Adult-FanFiction.org : Celebrity

All of the Above	By : jai Category: Individual Celebrities > Athlete/Sports Misc Views: 3262 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. I do not know the people written about in this fanfiction. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
January 17, 2017 Philadelphia, PA

Grant slowed his rocking down as Isabeau’s tiny eyes closed, sighing with relief when they stayed closed and her body relaxed into sleep. He looked over at Pieter, who was rocking Sabrina into a similar state, and smiled at his husband’s two am bed head and pillow-creased face in the low light of the electric fireplace.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Pieter asked, quietly, once he noticed Grant’s gaze. “Do I have something in my hair?”

“No,” Grant answered, just as quietly. “You’re gorgeous, as always.”

Pieter shook his head, grinning fondly, “You said that yesterday.”

“And I meant it then, too. There’s something about you in the firelight, soothing our little girl, that just looks right to me.”

“And you said that yesterday, also. Come, let’s put the girls to bed and try to get some sleep ourselves before one of the others wakes up.”

“Yes, darling.”

Once the girls were back in their cribs and the other children looked in on, they returned to their own bed. Grant made himself comfortable and waited. Within two minutes, Pieter had oozed over and after a little poking, prodding, and a fair amount of fluffing, got Grant just in the right position: on his back with Pieter half draped over, half wedged under him.

“Are you done?” Grant asked finally.

“Yes,” Pieter answered through a yawn, then placed a kiss on Grant’s neck. “Good night, beminde.”

“Good night.”

Ten minutes later, Grant was still awake. Being Pieter’s human pillow never bothered him and he usually fell asleep quickly once Pieter was happy, but he was still getting used to the time change and weather so sleeplessness wasn’t that surprising, especially as his year-long sabbatical started tomorrow. No, scratch that. It was almost three am so he was now officially on leave.

He was going to miss teaching and interacting with his students, but he was really looking forward to being home with Pieter and the kids around writing his next book. His mind turned to some facts he’d need to check for chapter three; maybe one of his contacts down in D. C. would be able to help him find-

“Grant, go to sleep.”

“Wha? How did you know I was awake?”

“Because you’re rubbing my back. Which I love but you haven’t quite gotten into the habit of doing it while you’re sleeping – yet.”

“Oh. Okay. Sorry, just have some stuff on my mind.”

Pieter rose up to look at Grant’s face. “Are you worried about being home all day?”

“No, of course not. I’m looking forward to it, actually.”

“Really?” Pieter asked anxiously.

“Yes, really. I’m not stupid enough to say that I envy all the fun you have with the kids during the day, but we’ll be fine.”

“Wait. You just said it anyway.”

“No, I didn’t it. I said I wouldn’t say it.”

“Which I think is the same thing.”

“No, it isn’t. Anyway, I’m not worried.”

Giving him a suspicious look, Pieter sank back down and fluffed him a bit. “I want you to know that I’ll make sure you have time to write.”

“I’m not worried about that, either.”

“So why are you awake?”

“Chapter three. I’m missing some data.”

“I see. That’s it?”

“That’s it. I’ll stop rubbing so you can get some sleep.”

“You don’t have to.” Pieter said quickly. “I’ll manage, somehow.”

“I’m sure. You know, this is a very strange conversation to have at three in the morning.” Grant commented, running a hand down Pieter’s back.

Pieter raised his head, “Three oh eight, but let’s not quibble.”

“All right.”

They were silent for several minutes, both watching the clock, when Pieter suddenly popped his head back up.

“We’re both still awake.”

“That we are.”

“I have a feeling we’re not going to sleep anytime soon.”

“Probably not. I think we’re still on Australian time.”

“So, is there anything else on your mind?”

“The rising cost of diapers, if it’s too soon to get beds for the girls, does the living room need repainting –.”

Grant felt warm familiar lips touch his. Grant immediately opened his mouth, letting Pieter’s tongue in. He raised his arms to pull Pieter closer, tangling his legs around his mate’s. As their tongues dueled it out, he ground his hips up into Pieter’s, his hands scrambling to grasp Pieter’s rear, groaning as his cock brushed Pieter’s through their sleepwear.

Pieter pulled away slightly, his moist breath washing over Grant’s face. “Wait.”

“Wait? What for?” Grant asked, his ears suddenly perking up in case one of the kids was crying.

Pieter did a bizarre and intriguing shimmy with his hips, pushed the covers down, and kicked off his pajamas. “These are my favorite jammies. And I want to taste you.”

“We were already -. Oh.” Grant said faintly, as Pieter pulled up his T-shirt, swooping down to lick around his navel. “Oh, yes.” If his prick wasn’t interested before, it is definitely standing up and taking a look around.

Pieter’s mouth drifted downward and Grant found himself being handled in the most delicious manner: Pieter’s hands lifting his hips to pull down his sleep pants, the same hands stroking over his thighs, one hand coming up to cup his balls, weighing them carefully before gently squeezing them. Oh, he really liked it when Pieter did that, Grant thought, then gasped when Pieter’s mouth engulfed his penis. “Oh, god!”

Pieter hummed and flung an arm across his hips, stopping Grant’s instinctive thrust. Grant responded by running his hands over Pieter’s shoulders and neck, then started thinking of Ian’s swim stats when Pieter’s talented mouth got him too close to the edge way much too soon.

Several moments later, Pieter suddenly pulled away and slid up Grant’s body. There was just enough light for Grant to see Pieter’s flashing grin.

“How far did you get?”

Grant laughed, “The Australian Short in 2001. How did you know?”

“I had your penis in my mouth, Grant. It was obvious that you were thinking of something, aside from what I was doing to you. Spread your legs, beminde.”

Grant obeyed, not only spreading his legs, but also hooking the left one over Pieter’s right leg, although with his pants pulled down, it was a bit difficult. “What are you going to do to me now?”

Pieter did another shimmy, which not incidentally, aligned their cocks perfectly. He flexed his hips, experimentally, causing both of them to moan. “Oh, I think this will suit me. How do you feel about it?”

“I feel very – uh, good about it. Are you going to move?”

“I did move.” Pieter pointed out.

“I meant, move more.” Grant said, flexing his hips up into Pieter’s.

