by Peach
They stopped just inside the door of Walter's study, both smiling. Alex was
lying on the sofa, little Sergei belly down on his chest. His chin was nuzzled
into the curls of the child's hair, his arm wrapped securely around Sergei. The
book he had been reading on the floor beside them. Both looking like angels as
they slept.
Fox moved to stand behind Walter, wrapping his arms around him and resting his
chin on his lover's shoulder.
"I wonder if Sergei will be willing to share his 'lex with the new baby."
"Miranda says it's going to be a girl. You really need to talk to her, Walter.
She is talking about naming her for her other two grandfathers. I told her she
better not hang Fox on an innocent child. So she said Alexandra Wilhelmina.
Alexandra Wilhelmina Skinner, can you see that on a driver's licence? The girl
will hate me."
"Maybe you'll get lucky and it will be a boy. She could go with Liam and he'd
still be named for you. Although, Vixen wouldn't be bad. Alexandra Vixen."
Walter chuckled softly as Fox growled in his ear.
Edward's voice came from behind them. "Don't count on it. It'll be a girl.
Miranda has a sixth sense about these things. She told me we'd made Sergei the
night it happened and that he would be a boy. She's never wrong about babies."
"Well then, can't you convince her to name her after your mother or hers?"
"One of them will be. She's having twins. So one will be named for the
grandmothers and one for the other grandfathers."
Fox moaned and Walter tried to suppress his laugh. He watched as Edward moved
past them to retrieve his son. He spoke softly to Alex first, knowing not to try
and take the baby before Alex was aware. He had ended up with a shiner the one
time he tried that. Alex's instincts were still sharp and swift.
"Alex, I'm going to take Sergei now. I think you'll sleep better in your own
bed, too."
Alex smiled up sleepily at Edward, kissed Sergei's cheek, and moved his arm so
Edward could lift his son.
"Thank you, Edward."
"For what, Alex."
"For the ad in the magazine. For letting me be a grandfather. For wanting to
name your child after me."
"We all love you, Alex. We're glad you're home. I'll see you in the morning."
Edward stopped beside Walter and Fox so they each could kiss a soft sleep
flushed cheek. Walter also kissed his son's cheek and murmured a soft thank
you. When Edward was gone, Fox turned to Walter.
"Take our Rat up to bed. I'll make sure everything is locked up and be up in a
few minutes."
Walter nodded, walked over to the sofa and held out his hand. He saw the
brightness in Alex's eyes but said nothing. Alex took his hand and let Walter
pull him up. They went hand in hand up the stairs to their room. By the time Fox
joined them, Walter had stripped Alex and put him in the centre of the bed. The
two of them stripped hurriedly and took their places beside him.
He cried softly in their arms until he fell asleep. Fox had warned Walter that
it would take awhile for Alex to really believe that he wasn't going to be
rejected. Walter was willing to be patient. They would make him believe.
+++++++++
Six months later, the three of them were waiting for their granddaughters to be
born. Miranda had nailed it, the ultrasound showed two, both female. One would
be Mai Lynn the other Alexandra Willa. Fox had purchased a baby names book just
so he could find a compromise for Wilhelmina.
"Walter, will you sit down? Anyone would think you were the expectant father."
"I'll sit down if you'll stop spitting those seeds everywhere."
"Am I gonna have to spank you two?"
Fox snorted a laugh. "Not at the hospital when our granddaughters are about to
be born."
Walter grinned at his lovers and walked over to sit between them. He managed to
sit for all of two minutes then he was up again, pacing. So they were relieved
when Edward finally came to get them. He led them to the room Miranda was in,
opening the door to reveal a very tired but beautiful woman with a baby in each
arm.
"Girls, time to meet your grandfathers."
Edward lifted one of the babies and put her in his father's arms. "Dad, meet Mai
Lynn."
Walter held her carefully, kissing a cheek gently. His eyes suspiciously bright.
Then Edward placed the other baby in Alex's arms even as he was saying that it
was ok for Fox to hold her first. Fox just wrapped one arm around Alex and
helped cradle the baby with the other.
"She's so beautiful. Isn't she, Fox?"
"Yes, she is."
Edward's camera caught them at that moment, then he got a good shot of his
father with Mai. Later he would give them a double frame with copies of those
two pictures.
They didn't stay long. They all knew how tired Miranda was. Edward was going to
stay there and they would go to the house to let the babysitter go home. In the
car on the way to the house, Walter brought up something he had been thinking
about for a long time.
"I'm going to be retiring soon."
"Yes, Walter, we know."
"Well, I've been thinking."
"Alex, it's your week to keep him from thinking. You know when he starts
thinking, we end up doing things like cleaning the garage."
"Hush, Fox, and let him talk."
"Edward would probably be pleased if you cleaned his garage, Fox."
A loud groan rumbled from the back seat as Alex tried to stifle a laugh.
"What is it, Sergei?"
"It's just that Edward and his family are all the family we have. Well, Fox has
Scully but other than that, we have no other family. Fox can write anywhere and
you can do your stuff for Charles from anywhere."
"Walter, you want to move here, don't you?"
"Yes. I'd like us to get to be grandfathers more than a couple of times a year.
Maybe I'm being selfish but I missed most of Edward's life. I don't want to miss
our grandchildren's as well. Would you both just think about it, please?"
Alex turned in the seat to look at Fox. That 'psychic shit' flowing. Fox had
known Alex's answer before Alex turned to look at him. If Walter said he wanted
to live in Antarctica, Alex would be on the phone to LL Bean ordering thermal
underwear.
Even though he knew he would miss seeing Scully and the Gunmen, he had made a
commitment to these two men. The four months without Alex had reinforced that
commitment in an unexpected way.
It was amazing the little day to day mundane things that you missed about
someone when they weren't around. Things like standing side by side in a
bathroom designed for three men, shaving. Or the way they snuggled in front of
the TV. The worse part was waking up in the morning, expecting him to be there
only to find an empty spot that was normally filled with the warm body of a
green-eyed lover.
Besides, holding that little girl touched him. The world was a hard place. Just
look at what had happened to his lover. They were the only grandparents the
children would ever know. And with grandfathers like them around, no one would
ever hurt them, as Alex had been hurt.
"Walter, we'll have to get a big enough place for the Gunmen to have room when
they come to visit. Maybe a place with a guest cottage."
"Don't forget a big bathroom, with room for three."
They waited to tell Miranda and Edward until she came home from the hospital.
Edward looked over at his grinning wife.
"Well, babe, looks like you nailed it again. She told me you'd move here when
you retired."
"There's a place that is just perfect for you about thirty minutes from here. It
just went on the market last week. It has a guest house for when Fox's friends
come to visit." Miranda was reaching for the phone as she spoke and stopped when
she saw three men starring open mouthed at her.
"What?"
"Miranda, do you have our rental car bugged?"
"Dad, don't be silly. I told Edward when we came back from your place after Alex
came home that I should start watching the listings. I wanted to know what was
out here for when you were ready. I knew once the girls were born that you three
wouldn't be able to stay away. Now should I call, so you can go look at the
house?"
"You mean you haven't put in a bid for us?"
"She probably would have but she likes to give us poor men the illusion that we
are in control of things." Edward ducked as the stuffed bear his wife threw at
him sailed by his head.
"Make the call, Miranda."
veryone had gone home. Miranda had run the men out of the kitchen, telling them
she would clean up because in a few months, when she couldn't see her feet, she
would expect to be waited on. Edward went to make up the futon in the guestroom
for little Sergei. Walter and Fox went to check on Alex and their grandson.
