Roxy is taking too long to answer the door. If it's just one of the guy's, she should be back with them by now. Therefore, I get up to check. There's anger and tension flaring from the bottom of the stairs, and it is hers. Roxy isn't easily pissed off, I've only known two people to rile her up like this.
"Zoe!" What is Aaron doing here? I pass Ame to Rosie, hopping down the steps to the hallway. "Don't you dare ask to see her!" The rest are all following behind. Rosie and Holly are shaking furiously just as much as Rox.
"It's alright, let him in." I squeeze her shoulder, guiding her out of the way. "Why are you letting him in?" Rosie prowls forward, her eyes flashing enough to make him flinch away. "Relax. I spoke to him, he's forgiven." I motion for him to come in. "Go through to the kitchen, I'll be with you in a minute."
She does as he's told, leaving me to deal with the growling women. Lex is the only calm one, I explained everything to her last night. She still doesn't trust him, though she knows to trust me and my judgment.
"Have you forgotten what he did? Why would you forgive him?" Ro hisses. "Don't speak to me like that, Kitty. Of course I haven't forgotten, I'm reminded every day. I moved on and past it. He asked to apologise and explain which I allowed. I understand everything now, and though I can't completely forgive him, I don't blame him. He took something away from me but gave me three incredible baby's too. He agreed they aren't his and that we wouldn't have worked together, he is trying to move on with his life too. Now please excuse me." They are stunned, moving out of my way.
"Sorry for coming here, I know I shouldn't have." He's leaning against the counter, scratching at his hands. "Don't worry about them. Just tell me why you're here." I walk around him, getting us both a glass of water. "I didn't know where else to go. No one in the pack or the town will talk to me."
"Aaron, what's wrong?" I take a sip of the cold liquid. "My parents found my meds and took them away saying that they won't allow me to do drugs, as though they care. I tried to explain why I had them but they said that 'it's all a lie' and 'mental health problems aren't real'. I can't get them back and I'm scared what's going to happen because of it." I smash my drink against the worktop, struggling to remain calm.
"Everything alright, Shortie?" Lex enters through the side door, her hand going to my waist. "I'm just angry. Not at Aaron though." Better to make sure she's aware of where my feelings are stemming from.
"It's nice to meet you." His hand reaches across the counter. She stares for a moment before taking it. "My name is Alexis." He nods, keeping his eyes down.
"Aaron, you're taking me to your parents place and I'll sort this out if they won't listen to you. Love, can you watch the kids for an hour?"
"Of course." She kisses my cheek and walks out. "She knows I don't want to steal you, right?" He genuinely looks afraid of her. "Don't worry, she's generally possessive." I chuckle.
"Did you walk or drive?" I ask while putting on my jacket and boots. "Walk." I nod back to him, collecting my keys to lead him to the car.
He directs me into the centre of town and into a side street with small houses down. They're all council property and shown by the appearance of ratty roofs and gardens, the walls even seem to be falling down. Maybe I should start a side company for cheap housing, none of these feel safe to be living in.
"This one." He points and I pull over right outside. I climb out, following behind me. "They're both very defensive and opinionated, so I'm sorry if they say anything." He really is quite different than when I left. I don't think I ever saw his genuine personality, mainly his split personalities which I guess ran his life how they wanted.
I knock on the door, waiting on the porch with my hands in my pockets. In a minute a large gruff looking man answers. "What?" Well that's rude. "I would like to talk to you and your wife about your son." My tone is a false sickly sweet. "What's he done now?" He glances behind me at the boy cowering from his glare. "I just want to talk."
"Sure, whatever." He steps out of my way, allowing me into his home that reeks of vodka and tobacco. Aaron stays close behind me, not wanting to leave me alone nor be seen by them.
"Who is it?" A woman calls, appearing in an archway to a kitchen. "A girl wants to talk to us about Aaron."
"What's he done this time?"
"He's not done anything, I just want to talk." I reply, taking a seat on their armchair. It crunches beneath me, that explains the vinegar smell. They both collapse onto the couch opposite.
"I believe you have something of his, medication to be precise. He needs it back." I smile. "He doesn't need that shit. That disorder crap he's apparently got isn't real." The man's loud obnoxious voice is amusing. "Does this idea apply to all diagnoses?"
"Only to the fake stuff."
