AN: With Just Deserts wrapping up- it's time that this story starts being published again. Thank you to everyone who has stuck through the hiatus! I do have much of it between here and chapter 80 already written- so I should be able to stick to once (or twice) a week publishing from here on out!
"I am so happy to be in my own bed," Tommy whispered as he stretched. He glanced around to see that Kim had gotten up and that Kira and Jay were both snuggled against him. He was pretty sure that they were going to visit them every night for awhile, but that would be fine. He didn't blame them for wanting to stay close to them. He wanted them close as well after everything that had happened.
Kim walked back into their bedroom with Luca happily feeding. She saw him watching her and gave him a sleepy smile before tossing him a granola bar. Grant and Carrie had done a great job of taking care of the twins, but they were out of pretty much everything in the kitchen.
"You need to spar today?" Kim asked as she settled on the bed and he placed a pillow on her legs to help prop Luca up. He rolled over to watch her and he just nodded. His entire body was tense after the last few days and he needed to work that out. He had dove back into everything else that was going on in their lives, but he had not been able to make much time for himself. Kim was on maternity leave through the start of the school term and he was not going to ask her to return a day early, but that meant more was on his plate than when they had left. "Want a partner?"
"You…you want to spar?" Tommy sat up, gently shifting the twins off of his body and onto the bed. The doctors had cleared her for any activity she wanted to do before they left Thomas' universe, but they had both been reluctant to really push it while she was there. Even now he was reluctant because of how brutal this delivery had been. "Babe- I can ask one of the instructors, you…"
"I know. I need to do something and well…I'm not sure I'm ready to be, to be by myself in the city," Kim rocked Luca as she avoided his gaze. What did she not want to tell him? What was really bothering her? "Since David…I just…please."
"Absolutely. That reminds me, we need to ask for a long session with Erick." Tommy adjusted his boxers as he grabbed his cell phone and started typing out an email. Over the last week he had responded to all of the emails he had missed, thankful that he had already gone on paternity leave before they left to visit his parents. While it was unconventional, with Kimberly's past the university had been willing to allow it. Admittedly, his position on the staff was now purely research and they were well aware that most of his research would be related to solving Power Ranger problems from now on. For some reason, that worked for them and he was happy to sub in for an occasional class to keep the access that they needed. "Beautiful, you need more than that to eat."
"I know, but it's all I could find. Once I feed him, we can get them up and go grab breakfast. Then we really need to make a trip to get groceries and then I need-" Tommy placed a finger on her lips and she looked up at him. He could feel the stress building in her as she tried to plan how to get their life back on track, while also juggling a seven week old and two toddlers. He could alleviate some of that. He would alleviate some of that.
"I'll make a grocery list before we get them up and then we can go get breakfast. Then you and Luca can come back here while I take them with me to get groceries. That should get you a few hours of one on one time and maybe you'll be able to catch up on some sleep too. If you still want to- we can spar after that," Tommy whispered against her lips before giving her a quick kiss. He knew that he needed to get moving if he was going to do what he had promised before the twins woke up. He caught a glint in her eyes and he felt the punch in his gut. Apparently offering to take on these basic tasks had just turned her on in a way he would have never expected. "Please, don't. If it's anything like last time- he's going to have the perfect timing to keep us from having sex for at least five more months."
"Whaaa," Kim trailed off as he pulled away from her. She hadn't thought that it was that obvious that his caring for them turned her on. It had always been this way, but this was the first time in awhile that it had hit her this hard. "Please have better timing than your siblings. Mommy and Daddy are going to need a break."
"Kim, Tommy. Oh it's great to see you! Oooooh and look at this little one," Allison, one of the waitresses at their favorite brunch place, said as she looked at the carrier on Kim's chest. "Do you want your usual?"
"For me and the twins, yeah," Tommy said as Kim gave him a smile as she looked at the menu. She was definitely going to get more than she usually got.
"Can I get the Chocolate Babka french toast with a side of fruit and bacon? Plus do you have cranberry juice?" Kim asked as Allison smiled and nodded. She smiled as she took their menus and Tommy watched Kim do a happy dance. "How long do you think they'll last?"
"I packed these just in case," Tommy said as he pulled out two tubes of gogurt and each of the twins greedily grabbed one from him. She stared at him and he gave her a smile. "I pay attention. I know what you've been tossing in their bag recently."
"We need to get a babysitter," Kim stated and Tommy froze. Kira slapped him on the side of his face with the gogurt packet before he absentmindedly opened it and passed it back to her. "Down boy."