Pieter responded by doing just what Grant’s asked, dipping his head down to capture Grant’s lips. The friction of their bodies was quite delicious and Grant had no need to think of anything but Pieter and the wonderful feeling of their bodies coming together.

It didn’t take long, due to the early hour and their relative states of exhaustion, and after using the handy baby wipes in the night stand, Pieter was once again poking, prodding and fluffing.

“Do you think you’ll be able to sleep now?” He asked, once they were both comfortable.

“Yes, I think so.” Grant said, yawning. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome although you owe me one, for sacrificing myself like that just so you can sleep.”

“I owe you several because you always seem to throw yourself at me like that.”

Pieter chuckled, “So I do. I am just such a caring and giving person.”

“That you are. I hou zoveel van jou, Pieter.” (I love you so much.)

“Ik hou meer van jou dan woorden kunnen zeggen.” (I love you more than words can say.)

Grant kissed Pieter’s forehead. “But you always manage to show me.”

&&

January 27, 2017 Philadelphia, PA

Grant had just opened up his main document when the phone beside him rang. As it was five am, he quickly answered it before the noise woke up Pieter or the children, noticing as he did so that the caller was one of his parents.

“Hello Mum or Dad.”

“Good morning, Grant. How are you?”

“Fine, Mum. How are you?” Grant smiled, leaning back into the chair. Even if he’d just seen her two weeks ago, it was always nice to talk to his mother.

“Doing well. How are Pieter and my grandchildren?”

“They’re fine. Lenora drew some very pretty pictures for her Nana so expect a package next week.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing them. How’s the potty training going?”

Grant sighed, “Slowly. Declan and Tristan seem okay with the idea but Kian’s only interested in using the toilet as a toy disposal unit.”

“Oh dear.”

“Yeah. Good thing Michael helped me install those child locks on the levers. Now we only have to remember to look in the bowl before we use the loo.”

Margaret laughed heartily at that but quickly got herself under control, “Sorry, Son but that’s rather funny. You were just like that as a child! I know you don’t remember but you were always flushing the oddest things.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Grant grumbled, good naturedly. “I only had children to experience all the hell I put you through. So how did you get me potty-trained?”

“Your father did it. He’d take you in with him and let you watch. You did display an alarming tendency to want to play with the results of his efforts, so keep a close eye on Kian if you try it.”

Grant winced and then laughed, “That’s rather gross, Mum.”

“That’s what little boys do, Grant. You’ve just been spoiled by having Lenora first. Your Aunt Mary always bragged at how easy your girl cousins were to potty-train.” Margaret said, with a touch of acidity. “Did I tell you what she did at the grocery?”

Stifling a sigh, Grant listened to his mom’s latest complaint about his dad’s brother’s wife, Mary. The two women had never really hit it off for a variety of reasons – starting with Grant’s grandparents “seeming” liking Margaret more than they liked Mary; according to Mary anyway.

Aunt Mary and Uncle Reg had had the first grandchild – a girl they named Moira. Grant’s parents had the first grandson, Craig, a year later, thus (according to Mary) upstaging Moira. When both Mary and Margaret got pregnant around the same time, Margaret was so sure that she would be having a girl, that she picked out only one name: Glynis Nadine. When Mary gave birth first, she not only had a girl but she named the child, guess what? Glenys Nadine – and maintained that the different spelling meant that she hadn’t actually stolen the name. Of course, Margaret had had Grant, thus she hadn’t actually needed the girl’s name, but Margaret had never forgiven her sister-in-law.

Grant continued to listen with half an ear, knowing his mom just needed to vent, when a word caught his attention. “Mum, what was that about Tasmania?”

“Oh, you know your dad. He’s been looking at property over the internet again.”

Grant could practically hear his mom rolling her eyes, “Oh, so he’s not serious?”

“It took forty minutes to drive over to Craig’s house and suddenly, there’s too many people hereabout.”

Laughing, Grant shook his head, “Did he go on about the big wide spaces again?”

“Oh yes. Of course, your brother had to mention that moving from a very large island to much smaller island would be rather counterintuitive, but there’s no talking to your dad when he’s going on.”

“True. So, Dad’s up to his usual?”

Margaret sighed gustily, “Even more so than ever. I swear that man just gets more ornery with age.”

“And you love him that way.”

“That I do.” His mom agreed readily. “So, how’s the book coming?”

“I’ve got most of the research done and I hope to finish by May.”

“But I thought you had a year off?”

“I do but I’m not going to waste it all moldering in front of a computer. Pieter and I are hoping to take the children for a long visit to The Netherlands when I’m done.”

“Ah, I’m sure Astrid and Cees will love that. I’m assuming you and the brood won’t be staying with them?”

“Well, they have three empty bedrooms and Astrid said they’d get railings put on two of the beds. Thankfully, the kids don’t take up much room when they’re asleep. It’s the awake part I’m worrying about; the children do get awfully loud and they’re not the tidiest.”

“Nonsense. Pieter’s parents will be thrilled to have those grandbabies at their house. You and Pieter are merely optional.”

“True,” Grant agreed with a laugh. “Actually, they’ve already made us promise to give up one kid to them each day so they have one-on-one time.”

“That’s a good plan. So it really be a long trip, then?”

“Yeah, three or four weeks. We haven’t really been back there since our wedding.”

“Ah! That’s it. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about!”

“Our wedding? You were there, Mum.”

“No. Glenys’ daughter is getting married in July.”

“Kirstie’s getting married? She’s only sixteen!”

“She’ll be twenty next month. You just haven’t seen her for several years.”

That much was true, Grant had to admit, but Glenys was a bit of a pill so he hadn’t really made much of an effort aside from sending birthday or anniversary cards. Damn, maybe they’d have to attend the wedding just for form’s sake.

“Oh. I’ll have to talk to Pieter. Wow, I can’t believe little Kirstie is getting married. Have you met her fiancé?”

“We’re going over there for dinner on Sunday. Mary seemed very pleased but really, after you married a doctor, a dentist isn’t that impressive.”

Grant laughed, “Mum, it really isn’t a competition.”

