Small surprises.

[shimmerandsing]

Alison didn't like it when her husband wasn't home. There were a variety of reasons for it, but the main reason was because he wasn't with her when he was gone. She had spent most of the day in a funk, waiting for Longshot and Asuka to return home from a clan mission. She couldn't complain too much when he was sent away. The jonin knew Alison was pregnant and somewhat clingy where her husband was concerned. So, if he had been called away, it was probably very important.

She still missed him, though.

So, she spent most of the day in her music room. Her single had done remarkably well since its release and now she was looking to find more good material to record. She had almost an album's worth already.

She was taking a break from working, having a sandwich for lunch in the kitchen, when she saw the glowy orange light from John's arrival. She hoped Lisa was with him. The girl had not been in her room this morning and that had worried Alison, too.

"Hi, guys!" She called. "Come have some lunch with me."

Comments

[clericpreston.livejournal.com]

"He's not usually prone to hearing things," John remarked as he set the last, unclaimed sandwich on the table within Alison's reach and then took his own to another seat. "I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if there was giggling involved, maybe it wasn't meant to be malicious and maybe it's only temporary."

"Or Longshot'll have to grow up all over again!" Lisa seemed amazed by this. It would be fun to have a little brother to play with, though. She bet her Dad would be spending a lot more time here if that happened.

[sonofarize.livejournal.com]

"They giggled because they thought I was fuuunnnneeee," Longshot commented before he took another bite of sandwich. He chewed happily. He was sitting in Ali's lap, and it was all comfy.

"I didn't mean that he was making things up," Asuka tried to explain. "I know he's aware of a lot of things other adults are not. But... I didn't think..."

Longshot waggled his eyebrows at Lisa as he chewed.

[light-in-sound.livejournal.com]

Alison squeezed Longshot gently and kissed the top of his head. "You are funny, sweetheart. And adorable."

She brushed his hair back from his face as he ate. It wasn't so bad to have him as a child. She'd miss their adult fun, but getting to hold and snuggle a tiny blond child would be fun enough to make up for it.

That is, if it was temporary like John suggested.

[sonofarize.livejournal.com]

"And you're bee-you-tee-full!" He said to Ali around a mouthful of sammich.

Asuka rubbed her forehead for a moment. "I think I can find where we were when he said that. Maybe find whoever did this to him?"

[clericpreston.livejournal.com]

"It's as good a place to start as any. I'm really not all that knowledgeable about magic. Or little green people." He was kind of glad for that, actually. Magic and little green people were on the list of 'Things I Can't Shoot If I Need To' and that bothered him.

"Can I go, too?" Lisa looked hopeful.

"Absolutely not. If you shrink as much as Longshot did, you'd disappear."

[sonofarize.livejournal.com]

"Lisa go POOF!" Longshot emphasized with minimal sammich spray from his mouth. He giggled a little. He swung his legs a bit that they bounced on Ali's.

[light-in-sound.livejournal.com]

Alison chuckled and picked up the washcloth John left nearby. She wiped quickly across Longshot's mouth and then set it aside.

"You finished your sandwich. Want your cookie, now?" She reached for the one on the plate and held it out to him.

"When should we go?" She asked Asuka.

[sonofarize.livejournal.com]

While Longshot went 'plech' at the washcloth on his mouth again, Asuka leaned back in her chair and sighed.

"Should you be going, Alison? If you're hit with whatever Longshot was, what'll happen to the babies?" She smiled faintly at Longshot snatching the cookie. "I could probably visit my uncle and get something to bring a little green man here."

Leaving Longshot and Alison here while the search went on sounded safer to Asuka.

[clericpreston.livejournal.com]

"She's right, Alison. I think we'd all feel better if you weren't in harm's way. Even if this isn't malevolent magic, it's still unpredictable." John watched Longshot bemusedly.

"I'll go with Asuka." He was still in uniform, even. Man, it had been a long day.

Lisa dug a peanut butter cookie out of the bowl and put it on Alison's plate. Then she took one for herself and munched happily.

[sonofarize.livejournal.com]

Longshot eyed the cookie Lisa had set out. He glanced left. He glanced right. He glanced up at Ali's chin. Then he snagged the cookie off her plate! He was two fisting his cookies! HA hahahahaha!

[light-in-sound.livejournal.com]

Alison stifled a laugh at Longshot's cookie grabbing. If this was any indication of things to come, then their children were going to have their mommy wrapped right around their little fingers. She kind of didn't mind, though.

"Hey," she grinned down at the tiny blond. "How many cookies do you have, huh?"

[sonofarize.livejournal.com]

"One-a each," Longshot replied before he nibbled on the peanut putter cookie. He fluttered his eyes innocently.

Asuka put her hand in front of her mouth to hide her smile. It took her a second to regain composure. She looked at John. "Will just the two of us be enough? It was just me and Longshot and you see what happened with that."

