33 Apocalypse Ave., Saturday Morning

[bitten_notshy]

One of the many problems with having triplets, Jack thought, was that even when you had every reason to sleep late your body wouldn't let you. Seven years of 6 a.m. wake-up calls did that to a man.

He didn't recognize the room at first and was disoriented for a moment when he woke up, but recovered quickly. Emma wasn't next to him; she must have taken her old room out of some nostalgia. He supposed it was good that at least one of them was getting some extra sleep.

He showered quickly, dressed, and went down the stairs. It was pleasing to see the coffee-maker and bread for toast were still where they'd been when he lived in this house. He hummed to himself absently as he started putting breakfast together, wondering who else might have come into town for the reunion.

[OOC: Open for housemates with some SP!]

Comments

[not_a_whiner]

Confused. Kaidan was really confused. He hadn't lived in this place for years now. And it was in that state of confusion that he came down the stairs and just... blinked.

"Huh."

Well-put.

[bitten_notshy]

"Eloquent as always, Alenko," Jack said through a grin. He was already moving toward Kaidan for a hug. "I had no idea you were coming for this! I think Emma's still asleep."

[not_a_whiner]

"I honestly hadn't been planning on it," Kaidan said frankly, but that didn't stop him from hugging Jack back firmly. "But I guess the island had other plans, huh. Bet the rest of the Admiralty board is confused."

[bitten_notshy]

"How much leave have you taken in the last decade?" Jack asked rhetorically, and stepped back. "I'd say you've earned the right to confuse them for a few days."

He frowned at the first bit of what Kaidan had said. "Ah. Hopefully the island's in a mood for nice surprises only."

[not_a_whiner]

"Hopefully," Kaidan said, crossing his arms. "And-- hey. I take leave. Sometimes."

Sometimes being the operative word, but still.

"So what's going on with you?"

[bitten_notshy]

Jack arched an eyebrow but said no more about Kaidan's leave-taking, or lack thereof.

"The girls are seven," he said. "That's ... most of what's going on with us. But I just wrapped up a sorcerer's rights case at home, so I should coast on the glory of that for a while. Yourself?"

[not_a_whiner]

"They just managed to get another mass relay working out in asari space," Kaidan said. "So-- we've been sending people out there to explore. And to deal with the pirates. Sorcerer's rights case, huh?"

[bitten_notshy]

"I was arguing for some wizards in rural areas who want to take on apprentices without going through a university program," Jack explained. "There's still a chance of an appeal, but it looks as if the state may decide to just let it go. It's not good for anyone if we run out of trained magic-users, and there aren't enough coming up through the universities these days."

He shrugged a bit. "So. What are you looking at in Asari space?"

[not_a_whiner]

"Just the usual," Kaidan said. "A lot of communities, thrown by years of being out of contact. They're shaken, and it's going to take a long time to tie them all back into galactic communications, let alone how they're going to deal with being under Council jurisdiction again-- that kind of stuff."

[bitten_notshy]

"Well, I'm always willing to come out for a few days if I could be of any help," Jack offered. "It sounds terrifically complicated to get everyone back on the same page."

[icecoldfrost]

"Huh," Emma agreed, waving her coffee at Kaidan. "I voted for the hotel and room-service, but apparently Jack wants to relive our sordid youth."

[not_a_whiner]

"Crammed into one house with a couple of other people," Kaidan said ruefully. "Yeah, those were the days. Hello, Emma."

[icecoldfrost]

"At least if you're spending quality time with us, it's more amusing than your friends on the Admiralty board," Emma pointed out, going for more coffee already. "Prettier, too, but that goes without saying."

Look, twenty years had mellowed Emma somewhat, but there was only so much you could temper her vanity.

[not_a_whiner]

"I don't know about that," Kaidan said wryly. "But yes, you still look good, Emma."

If fishing for compliments as always.

[icecoldfrost]

"I can still hear you," was her cheerful answer between gulps of coffee. "If you appreciated my wonderfulness more often and without prompting, I wouldn't have to poke you."

[not_a_whiner]

"I know you can hear me," Kaidan said frankly. "I also know you're not going to be offended, because you know as well as I do what you're like."

Last part - less frankly, more fondness mixed in with exasperation.

[icecoldfrost]

"I have three seven-year-old telepathic daughters to remind me every single day what I'm like. It's like having tiny clones," Emma said ruefully. "I should feel bad unleashing that much of the Frost and Priest genome-mixture on the worlds, but I don't."

[not_a_whiner]

Kaidan chuckled softly. "So how are the kids doing?" he said. "I haven't seen them in a while."