“Oh yes it is. Especially since Mary mentioned she knew several women to introduce you to once you ‘came to your senses.’” Margaret’s tone of voice conveyed her distaste at her sister-in-law’s words.

“Uh, I have eight children and Pieter and I have been married for eight years – oh, that’s a bizarre sentence – so what kind of sense should I be coming to?”

“That’s what I wanted to know but you know Mary. As if Pieter wasn’t perfectly wonderful just as he is.”

Grant smiled at that, since he not only agreed that Pieter was perfect, he loved how his parents loved Pieter. But he couldn’t help asking, “Uh, what does that mean?”

“Oh, well when we told them about you and Pieter, Mary asked if Pieter was planning to have a sex change or something.”

“Uh, really?” Grant shifted a bit in his seat, his mind immediately bringing up a picture of Pieter as a woman. He really *did not* need to go there.

“Really. She couldn’t believe that a Hackett man could be gay. Said it was a mark against the family name.”

Groaning, Grant put his head down on the table. “Oh, Mum.”

“Well, don’t let yourself fret over it. You aren’t the first gay Hackett and I doubt you’ll be the last if the way Glenys’ son carries on is any indication.”

“Wait, I’m not the first gay person in the family?”

“Of course not. Your Great-Great-Uncle Marshall was gay. Your grandmum said it wasn’t really spoken about but everyone knew.”

“How come I didn’t know?”

“Well he died when your father was a teenager but like I said, no one really spoke about it. According to your grandmother, his partner, Neville, was a lovely man. Your father was named after him, obviously.”

“Obviously. He must have been a great guy.” Grant said, faintly as he heard the familiar cries from the nursery. “Mum, I’ll discuss flying over for the wedding with Pieter but the children are waking up and Sabrina’s wailing.”

“All right, son. Talk to you later. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

Grant put the phone down and jogged upstairs, reaching the girls’ room just as Maribel joined her sister. Isabeau and Beatrix were also awake but they a little calmer.

“Good morning, my sweet wonderful girls.” Grant whispered with a grin. His little girls were so damn cute, even when they were trying to out-pout Pieter.

“Dada!” Maribel whined, holding up her arms.

“I know, I know. We’ll get that messy diaper off you in just a minute.” Grant lifted Maribel up and set her down on the floor, doing the same for the others. He picked up the pile of clothes that Pieter had laid out for them the previous night and led them into the bathroom to start the water in the tub.

Once each girl was out of her diaper and wiped clean, he popped her in the bath to splash and play. The tub only held a couple of inches of water but the girls didn’t care; they loved being wet. After ten or fifteen minutes, Grant fished out Sabrina and dried her off with plenty of kisses and cuddles as he put a fresh diaper and clean clothes on her.

Sabrina then toddled off to the bedroom to play semi-quietly, leaving Grant to lift out Isabeau and give her the same treatment. The connecting door to the boy’s bedroom opened while he was drying off Beatrix and Pieter stuck his head in.

“Good morning. Do you have room for three more? I’ll take over on the girls.

“Good morning to you. Sure. Send in the imps.”

Three naked little boys rushed in and climbed into the tub, causing Maribel to squeal as they started splashing and playing with the boats and animals. Grant quickly rescued her, drying her off carefully as he listened to the newest version of Kian, Declan and Tristan’s seagoing epic, Captain Shark. Yes, it was strange that the boys used a six inch rubber shark as their hero but who was he to complain?

Pieter reappeared with the boys’ clothes, setting them down on the vanity and lounging in the doorway so he could watch the girls. “Who called earlier?”

“My mum. She says hello.”

“Oh, that’s sweet of her. Is she doing well?”

“Yes and Dad’s fine too. She wanted to know if we were free to attend a wedding in July.”

“In Brisbane?”

“I’d expect.”

“Who is getting married?”

“My first cousin’s daughter Kirstie.”

“Well, if you’d like to go, I have no objections.”

“I’ll let Mum know then.”

Pieter loitered for a minute, as they watched the children, then asked, “Is there something wrong?”

“No. Well, yes but I’ll tell you later.”

“Okay then. I’ll go peek in on Lenora and see if she’s up.”

“All right.”

&&

The children scrambled down the stairs, ahead of their fathers, heading for the kitchen. Lenora and the boys climbed into their booster seats while Pieter and Grant helped the girls into their high chairs. Grant pulled out the Cheerios box and filled eight small bowls, distributing them around the table along with cups of milk. It was only an ounce or two of cereal but the kids were always hungry in the morning and this gave the men time to put food on the table.

After a breakfast of poached eggs, fruit and Cream of Rice cereal, there was another round of cleaning up the children and some quick chores in the kitchen, finishing up just as Sheila came upstairs. The children ran off into the playroom under Sheila’s supervision while Grant and Pieter gathered up laundry, made beds and straightened up the bedrooms.

“So, now that we’re alone, did you want to talk about it?” Pieter asked.

Grant nodded and sat down on Lenora’s bed. “Mum mentioned that evidently, I had a gay great-great uncle.”

Pieter sat down next to him and slipped an arm around Grant’s waist. “And this bothers you?”

“No, not really. I just wonder why Mum or Dad didn’t say anything before.”

“Like when you told them you were gay?”

“Yes.”

“But they didn’t have a bad reaction, right?”

“No. They were quite calm about it really. Now I wonder if maybe they expected it or something.”

“Ah. So perhaps you were a swishy boy? Did you wear a lot of pink as a child?”

Grant opened his mouth then turned to look at Pieter, “How do you do that?”

Pieter stood up with a grin and picked up a pillow case, “Do what?”

“I was working myself up to a trauma here and you just totally burst my thing.” Grant explained with a pout as he picked up the pillow.

“Your thing?” Pieter smirked, “I hope I didn’t burst it as I rather quite like it.”

Grant swatted him with the pillow, causing Pieter to laugh as he backed up. “You’re going to regret calling me a swishy boy.”

“I didn’t call you that. I merely asked if you’d been one. Ow! Grant! I’m unarmed!”

&&

February 2, 2017 Philadelphia, PA

Every morning when Ian Thorpe walked into his kitchen, he couldn’t help feeling very pleased with how good the space looked and how much he enjoyed working in it. Of course, at five am, the pleasure and enjoyment were a bit dimmed but no matter; the coffee had efficiently begun brewing at five twenty and he sipped the rich liquid while he woke up.

