Part 13

"It's good to see you, son," Dave greeted Spencer with a smile. "You need to visit more often."

"It's good to see you to, dad," Spencer said smiling slightly. "I had to come when heard that you had finally met someone that you believe you can fall in love with."

"Am falling in love with," Dave corrected gently. "We've only been dating at present, as it's only been a couple of weeks, I would like to actually court her, but it all depends on how you, James, Carol and Peter interact with her. I won't mate with anyone that doesn't get along with my children or who they don't like."

"Like Dina that wanted to send all of us to boarding school?" Spencer gently teased him. At the time Spencer had been terrified that Dave would do so, but his adoptive father had more then proved that there was no way he was going to toss him or his siblings away by shipping them off to boarding school. At the time. Spencer hadn't been living with Dave for very long and though he had been starting to truly trust him. he had still doubted Dave somewhere in his subconscious. He had thought that who would want a geeky, to intelligent for his own good genius, as his own father certainly hadn't cared much for him and Spencer knew that secretly he wished that his brother who his mother had named Julius had lived because he had been an alpha.

Spencer remembered being secretly relieved when Dave had witnessed his treatment at the hands of his father and gone out of his way to get him out of that situation.

At the time, Spencer had been sure that Dave had had an ulterior motive other then the one that had been stated and that was to get him away from a man that really shouldn't have procreated, but he had agreed to give Dave a trial run and now he was so glad he had.

"Please!" Dave snorted his contempt obvious. "Dina was a mistake. I admit she had me fooled, but I realized my mistake when she suggested that we send you all to boarding school. She's lucky all I did was give her a few bruises before I threw her ass out of my house. She acted like it was a foregone conclusion that I would do what she suggested and mate with her. I shocked the hell out of her when I showed her the door and tossed her out. Nobody dictates to me what to do and to even suggest I ship you off killed any feelings I had for her. You don't have to worry though, about Alex, as I know you and the triplets will love her. She's a totally different kind of person from the late, unlamented Dina I promise you."

"So what's she like?" Spencer asked, as he and Dave chatted waiting for the triplets and Alex to arrive

"She's warm, kind and caring. She's a professor in linguistics at Baltimore University and from what she's told me she really connects with her students, as she's told me plenty of stories about them. I seriously don't think you or your siblings are going to have a problem with her."

"Probably not, and she certainly can't be worse then Dina," Spencer said making a face, as he remembered that atrocity of the woman that had tried to get him and his siblings shipped off to boarding school. He still couldn't believe her atrocity, that Dina hadn't realized, that she would be tossed out on her petite derriere, for suggesting such a thing. For someone who was supposedly intelligent she had been incredibly idiotic in that instance. It was still hard for him to believe that Dina hadn't realized that making such a suggestion to an alpha, especially one like Dave, was likely to get her hospitalized. Spencer was certainly glad that Dave had thrown her out.

"No, she can't," Dave laughed seeing the humor in Spencer's statement.

Dave fell silent as he listened to something outside the house and Spencer heard it to.

"James is here," Dave said. "I recognize the sound of his car."

"Why don't you go greet him and I'll fix him a drink?" Spencer offered. "I certainly remember what he prefers by now."

"You would," Dave laughed, as he went to greet his oldest son.

"Hey dad!" James greeted his father giving him a big hug.

"It's good to see you, Jim," Dave said smiling. "Spencer is already here and fixing you the drink you prefer."

"Oh, good, I could use it," James said smiling, as he clapped his father affectionately on the back.

"Anything I need to know about?" Dave asked immediately concerned.

"You worry too much," James told his father with an affectionate smile. "This is why you need a mate to stop you worrying so much about your grown children."

"I think I found her, so long as you and the others approve," Dave said. "I'll never mate with someone that you heartily dislike, even though you're all grown up now. No, I will never mate with anyone that tries to drive a wedge between me and my friends and family."

"I'm sure we'll all love this Alex you've been telling us about," James said encouragingly. "From all you've told us she seems perfect for you, but still, all of us want to meet her for ourselves."