"Yeah, that's never worked, but I will get us a sitter for later this week," Tommy said as Allison dropped a bowl of fruit off at their table before passing them their drinks. Kira and Jay went straight for the fruit, but Tommy kept an eye on Kim. She never knew how much he loved these moments, how much he loved when she abandoned all pretense about how much she wanted him. He had always made it clear to her where she was in his eyes, but the years apart made these moments something that he needed. These moments let him know that it was more than them being thrown back together to survive, that she loved him as much as he loved her. Luca let out a cry and Kim stood up and started rocking back and forth. "Babe…"
"It's fine, we can switch once you're done," Kim said as she walked past him and ran her fingers over his shoulders as she kept moving. Luca slowly settled down, but when she stopped moving, he started wailing again. Apparently it was going to be one of those days.
"Hey, you want me to rock him? You should eat," Allison said as she had dropped off the food and Kim stared at her. She glanced over to see Tommy helping the twins eat and she nodded. They had known Allison since before they had the twins and she had walked them around this restaurant more than once when they were at their breaking point. "Oh come here littlest Oliver. Aren't you a cutie pie?"
"Where's Luca?" Tommy asked as Kim sat back down and she nodded over to Allison who was now wearing the baby carrier and hustling around the restaurant with Luca snuggled against her. "Remind me to give her an extra tip."
"Mama try?" Kira asked as she pointed at Kim's breakfast and Kim cut her a few small pieces and added it to her plate. Jay reached across for Kira's plate and Kim put a few pieces on his plate as well. "Mmmm…nom, nom."
"You like it?" Kim beamed as Kira enthusiastically nodded as her chocolate pigtails bounced on top of her head. She had no idea how Tommy had convinced her to sit still long enough for him to put her hair up and had just noticed the tiny ribbons he tied around them too. "You are laying it on thick today."
"What do you mean?" Tommy asked, his mouth half full as he stopped Jay from flinging food across the table. Kim motioned to Kira's hair and he laughed. "She asked for pigtails and ribbons like Mama does. There was a time when I had longer hair than you- I haven't forgotten how to do hair. Although, I might need a little practice if she starts asking for braids. Do we have to have the conversation that I'm their dad and this is how I should be helping out right now with a new baby?"
"I forgot you did this last time too. I'm sorry." Kim looked down at her plate and he grabbed her hand and she looked back up at him. "I know…you don't have ulterior motives, but I lived in a world for so long where everyone did and…"
"And if I was angling for s-e-x, you know this isn't how I'd do it." Tommy nonchalantly sipped on his coffee as she choked on her drink for a second as she stared at him. "What? They can't spell yet."
"Eh-ee-ex, eh-ee-ex," Jay mimicked and Tommy cringed as Kimberly let out a deep belly laugh. They might not be able to spell, but they could find other ways to embarrass them without even trying hard.
"Hey bud, I know that's a new word for you, but this isn't the place to say it," Tommy said as Jay looked at him, crossed his little arms and glared. "You're right. Daddy shouldn't have said it here either."
"Oh he is going to be the end of you both," Allison said as she walked back over and refilled their glasses. "And this little guy is precious too. How are you doing? He must be what…two months old?"
"Seven weeks," Kim said as Kira decided she was ready to get out of her high chair and Tommy quickly grabbed her. "Allison- I really appreciate it. We haven't been able to do many normal things with the twins lately and…"
"I will gladly walk around with this little guy any day of the week," Allison said as she saw another table signaling her and she nodded. "You want him back?"
"Yeah, I'm about to head back home and try to take a nap while he's out," Kim said as she carefully took him and Tommy stood up to give her a quick hug and a kiss. "Are you sure you don't want me to take them home?"
"How much did you sleep last night?" Tommy countered as she looked between the twins and Luca. "That's what I thought. Go, Beautiful. We'll be home when we get home."
"Hey Tommy…" Axel trailed off as Kimberly and the kids walked in behind him. "Do you need me to head out?"
"Nah, we're going to spar for a little bit. Well…for as long as they'll let us," Tommy said as Kira and Jay sprinted around the gym and he put Luca in the pack in play they had set up in the dojo earlier that day.
"The two of you?" Axel asked as he stopped gathering his things. He rarely sparred Julia after they had gotten serious, but he had heard that the only person Kim would really spar with was Tommy. On occasion, Grant, but that was only when she was pissed at Tommy. He'd never had a chance to see them spar before now and he wanted to see this. "I can keep an eye on them for a bit."