[icecoldfrost]

"Don't say that in their range, or they'll demand quality time with their Uncle Kaidan. And by quality time, I mean they'll most likely find a way to storm your home, demand Blasto films and popcorn, and go find more people to torment," she sighed.

"But they got kicked out of their after-school care, again, so Jack and I have hired some of Kennedy's Slayer-trainees to be live-in nannies for the time being."

[not_a_whiner]

"Are they still calling me 'Uncle Kaidan'?"

Kaidan still hadn't quite wrapped his head around that. But then he hadn't quite wrapped his head around the fact the couple he'd met while they were teenagers had grown up this much, either.

"And-- now what'd they do?"

[icecoldfrost]

"Hell if i know, I quit listening when they made it clear money wasn't going to fix whatever it was this time," Emma admitted. "I don't think the 'why' actually matters, I just grounded them and assigned extra powers-training. Maybe Jack knows."

Sometimes, Emma was a terrible parent.

"But yes, they're still calling all our friends 'aunt' or 'uncle,' mostly to make people flail I think. But it's not as if Jack or I have any biological family they can claim, so I suppose they're making their own," she continued, and if the reminder of Emma's painful family history still stung, well, she didn't let it show on her face. "I can't say that I blame them, and their taste in uncles is excellent, at least."

[not_a_whiner]

"It's still a little weird," Kaidan admitted. "But-- well, I'm sorry they got kicked out of school again. That's got to be a pain in the ass."

To put it mildly.

[icecoldfrost]

Very, very mildly.

"I am choosing to look at it as that in a few more years, they'll be old enough to attend Fandom," Emma confessed, running a hand through her hair. "And I know this is one school they can't manage to break. If they need to be home-schooled for a few years until then, we'll manage."

[not_a_whiner]

"Bet you're going to be happy when they finally hit that age, though," Kaidan said wryly. "You're almost making me feel better about never having any of my own."

[icecoldfrost]

"I wouldn't trade them for the world, but I might trade the world for a quiet weekend with my husband," Emma admitted, casting a fond glance toward Jack. "...which reminds me, Kaidan, met anyone special lately?"

[not_a_whiner]

Kaidan opened his mouth to say 'not really', but he knew the minute he did that Emma would spot the lie, so it was pointless to go through with it. "I've been seeing someone," he admitted. "A civilian. She's nice. Smart."

[icecoldfrost]

"A civilian?" Emma repeated, delighted. "Good, maybe she can keep you from overworking yourself. Jack frets, you know."

Emma worried too, but it was easier to blame her husband for things like this.

[icecoldfrost]

"Coffeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee..." Really, Jack, you didn't expect your prettier half to stay in bed once you started putting breakfast together, did you? "And no children demanding Sugar Bombs for breakfast..."

[bitten_notshy]

Jack poured some into a cup and pressed it firmly into his wife's hands before attempting a good morning kiss. "I was trying to be good and let you sleep in, you know."

[icecoldfrost]

"I did sleep in, I didn't wake up at four to make sure no one was trying to sneak in some early morning cartoons," she protested, but kissed him anyway. "Or early morning 'hunt rabbits in the yard' practice."

[bitten_notshy]

"Did we decide we could blame Derek for that one?" Jack wondered aloud. "Or do we think Christiana came up with it all by herself."

[icecoldfrost]

"I blame Derek for anything wolf-ish the girls do on a regular basis," Emma decided. "I don't doubt Christiana came up with the idea, but someone is encouraging them."

And it better not be Jack, or he'd be sleeping on the couch.

[bitten_notshy]

"It wasn't me," Jack said, halfway laughing. "I told them all, no hunting until puberty. Let's stick to blaming the man who isn't here."

[icecoldfrost]

"I should have known better than to marry a werewolf, let alone a lawyer," Emma sighed, shaking her head, although she couldn't hide her smile completely. "I hope Derek knows you cheerfully slander him in private."

[bitten_notshy]

Jack snorted. "Probably. But I suspect he and Stiles make fun of me behind my back too, so we're even. I'll ask him if I run into him tonight."

[icecoldfrost]

"Stiles makes fun of everyone," she pointed out. "So I think that's a rather safe bet."

Since the coffee had hit her system enough to wake Emma up fully, she started prowling around the food. "So I assume we're going to the mixer tonight?"

[bitten_notshy]

"Unless the island conspires to keep us away, I'd planned on it," Jack nodded. "Why? Would you prefer a romantic night at Outback?"

[icecoldfrost]

Emma made a face. "Ugh, no. Although I wouldn't mind if we had a romantic night here, afterwards."

NO KIDS, JACK. NONE.

[bitten_notshy]

"I was hoping you'd say that," Jack smiled. "We don't get enough nights on our own. We should make the most of it."