Once he finished his first cup, he pulled out the ingredients and equipment to make waffles since it wasn’t every day that his little girl had a birthday. Fifteen and five nine wasn’t so little but Chloe would always be precious to him and every day it was a struggle to treat her as an almost adult instead of the child he’d first met.

Pushing aside the lingering pain at not having known her as a baby and the life she had before she came to them, Ian plugged in the waffle iron and began mixing. His daughter had grown so much since those first unsteady days. Hell, she’d been eight before she stopped hiding food in her room – although Ian and Michael had been careful to never let on that they knew about her stash.

“Babe?”

Ian turned to see Michael shuffling into the room, “Good morning, Love. You’re up early.”

“Yeah, well you weren’t in bed and then I realized what day it was.” Michael said as he wrapped his arms around Ian’s waist from behind, kissed Ian’s cheek and hooked his chin over Ian’s shoulder. “Are you making chocolate chip pancakes?”

Hiding a grin, Ian said, “Chloe likes strawberry waffles better.” He waited for Michael’s earnest and heart-felt sigh before shaking his head, “I supposed I could make a few of them with chocolate chips.”

“Thanks, Baby.” Michael said gratefully, squeezing Ian briefly before stepping away. “I guess I better get back upstairs and get my swim stuff.”

Ian put a hurt look on his face, “You only came down here to suborn me into making your favorite waffles? Am I only a cook for you?”

Michael stopped, looked a bit shamefaced then saw the glint in Ian’s eyes. “Hah! You almost got me that time. I came down here to say good morning because I missed you.”

“Right, and I have the deed to the Sydney Opera House.” Ian said, smirking as he turned to the counter only to be stopped by Michael, who turned in back around and kissed him silly. Several minutes later, they were interrupted by the sound of a chair being pulled across the floor and they broke off their embrace to see their eldest daughter staring at them.

“Geeze! It’s my birthday! Could you two lay off trying to suck each other’s faces off until tomorrow?”

“Nope! I’m legally entitled to suck his face off anytime I want.” Michael said merrily as he bounced towards the door, long over being embarrassed at being caught in affectionate moments with Ian. “I’ll be right back!”

Ian took a moment to get himself back under control before greeting his daughter. “Good morning, Chloe.”

Chloe grinned up at him, the glass of orange juice in front of her indicating just how long she’d been in the room. “Good morning, Pops.”

“Happy birthday.” Ian said, giving her a quick kiss on the crown of her head.

“Thanks. You didn’t have to get up to make me breakfast.”

“Of course I did. You only turn fifteen once after all. I hope strawberry waffles will work? They’ll be ready after your swim.”

“Sure, that’s excellent.” Chloe said, finishing her juice as Michael returned. “Ready, Dad?”

“Yep. Let me just grab a couple of waters and we’ll be off, trekking out into the cold wilderness all on our own.” Michael said dramatically, reaching into the fridge. “Ian, if we don’t make it back –.”

“Dad! It’s just out in the backyard! Do you have to do this every morning?” Chloe asked, exasperated, as she stood.

“He doesn’t do it every morning. Just every other morning.” Ian said with a grin.

“Still. Once a month would be enough.”

Michael watched her go out the door then stole a quick kiss from Ian, “Don’t forget the chocolate chips!”

The door closed behind him before Ian could answer and he could only wonder just what had put Michael in such a good mood this morning. The man was naturally ornery but normally not to this degree.

Ian continued his breakfast preparations, putting Canadian bacon strips and potatoes in the oven then realized he had at least a half an hour before he could expect the rest of the house to wake up. He refilled his cup, pulled out the master calendar and ‘to do’ box, adding in any events they’d been invited to, reviewing the shopping list and filling out birthday and anniversary cards for their circle of friends and family.

By the time he heard the kids moving around, he was feeling very productive and checked the oven’s timer before hustling upstairs. Gail was already in the boys’ room so Ian stepped into the nursery to find the triplets awake and attempting to escape from their cribs. Ian sighed as he realized that perhaps it was time to move them into regular beds. It wasn’t a step he was looking forward to, as it meant his littlest babies were growing up, but as he watched Xander climbing higher he knew it was only a matter of time.

He quickly stepped forward and rescued the boy before letting Nick and Marah out. “Good morning, children.”

“Good morn, Papa!”

As he changed their diapers, Ian chatted with them about plans for the day and reminding them about Chloe’s birthday. They were excited about getting cake for dinner and going shopping later for their sister’s present so getting them into clothes was much easier than it normally was.

He led them into the boys’ room where the quads and twins were well on their way to being ready. The quads were quite capable of dressing themselves now, especially since their clothing choices were limited by their school uniforms: khaki pants and navy blue sweaters with white shirts underneath.

The twins, jealous of their older brothers, had taken to wearing clothing as similar to the quads’ as possible in the past few days. It wasn’t very imaginative but it certainly cut down on the morning chaos, so Ian and Michael were going along with it.

Once everyone was dressed, they went down the stairs off the boys’ room and through the family room into the kitchen. His mum and dad were already there so they pitched in, helping the kids set the table and get settled while Ian started the eggs and checked the bacon and potatoes.

Finished with their swimming, Michael and Chloe came in at seven. They had already showered and dressed in the pool house so Michael took over the eggs, bacon and potatoes while Ian started pouring waffle batter onto the iron.

Michael took Chloe and the quads to school after breakfast while the other adults and the rest of the kids headed into the family room. The project for the morning was making birthday cards for Chloe and while they were getting out the supplies, Ian did a quick headcount and realized they were one munchkin short.

Callum was not in the family room, kitchen or bathroom and while Ian was working himself into a fit, the phone rang. Ian snatched it up absently as he checked the living room and heard Pieter on the other end of the line.

“Ian?”

“Yes?”

“Are you missing someone?”

“Yes! God, do you have him?”

“Yes, he evidently snuck onto the bus and was hiding under one of the seats. He almost made it into school with the boys but Michael spotted him.”