"You have every right to," Dave said smiling as he led his son into the living room. "And I also can't blame you, not after Dina.

"And let's not forget Erin Strauss," James chuckled.

"Yeah, she was a mistake to, but in a different way," Dave said. "Still, I've dated a lot of really nice Omegas we just didn't click that's all."

"A lot of men fall for women like Dina and also Erin," Spencer said, as he handed James his drink and got a nod of thanks.

"So how have you been doing, Spence?" James asked his brother, giving him a brotherly hug.

"I've been doing really well," Spencer said honestly.

"That's good and we really need all get together sometime. We don't need to get so busy with our lives that we don't see each other, but a few times a year, especially since we all live in the area," James said.

"Yeah, we do, but right now we're just getting established in our careers or at least you, Peter and Carol are," Spencer said. "We'll have more time to spend together soon."

The three of them chatted over drinks until Peter and Carol arrived almost together. Everybody greeted each other with hugs and kisses, then talked and laughed until Alex finally got there just after six.

Dave who had had dinner warming in the oven, put the casserole along with the biscuits that had been kept warm due to a piece of tinfoil covering them and finally the asparagus that had been kept warm in the microwave on the table. Fruit bowls completed the meal and were already prepared.

"I sure have missed your cooking dad," Carol told her father with a smile.

"Well, if you visited more I would be happy to feed you," Dave told her smiling a little. "Still, I'm not so old that I don't remember what it was like to be independent, to have your own career and your own place. However, the offer still stands and you're welcome to come by at any time and I'll always be happy to see you."

Alex watched this silently and knew that she was falling in love with David Rossi. Just watching him interacting with his own kids let her know that he would be a terrific dad, if they happened to get to the stage where they mated and had kids of their own, though that was still weeks off at least.

Alex participated in the conversation and answered any question that was asked of her honestly.

Dave watched this, not saying much, but so far things were going well and he truly hoped that continued, because he knew he was falling in love with Alex Blake, but he would do nothing if his kids didn't approve, even though they were adults now. He would like to move their relationship to the next level, but wouldn't do so without his children's approval, as weird as that would be to most humans with grown children.

"Well, I think dad has chosen well," Carol finally said smiling. "I definitely approve."

"Me too," Peter piped up. "I certainly like you better than Dina.

This was said with such contempt that the others chuckled, but they also heartily agreed.

"Former girlfriend," Dave told Alex. "Please don't ask."

Alex said nothing but nodded. She could guess very well that Dina had gotten herself tossed out, because she had done something that had offended either Dave, the alpha or perhaps, she had done something that had upset the children, as they likely wouldn't've been grown at that time.

Spencer reserved his opinion, as he continued to observe, but so far he really liked Alex, certainly much better than Dina and also Erin. One had wanted to send him and his siblings to boarding school just because she hadn't wanted to be the mother of children of another woman or perhaps didn't want them underfoot, probably both. The other had tried to find his father's bank account number so she could drain his account dry, but thankfully hadn't succeed. No, so far Alex seemed very open and honest, but you could only tell so much about a person during a meal.

Still, he would cautiously accept her unless she proved untrustworthy and he knew that his father was still looking for the signs to, as it didn't hurt to be cautious, since he had already had a couple of close calls.

The meal ended finally and everybody had had a good time.

"We must do this again," James said.

"I would like that very much," Alex said smiling

"So would I," Dave said happy at how the dinner had gone.

"Perhaps next week?" Peter suggested and everybody nodded in agreement.

"I'll see you all next week," Dave told all four of his children smiling. "I would like to make dinner at least once a week a regular event, as I don't get to see any of you often enough."

"I think we can manage that," Carol said glancing at her siblings.

"We'll see you next week at least. I for one really like Alex," James said.

"I'm glad you do," Dave said warmly, as he saw all four of his children to the front door.

"I like her too," Spencer finally told his father quietly when it was just the two of them. "Still, I'm going to reserve judgment until I get to know her better."

