at Jesse, who meekly laid down his spoon.
"She started it!" He muttered grumpily.
Alexis gave him a cheeky, triumphant grin, exchanging a conspiratorial glance with her twin.
"Lexi! Izzy! No!" Emma cried out, guessing their plan, but she was too late to stop them.
In a single, coordinated movement, the Fox-Mulwray sisters had snatched up their dessert bowls and tipped the contents over their heads.
* * *
"Was I the only one who felt a sense of déjà vu?" Jesse asked a little later when they were assembled in the rec room.
Brennan and Emma had nodded.
Nicholas laughed. "Shalimar used to do that all the time when she was little."
"We know." Jesse told him. "Believe me."
The older man's expression was a study in bewilderment. "How. . .?"
Jesse's face lit up. "Shal didn't tell you?"
"Just something that happened a year ago." Emma said hastily, knowing that her friend would kill them if her father found out.
"You wouldn't be interested." Brennan assured him.
"I have tapes, if you like." Jesse offered generously.
"Don't even think about it!"
Shalimar and Adam, carrying the now clean and pyjama-clad twins, entered the room in time to hear Jesse's suggestion.
After putting her Isabelle down and motioning to Adam to do likewise with Alexis, Shalimar fixed Jesse with her most intimidating glare.
"Come on, Shal." Jesse wheedled. "I think that your dad and the twins would like to see the videos."
"If you even think about showing my daughters that film, I'll show them 'Uncle Jesse with his head in the toilet bowl', do I make myself clear."
"And I'll teach them a little game I like to call 'Shock the Molecular'." Brennan threatened.
Jesse, his eyes wide, nodded his understanding.
Shalimar waited until the twins had finished their nightly round of 'night-nights' before picking them up and carrying them away to their room.
"What's the matter, Brennan?" Jesse asked, looking betrayed. "I thought you liked my film. Why can't I show it to the twins?"
Brennan gave him an exasperated look. "Are you kidding me?" He asked incredulously. "Lexi and Izzy get into enough mischief already without Shal's inspiration! I don't want you giving them ideas!"
TBC.
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Thanks for the reviews, I'll update as soon as I can.
Next chapter: The Twins' First Birthday.