“Ah.” Ian sank onto the floor, his feeling of relief almost overwhelming him. “I just realized he was missing a few minutes ago.”

“Your husband is giving him a good talking to but we’ll be back shortly.”

“All right. Thank you for calling, Pieter.”

As he hung up, Ian spotted a dark head attached to a blue sweater trying to sneak back to the family room and realized that he and Michael had been had by this uniform business. While part of him was impressed that the twins had come up with a way for one of them to go to school, he was mostly upset that Callum had snuck out. As his anger started growing, he took a deep breath and tamped down his immediate impulse regarding punishment.

“Garret?”

There was a pause and then a tiny voice replied, “Papa?”

“Do you know where Callum is?”

The small figure slowly walked forward and nodded his head sadly. “Yes, Papa.”

“And did you help your brother in this?”

Another sad nod and Garret was staring at his tennis shoes, “Yes, Papa.”

“All right. Daddy and Uncle Pieter are bringing him home. Would you please wait in the living room?”

Garret’s little lip trembled but he bravely nodded his head and shuffled off into the living room. Ian sighed and stood up, quickly walking into the family room.

“Gail, Mum, Dad. Callum’s been found. He was on the bus with Michael and the other children. Would you mind overseeing the cards while Michael and I talk to them?”

They agreed instantly and Ian went into the kitchen. As he poured another cup of coffee, he realized his hands were shaking a little and made a conscious effort to calm down. The danger was over, his children were safe and he and Michael would deal with this.

When the backdoor opened and Michael came in leading Callum by the hand, Ian immediately put the cup down and put his arms out. Callum was still crying and generally looking miserable and Ian just couldn’t stand that.

“Aw, come here son.”

He hugged the little body to him and let Callum cry a bit more, sharing a look with Michael about the situation. Once Callum was calmed down, Ian asked him to go to the living room and sit quietly with his brother until he and Daddy came to talk to them.

Once they were alone, Michael sat down next to Ian and took his hand, “Turtles migrate faster than that kid was moving.”

Ian snorted, “True. So what did he say when you caught him?”

“That all he wanted to do was go to school like the big kids.”

“Ah. You realize that two almost four-year-olds have managed to out-think us, right?”

“Yeah, Pieter was happy to point that out. I guess we should have questioned the whole uniform thing, huh?”

“Yes, in hindsight, that was rather suspicious. So, what are we going to do?”

“I think we need to talk about letting them go to pre-school.” Ian tried not to wince at that thought but Michael saw it anyway. “Babe, we’re going to have to let them go sometime. Remember how happy the quads were to go to kindergarten?”

“Yes, I remember. It’s just so hard watching them grow up. Before we know it, they’ll all be away and on their own.” Ian said, feeling rather mournful at the thought.

“We have a lot of years ahead of us before that happens.” Michael said, soothingly.

“Not really.” Ian replied, his eyes sad, “Look at Chloe; she’ll be in college soon.”

Michael slid his chair over and put an arm around Ian, “You always get like this on her birthday.”

“I know but I can’t help it. All those years she spent in wretched conditions.”

“But she’s fine now. Yeah, it still pisses me off that I didn’t know about her for so long but now she’s strong, healthy and wonderful. At least half of what she’s become is because of you.”

Ian reared his head back, his miserable feeling vanishing at the thought of his daughter being slighted, “But there was nothing wrong with her to begin with!”

Michael laughed and kissed Ian’s cheek. “I know that. Now, let’s shelf the Chloe discussion and go see to the twins. They’ve been sitting in there for so long they’re probably thinking the worst.”

“Right.” Ian returned the kiss and stood up. “Wait, what are we going to do to them?”

“We need to make sure they understand why we’re upset. And ferret out who else was in on the plot.”

Ian stopped on his way to the coffee pot, “They weren’t acting alone?”

“The plan is a little too sophisticated for them. So, what’s their punishment?”

“That’s a difficult one. Normally, they’d be on restriction but is that fair today?”

“Hm.” Michael stoked his chin, I think Chloe is old enough to realize that she’s not the one being punished.”

“All right.” Ian nodded, not liking it but agreeing.

In the living room, the twins broke out in tears again once their fathers appeared. Michael and Ian gave them plenty of hugs and kisses before settling in on the couch in a big pile.

“Boys, you know that Papa and I are upset with you, right?” Michael asked.

The twins nodded and Garret clutched at Ian, sniffling out, “We’re sorry, Daddy and Papa.”

“We know you’re sorry but I was very worried about Callum.”

Callum stood up and patted Ian’s face, “I’m sorry, Papa. I wanna just go to school like the big kids.”

Garret nodded vigorously and repeated his twin’s statement adding disdainfully, “We’re not babies anymore.”

“I understand that but you’re both too young to go to school with your older brothers. Now, Daddy and I will work something out but you have to promise to never do this again.”

While the boys were nodding solemnly, Michael added cannily, “And promise not to leave the house without telling a grownup. Not even to go to the backyard.”

The twins exchanged a look before nodding again, and Ian stifled another sigh. “Now, because you did this, you won’t be going shopping with us today.”

“But Coee’s present!” Callum protested.

“You’ll just have to draw her a picture this year, boys.” Michael said calmly. “I’m sure your sister will understand once you explain why you couldn’t buy her a present. Come on, let’s have some hugs and we’ll go get started on our art projects.”

The twins were still upset hours later when their parents and siblings left to go pick up the quads then go shopping. The sight of his boys waving sadly from the front porch under Gail’s watchful eye almost broke Ian’s heart and he had a hard time not jumping from the vehicle and bringing them along.

The quads were a bit subdued when they boarded the bus and when they didn’t see Callum and Garret, seemed to deflate further.

“Boys, did you help Callum on the bus this morning?” Ian asked quietly.

The boys glanced at each other before Liam spoke up. “Yes, Papa. We’re sorry but he wanted to come with us so bad.”

“Well, your Dad and I would appreciate if you didn’t help your brothers get into mischief. I was very worried when I realized that Callum wasn’t home.”

The boys looked chastened and Michael added, “And we really shouldn’t let you come shopping with us but Garret confessed that they didn’t tell you anything until this morning. Papa and I will be talking to all of you later tonight.”

