shimmerandsing | Still the one.

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Still the one.

Alison woke at a reasonable hour and was only mildly ill. The morning sickness so far with her second pregnancy had been easier to handle than the first. She was especially glad for it on days like today. It was Valentine's Day and she needed to do something special for her handsome hubby.

Following tradition, Longshot had been up early and gone into the camp for his yearly chocolate haul. Despite being a happily married father of three (four soon), he still made out better than most single men in the country. They would be eating chocolate for weeks after the holiday.

While he was out, Alison bathed and dressed the twins in little Valentine outfits she'd bought for them. They got their breakfast and a little stuffed monkey each. Both were white with little red hearts on their palms and the bottoms of their feet. By the time Daddy returned home, there were two babies with slightly soggy stuffed animals and a picnic lunch for four waiting for him.

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"They're gorgeous just like you. So, more than a little bit," he assured Alison as he rubbed his daughter's back. Longshot smiled at the bouncing wiggleworm junior.

He kicked the ground to spin the merry-go-round again.

"Well, they are beautiful." Alison figured that had a lot to do with her handsome hubby, too. But, she knew she'd never win that argument.

When Aiden seemed to be losing interest in bouncing, Alison scooped him back up into her lap and snuggled him good. Babies! And another one on the way. She couldn't wait.

Longshot let the merry-go-round slow to a stop this time. There was only so much sitting and spinning he could take. He tickled Hana's chin lightly.

"What's next, O Best Mommy in the Universe?"

"Well, my plan was to have the best Daddy in the universe chase two little blond kids around the park to wear them out so that when we get home, they'll have a nice long nap for grandma." Alison gave him a sly smile. "And Mommy can give Daddy his Valentine's gifts."

Longshot blinked at Alison. He looked down at Hana and over at Aiden. He knew what it could mean if he was given his gifts away from young baby eyes.

"Set them on the ground! I got chasing to do!" He stood up from the merry-go-round. Though he was having trouble setting his little cuddle monkey down. Hana was too darn cute and lovey.

Hana gave Daddy a curious look. What was he up to?

Alison grinned and stood up. She snuggled Aiden for a minute longer, gave him a cheek smooch, and then set him down on his feet. "Daddy's gonna getchoo!"

Aiden blinked at her and his expression went from curious, to surprised, to excited and then he was off!

"You better catch up with your brother, baby girl," Longshot advised with all due seriousness. It didn't keep the happy gleam out of his eyes, however. "Because the tickle monster is gonna getchoo, too."

He carefully set Hana on her feet and made tickly warning fingers at her.

Hana giggled at tickle fingers and took off after her brother. A tiny chorus of excited giggles would have given them away no matter where they ran or what they hid behind. It was a good thing they hadn't discovered hide and seek yet.

Alison laughed at her little one and nodded to her cute hubby. "Get 'em, cutie."

Longshot nodded to Alison after giving his wee ones a little headstart. Then he was off! He chased them this way and that. If they slowed down or ran toward him, the dreaded tickle monster got them. Peels of laughter, baby and adult, sounded in the park before the chase was on again.

Though when the twins ran in different directions, he tried to make sure he chased one baby as much as the other.

Alison sat on one of the adult-sized swings and watched with delight. Nothing was sweeter to her than watching her husband dote on their children. He had become every bit of the wonderful father she always knew he would be.

Hana and Aiden were little live wires. It took longer than Alison expected for them to be panting and out of breath. But, eventually, their giggles wore down to breathlessness.

Once his babies had slowed to a plod and were breathing hard, he picked them up and put them each on a shoulder. He trotted over to Alison.

"I think the worms are too pooped to wiggle. What do I do with them?" He grinned.

"If they can no longer wiggle, we should put them in their car seats. They have a grandma and a nap waiting." Alison grinned and got up from the swing to gather up their picnic stuff. The sooner they got home, the sooner she could get her hubby alone.

"I think that sounds like a capital idea, Mommy," he commented with a posh British accent. Blame his association with Betsy. He swaggered toward the carseats.

Though he had to stop once there. "Buttercup! My hands be full! No way to put these buckos into their seats!"

"Oh no!" Alison gasped dramatically as she loaded the picnic stuff into the floorboards of the back seat. "I'll have to come rescue you!

She rounded the back of the jeep and gently plucked Hana from her Daddy's arms. Her sleepy little girl yawned and snuggled in against Mommy. Awwww. Alison didn't want to put her down!

Eventually, Hana got settled into the car seat. Her stuffed monkey was clutched tightly as she started to doze.

While Alison was settling Hana in, Longshot was getting his wee son all comfy. He didn't notice he was humming as he tucked a very tired tot in. Aiden was rubbing his eyes to try to stay awake, but he didn't seem to be winning. By the time the little monkey was tucked in with him, the young babe was sound asleep.

Daddy smiled and kissed Aiden's cheek before climbing into the passenger's seat. He settled back and sighed. "Yep. Still the king."

"That's my hubby!" Alison grinned as she slid into the driver's seat. She started the engine and headed back toward the castle. So far, she considered the day a success. And if her luck held, it would only get better!

Longshot grinned and buckled himself in for the ride home. His legs were bouncing in impatience about halfway there. He grabbed the dashboard with one hand to keep himself from asking how much longer.

He shifted a bit in the seat and tried to stop his legs. He got one to at least stop. The other kept on bouncing.

Twitchy husband! Alison couldn't imagine what he was so excited about. She grinned to herself as she accelerated just a bit. The castle wasn't far by Nexus portal. Their snoozing tiny ones could be handed over to grandma in just minutes!

"Wanna deliver the cargo to your mother when we get there? I'll unpack the picnic and meet you upstairs."

His wife couldn't imagine it because she probably knew. Longshot, on the other hand, was full of imagination. He did try to keep it on the less tame side. He still had to see his adoptive Mommy before disappearing for whatever Alison had planned.

"Sure. Less wait. I'll go to the drive thru window for delivery." Not that the jonin would let him get away with that.

"Silly," she teased with a smile. The castle gates were in view! She pulled the jeep up to a smooth stop near the steps. John could retrieve it when he got back from his date.

She hopped out and started gathering up the picnic debris.

"Thass me," he agreed easily enough. He never took things too seriously unless it was SERIOUS BIZNEZ. Then he took things too seriously. Longshot was already unbuckling himself when he saw the castle gates.

He hopped out of the Jeep the second it stopped moving. He worked on getting both car seats unhooked and into the castle. Once both of his babies were liberated yet still snoozing, he scrambled into the castle to find his own Mommy for babysitting patrol.

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Still the one.

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