"I can't blame you," Dave said, as he gave his son a hug. "You were the one that was hurt the most by Dina's actions and words, mostly because you still weren't sure of your place in our family. Still, I really like her, so I'll try to arrange that you interact frequently, so that you can get to know her better, as I really believe she's the one for me."

"So long as you're happy, I'm happy," Spencer told his father. "You've done so much for me that if Alex makes you happy then I'm happy for you."

"But you matter to me too, son," Dave told Spencer who nodded. "You and your siblings are the most important people in my life, don't ever forget that."

"And you don't want to have to choose between us. That will never happen I promise you, as you're my dad in every way except biologically," Spencer promised. "Just be careful and make sure she isn't like Dina or Erin, before you make any irreversible decisions."

"I'll be careful," Dave promised and Spencer nodded, knowing that Dave would indeed be careful.

"I'll see you next week if not before," Spencer said giving his father another hug before he headed for his car.

~~~Aaron and Penelope~~~

"Well, this is good news," Penny squealed happily.

"This is excellent news and I know that you're very happy and excited that its triplets for a second time," Aaron added.

"Yes, we are," Emily said. "I had given up hope of ever finding a mate of my own and then I met Sean. I know this is our second set of triplets but that doesn't mean it's not just as special."

Sean and Emily's first set of triplets were only six months old.

"Yes, both Penny and I saw how you were attracted to each other but at the time we weren't entirely sure you would mate," Aaron said, running a hand over Penelope's very pregnant belly unconsciously. She was due to give birth in just a few weeks.

"We thought you would, but weren't 100% sure," Penelope added. "After all, men and women are attracted to each other all the time, but it doesn't necessarily end in a permanent arrangement."

"Yes, there is such thing as just lust for someone, lust that will fade after awhile," Sean agreed. "I've lusted after plenty of women, but nothing ever came of any of those relationships."

"You can be attracted to someone, but find out that's all you feel as you don't get each other personalitywise or they don't share your areas of interest," Emily said. "I won't deny that I've been attracted to plenty of men before both humans and Omegas and even a few alphas that I had brief relationships with, but none of those ever worked out. I never expected the ones with other alphas to work out, as they were just brief flings nothing more, but as for the Omegas, a lot of them are pushovers, so frightened of Alphas with really fierce personalities like my own, that they'll probably be alone for the rest of their lives. I could never have gotten close to someone that was practically frightened of their own shadow much less an alpha like me. As for the humans most of them don't understand our customs, our traditions. They don't want to be dominated, though some do, I know."

"They consider spanking, punishment, while really it's a way to remind the Omega about who's in charge and a way for an alpha to keep their strong protective instincts under control," Penelope added.

"A little pain once a week at least reminds the omega that there are certain rules that must be followed in order to avoid getting seriously punished or going so far over the line that they're tossed out permanently by the alpha," Sean said. "Hell, most Omegas enjoy the game. I certainly do and the omega in me is always very happy when Emily fulfills her duties by spanking me."

"Being tossed out is really a tragedy, especially if they have children, children they are never allowed to see again at least until they are grown up," Emily added, giving Sean's hand a squeeze to let him know that she really appreciated his words.

"It happens far too often," Aaron agreed. "I don't think those that betray their Alphas really consider the consequences of their actions. I don't believe they think about the fact that they'll never be allowed anywhere near their children while they're still underage and even when their children are grown, well, they likely won't want anything to do with a parent who betrayed their alpha and therefore, abandoned them. Also, those that betray their alpha will be pariahs in their communities no matter where they travel none of our species will ever accept them. They'll literally be spoiled for all time and will never find another match with an alpha."

"Well, I don't think that's something that any of us need to worry about, as I, at least, happen to love the alpha I'm mated to," Penelope said smiling.

"And I happen to agree with that statement," Sean said with a smile of his own. "I left my life in New York without a second thought when Emily asked me to be hers and I wouldn't have done that if I didn't genuinely love and adore her. No, I would have turned her down politely before going back to the city I considered my home."