There were four very quiet boys when they got to the mall and even the triplets were overly behaved, having picked up on their parents’ displeasure. Their first order of business was to stop in the food court for a quick, but healthy, snack while they developed their battle plan.

“All right, kids. You each have three dollars for Chloe’s presents. Does anyone already know what they want to buy?” Michael asked as he handed around cups of water.

Harry tapped on Michael’s arm. “Daddy? We was going to buy Coee some earrings. Nana said purple was Coee’s birfstone.”

“Birthstone. Well, that’s a good idea. Did Nana tell you where to buy them?”

Harry pulled a store ad and handed it over. The store was one of those geared towards teen girls and there was a pair of amethyst studs that Margaret had helpfully circled. The only problem was that the earrings were twenty five dollars and without the twins contribution, the kids didn’t have enough money.

“These are really nice.” Michael commented before handing the slick paper over to Ian. Ian’s raised eyebrows indicated that he recognized the problem and after a brief eye conference, handed the circular back to Harry.

“Kids, we think that’s a really nice present. Daddy and I will spot you the extra money but you’ll have to do extra chores around the house. Does anyone have any ideas about that?”

“I’ll help Daddy clean the kitty box.” Robbie volunteered with a wrinkled nose.

“And I can help you lick stamps, Papa.” Liam said earnestly.

Marah slipped into Michael’s lap and blinked up at him, “Daddy, me hep with washing.”

Nick and Xander nodded in agreement, as they ‘helped’ with the laundry quite a bit.

Jamey leaned up against Ian and tugged on his sleeve, “Papa, Harry and me will help you with the flowers.”

“Aw, kids. Those are really good plans and I think Papa and I will accept your offers.” Michael said, giving Marah a hug and fluffing Harry’s hair.

Ian agreed and proposed that they finish their snacks so they could get down to the store. The earrings were procured without much fuss and they were soon driving back to Chestnut Hill. They made a stop at the bakery near the house to pick up the cake before going home. Ken, Margaret and Chloe arrived from Chloe’s swim practice just as they were unloading the bus so the smaller kids were very concerned that she would see her present before they got a chance to wrap it.

Chloe agreed to enter first and go straight to her room until she was called down while the others arranged for her party. She was even good humored enough to close her eyes and let Marah lead her through the first floor since Grant, Pieter and their family were already inside decorating and making dinner.

“Hello, Thorpe-Phelps.” Pieter said from the stove. “Dinner will be ready in thirty minutes.”

Ian set the cake carefully down on the counter as the quads and triplets headed for the family room with Michael to wrap the present. “Thank you, Pieter. Where is your worse half?”

“You’re welcome and Grant’s in the dining room with the children. They’re decorating.”

Garret and Callum seemed a little more cheerful, to Ian’s eyes anyway, as they, Lenora and the van den Hoogenband triplets helped Grant attach helium balloons to the back of each chair. The table was already set with the good china and there were fifteen silver pots of blooming lavender along the middle as a centerpiece.

“It looks great, everyone.”

“Thanks, mate. Those were the plants you wanted us to use, right?”

“Yes, they were.”

“Then thank Callum and Garret for pointing them out to us,” Grant grinned, winking at Ian. “I was sure you said we should use those huge palm trees.”

“Uncle Grant!” Garret protested. “They’re too big for the table.”

“So they are. Boys, that was a good job.” Ian said, ruffling Callum’s hair and pulling Garret over for a hug. “I think your sister will be really happy at how much you helped. And how much your cousins helped,” he added when Kian pouted.

&&

Forty five minutes later, they sat down to eat Chloe’s favorite meal: cheesy chicken au gratin, green bean almandine and seven-grain rolls. They’d all dressed up and the occasion was certainly festive; Chloe was glowing a little bit at the attention and the other children were high spirits.

After dinner, Chloe blew out the candles on her cake and while everyone was eating, opened the small pile of presents that were set in front of her. Sheila, Gail and Koos gave her a gift card to the local movie theater; there was a nice box of Belgian chocolates (Chloe’s favorites) from the Hackett-van den Hoogenbands along with a new case for Chloe’s cell phone; Margaret and Ken’s gift was a certificate for a manicure, pedicure and facial at the local day spa; and of course, the earrings from her brothers and sister.

Chloe paid special attention to the drawings and cards from the younger kids, making sure to comment on each one and compliment the artists. The last four presents were from her dads. She opened the three smaller boxes and found a travel journal, a big fluffy robe, and new headphones for her satellite radio player. The largest box confused her for a bit as she dug through piles of crushed tissue paper to find one small envelope taped to the very bottom of the box.

“Dad! That was mean!” Chloe exclaimed as she finally managed to peel off all the tape and retrieve the envelope.

“Hey, it wouldn’t mean as much if we just handed it to you.” Michael said, with a please grin on his face. “Aren’t you going to open it?”

Chloe sniffed the envelope and tapped it on the table. “I’m sort of afraid to.”

“Go on. That was the worst I’d let him do,” Ian assured her.

She ripped the flap and pulled out a single sheet of paper, in Ian’s familiar handwriting. She quickly read it, looked at both her fathers then read it again.

“Well, what does it say?” Pieter asked finally, unable to bear a mystery.

“Dad and Papa are going to let me go to Ann Arbor during Spring Break next month.” Chloe said slowly, then looked up again. “Really?”

“Really.” Ian confirmed. “U of M has their break in February, so you’ll be able to train with the team for a few days while you're there. Not officially, of course, but close enough. One of us will be happy to accompany you but you can go on your own if you’d like.”

Chloe knew that was an enormous concession so she immediately got up and hugged both of them, squeezing extra hard. “Thanks, Dad. Thanks, Pop. And I’ll let you know later about the alone thing. So, is there any cake left?”

&&

March 8, 2017 Philadelphia, PA

Grant woke up suddenly, stretched leisurely and checked the clock. He was surprised to see that it was only five twenty. That was pretty early, even for him and he considered turning over when he realized that Pieter was not in bed with him. Grant jumped out of bed, hurrying to check on the children when he heard a noise in their bathroom. He whirled around and arrived at the door to see Pieter sitting on the floor, clutching something to the right side of his head.