"I see. So in your opinion anxiety, depression and trauma caused illnesses aren't real?" They both nod. "Well you're full of shit. Aaron's disorder is as real as Cancer or the Flu. It affects his life in a horrible way without his medication. I really suggest you give back those meds or we're going to have a problem."
"Is that a threat?" He shouts, hurting my ears. "It's a promise. I could call the police, I'm sure the law would love to hear about your abuse and neglect. He may not be a child but it is still domestic abuse and considering it started when he was a kid, you're looking at ten years as a minimum in prison." I sit back with my arms folded, loving their facial expressions.
"Aaron, go pack your things. By the time he is done, I expect to have his medication in my hand." He pauses, shocked. "Go on, I'll arrange a place to stay." He nods shortly, sprinting up the stairs.
I continue to smile at the two of them until, "What authority do you think you have?" He yells, getting up as though it is going to intimidate me. "I haven't introduced myself, have I? My name is Zoe Smith, I own the company Zesiro. We work on a number of things, such as: medical research, publishing, farm land funding, and we own a law firm. I actually did Law at College, passing with full marks." His face pales.
The woman is suddenly on her feet, "Can I offer you a drink, Miss Smith?" She's ringing at the towel in her hands. "No, I'm alright thank you. I would like Aaron's meds though." I grin. She swallows before forcing a smile onto her face. "Of course."
She vanishes into the kitchen. I cross my legs, blinking at the man trying to melt my skull with his stare. "Here you go." She passes me a couple of boxes of tablets to alleviate anxiety, depression and psychosis. "Thank you for your cooperation." I stand to wait by the door for the male.
"Are you going to tell the police?" She asks, near tears. Her hand is pressing against her lower stomach. "No," I know the fear of possibly losing a child, "it's up to Aaron, not me. I suggest you get your shit together and maybe this child won't run from you like your sons." She stares at her feet.
"Got everything?" I ask the boy at the top of the stairs, he nods. "Let's go then. Provided these are the right meds." I show him the boxes. He reads their names, "That's them." I open the door, following him out. "It was interesting to meet you both." I wave behind me while climbing into the car.
"Thank you, Zoe." I peek at him as we drive back to the house. "No problem. I despise people that think they can treat their kids like that. I believe your Mum will improve, not so sure about your Dad."
"He's a dick. She's pretty nice when he isn't around, she loves him too much to not do as he wants when he's home though."
"She depends on him?" I ask as we park in the driveway. "Yeah. She tried leaving him once after they got into a fight, she got drunk and slept with my biological Father. When she got back all she wanted was his forgiveness. My brother was the one to see it. I hope she finds it in her to leave, for her baby's sake." He hops out of the car, waiting for me.
"You can stay here for the night while I sort something out." He nods, taking his bags out of the boot.
When we both step through the door, a growling child is at his feet. Ash and Dylan are standing behind the girl, waiting for her cue. "Amelia, what are you doing?" I ask, smirking down at her. "You hurt our Mummy again and me and Ashy and Dylan will bite your bum off!" I am unable to hold in my laughter. Aaron's face is pale from the threat, seriously not doubting the threat.
"I don't want to hurt your Mummy. I am sorry for hurting her, I hope you can forgive me." He kneels down to face them. The boy's step forward, sniffing at him like Ame. "We forgive you. We will be watching though." She narrows her eyes, backing into the living room.
"They're..."
"Insane?" I try to fill in for him. "I was going to say amazing, but that too." I scoff, patting his back. "This way." I take him to one of the spare rooms and let him settle in before going down to explain the situation to the group who have been waiting for my verdict patiently.
By ten o'clock, we're all curled up in the living room to watch a movie with a buffet of McDonald's that Leah picked up on her way back from work. Aaron hasn't joined us, wanting to be alone for a little while which I understand. I've already rang around a few places and have come up with a plan, one I hope he'll consider.
Five minutes into the film, we are interrupted by a sniffling baby boy whose fist is clenched and rubbing against his eye as tears spill from behind. "What is it, Dillster?" I scoot over on Lex's lap, making room for him to cuddle up. "Bad dream."
Lifting him up, we drape a thick blanket around his shoulders in the hope to settle him back to sleep. His head rests against my shoulder, his light breaths cooling my skin until he's sleeping again. My baby's tired, just in need of comfort to relax.
