House of Cards Series # 3 One Shots (QoS, KoH)

Combat of Wills (1)

Alice felt hands go around her waist and her first instinct was to ram her elbow backwards. But her husband's voice chuckled in her ear and she relaxed into his tight hug. She burrowed her nose into the crook of his arm and grinned, loving the way he smelled.

"Malcolm Vega, you almost got a flying elbow." Ace laughed, twisting in his grip so she could face him. Her husband, wow that was a good feeling. For a woman who'd spent the last eight years of her life enduring the worse characteristics of mankind from her foster family, she was adapting well to being wife and mother.

"Hmmmm you're worth it." he whispered and pressed their lips together.

Alice felt that fire start to burn, roused from the embers that were always there. D*** but that man can build a fire and Alice cuddled into her husband's chest. And with six month old Nathaniel in the house meant that Alice got very little time alone to enjoy a little adult time with her husband. Considering the fact that Nate had been born on their wedding day, they'd never spent a married moment without him. Malcolm trailed kisses from her lips to just behind her ear, nibbled down her neck and was making her moan softly as he bit on her collarbone when they hear a girl clear her throat.

"You two keep that up and you're going to make another one a lot sooner than you mean to." Ophelia stated calmly, holding little Nathaniel as if he were high explosives.

Alice's face burned bright red and she ducked down to hide against Malcolm's shoulder. "F***." she cussed under her breath.

"Dios me encanta tu boca malvada." Malcolm stated boldly and pulled his wife's face up to kiss her and she stared at him in embarassed shock. (God I love your wicked mouth).

"Guys, don't scar my little sister for life." West's voice called out and Alice smiled at her husband, then turned to face her best friend/ big brother. The Cubano had run in a street gang in Spain with Malcolm when they were younger, and both men had been there to protect her when she'd needed it the most.

"Sorry West. Mad ready yet? I'm excited to get out of here!" Alice almost bounced in excitement. Nathaniel was finally old enough that Alice and Malcolm felt comfortable leaving him with a sitter for an evening, school was over for the summer and Malcolm finally had some free time and Alice's first year of veterinary school was in the bag. It wasn' easy, being mommy and student doctor, but Ace seemed to be thriving in the demanding schedules. But that didn't mean that the newly weds weren't ready for some time away from their son.

Malcolm smiled at his wife's exhuberence and walked over to Ophelia to take his son from her hesitant grip. She wasn't going to drop him, but she had no clue how to really hold him either. Malcolm started to show the ten year old how to hold the tiny baby. It was quite the tableau to see; a real study of contrasts. Ophelia is all pale ice princess, prim and proper and exceedingly precocious for a ten year old. Not that she doesn't have a temper or a sense of play, she certainly does. But she also has a sense of decorum that felt at odds to her youth. Nathaniel had Malcolm's dark hair and Alice's golden skin and these impossibly long, dark eyelashes.

"Sorry, sorry I'm here, I'm here. Arnie got a flat!" Maddison called as she ran in the front door.

When West and Maddison had first started to sneak around with each other, the James household, it'd been pristine and magazine cover perfect. The cleaning staff still saw to it that everything was sterile enough to eat off of, but with West living in the house permanently now and Maddison being around, not to mention everyone wanted a piece of the baby, the house now was a lot more baby proof and a lot less magazine ready. It looked great.

"You alright?" West asked his fiancee, arm looping over her shoulders, looking like it belonged here. He whinced when the move pulled on still healing muscles, but then smiled at the fiesty red head.

Maddison rolled her eyes, not buying the casual tone in his voice. West was fiercely protective of his fiancee and she was just as protective back. It made for some interesting dates and some hilarious misconducts. "I've changed my own tire before, don't worry." she smiled as she said it though. THe only person who can keep that monstrosity she called a car running.

"Here's the list of numbers if you need anyone. Call if anything happens." Malcolm handed Ophelia a list with no less than ten phone numbers on it. His cell, Alice's, West's, Maddison's, Salali's apartment etc.. everyone who loved the baby wanted to be told if anything happened. It was amusing, exhausting and bloody hindering awkward. The burdens of family, cherished by all.

Ophelia wasn't actually going to be alone in the house. She was only ten years old, so Honey, the sixteen year old was also home and keeping an eye out. But Ophelia had wanted to earn some responsibilities and this was a perfect chance to try it out with minimal risk. Ophelia felt confidant that she could handle one six month old little boy. She'd spent a week with her nose in every how to baby book she could find, often uttering some fairly adult concepts that caused the adults no limit of discomfort to hear from a ten year old.

When the four adults left for their night out, Ophelia felt confidant that she could figure this babysitting thing out. Nate burbled up at her and she hestiantly bounced him a little, having seen Alice do it repeatedly. She stared down at the dark hued baby and he smiled up at her and reached those chubby little hands up. Ophelia held still, enspelled by his laughter and then he yanked on a lock of her hair and she screeched in pain.

The loud sound startled little Nate, as did the way Ophelia held him away while trying to free her hair, and the baby started to wail. Ophelia tried to shush the baby and cooed all those idiot things she'd heard the adults saying but none of it worked. He screamed like she'd stabbed him with a fork and Ophelia was begining to wonder if she was going to be as good at this as she originally thought.