“Pieter, sweetheart. What’s wrong?” Grant asked, rushing over to him.

“I’m sorry. I tried not to wake you.” Pieter said, moaning a little, looking up with dark circles under his eyes.

“If you’re hurting, you should always wake me. Do you have a headache?”

“No. God, it’s so embarrassing.”

Grant put his arm around Pieter’s shoulders, “What is it? Did you hit your head?”

“No.” Pieter whimpered, “It’s worse than that. My ear is all swollen.”

“Oh. You poor thing. Why are you here in the bathroom? We have a heating pad and that’s the best thing for a sore ear. Come on, let’s get you into bed.”

It took some effort but Grant finally managed to get Pieter back into the bedroom, in between the sheets and found the heating pad, some ibuprofen and a cool drink of water.

“Here you are. Now, I want you to try and get some rest.”

“What about you? It’s only five thirty.”

“I don’t want to disturb you with the alarm. I’ll just get breakfast started early.”

“The children!” Pieter said suddenly, trying to sit up. “How will you manage-?”

“Sheila and I can handle it, along with Koos. If we run into any difficulty, Ian and Michael will be happy to help.” Grant said soothingly, gently pushing Pieter back onto the bed.

“No! You can’t tell them about this!” Pieter said anxiously.

“Pieter, it’s just an ear infection. With the number of children we have, it’s not surprising.”

Sagging back against the pillow, Pieter stuck his lip out then admitted, “The children didn’t give me this. None of them have had ear infections, Grant. This is just embarrassing. I’m a doctor and a former professional swimmer.”

Grant blinked then held back a grin. “Oh, you have swimmer’s ear.”

Pieter closed his eyes and nodded sadly. “Yes. I should know better. I thought I cleared my ears on Saturday but obviously not.”

“Well, you aren’t the first one nor will you be the last. It’s something we’ve all had, Pieter.”

His husband peeked an eye open. “Really? Even you?”

“Of course. I think I spent most of my first year on the team battling various ear problems.”

“Ah, so it happened when you were young. See, that’s totally understandable, but I’m an adult. I should know better.”

“Even so. Now lay down and put your ear on the heating pad. The sooner you start getting the yucky stuff moving, the better you will feel.”

“You’ll let me know if you need help?” Pieter asked, sighing a little as the heat touched his inflamed ear.

“Yes, I will.” Grant said, kissing Pieter’s cheek as he pulled up the blankets and turned off the lamp and alarm. He left the door ajar and then checked the children, who were still sleeping peacefully. Downstairs, he started the kettle and rooted through the fridge to find something to gnaw on while getting the breakfast things out. For some reason, getting up earlier than normal always made him hungry. As he stood at the kitchen sink, nibbling on last night’s left over stew, he saw the lights on out at Ian and Michael’s pool house. Chloe and Ian must be up, doing their morning swim.

A few minutes after six, the back door opened and Koos came in, looking at Grant in surprise. “Oh, hello Grant. How are you this morning?”

“I’m fine but Pieter’s in bed with an ear infection. How was your run?”

“Good. Is Pieter okay?” Koos asked.

“He’ll be fine. Are you available to help out with the children during the day?” Grant asked, since Koos was normally on duty during the evening and weekends.

“Yes, of course. Whatever you need. Does Pieter need medication? I can run to the chemist.”

“We haven’t gotten quite that far.” Grant said, lifting off the kettle just as it began to boil. He raised an eyebrow at Koos who nodded. “He’s trying the heating pad route for now.”

“Well, I’ll do anything you need.” Koos said, taking out the cups and other tea paraphernalia. “Are any of the children ill?”

Grant shook his head as he poured the water into the teapot. “Not that I know of but we’ll find out a few minutes if the children are on schedule.”

“Know what?” Sheila asked as she came up from the basement, dressed and ready for the day.

“Pieter has an ear infection. Are those contagious?” Koos asked.

“Not usually, although you can get one if you’ve caught a cold from someone. None of the children have been sick. We should take their temps once they’re awake. Ear infections are nothing to mess around with and they’re hard to get rid of. They weren’t up during the night?” Sheila asked, worriedly.

“No, it was just Pieter and I think the children will be fine.” Grant said, then sighed. “Pieter has swimmer’s ear. I promised not to tell anyone because he’s a bit embarrassed, so please don’t let on that you know.”

Sheila looked up at the master bedroom, then over at Grant, “Embarrassed? Why on earth would he be embarrassed?”

“He’s a doctor and a former professional swimmer.”

“Okay. And?”

“I suppose he feels that of all people, he should know better.”

“Well, I know better than to leave Kian’s penis uncovered while I change his diaper but that doesn’t stop me from forgetting sometimes. I mean, that kid’s like the Trevi Fountain.”

“Kian has nailed all of us but Pieter’s in pain, he’s been up most of the night and he’s a little sensitive at the moment.” Grant said, pouring tea for all three of them. He picked up his cup, only to set it right back down as they heard one of the children start to fuss. “That’s Maribel. I’d better go up before Pieter hears her.”

Getting the kids ready for the day, without Pieter, took some extra effort. Especially the part where he explained why Pieter was still in bed; he kept it simple and assured them that Papee was going to be fine. They took the news well, but Grant felt a bit rushed as he escorted Lenora and the boys next door for their ride to daycare. Michael was already in the bus and looked a bit worried when the van den Hoogenband-Hacketts finally appeared.

“Everything okay?”

“Yes,” Grant answered as he started strapping the kids in. “I’ll tell you later.”

“Okay. Tell me when we can go.” Michael said with a shrug.

The trip down the hill was, as usual, loud and cheery as Michael stopped and picked up several other neighborhood kids who attended Springside or Chestnut Hill. For Michael, it didn’t make sense to have empty seats and Grant normally agreed with that, but today he would have rather have had a quicker trip.

Once the older kids were let off at their schools, they drove the younger ones to Kindertown. They’d really lucked out with finding such a nice preschool, but as it was the newest and most expensive facility within twenty miles, maybe it wasn’t so surprising that they’d have openings for their half-day Monday, Wednesday and Friday program. Grant had certainly winced when he saw how much tuition for four children was going to cost and he could only be grateful that Lenora would be in Springside by the time her sisters were ready for preschool.