She gestured to the cookie-munching kid nestled happily in Alison's lap.

[light-in-sound.livejournal.com]

Once the rescue team was away, Lisa went to check on her horse so Alison was left alone with her miniature husband. She smiled at the cookie monster on her lap and shook her head.

"Well, what should we do while we wait? Do you want a story? Or we could go outside and play. Sadie always wants someone to chase her."

[sonofarize.livejournal.com]

"Mmm," Longshot hummed as he thought. He tilted his head one way and then the other. "Wanna play with you. We haven't played in forever!"

With that pronouncement, he bounced up on his knees, turned around, and threw his arms around Ali. He gave her the biggest hug he could manage.

[light-in-sound.livejournal.com]

Awwwwwwwww. Alison laughed and wrapped her arms around him. She squeezed him gently and kissed one chubby cheek.

"Okay, then. We'll play. Hmmm... let's think of what to play." She stood up, still holding him to her, and spun around in circles as she considered what to do. Dakota's boys had dozens of sports toys.

[sonofarize.livejournal.com]

Longshot leaned back in her arms as she spun around, grinning as he was twirled. He straightened up before he bonked his head though. He looked around. No fun stuffs in the kitchen.

"Test the babies' toys?" He pointed up.

[light-in-sound.livejournal.com]

"Hmmm. Good idea. Then we'll know if the babies will enjoy them or not, huh?" She smiled and didn't bother putting him down as she headed for the stairs. Since she'd discovered she was pregnant, she hadn't liked to lift or carry very much. But, her tiny husband with his hollow bones didn't weigh much at all.

She carried him up the stairs and into the play room before setting him gently down on his own feet. "What do you want to try first?"

[sonofarize.livejournal.com]

"Yep!" He nodded once in a most decisive way. As Ali carried him up to the play room, he wrapped his arms around her neck and rested his head on her shoulder. He was feeling a rumbling of energy in his belly...

When he was set down, Longshot curled his tiny toes into the rug. "Hmm."

He looked around. So much fun everywhere! "Hmm."

He stared at the toy box. "Hmm."

And he pounced! He started digging in, tossing things over his shoulder until he found something good.

[light-in-sound.livejournal.com]

Well, at least the toys would get a good durability test. Alison smiled and shook her head as she took a seat on the rug decorated with roads and train tracks. She kept her hands up and ready to deflect incoming toys as Longshot dug through the chest.

"Finding anything good, sweetheart?"

[sonofarize.livejournal.com]

He found plenty of things it would be fun to play with by himself, but he was looking for something to play with Ali. His hands fell on a box, and he pulled it out. It had something written on it, but Longshot couldn't read. It had pictures on it though!

He jogged over to Ali and held it out to her. "This?"

Longshot, even when he was older, would never figure out the irony of him picking out a game called "Memory."

[light-in-sound.livejournal.com]

Alison was just not going to comment. She smiled and took the box from him, sitting it on the floor beside her.

"This is a fun game. Lot's of cute pictures. We put all the pictures on the floor, face-down so we can't see them. Then we try to find matches. You can only turn over two cards on each turn. Whoever gets the most matches wins."

She dumped the cards out in a pile between them and started flipping them over.

[sonofarize.livejournal.com]

Longshot settled himself down on the other side of Ali. He would learn better next to her! He watched her flip the cards over and helped her with a few.

"Any cute pictures of you on these cards?" He would want to match those up. Maybe even cute pictures of him.

[light-in-sound.livejournal.com]

She giggled and leaned down to kiss the top of his head. "Nope, no picture of me. Just flowers, puppies, kittens, cars, and things."

She smiled. A huge flirt even at four. No wonder he was such a romantic as an adult.

"You wanna go first?" She asked once the cards were all set.

[sonofarize.livejournal.com]

"Weeeeell, you should make some. Some with cute pictures of you. With cute pictures of me." He grinned at her. "Maybe with Robblebees and Yukiyaki. Oh! With the babies, too!"

He reached over and patted Ali's belly. He nodded to himself. That was a good idea!

The young Mojoworlder eyed the cards out. "Only two at a time?"

He flipped cards at opposite corners. He frowned a little. A puppy does not match a kitty. Even if they're both fuzzy.

[light-in-sound.livejournal.com]

Alison's hormones were working over-time to keep up with the sheer, unadulterated cute that was being thrown at her. Now, she was thinking that three little ones might not be enough. How many sets of twins could one couple have? Hmmm...

She giggled and stroked his hair softly. "That's an excellent idea. How about when everyone gets home, you and I get the camera and take pictures so we can make our very own set of cards. We can give them to the babies to play with when they're old enough."

She winked at him. "But, we can play with them until then."

Awww. She tried not to giggle at his cute little frown. "That's okay, sweetheart. Just remember where those two are so if you get another kitty or puppy, you can match them later."

Alison didn't do any better. She got a flower and a car.