Chapter 8

I poured my coffee, fixed it with cream and sugar and took a deep sip, setting it down to lift David as he grunted and kicked his feet. It had been a peaceful day, bundling the babies up and taking them for a walk in the crisp winter air with Ice, then coming back to lay them on the carpet and play with them. I knew there was something I was forgetting, but as I prepared the babies evening bottle I couldn’t even think of what it could be. I felt calm, fulfilled, relieved that the emptiness that had hovered over me seemed to have mysteriously disappeared. Ice came out of the shower, wearing nothing but jeans, scrubbing a towel through his hair. I smiled as he kissed my forehead, then lifted Kirsten. He took her bottle from the counter and held it to her lips, going over to the sofa to sit with her and turned on the TV.

“Raven bring David here…he’s already missed half the game. Habs against the Rangers.” He said. I carried David over as he drank down deeply on the bottle, chuckling as his eyes tried to focus on the set. He turned away from his bottle and gurgled happily. Me and Ice both laughed.

I looked up as I heard a sound. Charlie walked into the room, rubbing his hand over his face. I smiled up at him.

“Charlie. When did you get here?” I asked. He looked like something had hit him, hard. He glared at Ice and I caught Ice shake his head slowly. Something in me wondered briefly what was going on, but I shrugged it off, running my hand over David’s head. I heard Charlie sigh, then come over to sit at my other side. He looked at David, a bemused expression on his face.

“Sure is a cute kid…you sure he’s Ryder’s?” He asked. I rolled my eyes at him.

“Yes he’s Ryder’s…” I cocked my head at him. “You still haven’t held him have you? Do you…”

Charlie shook his head in a panicked way.

“I wouldn’t know how…” He broke off as I turned towards him, holding David with one arm and pulling Charlie’s arms into position. I placed David carefully in Charlie’s arms against his chest. He looked down at my son, utterly entranced.

“David, this is your Uncle Charlie.” I said. Charlie watched David watch him, his lips tilting up slowly. He leaned down.

“Don’t tell your mommy this…but I’m bringing you to Montreal when you turn sixteen. Gonna get you some Canadian beer and some Canadian a….”

I frowned at him, then a thought occurred to me. I tilted my head thoughtfully.

“Well Kirsten’s birthdays obviously the same day…you can bring them both.”

“Over my dead body.” Charlie and Ice said as one. I laughed.

“Well then try not to corrupt my son before he can even crawl.” I said in mock seriousness. Charlie grinned unabashed, leaned David up against his body lengthwise facing the TV.

“So daddy’s got you watching hockey does he?” Charlie observed, leaning his face alongside David’s. “I’m going to have to introduce you to some real sports. Maybe I can convince mommy to let you come to my place and watch some UFC with me and the guys.”

“Oh no problem…and when your done with that you can teach him how to hotwire a car and make explosives.” I drawled sarcastically. David cooed joyfully as Charlie turned him back to face him.

“You won’t need to steal cars, I got a nice white Challenger I’m putting in storage for you.” David’s eyes opened wide. Charlie smiled. “You treat your mommy good and you’ll get it when you get your licence…” Charlie glanced at me through the corner of his eye. “Cause I’m not going to have you doing like mommy and driving without one.”

I stuck my tongue out at him and held my arms out for David, hoping to get him to finish his bottle. Ice’s phone rang and he held Kirsten out to Charlie wordlessly. Charlie took her, looking even more nervous then he had before.

“Charlie she’d just as solid as David is, she’s not going to break.” I told him. He stroked his finger gently down her face.

“She’s smaller then him.” Charlie observed. I nodded.

“She was bigger when she was born, but he’s been getting stronger, growing in leaps and bounds. Russell checked them out, they’re both perfectly healthy, she’ll just naturally be a bit smaller.” I told him. He brushed his hand over her fuzzy tuff of black hair.

“She’s not going through what you and Kitt have…I don’t care what I have to do.” He promised, kissing her cheek. I smiled.

“I’m counting on it.” I said. I wondered if I was ever going to get used to it. The twins were so very small held in the arms of such powerful beings. Richard. Ice. Now Charlie. It was strange seeing them so carefully holding something so very precious, the common light that glowed in their eyes as they felt themselves fill with the overpowering feeling of love and protectiveness.

I watched as Kirsten turned her head, ever so slightly, resting her cheek against Charlie’s chest and closed her eyes. He seemed content to just watch her sleep for a few moments until Ice came back into the room.

“We’ve got to go.” Ice said. Charlie nodded, looking a little lost.

“Do you wanna take her?” He asked Ice. Ice shook his head.

“No. She’s sleeping, it be better if you just put her in her bed rather then passing her around.” He told him. Charlie nodded uncertainly, rising deftly without so much as shifting her, and followed Ice into the nursery. I went to the doorway with David, who looked nowhere near ready to sleep, and watched Charlie lay Kirsten gently in her crib. He stood motionless for a moment. I couldn’t help but smile. Kirsten had managed, at just over a month old, to wrap yet another man around her tiny little finger. I pitied her first few boyfriends.

Ice patted Charlie on the back.

“You can come see her whenever you want.” He told him sincerely. “But we’ve really got to go. That was Sax. He tried calling you but says your phones off. The house of Venom is burning.”

“What?” Charlie whispered sharply. He walked out of the room quickly, then turned to face Ice.

“That’s all I know. I suggest we head out there, see what’s happened, then go back to your place for the meeting.”

Charlie nodded, walked over to me, kissing me quickly on the cheek, stroked his hand down David’s back, and walked out. I bit my lip as Ice came towards me.

“This is bad, isn’t it.”

Ice stroked his hand across my cheek and lowed his face to mine, kissing me chastely.

“Don’t worry about it.” He said. “We can take care of it. I’ll let you know what happened when I get back.”

I nodded slowly, watching him leave. I pushed the slight resentfulness digging at me aside. I wouldn’t trade being with my babies for anything, I thought firmly. I sighed, walking over to the window with David to watch Charlie and Ice’s cars drive away. It would take some time to get used to not being included in everything though, I admitted.