Grant released Lenora and the five boys from their car seats and escorted them into the building to sign in. As he helped the kids out of their coats, Lenora tugged on his sweater and waved him down to her.

“Daddy, is Papee going to see Dr. Lizzie?” Lenora asked earnestly.

“He might have to but he could also be feeling better later so we’ll have to see.”

“Will you bring him a popsicle? Papee always brings me a popsicle when I feel bad.”

“I’ll make sure to do that.” Grant promised as he straightened her pigtails.

“And I’ll make him a pretty picture. Papee likes my pictures.”

“We both love your pictures, pumpkin. Now go and have a good day.”

“Okay.” Lenora gave him a hug then ran off down the hall, following the boys. Grant sighed and straightened up, waving at Julie, the receptionist, before heading back out to the bus. Michael waited until he was seated before pulling away from the curb.

“So, what’s up with Pieter?”

“What do you mean?”

“This is normally his morning on the bus.”

“Oh. He’s not feeling so well this morning.” Grant replied, hedging a bit.

“I’m sorry to hear that. Anything serious? Do you need us to watch the girls while you take him to the doctor?”

“No, I think it’s rather minor but thank you for that. We may take you up on it.”

“That’s what we’re there for and doesn’t Sheila have class at eleven?”

Grant closed his eyes, having forgotten all about Sheila’s schedule. “Damn.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it. I’ll ask Ken or Margaret if one of them can cover the return trip.”

“Good. Thank you.”

“And if the girls get too rowdy for Pieter, send them over.” Michael added, helpfully.

“Hopefully that won’t be necessary but thank you again.”

“And I have acetic acid if the infection hasn’t gotten too bad.”

Grant started to nod then looked at Michael, “How did you – uh, what infection?”

“Oh, good cover but Pieter was fiddling with his ear at dinner last night. I wondered if he just had an itch but it looked a little swollen.”

“And you didn’t say anything?”

“No, because Pieter has a lot more medical training than I do and I figured he knew what was going on. Has he been using a heating pad?”

“Yes and some acetaminophen. I’m going to beg you not to tell Ian about this. Pieter’s a little sensitive about getting swimmer’s ear.”

“Hey, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Why do you think I have the drops?”

“You get swimmer’s ear?”

“I’m not going to say.” Michael replied.

Grant grinned, “Oh, so it’s Ian’s?”

“Nope. It’s Chloe’s. We bought it to take with us to Thailand, just in case. The seal is still on it.”

“Damn. I was hoping it was Ian’s so Pieter would feel better.”

“Sorry to disappoint you, then. I expect he’s in some pain.”

“Yes, it woke him up last night. Or maybe he didn’t sleep at all.” Grant said, then sighed. “You know, I promised him I would tell anyone and within the last two hours, I’ve basically told everyone. Pieter will be very disappointed in me.”

“It’s better that you told us. Now we won’t spend the whole day worrying about him.” Michael remarked as he turned up Germantown Avenue. “And I’m sure Pieter will forgive you once he’s feeling better.”

“I suppose.”

&&

By five pm, Pieter was feeling slightly better and was well enough to come down to the kitchen to oversee dinner preparations. The children were quiet and solicitous; fetching tea and a blanket, Kian dashed upstairs to retrieve Pieter’s slippers, and Lenora caught her Papee up on the day’s news.

Pieter struggled to eat enough to satisfy everyone, although he declined the ‘extra’ peas Tristan offered him. The family repaired to the family room and after everyone was comfortable, Grant pulled out ‘Sophie’s Snail’ to read aloud. The room was very warm and Pieter felt very cozy snuggled in with Grant and the kids and before he knew it, he was off in dreamland.

“Pieter?”

“Waz?”

“Come on, Pieter. You’ll sleep better upstairs.”

“But I’m really -.” Pieter said querulously, as he yawned and opened his eyes. The room was empty of children, the lights were turned down and the blankets neatly folded again. “What timz it?”

“Almost ten. Do you want help getting up?”

Pieter yawned again and nodded, taking the hand Grant extended. “Well, I feel much better. Those drops seem to have cleared up most of the problem.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

They made their way upstairs, stopping to check into each of the kids’ rooms before going into their own bedroom. Grant urged Pieter into the shower and puttered around the room, straightening up the bed and putting away things.

When the shower turned off, Grant stepped into the bathroom and held up the blow dryer. “I don’t want you to get mad at me but I told Michael what was going on. He gave me the drops and suggested that you use the dryer on both your ears for a few days.”

“Oh. Wait. Why would I be mad?” Pieter asked as he put down the toilet seat and sat down.

“Well, you were pretty upset this morning and told me not to tell anyone.”

“Then I must have been worse off than I thought.” Pieter shrugged. “It’s not like it’s a venereal disease or something. Did I really?”

“Yes, you did but you didn’t sleep much last night and you always get paranoid when you’re tired. Now, hush for a second while I do this.”

A few minutes later, Grant shut the dryer off. “There. How does that feel?”

“Amazingly good. You didn’t have to dry my hair too, you know.”

“Ah, I was already there and you shouldn’t sleep with a wet head. Come, it’s time for all good little witch doctors to be in bed.”

Grinning through another yawn, Pieter stood and followed Grant into the bedroom. “I’ve slept most of the day and I still feel sleepy. Aren’t you going to shower?”

“Once you’re in bed. Do you want the heating pad?”

“Hm. For a few minutes.”

Grant set up the pad and handed it over, making sure Pieter was well settled before going back to the bathroom. He hurried through his shower and dried quickly, slipping between the sheets ten minutes later. He thought Pieter had fallen back asleep until he felt those familiar pokes and prods.

“Grant?”

“Hm?”

“I’m sorry I was being so whiny today.”

“What? Darling, you were sick and I don’t mind taking care of you.”

“But I made you remake the tea, and fix the bed and-.”

“None of that. You aren’t the world’s best patient but none of are when we’re not feeling good. I love you regardless.”

“Aw. Thank you and I love you too.”

“Good because I can’t imagine life without you.”

“Me either.”
- 5
- 6
- 7
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

All of the Above