Nikki giggled loudly as Donovan reached up his tiny arm and attempted to swat at the strand of his mother's hair that was hanging down within his reach. She let him do it, knowing that being able to do that was a milestone for newborns and wanted to encourage him. However when he gripped the strand in his hand and tugged at it Nikki tutted and shook her head, gently taking her hair away from him.
"Don't pull it young man" she told the baby as she reached over to one of the tables in the hallway for one of his toys and caught his attention with it. Donovan followed the brightly coloured toy with his eyes and reached up to grab it, succeeding in getting one of his tiny hands around one of the toy caterpillar's legs and refusing to let go. Nikki giggled and let Donovan have the toy, resting it gently on his chest as he shook it slightly, unable to hear the tinkling noises that it made. She walked into the living room and smiled when she heard and saw everyone in there, chatting amongst themselves and Angela and Jurian playing in front of the fire with Artemis and Eos who loved all the attention they got from the children.
"Hello you" Harry grinned as the conversation between himself, Isold and Darren stopped when Nikki walked over to them. He then gently pulled Nikki onto his lap and made her giggle at his action, rolling her eyes at him and kissing his forehead gently.
"He needed a nappy change" Nikki explained as she handed Donovan to his father who eagerly but gently took him and cradled him against his chest. She then glanced over at Darren who was holding Gabriel and smiled at them. "How is he?"
"A little angel" Darren replied as he looked down at the baby in his arms "Do you want.." he offered her the child but Nikki shook her head.
"Nikki can I have a drink please?"
Nikki glanced down at Angela who had spoken and chuckled, climbing off Harry's lap.
"Of course you can, let's go and see what we can find"
"Me too" Jurian laughed as he stood up and made Nikki giggle.
"You relax Nikki" Isold told the young woman as she stood up "I'll get them.."
"Don't worry" Nikki laughed and shook her head, Isold sitting down hesitantly "I am very capable of getting drinks for these two terrors" she giggled as she and the young children walked over to the table where all the drinks and some of the food was laid out.
"You three better not be getting drunk over there" Darren then warned William, Georg and Ada who were sitting around the other armchair talking amongst themselves.
"Of course we're not. We're not that irresponsible to do that when there are children around" William tutted at his uncle as he walked over and sat down on the floor by the fire, Artemis and Eos instantly taking advantage of the new human and climbing over him.
"Good" Darren smiled as Angela walked back over with a beaker in her hand and sat on the floor carefully, sipping her drink.
"Can we have a kitten daddy?"
"No" Darren replied and Angela pouted up at him.
"Please"
"No"
"Daddy" Angela pouted some more but her father just laughed and reached down to ruffle her hair.
"No"
"Can have kitten mama?" Jurian asked as Nikki walked over with the two year old on her hip, his drink in one of his sippy cups to stop him from spilling it.
"Don't you start" Isold chuckled and Nikki giggled as she put Jurian down the floor.
"Do you want this young man back?" Darren then asked Nikki as he offered Gabriel to her. Nikki nodded and took her son from him, kissing Gabriel's head gently before shifting him in her arms.
"Can we go and play in the snow?" Angela then asked excitedly, glancing out of the French doors at the thick layer of untouched snow in the large garden.
"Of course" Darren nodded "Go and get wrapped up then"
"Me too" Jurian grinned as he stood up and ran after Angela.
"I want to go as well" William laughed as he stood up, dragging his boyfriend off the floor as well and making everyone else roll their eyes. "Come on, I want to make a snowman"
"Where's the camera?" Harry then asked Nikki and she nodded towards the mantelpiece, her lover nodding when he saw it.
"Do you want me to take pictures?" Ada asked as she stood up and grabbed the camera, a smirk on her face that made her brother and his boyfriend feel slightly unnerved.
"Go on then" Nikki smiled and nodded "For our album"
Sometime later the young adults and the two children were in the garden, Isold and Darren watching from the French doors and looking after the twins who were asleep in their Moses baskets. Georg, Harry and William had made a snowman and were defending it against Nikki, Ada, Jurian and Angela who were attempting to knock it down, both sides throwing snowballs as they used the bare shrubs and other obstacles in the garden as cover. Everyone laughing and having a brilliant time.
"It's nice to see them like this isn't it?" Darren asked Isold as he turned away from the garden and walked over to the armchair, sitting down and smiling when Isold seated herself on the sofa, nodding in agreement. "How do you think Harry and Nikki will cope with Donovan?"
"To be perfectly honest I think they will be amazing" Isold smiled "It'll just become second nature to them both. How are they getting on with sign language?"
"Very well, they've got a lot to learn but its simple enough once you get the hang of it. Are you going to learn as well?"
"I should shouldn't I?" Isold nodded as she glanced over at the babies and then back at the red headed man.
"They said that they want him to lip read as well" Darren shrugged just as a snowball hit the French doors and made both adults jump. They turned just in time to see Nikki and Angela corner William by the doors, snow dripping down the window next to the red headed young man where someone's aim had been off.
"You like your baths don't you" Nikki giggled to Donovan as she slowly dripped water down onto his naked chest and stomach, the baby gurgling happily as he attempted to catch the water that fell into his hands. He kicked his legs out and Nikki smiled proudly at him, stroking his wet hair and making it stand up. She then laughed when she realised how much like Harry he looked, despite the blonde hair.
"What's funny?" Harry asked as he looked up from where he was drying off Gabriel, the baby wrapped up in a warm towel with the hood over his head. The baby let out a loud happy noise as he gripped the edge of the towel and seemed to like the feel of it in his hands.
"Just thinking about how they look like you when their hair is wet, your hair sticks up like theirs does. Even though they're blonde" Nikki chuckled and Harry laughed quietly, looking down at Gabriel and understanding what his lover was talking about. He then felt the baby shivering and wrapped the towel around him a bit more.
"Daddy needs to hurry up and get you ready for bed" Harry told the baby as he stood up and placed Gabriel on the changing table, a clean nappy and a warm babygrow already set out for him. "Did you enjoy your first Christmas little man?" he cooed and Nikki smiled at them as she glanced away from Donovan for a few seconds.
She then rinsed the baby soap off her son and pulled him from the water. Donovan however let out a small cry before he began to wail loudly.
"Ssh my darling" Nikki whispered as she quickly grabbed a towel and wrapped him in it, wondering if it was because he was cold. She then began to dry the baby and he seemed to calm down when he was placed on her chest, feeling Nikki's heartbeat as he wrapped his hand around the thick material of her jumper and let out a small whimper. "You don't like being taken out of the water do you?" Nikki chuckled "You're my little water baby aren't you"
Harry smiled happily as he heard Nikki talking to Donovan, gently lifting Gabriel into his arms, the baby almost asleep already. However when he went to take him out of the bathroom to put him to sleep he began to whimper again, his green eyes opening quickly and looking around the room.
"Ssh" Harry cooed as he walked back into the bathroom and grabbed the toy that he had forgotten. Donovan coughed slightly as Nikki put his nappy on and Gabriel instantly stopped crying, whimpering and hiccupping quietly in his father's arms.
The parents exchanged a look and then chuckled simultaneously.
"I think they do have a connection" Harry informed his lover who smiled and nodded.
"I think so too" Nikki responded as she carefully put Donovan's babygrow on him doing it up at the front and then picking him up into her arms, kissing his head gently. "That's going to be very helpful when they grow up"