"Well, I'm certainly glad you didn't," Emily said smiling. "I would've been miserable without you and I know it. You've made my life so much better then it was."

"There was no chance of that, as we all know I had fallen in love with you," Sean said smiling.

Since this was an often repeated statement everybody just smiled at the love and adoration in Sean's expression.

"So where are my nieces and nephew?" Penelope asked.

Emily had had two girls and a boy when she'd had her children a few months ago.

"They're with their nanny, but I'll have her bring them down so that you can see them," Emily said. "They're still too young to really know what's going on and they would likely be fussy with all the noise down here, so I thought it was better if they stay with Hilda."

"That's probably smart, though some infants can sleep through a thunderstorm or a tornado, but then others wake up at the slightest sounds," said Aaron smiling.

"Right now our children are too young to tell what kind of sleepers they are going to be, but I'm sure we'll know in a few months," Sean said smiling, as he adored his two daughters and one son and those yet to arrive.

"So are you going to have anymore as soon as these three are born?" Penelope asked Emily. "Or are you going to wait awhile?"

"Well, I'm not getting any younger and I was thinking about getting pregnant again as soon as these three are born," Emily said.

"You're just 40, so you don't really need to rush it along, because as it is you're pregnant just six months after your first set of triplets was born," Penelope told her friend. "I suppose it would depend on how many children that you and Sean wanted to have."

"We hadn't decided," Sean said. "If Emily has triplets again, which is the likely possibility, considering she will have had them twice, then I think nine is plenty, as that's certainly more than our parents had or Emily's parents had. I certainly won't mind having more, I just think we should at least a year before we do."

"On the other hand, I've always wanted a large family and I think I should get pregnant at least once, if not two more times," Emily said. "If I do want to get pregnant two more times, I'm going to have to space them about a year apart, but if we decide that I only get pregnant once, than I can space them a little bit farther apart."

"It's certainly not an easy decision to make," Sean said.

"But we'll come to an agreement eventually," Emily said. "Sean has every right to take part in the decision, considering that they'll be his children too."

"It's not so much that I'm concerned about Emily's health, since we give birth easily for the most part, no matter how close together the babies are. It's just that Hilda has enough to do, with three children who are only six months old to look after, plus three more soon," Sean explained. "I just think we should wait until the ones you are carrying now grow up a little before we consider having anymore. Emily and I help out as much as we can, and I know that relieves the pressure on Hilda..."

"But still, you're concerned, that you are going to give her more than she can handle," Aaron said.

"Yeah," Sean said a little sheepishly. "One kid is a lot of work much less three and she's only one person no matter how much energy she seems to have. I just don't want her to drop from exhaustion that's all."

"We can always hire someone else if we need to," Emily told Sean who nodded.

"Yes, that's true, forgive me for being concerned. I just don't want to dump anymore pressure on you or Hilda," Sean said. "Children are quite a handful until they're at least 4 or 5, though at least they pass the diaper stage in less then a year."

"I, at least can handle pressure, but you're right there, is no point of exhausting myself," Emily considered. "I also didn't think about my job. I doubt they will give me maternity leave again this soon as this will be the third time. I could quit, but I enjoy it mostly. I suppose waiting another six or eight months is the best thing to do."

"You see that wasn't so hard," Penelope said smiling.

"I am capable of being logical and listening to reason," Emily smirked. "I would like to get pregnant at least once more after these three are born and after that we'll see."

"We understand that you're desire to have more children is strong, as it is for most females, of our kind, particularly those that have waited until their late 30s or early 40s to find a mate," said Aaron. "I think you made the right decision personally."

"It wasn't a matter of waiting to have children it was a matter of not finding anybody I could love, as I wasn't going to mate with just anybody," Emily said.

"We know, as the same thing happened to me, though I admit I am a few years younger," said Penelope. "Both of us were lucky to find someone we would be happy to settle down with. Many of our kind are not so lucky. I suppose it's no different though from humans not finding anybody to settle down with."

"In that way we're very similar, though there're quite a few differences between our two races," Sean said.

Nobody could disagree with that statement, since it was basically the truth.

~~~Aaron and Penelope~~~