Disclaimer: 'Mutant X' and its characters = Not mine. Lexi and Izzy Fox-Mulwray = Mine.
Words in / / = Thoughts.
Chapter 9.
Day Seven.
Sanctuary, noon.
"Okay, on a scale of one to ten, exactly how angry do you think Adam is with me?" Jesse asked nervously, turning to Emma with an appealing expression in his blue-gray eyes.
"Oh, I'd say at least seventy five . . .million." Emma couldn't help but be amused by the crestfallen expression on Jesse's face. "Jess, you stuffed the twins with candy and left him to deal with it. Lexi puked all over him! You're just lucky that Adam is too busy bickering with Nicholas and that he doesn't have the time to kill you."
Jesse gulped. "I hope that Nicholas never leaves."
* * *
"So, Adam, are my granddaughters behaving themselves?" Nicholas placed special emphasis on the word 'my'. "Or are they too much for you to handle?" His tone held a definite note of scorn.
/Doesn't this jerk ever change his theme! / Poor Adam felt like pummeling the other man. While Nicholas's regular visits to Sanctuary were never something that he enjoyed, they were a hundred times worse without Shalimar's restraining presence. When his daughter was gone, Nicholas didn't even trouble to hide his obvious contempt for the man that he felt had usurped his place as a father.
All out war was prevented by the timely arrival of the twins, neatly dressed in candy striped polo shirts and denim dungarees, their long blond hair pulled back with matching scrunchies.
"Hi Gwampa!" The twins hugged Adam's legs so tightly that he thought his circulation would be cut off.
"Hi girls." Adam bent down and scooped a toddler in each arm.
"Hi Othe' Gwampa." From their perch in Adam's arms, Lexi and Izzy waved at Nicholas.
Despite the repeated attempts of their parents, the twins would not be persuaded to drop Nicholas's title and insisted on continuing to address him as 'Other Grandpa'. Adam priovately suspected that they enjoyed tormenting the other man with a name he so obviously disliked.
"Hey girls," Grinning broadly, Nicholas reached into his pocket and produced two candy bars. "Look what I've brought for you."
The two little girls promptly burst into tears.
Nicholas looked up at Adam, bewildered. "What?"
* * *
An hour later.
After a few minutes of cuddling and assurances that 'Other Grandpa' wasn't trying to poison them, Lexi and Izzy eventually calmed down.
Once they had stopped crying, the two toddlers had dragged their grandfathers, both biological and adopted, into the rec room where both men were ordered to sit still so that Isabelle could paint their portrait.
Half an hour and two red squiggles later, the twins were bored and hungry.
Jesse was called to 'tum fo' yo' lunch' and the party retired to the kitchen.
"Uh, girls?" Nicholas was convinced that he had fallen into the company of complete lunatics. "Why are you putting a bib on Jesse?"
"Tos' he ma' mess." Lexi rolled her eyes at her grandfather's stupidity.
"It's best not to question their motives." Emma whispered, deadly serious.
"Yeah." Jesse coughed as Lexi tied the strings of his bib a little too tightly. "It just makes things worse."
"Lexi an me takin' tare o' Uncie Jess." Izzy explained. "He tan ea' by hisself 'f he weaw he bib."
"I see." Nicholas raised a questioning eyebrow in Jesse's direction. "Why exactly are they taking care of you?"
"Mommy say too." Lexi informed him, giving Jesse a maternal pat. "Now ea' yo' lunch!"
"I knew it!" Jesse crowed triumphantly. "When Shalimar gets back tomorrow she is a dead woman! I'm going to . . ." He trailed off, seeing the poisonous glares that Shalimar's two father figures were shooting him. "Never mind." Miffed at the thought of losing his chance of revenge, Jesse sulked for a moment before inspiration struck. He beamed at the twins. "Hey girls, how about after dinner we all watch a video together?"
/I'm damned if I'm going to miss this chance! /
* * *
A little later.
"Hewe, Uncie Jess." Lexi trotted up to her uncle and heaped a small pile of videotapes in his lap.
"Gee, thanks." Jesse gave the little girl a questioning look. "What are these for?"
Lexi sighed impatiently. "You say we wat' bidee-oh." She explained slowly, wondering if everyone over the age of three was completely dense. "So I bwing you bidee-ohs."
"Uh, great."
"Mommy hab dem hidded." Lexi added brightly.
"Really." Jesse looked down at the tape in his hand, marked with his name and the word 'Blackmail', feeling as if all his birthdays and Christmases had come at once. He leaned over and kissed the little girl's chubby cheek. "I knew that there was a reason I liked you!"
/Time to kiss your leverage goodbye, Shal! /
* * *
Three hours later.
The six of them sat in silence for a few minutes after the last of Jesse's 'Baby Shalimar' tapes ended.
"Wow." Nicholas was the first to find his voice. "I guess I'm not the only one who can tease Shalimar about changing her diapers. Man!" He chuckled. "I'd almost forgotten about how much of a handful she used to be! There was a time once when she. . ." Jesse leaned forward, eager for more blackmail material and Adam and Emma listened attentively.
The twins stared at the screen, transfixed.
"Mommy wath funny!" Izzy burbled happily, turning to her twin.
"Yeah." Lexi looked rather glum.
"Wat's wong, Lexi?"
"I with Mommy wa' still litt'e, li' us. Den we cou' pway wif' hew."
Jesse overheard Lexi's last statement and shuddered.
Two infant terrors were bad enough.
/Three would be a total nightmare! /
TBC.
Sorry this chapter is so short and boring. I've been swamped with school related stuff. I'll update as soon as I can.
Next (And last) Chapter: The Homecoming.