"I'll take him." Anthony holds his arms out, gently moving the tiny boy into his chest. The cutie collapses, nuzzling into him as he's returned to his shared bed. "I guess he likes the idea of having little emo's and princesses running around?" I chuckle, Roxy nodding along with a proud grin. "He's going to be an amazing Father, I know it. We've been planning for a while, it's why we're moving into one of the houses down this street." She giggles just as her Mate reenters the room.
He crouches behind her, whispering something in her ear. They converse for a few moments before settling on an answer. "We actually wanted to talk to you about baby's." She pauses to rest her hand on his, "We're pregnant." Her teeth brighten the room.
I hesitate on the congratulations, slightly surprised. I wasn't aware that they were trying, I've missed a lot lately. I miss being in sync with all of them but the terrors take up a lot of my time along with the company and Alexis. I'm constantly having to remind myself that we're living our own lives now.
"How far along?" Pops asks, resting her hand on the sweet girl's stomach. "Eight weeks." Leah and Holly squeal as quietly as they can manage. "Since we're talking about pregnancy..." Kitty speaks up, squeezing Ollie's hand, he looks like he's about to faint. "We're expecting too, ten weeks." I rub over my eyes, shaking my head at them all. They are going to regret being this excited when they are pushing something out.
Roxy claps her hands, diving at Ro. They giggle, excited about being pregnant at the same time. "Why am I sort of jealous?" Car seems appalled at himself, causing Josh to laugh behind him. They've been inseparable since meeting. I'm impossibly happy for him. He found the courage to tell Josh right away about his disorders to prevent shock or annoyance, he believed that he was to leave. He was surprised when Josh smiled and said that he doesn't mind.
"Congratulations, Guy's. Plolly, I thought you weren't ready?" I smirk at him, his face resembling Ro's lipstick. "It was an accident."
"A welcome one." She interjects, still hyped up about being a Mother. "Alright, while we're here... Is anyone else pregnant?" Chris' hands are in the air, overwhelmed. "You wish." Leah scoffs, slapping his chest.
Holly shakes her head, Jeremy sighs out while holding his chest. "Ah wis scaur'd fo' a mament thir." Shaking her head at him, she shrugs.
Swallowing my nerves, I raise my hand, "I am." My grimace confuses them all until they see Alexis' astonished wide eyes and gaping jaw. "Zoe!" The fellow enlarged females jump up, dragging me into their giddy embrace.
"That's why..." I push away from the two, crouching in front of my Love. Taking her hands in mine, "I didn't know how to tell you. We already have three nightmares, and though we both love them, they're a handful. Sidonie told me after running some tests. I'm six weeks along." I kiss her neck, hoping to calm her from her shock.
"Is it ok? I'll kill that fucking Alpha dick!" She suddenly stands, knocking me back in a fit of laughter. "They're alright, Love. I've taken worse damage while pregnant. He didn't even touch them, I made sure."
"Wait, 'them'? Please say it's not triplets again." She already seems exhausted. "Just twins this time." I stand too, kissing her some more.
"You already know?" I turn to the other girls. "Yeah. Werewolves develop quicker in the early stages to prevent illnesses and damage from a threatened life. We also carry longer, sadly." Ro's mouth opens, forgetting that I was pregnant with the triplets for so long. Rox bounces on Ant's lap, "We need to get an appointment to find out!"
"Might want to wait, Rox. Finding out too soon triggers the nesting instinct." Lex nods, remembering how obsessive I became. "Though it would be a good idea to start sleeping with a blanket or teddy, your scent will help calm them." She adds. "Oh and daily bath's to get into the routine of relaxing your body." We continue to list things off, Ro and Rox making mental notes while the rest look horrified by the amount of hassle that is involved. Leah occasionally agrees after raising Micah.
"The mood swings never leave. You can often mistake them for periods." I turn in her arms, growling and pouting. "What? You've been bloated and moody, I just thought you were due, not pregnant."
"I'll give you that." I huff.
Before going to bed, we gossip and fool around with some games Caterpillar finds on the internet. No matter how old we get, I know I'm always going to love the idiotic times with the family. Nothing can change how amazing it feels to act like a young teen.
We may not be that old, but life moves on sooner for our kind. Chris has repeatedly told us how most Mated couples are married and expecting their first child by twenty five. Lex and I skipped the first few steps, now expecting our fourth and fifth. I wouldn't change a thing though, I adore my life. I know Mum and Dad would be proud.