"What time did you tell Jules you'd be back?" Tommy walked past him as he started to stretch and loosen up. Kim walked to another part of the dojo and started her own warm up routine. It had been far too long for either of them when it came to sparring with each other.
"Umm…well…" Axel stalled as Julia walked into the dojo and glared at him as he motioned to Kim and Tommy. Her glare turned to fascination as she saw both of them warming up. "They're sparring."
"Each other? Seriously? Oooh- I should have brought popcorn to cuss you out." Luca let out a wail and she leaned over to pick him up, before settling next to Axel against the wall. She gently patted him on the back as he snuggled into her chest and she felt Axel watching her. "Should we call the others?"
"I don't think so. I think they weren't planning on an audience, so let's not press our luck." Axel slipped an arm around her and ran his hand up and down her side. He knew he was running late, but luckily this seemed to interest her just as much as it did him. "Do you think she's any good?"
"Yeah, she's good," Tommy said as he walked over to check on Luca and he made eye contact with each of them in turn. "Two rules- do not stop us, even if it gets rough. And no video of this gets back to the others."
"Deal," Julia said as she tucked her phone away and smiled up at him. Tommy walked off and checked in on Kimberly before he whispered something in her ear and then gently rubbed her back. "Why would he warn us not to break them up?"
"No idea," Axel muttered as Kim cracked her neck and they saw her eyes flash pink. They exchanged a glance as Tommy's eyes flashed a mixture of colors and weren't surprised that Kira and Jay piled into Axel's lap. An energy rippled through the room that made it very clear that their supernatural powers were being accessed and the toddlers knew that the safest place was away from their parents. "That might be why."
"Don't go easy on me," Kim said as she rolled her shoulders back and bounced on her toes. Tommy was never the aggressor when they sparred, so she made the first move and slammed into his body. Sparks went up around the both of them and she knew that this had been too long for her. They should have done this while they were still with Thomas, but her body was barely healed enough to handle it now.
Tommy, predictably, went low and she jumped over his feet. before landing a solid shot to his side. They fell into a comfortable rhythm, pushing each other, but neither of them going for the take out. He tripped her up and she tried to scramble to her feet, but he soon had her pinned to the ground. It was the one hold that she hated to be in and she wrapped her legs around him and threw him onto his back. She pinned both of his arms to the ground as she straddled him and they both panted as they tried to get their breathing back under control.
"Feel better?" Kim asked as Tommy nodded as he leaned up to kiss her but stopped himself at the last moment, remembering that Axel and Julia were watching their children. Kira and Jay then dive bombed him and the moment was broken. Kim rolled off of him and stared at the ceiling for a moment before the twins jumped on her next. She leaned up and tickled them as they squealed in delight.
"Mama stop," Kira said and Kim moved her hands away before giving Kira a quick hug and setting her on her feet so that she could run off.
"Do the two of you want the night…" Julia started as Kim felt her face flame red as Tommy pulled her to her feet.
"Thanks Julia, but no. Not tonight. If you're available to babysit on Friday or Saturday this week- we'd take you up on that," Tommy said as he shielded Kimberly and waited for her face to turn back to a normal post workout color.
"Do we have anything?" Julia asked as Axel shook his head and she smiled as she inhaled Luca's scent. She was starting to understand why mom's constantly smelled their baby's head. Axel watched her and he let out a shaky breath. He knew that it would still be December before their baby was born, but this glimpse made it more real. "How about we do Friday night and then you can pick them up Saturday morning?"
"What if we come pick up Luca at some point, but you keep the twins?" Tommy said as he had seen Kim's panic at the thought of leaving Luca with someone for that long right now. He looked back and saw Julia and Axel just nod. "Okay tots, time to head up for baths and bed."
"Daaaaaa no," Jay said as he ran circles around Tommy and Kimberly. "Want run."
"Want play more," Kira said as Luca let out a cry and Kim walked over and took him from Julia, quickly placing Luca at her breast as he gulped hungrily.
"Go on up. We'll be up in 20 to 30," Tommy said as Kim shook her head as she settled where Axel and Julia had been sitting. "Kim…there's no reason for you to stay down here."
"I like watching you play with them," Kim said as she heard Axel and Julia slip out of the dojo. "Really Tommy, I can feed him here and they can get their wiggles out. Plus…"
"Plus what?" Tommy asked as he glanced at her and he shook his head. It had been far longer than seven weeks before she wanted him again with the twins and he wasn't sure what he had done today, but he was not going to turn her down if that was where things went tonight.