To Mai Surprise
Disclaimer: I do not own The Nine Lives of Chloe King, nor do I profit from any of my stories.
Warning: This story is rated M and is intended for mature audiences only. Reader discretion is advised.
Chapter 21
"'James'? Why 'James?'"
"I don't know Babushka, I just like the way it sounds." I shrugged. "Since we're going to have a boy, James is the first name that comes to mind."
"I am sure Aleksander will love it. It holds so much meaning."
My hands stopped kneading the dough. "Why's that?"
"His father. His name was James Benjamin Domashevich. Only recently have I received confirmation, but it seems that my daughter-in-law did have two sons after all."
She handed me a crumpled up photo of two beautiful boys. One looked to be about five, curly honey-brown hair framing his face. Z? Sure enough, it was him. Zinoviy was smiling holding a tiny toddler.
"That's Alek?" I stared at the picture, my heart breaking. "You knew? All this time? Alek has been hurting all these years, seventeen years! Imagine never knowing who you are?" Tears prickled my eyes. "He never knew who he is! Where he's from! He never knew who his parents were!"
Babushka wrapped her arms around me, in spite of my protests. "His mother hid him well. The Russian purge was horrid. All the Mai were threatened." She looked me straight in the eyes. "We didn't know. I swear to you, we didn't know. I only found out because I stumbled upon Amelia Petrova's last will and testament."
She led me into another room, unlocking the door on her way in. After she unlocked the floor safe, Babushka took out a manila file. Alek's birth certificate, his mother's will, and his 'Relocation' statement, were thrust into my hands.
"When your husband returns from work, I will show him his file. When we have Aleksander's little alliance over for dinner, we can have the younger Singh brother hack into the government's records. Given this new information, we need to know if the Order knows as well." Meredith took a look at the files, frowning.
"Does this explain how I could adopt him? Alek is Mai, the Uniter, his mate is here in San Fran, and yet he want to be my son. It seems like fate." Mer bit her lip to keep from tearing up. " He has called me 'Mum' since I met him. Thank you for letting me raise him, even if he has been forced to grow up so fast."
Babushka, as the matron of one of the most wealthy and powerful families in the world, she had since taken over the operation. Everyone on our side respected her. Everyone with the enemy feared her. She has over a hundred confirmed Order kills, with zero civilian casualties. Those who reject the Uniter are rejecting her.
"Meredith, Moya milaya, you are exactly what the Uniter needed. You have healed his heart, molded him into such a striking young man, and have given him a beautiful life.
Likewise, those who Babushka approved of are accepted; human, Mai, Jackle, flying spaghetti monster.
"Meredith, you are the only woman in the world who could do such a feat. I will be forever in your debt."
With that, Babushka made her way back into the kitchen.
"Mitchell, hun, could you come here? You are a communications major, right? Can you take a look at this?" Rajiv pulled the disgruntled Falco into his 'hacker's lair'. "These are all the Russian, British, and American adoption, birth, and death records for the dates of Aleksander's life. Could you please peruse these documents? I need to know which are official, forged, or unofficial."
Mitchell took one look at me- pregnant and feeling thoroughly broken, and his older sister- hysterical and even more pregnant, and agreed to help. Rajiv smiled, his love-hate relationship with the other guy was extremely entertaining. As much of a gentleman as he could be, Rajiv still had his intrusive moments. The Taurus, with his lean frame and solid build, could hardly feel Mitch's punches. Punches, of course, that were promptly delivered whenever Rajiv copped a feel or rubbed ass belonging to the auburn-haired fiery menace.
Aside from the 'inappropriate touching' on Rajiv's part, the recent engagement of Arun and Paige triggered even more resentment. Without Alek assuring us all that Mitchell had no desire to betray us, we would have questioned his loyalty months ago.
"Okay, so this is the birth certificate from Russia. It says that Aleksander Benjamin Petrov's mother was an Anastasiya Cherlina, father unknown." He handed me another piece of paper. "Read it."
Мать: Амелия Петров.
Отец: Джеймс Домашевич
"When it's translated from Russian, it says:
Mother: Amelia Petrova
Father: James Domashevich
Oh my God."
"This here, look at this tear." Babushka pointed to a slight rip on the time-yellowed original Russian document. "Amelia was trained. This mark could be a sign she left. It seems like she placed the English translation on top of the Russian, and then scratched through the paper before it was filed. Since Aleksander was immediately sent to Great Britain, only the English birth certificate was used."
"My lady, it seems that you have gone through great lengths to acquire these documents. There is no record of your actions in either the government's records, or that of the Order. Miss Catherine, you look weary. Brother, please take her home. There is nothing more we can do tonight." Rajiv dutifully dragged an irritated and reluctant Mitchell past us to his bedroom.
Paul, anxious to get home to Skyrim, made Amy drive him home. Jasmine ignored my gestures as I mimed unrolling a condom on a banana, motioning my baby bump as a warning. She left on the back of Z's bike. Babushka forced Brian to stop talking strategy with Alek, and take Mimi home. My 'new' grandmother-in-law drove Lana back to her apartment, promising that she would talk to us in the morning.
"Right here? Lower?" He reached across me to get more lotion. "Bloody Hell, stop moving!"
"I'm sorry…" I moaned, trying to see Alek over the bulge of my belly. "I just can't help it! You're just so… so good at this!" I kicked him, gently. "Don't get cocky! Put that smirk away…"
"God forbid Mum ever have Mai hearing, she would get the wrong idea." The bed rumbled with Alek's laugh.
"NO! Not funny! That tickles!" I tried to kick him again, but I couldn't overpower Alek's grip on my ankles.
"I'm sorry, love. You're hopeless. I give up." He got off the bed with a frown.
"Nooooooooooo! More! Moorrreeee!" I swung my feet in the air, trying to get him to go back to massaging them. "Please?"
"Only 'cause I love you. That, and you are the most pathetic excuse of a hippopotamus I have ever had the pleasure of petting." After blocking another kick, Alek resumed his post-bath massage.
Our 'sex-life' was more 'life' than 'sex' these days, but we still made it work. We take a bath together every night, candles, soft music, it was romantic. It won't always be like this, I know. Eventually 'bathtime' will call for wrestling a little munchkin into the bathtub to scrub off the day's grit and grime. For now, 'bathtime' was set aside for us. Just Alek and Chloe, not the Uniter and his mate, not Mai and Mai, no threats on our life, no running, no hiding, just husband and wife.
"This is your fault! You stupid fucking monster! My sister is gone! Of at some man's house! They know about us! They know about Alek and his stupid knocked-up wife! I didn't do this, you did!"
SLAP!
"Why is this happening? Why is it like this…." Sobbing, Mitchell collapsed on the couch.
Rajiv, his cheek red from the slap, wrapped his arms around the taller guy, letting him cry on his shoulder. "Mērā pyāra, oh my love, it will be alright. This I promise you."
Arun and Paige were still at home; Mitchell didn't want to stress out his sister any more than necessary. Everyone else in Alek's 'little alliance' were crowded in Aunt Valentina's apartment, even Amy, Paul, and Meredith.
I sat with Amy and Mimi, trying to tune out their fussing. I couldn't hear what Alek was talking about, something about a meeting with the Mai Council in New York. Something about James. Something about going into hiding.
There are a lot of couples in the fic. Who do you want to get married? What are your relationship predictions?
If I had to kill off three characters, who do you want me to kill?